Charlie Woods

The latest music project Charlie Needs Braces comes from Naarm musician Charlie Woods. Charlie is a proud GuriNgai woman, a direct descendant of Bungaree and Matora. The lands running from the central coast of NSW along the mouth of the Hawkesbury river and into Northern Sydney.

Having played on stage with bands such as The Teskey Brothers, Casey Donovan, The Seven Ups, and TEK TEK Ensemble, Naarm based musician Charlie Woods is venturing out on her own to launch the solo project-Charlie Needs Braces.

Since graduating from the VCA in 2014 Charlie has worked full-time as a professional musician. She currently plays with several bands including ‘The Teskey Brothers’, ‘The Seven Ups’, ‘TEK TEK Ensemble’, and ‘WVR BABY’, as well as developing her own ensembles including 'Ogopogo', 'Chaos Magnet', and 'Mangelwurzel'.

Her further experience includes forming, arranging, and playing in an all female horn section for the 2019 and 2020 ABC New Years Eve concert, and appearing on 'Spicks and Specks', 'The Set', and the 'Channel 9 Morning show' with The Teskey Brothers, and Rockwiz with Jimmy Barnes. Charlie has played at 'Fuji Rock', 'Womadelaide', 'Blues Fest', 'Woodford', 'Rainbow', 'Meredith', 'Splendour in the Grass', 'Darwin Festival', 'Queenscliff Music Festival', 'White Night', 'SummerSalt' and many more. As well as toured Europe, Japan, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Australia's capitals and regional centres.

Since 2021 she has begun developing a new project-Charlie Needs Braces. Charlie Needs Braces has performed at ‘Melbourne Music Week’, ‘St Kilda Film Festival’, ‘Wominjaka Festival’, ‘Cullulleraine Music Festival’, 'The Town', and supported 'Kee'ahn', ‘The Seven Ups’, and Ziggy Ramo.

In 2022 Charlie has been awarded ‘First Place’ from the ‘Upstart Awards’, been a part of the City of Port Phillip ‘First Impressions’ program, and been supported by ‘Creative Victoria’ with a ‘First Peoples Music Grant’. Charlie’s Music Video Clip ‘Daryung’ was also featured on RAGE as part of their ‘Wild Card’ of the week. Charlie was Triple j Unearthed Artist of the Week, and recently had her track ‘Saltwater People’ featured on ABC documentary ‘Changing Tides’ as part of a naidoc week special.

In 2023 drawing on her own personal experiences Charlie has developed an album that is influenced by her new braces. She also draws on the experience of discovering and learning about her Aboriginal heritage. Since the Debut Album Saltwater Peoples release Charlie has toured interstate and regionally and played at festivals such as Kiama Jazz & Blues, Burramatta Festival, Far East Music Festival, St Kilda Festival, Sydney Road Street Party, Wominjeka Festival, Tanglewood, Oops A Daisy, The Town, and supported Ziggy Ramo, Kee’ahn, Cookin on 3 Burners, and Harry Angus.

I currently work 2 days a week at North-Eastern Montessori School teaching individual Brass and Piano lessons with Grades Foundation to Grade 6 students.

The lessons run for 30 minutes and focus on the students school band repertoire, AMEB exams, school concert pieces, technique, and basic aural and theory.

I also run the school ensemble once a week after school with the head of music Rozanne Mentzel-Gwynne. We carefully pick tunes suited to the students varied abilities and choose appropriate and fun songs they can easily connect and stay engaged with.

During rehearsals we run sectionals and delegate time to concentrating on particular tricky areas and sections the students are struggling with.

I help organise, prepare, and attend school music concerts and student soirees, helping students with soundchecks, setting up and packing down the PA and all other equipment. As well as stage managing and helping ensembles move on and off stage. I also play in the school band when needed.

I currently work 1 day a week at Princes Hill Secondary College doing individual Trumpet lessons with year 7-12 students.

The lessons run for 25 minutes and focus on school band repertoire, AMEB and ABRSM exams, technique, improvising, and aural and theory.

I also run a year 7 ensemble called 'Planet Seven' and a grade 8 and 9 band named 'Planet 89' once a week during lunchtime, targeted towards beginner students who are new to playing in a band.

I write and arrange parts suited to each of the students different levels and always try to consider song requests and pick fun tunes they will find challenging, engaging, and fun.

I help organise, prepare, and attend school music concerts, helping students with soundchecks, setting up and packing down the PA and all other equipment. As well as stage managing and helping ensembles move on and off stage.

I currently work 1 day a week at Thornbury Primary School doing individual Brass and Piano lessons with Prep-Grade 6 students.

The lessons run for 30 minutes and focus on their school band repertoire, technique, improvising, and aural and theory.

