Tina Charest and Jeff Noel mix rich harmonies and expressive guitar work into simple, yet beautiful acoustic arrangements of popular and forgotten hits from the last 50 years.
Acoustic Chi was formed by serendipity. Jeff Noel is a local guitarist/vocalist, often referred to as "The best unknown side-man around." Jeff recently finished a 10-year stint with the popular local band Smoked Salmon, and runs Open Mic night at The Gin Mill, a local tavern, performing solo music as well as providing accompaniment for singers, affectionately known as "Jeff-aoke."
Tina is an accomplished, in-demand local vocalist with extensive band and solo credits, including a recent role as Vicki Nichols in a Waterville Opera House production of "The Full Monty". Tina met Jeff at this show, where he and his wife Cathy were the sound production team.
By sheer luck, Tina was out with friends at the first Open Mic Night held at The Gin Mill, and was coaxed on stage to sing a few tunes that Jeff already knew. The energy was immediate and noticeable, so the duo decided to learn more songs together for the weekly event. After three months of performing a half-dozen songs every Thursday night, they both determined that they had enough material for an entire evening, and decided to try their hand by "auditioning" at other clubs' Open Mic nights. The response was incredible-- prompting one patron to comment that the onstage balance and energy from Tina and Jeff was Chi-like."
Thus began Acoustic Chi.