Charlie Bridges is a multi-talented singer and performer that incorporates a wide variety of styles in her unique sound. One moment, she’s playing the trumpet while hula hooping, the next she’s strumming the guitar and singing; it all happens so fluidly, feels so spontaneous, and is captivating to watch.
Charlie has been in Bisbee a little over a year and in that short time has joined one band (Fatigo), started another (Moonflower Mirage), adopted a stray pup (Wink), and has a new romantic partner (Mike Montoya).
Growing Up in Paw Paw
Charlie Bridges is no stranger to small towns; she grew up in Paw Paw Michigan, a village of just 3,500 people. “It’s a lot like Bisbee, but not at all like Bisbee. There’s not really a lot of art and culture there. I left there when I was 17 and I haven’t been permanently back in Michigan since then,” she said.
Charlie’s home life was anything but stable. Her parents split up when she was 8 and her brother was 4; her mother became homeless when Charlie was 16, forcing her to live with her father, whom she barely knew.
The upside to her situation was discovering a talent for music. When her parents split, her mother met a man on the internet who claimed to be wealthy, and moved them to a town near Grand Rapids to be with him. “It was pretty crazy,” Charlie said.
“But because he liked to pretend to be rich, he would buy us stuff. And so I got my first trumpet and my first guitar, when I was 8 years old. And I got lessons for a year each on both of those instruments, and then I just kind of kept it up after that by myself. I loved it. It was just something to do and create and take the focus off of everyday life.”
Leaving Under a Cloud of Scandal
By the end of high school, Charlie knew she wanted to be a full-time musician. “I just couldn’t really see myself doing anything but music,” she said. When she was caught having an affair with her English teacher, the two of them decided to ditch Paw Paw together and hit the road. “It seemed like the thing to do.”
Eventually, the pair settled down in Portland, Oregon and Charlie went to college there, getting a degree in Musicology in 2019 at the age of 21. However, Charlie had wanderlust. When she graduated, her relationship ended, and she went on the road full-time.
“I got to hop my first freight train, did a bunch of hitchhiking, and I went through like 2 vehicles in the course of a year,” she recalled. Charlie traveled all over the U.S. and Europe, including hiking the Camino in Portugal, playing music every stop of the way.
When Charlie’s mom passed away, however, she felt a little lost. “I just needed, I don’t know, like some kind of community or something. So I went down to New Orleans and immediately had music opportunities. I was asked to join the brass bands.”
Charlie went to New Orleans every winter for the next few years, travelling to cooler spots in the summer as living in a van wasn’t feasible for her and her dog.
Discovering Bisbee
Charlie had been hearing about Bisbee from her travelling friends for quite some time. “I was like ‘when am I ever going to pass through there? It’s way the hell out there.’” However, in May of 2023, she decided she was going to go see what all the fuss was about.
Charlie arrived in town and started busking in Grassy Park; immediately, she had 4 new friends who helped her get some gigs. She could only stay 6 days, but she was able to play 4 shows and make some money.
The next time she was in Bisbee was in November for Sidepony, the annual music festival that takes over the town, with bands from all over the West Coast. That’s when she thought she might make this her permanent home. “I just was like, ‘this town checks all of my boxes. It’s very welcoming, very band friendly. I can survive living in a van, playing music and I don’t have to have a real job.’”
Falling in Love
Her first Sidepony gig and experience was a “super magical day,” as it was when she met her future lover/bandmate/partner Mike Montoya. However, they didn’t quite hit it off at their first encounter. “I was tearing down after my set and the very first words he ever said to me were: ‘So you’re kind of a showoff, huh?’ I actually thought he was kind of an asshole.”
But Bisbee being the small town that it is made it hard for them to not keep running into each other. Eventually, Charlie joined Mike’s jazzy pop ensemble Fatigo, and the two spent more and more time together. Finally, over Thanksgiving 2024, the pair ended up at the Hitching Post with two other trumpet players, and Mike sang Mariachi songs. “That night, he won my heart,” she said.
Sharing a Life of Love and Music
Since that day, the pair have been inseparable, moving in together and adopting a stray one-eyed pug named Wink they found walking on the highway; together they now have 3 dogs. In addition to Charlie’s solo project and Mike’s Fatigo ensemble, they forged a third band called Moonflower Mirage, a duo with Mike on drums. They have an album coming out soon called Cafe Gasolina Volume One.
“The idea behind Moonflower Mirage is every song is its own being and entity; some of the songs are like cowboy jazz and others are witchy folk blues. I have electronic songs with horn sections too that I make.”
Charlie’s Setup and Sound
Charlie Bridges’ performance setup is truly unique, and built out of necessity. “It sucks to play trumpet acapella, I’m just not a fan of it,” she says. A family friend bought her her first loop pedal, and she’s been hooked ever since.
The looper was pretty basic, but people still found it to be really impressive, and she could use it on the street because everything was battery powered. “Then I got into more advanced machines that can record multiple parts and have tons of effects. And now I’m experimenting with different layers like some synthesizer stuff that’s already stored in my looper to play along with. And Michael just has to keep up on the drums.”
Adding Hula Hoops to the Mix
To add some flair, Charlie began hula hooping while playing the trumpet. “I found a hula hoop in New Orleans and thought to myself what a gift from the universe, something to keep me from being bored living in the van.”
But the person who inspired her to hula hoop while performing was former Bisbee resident Magghie O’Shea, a comedian and ukulele player who would also hula while playing.
“In the very beginning, I could only keep it going for half a song. And then by the end of 2 weeks going out and busking every single day I would be able to stand out there with the hoop going for like 3 hours.”
BZB Now and For the Future
After years of traveling and living in her van, Charlie Bridges has settled down, taking a bartending job at the Silver King and living with Mike Montoya and their dogs. The plan is to stay in the Southwest for the summer, with shows lined up in Phoenix, Tucson, and New Mexico.
Keep an eye out for Charlie Bridges/Moonflower Mirage/Fatigo, who often have multiple shows in Bisbee every week.
Instagram: @meanharlene @moonflower.mirage
Spotify: https://bit.ly/42rUtbe