I also run the Senior ensemble named 'Spicey Semitones' once a week during lunchtime targeted towards beginner students who are new and excited to play in an ensemble.

I write and arrange parts suited to each of the students varied levels and always try to consider song requests and pick fun tunes they can easily connect with.

The ensemble performs at the school concerts and the students also get to develop and create original pieces with help from me in their lessons and rehearsals.

The band is also involved in the annual school Arts Festival happening in mid October where they collaborate with each grade and play a song with dancers, the school choir, and the string ensemble.

I have been playing as a Session Trumpet Player with Melbourne based ARIA Award Winning Blues & Soul Band The Teskey Brothers since 2017.

I have recorded on their albums 'Run Home Slow', 'Live at The Forum', 'The Winding Way', and featured on Singles 'Forever You and Me', 'Right for Me', 'I Get Up', 'Never Tear Us Apart', and a collaboration with Archie Roach and his song 'Get back to the land'.

I have toured several times with the band in Japan, New Zealand, Europe, and played many tours around Australia to Festivals such as Womadelaide, Byron Bay Blues Festival, Woodford, Strawberry Fields, Harvest Rock, and many more.

Blending influences from 1970s underground Funk with Jazz, Psych and Fuzz Rock The Seven Ups are the original 7 piece party band out of the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

I have been playing Trumpet with the ensemble since 2016 and recorded on the albums 'Drinking Water' in 2017, 'Commandments' in 2018, and 'The Old World' in 2021. The Seven Ups have toured New Zealand and Australia several times, playing at festivals such as Womadelaide, Meredith Music Festival, By the Meadow, Strawberry Fields, Ninch-Fest, Fractangular, Moomba and many more.

The band are releasing our 5th Album 'A Free Blowing Wind' this September 2023 and launching the release at Fitzroys Nightcat on Nov 6th.

In June this year I was contacted by the Dream Big Artists Coordinator John Lane and Dr Anna Loewendahl and asked to be involved in a 6 week program centred around RUOK?DAY and aimed at First Nations Primary School Kids at Melton South Primary School, and Bacchus Marsh Primary School.

The program is centred around Mental Health and Well Being, and my job is to faciltate the students in workshopping and writing an original song together using themes around RUOK?DAY.

The group then perform their song on the actual day of RUOK?DAY, the 14th of September for all the schools involved in the program.

The workshops go for 1 hour and the group have used my Loopstation to create Drum Beats, Vocal Harmonies, Didgeridoo drones, and Melodies together.

I have helped guide the group to brainstorm, workshop, draw and write out all their ideas for the Lyrics, and the students have come together to form an original song they are very proud of.

Aswell as writing the song together I have encouraged the students to create and add Dance Moves to their performance. This helps them to remember the Lyrics as they sing and they also seem more engaged, connected, and proud of their work.

Charlie Needs Braces was employed by Brunswick North West Primary School to facilitate 2 Workshops aimed at Grade 3-5 students centred around music and dance.

The students created an original composition and dance using the Loop station and Percussion instruments. They also added a dance routine to my song 'Daryung' and encouraged the audience to participate in crowd participation and dance moves.

The students then performed their song and dance at their School Arts Festival to their family, friends, and peers.

In 2022 John Cheong-Holdaway and I received a Grant funded by the Merri-bek Council to put on a series of All Ages and Family Friendly events at The Brunswick Ballroom.

The idea behind the events was that we would book local bands and feature a First Nations act for every show. I was in charge of contacting and organising the First Nations Acts, as well as attending regular meetings, and promoting the shows on Radio, local schools, and Social Media.

The shows were specifically catered towards 0-12 year olds and their elders, and ran at a more family friendly time of 1pm on a Saturday. The shows featured amazing local acts Joelistics, Riot Baby, Kee'ahn, Firetail, Darren Clinch, Hearts and Rockets.

The event was such a success that Family Jams was invited to host a stage at The Sydney Road Street Party in March 2023 organising and booking local Family Friendly bands appealing to 0-12 year olds and their family.

Family Jams soon after teamed with Bridge Darebin for another series of shows in February 2023 at Northcote Uniting Church and Thornbury Bowls Club, featuring local bands Moody Beaches, Canisha, Riot Baby, and Charlie Needs Braces.

YOWO Music is a contemporary music program for young women and GNC teens in high school. Be in a band, play gigs, gain confidence and have fun!

I was a mentor for the first semester in 2020 with YOWO and then due to Covid the program went on hold for the rest of the year.

I ran rehearsals, workshops, performances, and created charts and arrangements with the participants and my ensemble.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot through the rehearsal process and working closely the YOWO team Ellie Lamb, Claire Cross, Lena Douglas, and Nat Bartsch.