Harper and Midwest Kind June Blog, 2014

Happy July 4 everyone,

Just back from amazing Utah.  Such breath taking scenery and Colorado's Rocky Mountains weren't too shabby either!!!!   Now we are heading to Canada's Ottawa Bluesfest !!!! We have an amazing festival season going right through to the end of October, which will include a short tour to Australia.  The first festival of the season was the fabulous Camp Jam in the Pines in Buena, New Jersey.  This was the second time we performed at this festival and we were certainly not disappointed.  Very cool folks and great vibe.  Our drummer Greg Sauceda and guitarist Mike Howe picked up an extra gig with Paul Ceber and the Tomorrow Sound as some of their guys had their fights cancelled in Wisconsin and couldn't make the show. You never know what can happen on the road!!  Amazingly the gig went very smoothly and most were none the wiser !!  The following week we had the pleasure of performing at the grand opening of The Celtic Ray in Lexington, Michigan.  We were very shocked to see a lot of the staff from the sister club- Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda, Florida in Lexington.  We performed a double bill with the very talented duo - Brigid's Cross in the adjoining Theatre- The Lexington Theatre!!  The new pub is absolutely stunning.  I think Kevin Doyle and The Chief  will have a huge success in this new pub!.

Early June saw my band "Midwest Kind" and I performing at a few Michigan festivals- Blues in the District in Kalamazoo,  Pumpstock in East Lansing and the Nor East'r Festival in Mio.  Its always nice to play festivals in your home state.  We had great shows at all and got to see many old and new friends.  I did a harp workshop for the kids at Pumpstock and also a harp and didgeridoo workshop at the Nor East'r Festival.. A huge thank you for the great hospitality and good times!  Bobbi and I had a few days up in Traverse City, Michigan for three Australian Didge-ucation presentations.  We took our Kayak along with us plus some bikes in the hopes of doing some Kayaking and bike riding in between shows.  Unfortunately the weather was not too cooperative- so the Kayak stayed on the roof of the van.  We did get to ride our bikes though.  We also had the pleasure of working with a group of blind teenagers and adults at The Braille Camp up in Lapeer, Michigan.  It was such a beautiful experience and so very fascinating to observe how people can see through their hands and ears.  We played some didgeridoo and even got a three part harmonica blues jam going!

Hope to see you out on the road this Summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind May blog, 2014

Hey Everyone,

Wishing you all the very best for Memorial Day Weekend here in the USA!.  Happy to announce that I won a 2014 Detroit Music Award for "Outstanding Vocalist".  Woohoo, what an honor!!   I was out on tour in New England when I heard the good news.  My amazing friends : Dianne Shute and Steve Lambert received the award on my behalf.  Steve even gave a speech.  His New Zealand accent might have fooled just about everyone there. LOL!!!!.  Also very excited to announce that Midwest Kind, Bobbi and I will be touring Australia in late October for three weeks.  We have some great festivals booked plus it will give Bobbi and me, a chance to catch up with our family.  Our last trip home was in 2007, so its been a while!

Our tour to New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine was a lot of fun.  The Dinosaur BBQs in New York are always welcome on every tour.  Plus we get to play Dinosaur in Buffalo, New York in July.  New venues:  Johnny Ds and the house concert- The Brick House House were very cool.  Great folks and hospitality!  Also it was great to revisit The Elks Lodge in NH and of course the Legendary Time Out Pub in Rockland, Maine.  We then headed south to a full tilt  College gig at On The Rocks in Florence, Alabama. Followed by the amazing Darwins in Marietta, Georgia.  Then it was a trip to the wild woods of Tallahassee, Florida for The incredible Bradfordville Blues Club.  Some of our band members were new to the BBC- so they got to experience for the first time, the best fish fry in the USA, courtesy of Miss Ernestine plus the warm gathering around the huge bon fire.  We hung out with former band mate and good friend Tyler Mac at The Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach.  Got to see his very cute little daughter .   Then it was on to Englewoods On Dearborn and The Bayside Grille in Key Largo.  Another new venue for us- The Blue Rooster in Sarasota.  Instant good vibes at The Blue Rooster, as the management put out orange cones to reserve a parking space for us in front of the club. So VERY considerate!  Fabulous food, good sound and nice peeps all round!  We finished our tour with a fabulous show on Mothers Day at The Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda, Florida.

This weekend we head to the brand new Celtic Ray in Lexington, Michigan.  This is the sister club of our much loved Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda.  The Friday show will be held in the Pub. The Saturday show will be held in the Theatre attached to the pub.  Bridget's Cross will be joining us in a double bill throw down!

