“Charlie Backwards” - Marc Soucy
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if Vince Guaraldi did a jam session with Emerson, Lake & Palmer in a stone cellar somewhere in 1983—Marc Soucy’s new single “Charlie Backwards” might just be your answer.
Coming out of Boston with his powerhouse trio—Jeff Carano on bass and Ray Lavigne on drums—Marc isn’t just giving us a song here. He’s uncorking a bottle of creative lightning from over 40 years ago, letting it loose, raw and unfiltered, and it absolutely rips.
Recorded live with no overdubs, no edits, and only three mics, “Charlie Backwards” is the kind of track that pulses with old-school urgency. It's prog-rock-meets-jazz-fusion, with a splash of chaos and a hell of a groove underneath it all. The main piano motif is Marc’s playful homage to the Charlie Brown theme—but flipped inside out, hence the title.
It’s not literally Guaraldi in reverse, but you feel that kind of bouncy, syncopated whimsy—just sped up, jacked with synthy adrenaline, and thrown into a blender with vintage prog weirdness. If it doesn’t make your eyebrows raise and your head bob, you might need to get your ears checked.
The year is 1983, the venue? An old farmhouse cellar in Dracut, MA. There’s no studio, no fancy gear—just three musicians making magic in a cold basement with crumbling stone walls and primitive audio conditions. That’s punk rock, but for jazz nerds and prog heads. And honestly—that vibe bleeds through every note.
Photo: Ray Lavigne
Marc’s composition is tight, but the energy here is anything but controlled. Jeff Carano’s basslines twist and punch like they’ve got something to prove, and Ray Lavigne’s drums are straight-up feral—like he’s trying to escape the cellar by sheer force of rhythm.
Marc leads the charge on keys, not just playing but commanding the entire atmosphere like a mad scientist with a synthesizer.
The music video, featuring bobsled footage, is a clever metaphor for the track’s relentless momentum—it just doesn’t stop. It makes sense: this is probably the most high-energy piece Marc composed during that wildly creative era. There's a fearless DIY spirit here, a youthful intensity that still resonates four decades later.
And while this track is a throwback to a specific moment in time, it doesn’t feel dated. If anything, it feels like a lost relic of a genre-blending golden age that more artists should tap into.
Marc’s decision to dust off this live cut, restore the audio, and give it a proper release in 2025 isn’t just nostalgia—it’s testament to his deep commitment to music as an art form. “Charlie Backwards” captures a time when he was young, hungry, and fusing genres before genre-bending was cool.
As Marc himself puts it:
"Antartica (my band playing on this recording) was a pivotal moment in my development as both a composer and a musician. I am reviving these tracks as best I can to honor that time."
And he’s right. This isn’t a museum piece—it’s alive. And it slaps.
“Charlie Backwards” is a fast-paced, unfiltered prog-jazz fusion jam—and it sounds just as wild as it should. With nods to Vince Guaraldi and classic fusion acts, Marc Soucy and his trio channel raw creative energy into a track that’s both nostalgic and timeless. If you like your instrumental music unapologetically bold, this one’s for you.
“Charlie Backwards” is available now to watch on Youtube
