Meet Charity Hendricks Rael | Great Lumbering Beast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charity Hendricks Rael and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charity, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It definitely wasn’t because of the pay lol, life is only so long and everybody experiences it differently but we all feel many of the same feelings despite having different experiences and I wanted to be able to reach out and relate and connect to people and have them know that somebody out there relates to how they feel. When I was suicidal in my teens I was convinced that nobody felt the negative things that I did until I heard Blue October and I thought it was really brave and creative for somebody to vocalize those kind of negative feelings in song, it let me know I wasn’t alone in how I felt and as I got older I knew I wanted to do that and help not only myself in trying to express these feelings but also connect to that audience that needs someone to connect to, ya know?

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started writing songs when I was 6 years old but didn’t start focusing on human connection until I was living in a treatment facility as a foster kid at 14 and at that time I had a really hard time being mindful about other people I was very much in my head the only person alive or that mattered, the main character if you will. But when one of the other kids, who at the time I thought didn’t have problems near as bad as what I was used to, wanted to end their life due to not being able to cope with their negative feelings of rejection I wrote my first song about not committing suicide over feeling alone or rejected because there are many of us who relate to the sadness and overwhelming feelings that she was having at the time. To be honest I didn’t really like the kid like we never hung out and we’re not even friends now as adults but I do genuinely care about everyone and I didn’t want her to kill herself, to be fair though when you’re a kid 3 years is a big age Gap and no 17-year-old wants to hang out with a 14 year old so because of that we didn’t really hang out anyway. I’m currently 28 and I’ve been out of the Foster System since I was 19 I guess I am what is known as a success story despite not feeling very successful I guess I’m not in jail or anything like that just scraping by and I’m just excited to be playing my music and so many new places with so many new people I guess I’m just grateful and being grateful and mindful I guess is what has gotten me to now. There was definitely some darker times during my youth as well but some of us learn well from experience and if anybody wants to know about those darker aspects of my early life I encourage them to ask me personally cuz I would hate for anybody to read this and gain sympathy without even knowing me especially since sympathy isn’t something I require, I’m usually the person people bring their sympathies to in exchange for empathy which is a big part of the art that I do in general it’s very empathetic and I like being there for others for more than having others worry about my past and traumas. As for getting the where I am now where I’m playing shows all over Colorado and out of state I’m going to say that just all comes back to the Denver music and the Colorado music scene and the people in it and I guess my own tenacity somebody once came by my studio not too long ago that I used to know back when I was a busker (street performer) and I don’t think I’ll ever forget what they said to me they looked and saw the few things of acquired to continue to make music and start recording music and they said “Wow you really invested in yourself!” and I never thought about it until they said that but yeah I guess it is all an investment but to me it’s completely worth it because even if I made no money doing it it would still be something that I just need to do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well you got to check out Denver’s best Dive bar called Bar Bar located on 21st and Champa it’s a real Staple in the punk rock scene here and it’s a music venue who usually has some killer shows on the weekend they have some great stuff we even have a song named after bartender Dan, currently they’re dealing with some licensing issues but as soon as all of that is taken care of that’s where you can find me every Thursday night performing. If you’re in Denver then you probably enjoy the finer Greens in life and you’re going to need something to use those greens so I would check out local head shop the bong shop off Colfax and Dayton it’s ran by husband and wife team John and Sarah and they are absolute badasses and amazing people, they even help their Community by handing out socks and warm meals to the local homeless, definitely some of the best prices in town and hands down some of the best people you will ever meet. I would also check out katsu Ramen in Aurora for lunch they definitely have some of the best ramen in the city if you are into that kind of cuisine, and if you want to stay closer to home there’s a couple of awesome Pho shops downtown but the one I like the best is near 16th and Champa too bad I currently can’t remember what it’s called but they have some great Vietnamese coffee. If you’re looking for another drink East fax tap has some great staff and patrons and host some great shows on their outdoor patio stage, and across the street from them is a Taco mex with some tastey options if you want to grab some tacos or something to help digest the booze from across the street. If you’re in the mood for some comedy and quality people wide right is another spot catty-corner and down the block from bar bar located at 21st and Curtis it’s run by Meghan and she is an absolute boss with some killer awesome staff and delicious cocktails. Columbine Steakhouse on 6th and Federal is also another great local place if you want to grab dinner at the kind of place you can get a steak dinner for under $30

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I honestly want to give a huge shout out to the Denver music scene especially the punk scene and some of the bands that are prominent in it like People Corrupting People and Nub, I also want to thank my friends in Pawn Shop Motel and 3 Hole Punch for always being supportive, every band I mentioned is band family to me especially since I started this project primarily by myself with few people coming in to leave shortly after or just fill in for shows. I also want to shout out some of the venues that really helped me kick it off and start booking shows in 2020 especially bar bar on 21st and Champa hopefully they get their Cabaret license figured out soon so I can return Thursday evenings to rock their local socks, I also want to shout out The Venue located North Pecos area and their promoter Michael Martinez there’s honestly too many people and places to thank but so far all my success is primarily due to the local scene here in Colorado and some of the great bands and venues in it, I recently just played a New Mexico for the first time and it’s because another band recommended me so I’m just so grateful to the local music scene in Colorado and all the great people in it

Website: https://linktr.ee/lumberingbeast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatlumberingbeast/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/greatlumberingb?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatlumberingbeast/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/GreatLumberingBeast

Other: https://greatlumberingbeast.bandcamp.com