Almost Charlie was formed in the summer of 2003, when singer-guitarist Dirk Homuth of Berlin, Germany answered an Internet ad from New York City lyricist Charlie Mason,
who was searching for a composer. What resulted is a transatlantic songwriting duo who, to this day, has never met.
Homuth grew up in Magdeburg, a town in the former East Germany, and came to Berlin shortly before the wall came down in 1989. Homuth's early passion for Broadway standards
foreshadowed the division of labor between composer and lyricist (as is common in that genre) that would develop years later in Almost Charlie - bringing to mind
classic songwriting teams like Burt Bacharach/Hal David and Elton John/Bernie Taupin.
Once in Berlin, Homuth played guitar in several jazz groups, before forming Almost Charlie in 2003. By 2005, Homuth had worked up a dozen songs with Mason's lyrics for
his self-released debut, Loving Counterclockwise.
The compositions took cues from artists such as Elliott Smith, using a rich palette of melodies to convey devotion and longing, as well as the majesty of The Beatles,
the intimacy of Nick Drake and Kings of Convenience, and the sheer indie pop purity of early Belle and Sebastian. Homuth recruited bassist and violin/cellist Sebastian Vogel
and drummer Denis Stilke for the recording sessions, although this first lineup did not perform live.
In January 2006 drummer Hannes Dullinger, bassist Paul Hetherington, and guitarist Stephan Bienwald joined Homuth for live shows, and with this band Homuth began to
develop and record new material for the follow-up to Loving Counterclockwise.
In April 2007 this second lineup disbanded amicably, but by October 2007 Almost Charlie became a trio once again when bassist Sven Muehlbradt and drummer Pelle Hinrichsen joined the band.
In 2008, pianist Bert Wenndorff was brought into the group for some live shows; this is the current lineup of Almost Charlie.
In May 2009, Words On Music released Almost Charlie's second album, The Plural of Yes. The album reveals Homuth to be a connoisseur of timeless pop craftsmanship -
distilling the heady years of AM-radio splendor, from Bacharach to The Beatles, into 13 addicting indie-pop coated pills. Underscoring the beauty of fragility and self-doubt,
Almost Charlie puts its stamp on one of 2009's essential works. In an era characterized by self-involved personalities with dubious abilities, rare has so much authenticity
and talent been packed into such a digestible musical souvenir.
In October 2012, Words On Music released Tomorrow's Yesterday, the band's third album featuring 11 new wistful gems. The record summons giants like Nick Drake, The Beatles,
and Simon & Garfunkel as departure points to begin an infectious tour of chamber and acoustic pop with beds of lush harmonies, strings, glockenspiel, ukulele, sitar, woodwinds,
and melodica. With its idiosyncratic flair and unmatched tunefulness Tomorrow's Yesterday will leave its mark as one of the indispensable indie pop records of 2012.
In April 2017, Almost Charlie's fourth album, A Different Kind of Here, was released by Words On Music. With twelve new songs brimming with impossibly elegant hooks, poignant imagery, and enduring melodies, A Different Kind of Here is another sophisticated, chamber pop masterpiece from one of the most intriguing songwriting teams in independent music.
In 2019, Words On Music reissued Almost Charlie's 2006 self-released debut, Loving Counterclockwise.
In September 2022, the label released the band's fifth record, A Whisper in a World Too Loud. The album is another master work: Mason's lyrical imagery is penned with such matchless wit and detail that it resonates as memorably as Homuth's elegant melodies. Homuth brilliantly uses the economy of songwriting implemented by giants like The Beatles ("On The Best Day I Can't Wait to Remember") and Simon & Garfunkle ("Somewhen Else") to guide his hand as he pens an undeniably personalized musical signature across a dozen new works.
Almost Charlie has performed throughout Germany, as well as at the legendary Cavern Club - the Liverpool venue that launched The Beatles - during the 2007 International Pop Overthrow Festival. The band has performed with France's renowned Louise Attaque and Homuth also plays as a sideman with Berlin's electronic-pop outfit Ofrin. Homuth played electric guitar and glockenspiel on several tracks on Oren Lavie's breakthrough record The Opposite Side of the Sea.