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Park City High School graduate embarks on a crazy trip with Saint Luna

Band will perform Sunday at a local brewery

Saint Luna

When: 7 p.m., Sunday, July 24

Where: Park City Brewing, 1764 Uinta Way, C1, at Kimball Junction

Web: saintluna.me

San Diego-based indie-rock band Saint Luna, from left: Charlie Black, Paarsa Heidari, Bradyn Jace, Max Katz and Wick Hauser will perform a free concert July 24 at Park City Brewing. Black graduated Park City High School in 2018.
Courtesy of Charlie Black

Charlie Black is coming home, and he won’t be alone.

Black, who graduated from Park City High School in 2018, is the rhythm guitarist for the San Diego-based indie band Saint Luna, performing at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 24, at Park City Brewing. The show is free and open to patrons of the restaurant.

“I would love to see old friends there,” Black said. “It would be great if everyone would support the local business, drink some good IPAs and see us play.”



Saint Luna — Black, lead singer and guitarist Bradyn Jace, bassist and vocalist Max Katz, lead guitarist Wick Hauser and drummer Paarsa Heidari — have been making quite the noise in the City of Motion since its formation during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

One of my big goals is to play Coachella, even if it’s to only 20 people in a tent…” Charlie Black, Saint Luna rhythm guitarist

“There wasn’t a ton to do back then, so Max, who is a big DIY guy, built a studio in the garage of the house he was renting,” Black said. “He sound proofed the room with 23 mattresses and anything he could find on Craigslist.”



Katz met Heidari, a jazz drummer who played in the drumline while they were studying music, according to Black.

“They knew Jace and brought him and Wick on board,” he said. “A week after they started jamming, they realized they needed an additional guitarist.”

Katz invited Black to a rehearsal after they two jammed together one night.

“They asked me to learn three songs, but when I arrived to rehearse, I found out that I had learned them in a different key,” Black said with a laugh. “So it was like running over hot water to figure them out. But since then, it’s been steady sailing.”

Saint Luna has released six singles so far, appeared in the TV series “ME” and has played a long line of live performances throughout the San Diego music scene.

“We’ve played a multitude of venues here — Music Box, Soda Bar, Boulevard Bar — and we’re branching out to play anywhere we can,” Black said.

Last month the band played the Observatory at North Park to a sold-out audience of 1,200 people, its largest to date.

“It was a huge success,” Black said.

In addition to the singles and gigs, Saint Luna is making a name for itself digitally. The band boasts 28,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, 69,300 followers on Tik Tok and 9,500 followers on Instagram.

“Tik Tok is how we get most of our bookings,” Black said. “I’m not very Tik Tok savvy, but thankfully Katz and Jace are.” 

Black’s interest in the guitar took a while to develop, although his music taste was more diverse than the rest of his family members.

“My brothers were all rap and electronic music, and my parents were classic-rock to the bone,” he said. “I was the one who would branch out, and while I liked music, it never occurred to me to pick up a guitar until I was in high school.”

Black decided to buy a $60 acoustic Fender while his family lived in Connecticut.

“As far as the instrument itself goes, there are few things that sound better to my ears than a guitar,” he said. “It’s a beautifully expressive instrument that can make you cry, smile and shock you.”

After his family moved to Park City for his junior year, Black took a few classes at the 

Granger School of Music, which is now the EA School of Music.

“I would recommend them to anyone,” he said. “I learned music theory, which was very helpful.”Black’s friend, local guitarist Shane Cumming, also encouraged Black to hone his skills.

“Shane is a phenomenal guitarist, and he inspired me to get a lot better,” Black said. “Right now I’m teaching myself, and learning as we go.”

Still, the music classes have helped Black with his songwriting.
“It’s sometimes a free for all,” he said about the songwriting sessions. “We’ll have dead periods for a few weeks, and then someone would come in with guitar riffs, lyrics or a beat.”

The pitches will either immediately get shot down or fleshed out, Black said. 

“It’s not the best feeling if it doesn’t work, but when people start reaching for their instruments and start playing along, it feels great,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges Saint Luna faces is scheduling rehearsals.

“At the beginning, because of COVID, we were all doing online schooling, so it was a lot easier to meet up for three hours every day and play and write until our hands hurt and our brains were sapped,” he said. “Now, everyone’s working. So it’s harder to coordinate things because we’re all not available to meet every week. So we usually try practicing at night in a studio that we built in another house.”

The ultimate goal for Saint Luna right now is to tour.

“I know a few of us, myself included, have never been to Coachella,” said Black, who recently graduated college with a degree in business administration and management. “So, one of my big goals is to play Coachella, even if it’s to only 20 people in a tent in the back of the parking lot.”

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