Charlemagne "Two Steps Ahead" from Charlemagne Live at Marquette Waterfront Festival Madison, WI June 11, 2006 PODCAST EXCLUSIVE!

One of the impressive things about Charlemagne's live shows -- particularly when there are a dozen-plus people on stage -- is how well the songs from the stripped-down, mostly acoustic self-titled album translate to a full-band setting. Songs such as this one (or the one I recorded on Wednesday night, "How Could He?") sound as if they're being played in their original configuration, which says a lot about the pop core at the heart of even the most folky Charlemagne song.