Resident Charlie Lampen, a freshman at Fordham University has released an original song and lyric video called ‘Closing Time’, co-written with musician Thom O’Brien. The song was penned as a tribute for Tim Pringle, the original guitar player from local band, Mind the Gap. He sadly passed away from heart failure on December 15th, 2022, and his untimely death affected everyone who knew him. But, for Charlie it was especially hard to say goodbye as Tim had championed Charlie playing keys within the band.
‘Closing Time’ took 3-months to write (in secret) and was a constant back and forth between Charlie and Thom. They both agreed that Tim’s personality, including his demons should be prevalent in the lyrics, in addition to highlighting his warm generosity and fighting spirit. Charlie says: “I had many influences when writing this song, pulling ideas from my favorite artists and subtle references to the band and Tim specifically. Verse, one introduces the song, and within the first four lines, Tim’s personality is encapsulated. The second half refers to the recklessness of the trapeze artist, representing Tim’s risk-taking and care-free attitude. When the pounding stopped, that was both the pounding on the wall (he was a carpenter working on our house at the time), and the pounding of his heart."
‘Some nights your guitar would wail and sing
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With unseen demons pulling the strings
Chain-smoking life like it was your last
Find out what's happening in New Canaanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Lit the fuse, the time-bomb blast.
A trapeze artist with no safety net
When the pounding stopped, cashed in your debt
Stages destroyed in a minute or less
Shorter than a drag on your cigarette.’
Charlie wishes to add that when he was younger, he attended School of Rock, New Canaan which gave him the confidence to play the keyboard. Special thanks go out to his music teacher and mentor Ted Sablay who helped him find his voice. Co-writer Thom O’Brien; Producer Pete Donnelly at Katonah Sound; and Drew Lavyne at A.L.L. Digital Mastering.
Closing Time was released today and is available on all platforms. You can follow Charlie on social media for updates.
