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.