Hope to see you out on the road this Spring and Summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind April Blog- Harper Wins Detroit Music Award!!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Very glad to be saying Happy Spring here in the USA!!!!   Just finished a run to New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Coming up next isAlabama, Georgia, Florida and New Jersey! We have an amazing summer festival season coming up with nearly 30 festivals booked in the USA, Canada and Australia.  Very exciting indeedy!!  Last Friday night I was up for Five Detroit Music Awards.  I am happy to announce that I won a 2014 Detroit Music Award for Most Outstanding Vocalist.  A huge thank you to all who voted.  Totally blown away.  Unfortunately I was in Boston the night of the awards but my good friends Dianne Shute and Steve Lambert picked up the award on my behalf.

In late March we visited two amazing elementary schools in Ohio- Port Washington Elementary and Midvale Elementary.  Bobbi and I presented "Australian Didge-uction" to nearly 1000 children.   Great kids - lots of fun!!!  Then we had a great double bill with the Mark May band at Canal House.  Followed by a visit to our Kankankee Friends of the  Blues at the Bradley Bourbonnais Sportsmans Club in Illinois.  We had a packed house, dueling didgeridoos and good blues were had by all.  In St Louis, Missouri, I managed to get two parking tickets in one day, but our show at BBs was still fun!!   We visited a new club- Calvin Rockett in Marshalltown where we had a fabulous turnout.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn that evening and were awoken at 7.30am the next morning by a supposed phone call from the front desk manager, asking for our credit card information.  Thankfully we didn't give it out-  Apparently this is a national scam- so never give out your personal information over the phone unless you called them!   We ended the week with yet another fabulous show at the legendary Bryons Bar in Pomeroy, Iowa!!  My band Midwest Kind and I headed back to Illinois for another Australian Didge-ucation Presentation at St Patricks School followed by a visit to North Hill Elementary in Burlington, Iowa.  It really is cool to see how amazing American teachers are!  We had another fantastic double bill with The Bluz Benderz at The Trouser Mouse in Blue Springs, Missouri.  Hope to see these guys again.  Then it was back the The Firehouse BBQ and Blues in Indiana for another great double bill with The Funkyard Dogs.  We had a packed house and great music was enjoyed by all.  We ended our tour at the Players Pub in Bloomington, Indiana. Where it was my pleasure to present a musicianship award to Justin Brown!

Bobbi and I presented three more Australian Didge-ucation Presentations in Michigan at the Kalamazoo Public Library, Alice & jack Wirt Public Library in Bay City and the Bay City Academy!  The kids had a ball, got to paint didgeridoos and learn to play them as well.  We all had a blast.

Hope to see you out on the road this Spring and Summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind March Blog, 2014

Hey Everyone,

Finally Spring has arrived here in the USA yay!!!   March has been an exciting month.  I learned that I have been nominated for FIVE- 2014 Detroit Music Awards- "Outstanding Acoustic Vocalist", "Outstanding World Music Vocalist", "Outstanding World Music Composer", and "Outstanding Blues Recording and Outstanding Acoustic Recording for the Harper and Motor City Josh "Bare Bones" CD.  Its such an honor to be nominated.  Motor City Josh was also nominated for "Outstanding Blues Instrumentalist" which is very much deserved.   Its been a long cold winter here in Michigan.  We were very lucky to tour for a month in February to Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to escape the Polar Vortex.  After our last show in SC we headed North to Michigan.  It was a pretty uneventful drive until we hit Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio where a winter storm was barreling through.  The roads were icy and treacherous!  The going was slow but we got through the worst of it without too much trouble. Once we reached Michigan the roads were dry and we could breathe a sigh of relief.    Our driveway was not so good.  It had at least a foot of snow on it,  so with just the right amount of speed I managed to get the van up the hill and into the garage.  Once I got into my house I was struck by how cold it was.  I soon realized that my furnace had stopped working and most of our taps were frozen.  I couldn't get the furnace working so I decided to get the log fire going to warm up the house. Bobbi got online to the Red Cross website to find out the best way to thaw out frozen pipes and taps.  So with space heaters and hair dryers in hand we worked on thawing out our house.  It was freezing.  Our bass player James Norris was also with us because his van was still stuck in a snow drift on our driveway.   Thankfully no major damage was done.  The furnace guy came out and fixed the furnace and AAA towed Jame's van out of the drift.  So life is good!!!

That week Bobbi and I presented "Australian Didge-ucation" to the Veterans at JVS in Detroit.  We had an absolute blast.  Great bunch of guys.  We plan to have another visit in July.  We also took our presentation to the Jackson School of the Arts in downtown Jackson, Michigan.  We had a packed house of very enthusiastic children and their parents.  We painted didgeridoos and had an all out didgeridoo jam at the end of the session.  Our shows at the Plymouth Elks Lodge and Inside Out Gallery in Traverse City were fabulous.  The Manistee All Spring and Music Festival held at the stunning Ramsdell Theatre was a lot of fun.  We met many talented musicians and I even got to hang with Smokey Bear!!

