the charities

Southern California sweet soul six piece, The Charities were formed by songwriter and lead vocalist Brock Van Pelt in 2017. The band’s lineup and overall sound has evolved seemingly in tandem with the burgeoning West Coast soul movement, where they play an integral part. The group further developed during the pandemic, when the members lived together on a ranch in San Luis Obispo County. Isolation and collaboration proved to be a key inflection point,  providing ample time and space to refine the songwriting and harmonies that have come to define the band’s sound.

"It was an actual vineyard...so much space," recalls Van Pelt. "We had a band house in the middle of nowhere where we could just make music."

Joining Van Pelt and childhood friend / original member Alec Kersenboom (guitar/background vocals), The Charities consist of Mike Butler (keys/background vocals), Derek Doszkocs (bass/background vocals), Shane Nowak (drums), and Sage Provins (guitar/background vocals).

While the band cut its teeth live on the Central Coast, a close friend of Kersenboom’s, engineer Anthony Masino (Bruno Mars,Thee Sacred Souls, Womack Sisters) began working at Penrose Studios in Riverside and reconnected. As a result, Masino has served as a producer and key collaborator ever since.

While the bones and lean muscle of their music carries the DNA of West Coast souldies (including such luminaries as Brenton Wood, The Dells, Barbara Lewis, Smokey Robinson, and Etta James), the infusion of youth and restless energy instructs the music's timeless quality of want, desire, and love. 

Over the last few years, The Charities have released an impressive list of singles and 45s, also sharing the stage with Thee Sacred Souls, Durand Jones & The Indications, The Altons, Los Yesterdays, and Colemine Records label mates, Thee Sinseers.

Their most recent release, "Movin' On" b/w "I'm Still Learning How" (Colemine Records), is both a snapshot of where The Charities have come from and a promise of where they are heading. It is a love letter to the sweet soul of the West Coast scene and their statement of intent to be ambassadors of that sound, adding their voice to the communal harmony.