When Little Steven began signing bands to his new label, Wicked Cool Records, one of the bands at the top of the list was Boston-based purveyors of the garage rock movement, the Charms. On February 14, the Charms make their Wicked Cool debut with Strange Magic, their fourth release. Prior to the official release of the CD, Charms fans can now purchase a limited edition pre-release of Strange Magic in Best Buy stores nationwide.

"Our local Guru of Garage Rock Bill Kelly turned me on to the Charms and they've been one of my favorite bands ever since," says Little Steven. "They’ve got the three things that make a band a contender — they’re great writers, great performers, and their attitude is right, which means they’re fearless."

The Charms' sound garnered them attention from the very beginning when lead singer/songwriter Ellie Vee and guitarist Joe Wizda formed the band in 2002. Their first demo immediately caught the ear of Bill Kelly (Teenage Wasteland) and Gene Simmons, who was so impressed by what he heard that he called Ellie Vee personally to offer his feedback. The demo also landed in the hands of their manager Steev Riccardo who pushed the band to record their first CD Charmed I'm Sure. The disc was released in January 2003 on Red Car Records, a label stared by Riccardo, Vee and Wizda.  Reaction to the CD was immediate with heavy airplay on college radio and specialty garage rock radio shows, and media coverage in local publications.  Before long the Charms became one of the most popular bands in Boston.

The band first came to Little Steven's attention in 2004 and their song "Believe" from the Charms' So Pretty EP was quickly chosen for his syndicated radio show's weekly feature, "The Coolest Song in the World" and officially added to the Underground Garage playlist. The band's popularity and reputation as a powerful live act set the stage to play bigger shows including Little Steven's International Underground Garage Festival, where they played alongside bands like The Stooges, The New York Dolls, and The Strokes among others.

The year 2004 proved to be a big year for the Charms with several of the band's songs appearing in TV shows and films, including a version of "Frosty the Snowman" produced by Little Steven for the movie Christmas With The Kranks, and the tune "Saturday" landed in the Disney film The Ice Princess. The year culminated with The Charms landing in the top 200 on the CMJ charts for 7 weeks.

The Charms' breakthrough record Pussycat was released in 2005 on Red Car Records and spawned the band's first national tour, garnering them new fans across America. Pussycat was named Album of the Year on several radio stations including Little Steven's Underground Garage. The song "Pussycat" was featured in the national TV ads for the film Broken Flowers with additional tracks from the CD featured on several TV shows. The band further cemented their reputation as a musical force when the Boston Phoenix Music Poll nominated The Charms for the Best Local Act of 2005.

The Charms were signed to Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records in early 2006 and left their Boston hometown for Detroit to record Strange Magic with famed producer Jim (White Stripes, Von Bondies, Gore Gore Girls) Diamond.  The band quickly settled in and got to work writing the songs that would appear on the album.

"Recording with Jim Diamond was everything you would picture as an ideal creative situation," said Ellie Vee. "We were in a new city, a new studio, with a new creative force (Jim Diamond) and we could completely suspend reality and be purely creative. Jim understands all the music that influenced us so we all spoke the same language going into the studio."

The result is a true testament to garage rock crafted by the core songwriting duo of Vee and Wizda.  Ellie Vee's lyrics run the gamut from playful to insightful and are backed by The Charms' signature sound. Key tracks on the record include the first single "So Romantic," which pays homage to the Romantics who the band toured with this year; "Here's To You," a farewell song to friendships lost; and "Lost Child," a song for everyone who is going through a rough time. 

"The songs on this record fit into the theme of Strange Magic, which to me, means that you can take something difficult and sad and make something beautiful from it," explains Ellie Vee.

Producer Jim Diamond sites his time in the studio with the Charms as a career highlight. "Working with the Charms on Strange Magic was one of the most musically fulfilling experiences of my career," says Diamond. "This band writes great songs, are great musicians and are great people too!"

The Charms will tour in support of Strange Magic.