The Sketches have dealt with all of the uncertainties of a new artist. Even with a name that does nothing to dispell this notion of transition, they've defined themselves and their place among the D.C. area’s finest upcoming musicians. Front man Charlie Bernardo’s voice is strikingly similar to Freddie Mercury, with melodies heavily influenced from The Beatles days of his youth. Bassist Greg Watkins and drummer Anthony Allen support the vocally driven alt-rock with their classical backgrounds and sophisticated sound.

Their debut self-titled album is a combination of acoustic love songs, tales of fates intertwined and catchy rock ballads made memorable by colorful hooks. “Fly Baby, Right Now” is radio worthy but virtually all of their songs contain elements of pop addiction. They’ve been touring the area in their most recent set-up since last fall, with the recent addition of Charlie’s brother Manny on lead guitar. A second album, Secret Alphabets will be released later this year, and in the meantime, the band is actively bringing the District's bands together to represent in New York clubs.

We saw them a short while ago at a packed Iota Club for a holiday performance with literally no room to even lift our beer. It was a more upbeat show than we last experienced at an intimate Jammin’ Java set proving that they are also very versatile. The Sketches are hard at work these days, but Charlie took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about the new album, his Cuban roots, and why they are losing so much sleep.

Visit Them At: www.thesketches.com

Buy Their Album: Here

See Them Next: March 8th @ DC9, 9pm.

Questions for The Sketches:

Why “The Sketches?”

Before THE SKETCHES were formed, I (Lead singer/songwriter of The Sketches-Charlie Bernardo) had secured a demo/development deal w/ Warner Brothers Records as a solo artist. For 2 years, (2003-2005) I had recorded various demos that were rejected by Warner Brothers for a proper release, but the label was still interested in hearing more. The process always ended up feeling like half finished work; blueprints; sketches. Eventually I realized I would have to jump ship for my vision to be realized, but the first recording we put out as “The Sketches” was a collection of demos from that time, so it felt appropriate…

How long have you all been performing together?

This lineup has been together since September 2006 when my brother Manny joined the band. The former lineup had been performing together for about a year before that.

Charlie’s vocals are compared to Freddy Mercury, the Beatles and Bono, but are there any Cuban influences in your music?

Cuban music is very rhythmic in terms of percussion. The Sketches music doesn’t necessarily reflect that influence except in some of the phrasing in the vocal melodies and occasionally the more organic, stripped down acoustic songs, where the accompaniment is more similar. That being said, both of the Bernardo parents played instruments (guitar and piano) and traditional Cuban music has always played a huge part in our background. Buena Vista Social Club is in my top 10 records of all time, I have probably listened to it as much as any Beatles record.

Why did Charlie’s brother Tony leave the band?

Tony left the band amicably for a multitude of personal reasons, but mainly because he really disliked anything having to do with the “business” side of the industry. He didn’t like the idea of music on a commercial level which was obviously a big problem, because our sound has sort of a mainstream appeal to it, and our goal was always to be heard by as many people as possible… it just got overwhelming for him.

Can you talk a little about your “DC in NY” shows? When is your next one?

“DC in NY” is a concept I came up with to help DC bands build our fanbases in NY and letting NY know that there is a lot of talent in DC besides just the punk and hardcore scene DC is known for in rock. The idea is that 4 DC bands will play a NY club together on one bill rather then alone w/ 3 other bands they were just thrown on a bill with arbitrarily. This way, each bands collective NY fans stick around for all four bands b/c there is connective tissue in terms of style and background musically. It works because we only bring quality bands up there, so people feel like they get more for their money…

What can fans expect from your new album, Secret Alphabets?

Secret Alphabets is a very exciting record for us, because really, it’s our first OFFICIAL record as THE SKETCHES. Fans can expect a record that is very true to how the live show sounds. We worked very hard on capturing what it is people like about our live show on record without too much polish. We were very discriminate in the tunes we chose, and each song stands very well on it’s own as well as with the rest of the album. We tried to take ourselves less serious on this record then in the past, we really wanted to get back to those rock and roll roots-- vintage guitar sounds, straight ahead beats, great melodies, harmonies and choruses you can hum after hearing a song once. There is definitely a distinctive Sketches touch to it though, especially with the use of the double bass in songs like “Secret Alphabets” and “Sleeper.” Vocals are very strong on this record with trademark Sketches harmonies on a lot of the tracks.

Who writes your songs and is there any particular theme you tend to focus on in your lyrics?

Tony and I (Charlie) co-wrote the entire record. Tony would say that I wrote the majority of the record, but his contributions were huge, especially with some of the more introspective slower tracks. I would say the themes that pop up most are what most rock is built on—the blues…love, how relationships between people are very complex and sometimes difficult, the struggles of being an artist, and losing sleep! Tony and I both have been known to have bouts of insomnia.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment thus far as a group?

Having won the audience of our new manager Larry Jacobson and World Audience Media group. Larry is a former Vice President of Capitol records and a very respected industry veteran. For him to make us one of only 4 acts that they manage (Avenged Sevenfold etc.) was a tremendous boost of confidence for the band. They have been instrumental in giving us a real shot at living our dream and have been working very hard on our behalf in the short time since we have joined them.

What are a few of your favorite local bands/artists?

I really enjoy Middle Distance Runner, Monopoli, and Army of Me. I think we all share a similar sort of musical environment in terms of our influences and our goals. Very talented acts with a lot of potential.

What is your opinion of the DC music scene?

I think the DC music scene is totally underrated in terms of the style of music we (and some of the other bands I mentioned) play. Bands like us that aren’t uniquely Punk or Hardcore have been overshadowed by that style for way to long. There is a huge movement in DC toward melodic rock with integrity and a little bit of post punk and classic rock influences. I think we have been patient long enough. It’s time for us to step out of the shadows…

Photo from MySpace.com/TheSketches