Ready for a 'Little Sun': Charlie Parr finds himself in a better place with new album

Apr. 17—Charlie Parr left Minnesota a few weeks ago and the temperature was just above 30 degrees.

He's been touring on the East Coast and having some mild weather, but that will change as he heads west.

His tour is slated to make a stop at Fusion 708 on Sunday, April 21.

"I need some warm weather," he quips. "The tour has been great and I've been able to perform in front of some great crowds. It's definitely been worth it."

Parr is touring in support of his recent album, "Little Sun." He wrote the songs for about six months before heading to Portland, Oregon, to record.

"Up until this very album, my recordings have always been done live, with few if any overdubs and nearly always the first take — leave all the mistakes, missed lyrics, extraneous noise and whatever else might happen there for the ages," he says. "Most records have been recorded in roughly the time that it took to play the songs. And that's been fine, actually. Here's a new way for me, though: here's an album that was recorded live but in collaboration with producer Tucker Martine, who's become a friend and trusted musical ally."

Parr was born in Austin, Minnesota, and is based in Duluth, Minnesota.

He released his debut album in 2002.

In addition to his work as a musician, Parr also released his debut novel, "Last of the Better Days Ahead," in the fall of 2022.

"Little Sun" marks his 18th album and features guitarist Marisa Anderson as well as background vocals from Anna Tivel along with Andrew Borger, Asher Fulero and Victor Krummenacher.

Parr says "Little Sun" felt lighter than the last record, which was personal and heavy.

"Personally, I was in a better place," he says. "This album didn't have that dark cloud over it. I still think the songs have a certain amount of gravity to them."

Performing for more than 20 years, Parr leaves his set list up to how he feels.

"When it comes time for the show, I figure it out on the day of," he says. "I've been doing a large amount of the new record. I'm still reaching back into my catalog to the songs that are still interesting to me. It feels like a nice, rounded set to me."

Over the course of his career, Parr has navigated the ups and downs — gaining confidence with each passing year.

"I'm a naturally introverted person and probably have no business being on stage," he says. "I love performing as much as ever. I feel more confident about it, which I'm happy with. Performing has always been my favorite part of what I do. It's not easy for me because I have to shift over a lot of natural impulses. My natural impulses would be to stay home. I need to really be careful to make sure I get time to recharge. This means getting time to myself, so I can get back to full power."

Parr says the new songs on "Little Sun" are at an exciting stage.

"It makes a difference to be able to have some excitement in life," he says. "It's important that I keep pushing myself forward within music. There are no blueprints and I make it up as I go."