Music / Cheer Up, Charlie Daniels

Cheer Up, Charlie Daniels is a five-person indie rock band based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Its members are Luke Skidmore on lead guitar, Adam Selzer on Rhodes/M3, Gary Hundley on bass, Skylar Glover on drums, and frontman Neil O'Neil on guitar and lead vocals. Neil is also Turbo Lover, of The Protomen. Adam and Luke have another band, Adam And The Couch Potatoes, of which Neil is also a member.

While they draw inspiration from country great Charlie Daniels, the band's style has been described as very eclectic. Many of their songs deal with love. Currently they have released a vinyl album, titled "Live in '79", and have plans to release an EP.

Their website, with a link to buy the album, can be found here. Their MySpace account is here.

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This band and their songs provide examples of:

• All Girls Want Bad Boys: The song 'Too Damn Rock and Roll' plays with this. The girl may want him, but she won't follow through.
  • Some fans have humorously theorized that the man is supposed to be Neil.
• All Guys Want Cheerleaders: The song 'Pig Tails' is about one of these guys. After the relationship ended. .
• Beauty Is Bad: The man described in 'Too Damn Rock and Roll'.
  They say that he ain't got a soul/He'll make your knees lose full control...
• Cruel Cheerleader: The guy in 'Pig Tails' realizes his girlfriend is a mean cheerleader. He notes that she 'used to be sweeter', indicating that she may have been nicer before. It's surprisingly sad.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Done on purpose. Never has art class been so...charged.
• Double Entendre: Oh, so many.
• High-School Sweethearts: Some of their songs revolve around this, though the degree of affection varies.
• Hurricane of Puns: The song 'Yeast Infection'.
• Lampshaded Double Entendre: The song 'Yeast Infection' is full of bread-related puns, but they also relate to money. And sex.
  • As does 'Bunsen Burner Baby Blues', in relation to science.
  • And 'Masterpiece' in relation to art. Come to think of it, most of their songs are like this.
  • The unreleased song 'Marching Band Romance' doesn't even try to hide it.
    That's not a drumstick in my pants...
• Lyrical Dissonance: The demo of 'Ice Cold Razor Blades' sounds like a happy, upbeat song one might hear at a spa. It's about a woman getting her throat slit.
• Mood Whiplash: Going from this to Neil's other bands can be quite the switch.
• The Protomen: Neil O'Neil voices Dr. Wily. Recently, Luke became one of their guitarists.
• Puns: 'Yeast Infection' has quite a few, all relating to bread. (And money.)
  I don't make enough bread to keep you satisfied/ Dough is all I'm kneading to get a slice of your high..
• Showdown at High Noon: Panther, of The Protomen, did a promotional song, The Duel, about the band facing off against a similarly-named group for rights to the name. There can only be one victor.
  • Foregone Conclusion: Cheer Up Charlie Daniels won.
    • The song has gotten a sequel, The Duel: Part 2, detailing the band's faceoff at the Road to Bonnaroo on May 17. They got second place.
    • In 2011, the band came back to Bonnaroo for a rematch. And won.
• Smoking Is Cool: Subverted; the song 'No More Nicotine' details how they're much better off not smoking.
• Visual Pun: Some of the puns in 'Yeast Infection' are only recognizable as such when you see them.
• The Western: Both parts of The Duel are this.
  • Part 2 even more so now that the music video is out.

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