The 9th Ward at Babeville is the kind of room that rewards people who pay attention. It is the smaller, more intimate space within the Babeville complex on Delaware Avenue — not the big main hall — and it is exactly the right scale for what Tre. Charles does. His music fills a room from the inside out, not by volume but by density. Get there early and find your spot before it fills in.
About Tre. Charles
Tre. Charles makes what he calls “ambient soul” — layered, reverb-drenched compositions that Pitchfork has described as featuring “stretched and shifted vocal harmonies, and long-tailed reverbs and delays that hum like cathedrals.” Critics draw comparisons to Sampha, Hozier, and James Blake, while also invoking Bill Withers and Lauryn Hill. That range of reference points tells you how hard he is to categorize.
The Durham, NC-based singer and guitarist came to music through an unlikely turn. A near-fatal car accident in January 2019 — he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed head-on into another vehicle — left him with serious injuries and what he calls a hard stop. (The period in his name is intentional: “That symbolizes a hard stop.”) He spent his recovery teaching himself guitar through YouTube videos and built from there. More than 300 performances later, he has played Newport Jazz Festival alongside André 3000, completed a support run with Lo Moon through Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland, and Seattle, and earned coverage from NPR and Pitchfork. He also produces music for the meditation app Calm, which makes complete sense once you hear him.
His current album Here We Are — following the EP Currently. — is about exactly that: where he is right now, navigating the road life, becoming a full-time musician, growing older. He plays with a live band, and the layered studio sound gets a fuller, more grounded treatment in person.
The 9th Ward at Babeville
The 9th Ward at Babeville is at 341 Delaware Ave in Buffalo — one of the better blocks in Western New York for lining up dinner or a drink before the show. The 9th Ward is the more intimate of Babeville’s two rooms, which makes it the right call for an artist who thrives on close listening. Arrive with time to spare.
Tickets
Tickets for the Saturday, July 18 show are available now through Tixr.