Charlie Patton's War to perform at Bishop tonight

Local band Charlie Patton’s War will play tonight at the Bishop along with Kentucky Knife Fight and Heather French Henry. Admission is $7, and the show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Charlie Patton’s War is a four-piece multi-genre band. The band consists of drums, guitar, vocals and keyboards.

Aaron Frazer, the band’s drummer and one of two vocalists, said the band has many different styles.

Kyle Houpt, a guitarist for Charlie Patton’s War, said the band focuses on rock ’n’ roll with a nod to American roots music.

Charlie Patton’s War formed in 2010. The band members met at the Jacobs School of Music where they were all recording arts majors, Houpt said.

The band expanded from a duo consisting of Houpt and Blake Rhein, a guitarist and vocalist for Charlie Patton’s War.

Frazer said he has traveled around the country with Charlie Patton’s War. He said the band’s last tour started in Indiana and then went through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina before returning to Bloomington.

He said the key to being on the road is keeping healthy and in a good state of mind.

Aside from playing on the road, Charlie Patton’s War frequently plays Bloomington venues, too. “For Bloomington, we try to bring a really tight, special show,” Frazer said, “Our close friends and families are here.”

Charlie Patton’s War’s name is a pun taken from the movie title “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

Charlie Patton was a blues musician whose stage performances are something the band tries to reflect in their own shows, Frazer said.

“Charlie Patton is one of the pioneers of the Delta blues,” Frazer said. “He was known for his performance style, which was pretty ferocious.”

Charlie Patton’s War will be playing a few new songs from an unreleased album at tonight’s show.
This will be their last show in Bloomington until they return from their next tour, which will take them to the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Miss.

Frazer said Charlie Patton’s War has played for wide ranges of crowds, from empty rooms to packed houses. He said the band’s energy is undeterred by smaller crowds.   
“We try to bring a quality live show everytime,” he said.

In addition to performing for a recent winter tour, Charlie Patton’s War released their first, self-titled album last year.

Houpt said the band is a fan of Heather French Henry, and they are familiar with Kentucky Knife Fight via the Internet.

Frazer said Charlie Patton’s War enjoys playing at the Bishop for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the venue does a good job of booking regional bands as well as local bands.

“The Bishop is our favorite venue in town,” Frazer said. “It is because they consistently support original, live electric music in Bloomington.”