LIVE! Featured Artist: Charles Reyes

“One good thing about music is, when it hits you, you feel no pain,” musician Charles Reyes said.

Reyes, also known as Lumpy, is a man of many bands. He broke out into the San Angelo music scene when he formed the band Bugota with childhood friend Jerrod Thomas.

“We achieved a small amount of local success being weekend warriors, hitting every bar or venue that would let us play,” said Reyes. “Unfortunately, life took it's toll on the band and we parted ways.”

However, before disbanding, Bugota recorded two EP's.

“After the band ended, I was kind of left not knowing what to do,” he noted. “I knew I wanted to play music, but I was so used to playing with the musicians I had been playing with and the style of music we had been playing.”

It did not take Reyes long to figure out where he belonged though.

“I ended up in a band with local singer Tiffany Gonzales,” he said. “We played a bunch of acoustic shows and wrote tons of songs.”

Reyes and Gonzales formed Unspoken, but later changed the group's name to Tiffany and The Lump, which is still going strong. They have also released an EP, A Lot of Nothing, and “we are still playing every weekend around Texas, having the time of our lives,” Reyes added.

Even though Tiffany has now moved to Austin and is unable to play in San Angelo as much, that has not stopped “The Lump” from carrying the band. They continue to play as The Tequila Brothers when Tiffany is unable to join.

Additionally, Reyes has started a couple of country music projects.

“I wrote and recorded another EP with Allyson Walter of Southern Blend,” he said. “We are currently finishing up all of the media before the release. I have also started another project with The Tequila Brothers backing up Whiskey Mike [Lovell]. We are currently gearing up to rerecord an EP as well.”

Reyes noted that he is extremely impressed with his progress in music thus far.

“I could never imagine that I would be where I am," he said. "I love my musical endeavors and hope that they keep me young.”

Reyes also said he plans on playing to entertain.

“If I ever hit it big, it would be a blessing, but I know that chances of that are slim; so I am just having as much fun as I can, while I can,” the musician added.

In addition to listening to his music on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and Reverbnation, at least one of Reyes' bands can be found in different venues around San Angelo on most weekends.

“Live shows are where I feel like I can shine,” he stated. “I love to make people laugh and have fun at our shows. I am always trying to make sure that I am giving 100 percent. I am lucky to have some amazing musicians to rely on that allow for me to take the stage by storm and they always add the funk to our sound.”

To follow Reyes' many projects, show dates, and music releases, visit them on Facebook: Tiffany and The Lump, The Tequila Brothers, Whiskey Mike.