History & Biography Orange County, California-based Charlotte was a glam band that would evolve into having a bluesy twist. The band was formed in 1984 and competed in the Los Angeles glam scene of the time. The formation came in upstate New York in 1984 when Eric Ganz (vocals) and Shawn Ferjanec (bass) formed the band right out of high school with the pair being joined by Vinnie Cacciotti (guitar) and Dave Bazicki (drums). The act moved to California in 1986. Fittingly, the band played its first show at a club called Jezebel’s in Orange County. The band had a revolving door of rhythm players. The band threw in the towel in the early '90s, but several members continued working together.
Eönian Records issued a compilation of the band’s material in 2010 called Medusa Groove. Three of the songs on the record were engineered for the record. The label had found the band on the Internet. Ganz lived in New York by this time, but the band hoped to play reunion shows following the album’s release. A compilation was issued by Eönian Records in mid-2022.
Charlotte The Harlot, an Iron Maiden song, inspired the band’s name. The group opened for XYZ, EZO, Warrant, Vixen and others in its heyday.
Reviews CHARLOTTE - MEDUSA GROOVE - EÖNIAN Charlotte was a late ‘80s and early ‘90s glam band from Orange County that Eönian (what is that?) has discovered twenty years later. Medusa Groove is a collection of the band’s tunes placed here chronologically. The sound is a nostalgia trip into the exciting days we once had when men were men with long hairs, good looks and real music. The band was a little groovier, soulful and bluesier in its ‘80s life. Think Great White and Kingdom Come. There are many similarities. The ‘90s changes things a bit and the band becomes clearly more mainstream. Got Love On The Line is more Bon Jovi-esque. Changes is a ballad with obvious influences from Mötley Crüe and Poison. It sure must have been good fortune that one band was signed and another wasn’t. From there, the band becomes commercial with its songs in the extreme and even sadly uses a saxophone. Invisible Man has a saxophone solo and a Living Color groove. Not good. All the same, New York native singer Eric Ganz possesses a powerful voice and a range that would have been a hoot to watch at the clubs the band played. How many more undiscovered bands like these did South Cali produce that are yet to be heard? Bring them on. – Sheila Wes Det
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