We are currently on tour to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana.  We have a NE tour planned for the end of April to New York, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.  Then its back to Florida, Alabama, Georgia and New Jersey in May.  No Rest for the Blessed!!!   Hope to see you out on the road this Spring and Summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind February Blog, 2014

Hi Everyone,

I hope all my northern friends in the USA are staying warm.   We escaped the Polar Vortex for the month of February by heading South to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. The day we left Michigan the snow was pounding down very hard.  Our bass player James Norris, got his van stuck in a large snow drift that had formed on our driveway to our house.  I have to admit my Michigan home looks more like a snow cave than a house!!!!.  The whole band tried to dig the van out, but to no avail. We eventually gave up and left the van in the snow drift.  As we headed along Interstate highway 94 we were astounded to see so many cars and trucks sliding off the road.  Needless to say it was a white knuckle drive for the first two hours of our journey.  The further south we drove, the better the weather became.  

We arrived safely in Florida for two shows at The amazing Celtic Ray, followed by Aces Lounge and then the legendary Bradfordville Blues Club in the wild woods of Tallahassee.  We had an inspirational show at The Buckingham Exceptional Student Center in Fort Myers on Valentines Day.  I was very honored to announce the Prince and Princess and King and Queen of Valentine. These special needs kids really touch your heart. That night we performed at Englewoods on Dearborn, then it was down to the Keys for the Hurricane Bar.  We had an amazing day at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, courtesy of our dear friend Susan Sorenson.  We got to see some Dolphin love making which kind of shocked us but at the same time, gave us all a good laugh.  If ever you are in Marathon, Florida you must check out this place.  Some of the Dolphins are descendants of the Dolphins that played "Flipper" in the much loved Television series.  We saw lots of alligators in the everglades on our way to the Little Bar in Goodland.  Cool place!!  Then it was the venue in the jungle- Guanabanas,  the cool Mangrove Mamas and a double header at the Bayside Grille in Key Largo- all great shows and big crowds.  Our show at Earls Hideaway in Sebastian was beyond HUGE!!!

We start to head north this week with some shows in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.   Our first show back in Michigan is a local favorite for me- Saturday March 8- The Lone Oak Vineyard in my home town of Grass Lake, Michigan.  Its an intimate acoustic concert/ dinner and show deal. Great wine/food and music  Reservations are necessary. Tel: 517 522 8167 (USA) www.loneoakvineyards.com  You will love this cool winery!!!!!

Hope to see you out on the road this winter and spring (yay) (Northern Hemisphere)

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind January 2014 Blog

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all staying warm this winter here in the USA.   Michigan has been freezing!!!.  I am soooo looking forward to our upcoming tour to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee this February.   The CD release party for the Harper and Motor City Josh "Bare Bones" show at Trinity House in Livonia, Michigan was fabulous.  Michigandas if you haven't experienced Trinity House, you really must check out this former church turned listening room.  It is such an intimate musical experience!. Every show I have performed there has been a lot of fun.  Josh's wife and kids came along. It was so sweet seeing Josh's cute little daughter dancing to her father's guitar solos. We narrowly missed the deep freeze for our short but fabulous Iowa and Kansas tour.  All nice shows with good attendance- at Uncle Bos. The Gas Lamp and The Muddy Waters.

Well it seems I have a problem with the Lodge Hotel in Bettendorf, Iowa.  Some of you may remember last March, at this very same Hotel - a large 100 pound bronze statue of a Fisherman fell on my head as I was walking into the hotel.  Well this time, my band and I were accosted by a very angry night manager for parking in the 10 minute loading zone.  Mind you, we had only just got out of the van when this man started screaming at us.  Well you know me, if someone is going to be rude, I will ignore that person.  So we all walked into the hotel.  So then this gentleman called the cops on us.  Of course we moved the van, but we took our sweet time to do it.  You know what,  two squad cars turned up!!!.  What a fuss over nothing!!  The angry hotel guy apologized to the policemen for wasting their time. 

Last weekend we said good bye to our amazing rhythm section of Derek Johnson and Dave Zwolinski- we had an an amazing year with these guys.  Our good friends:  Dave & Derek were  an absolute pleasure to work with and we wish them all the best . I am happy to announce that Jackson, Michigan native, Greg Sauceda will be joining us on drums.  Some of you may recognize Greg as the Drum master for the Piston games.  James Norris , a Lansing, Michigan native will be joining us on Bass guitar.  James is from the Big Willy band.   Plus we have Mike Howe back on lead guitar.  Mike played with the band for a few years back in 2009.  All are very welcomed recruits for my band "Midwest Kind".

Hope to see you out on the road this winter,

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind December Blog 2013

Hey Everyone,

December is here and its ccccold in Michigan, USA.  Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter/ Summer Solstice .  Happy Holidays- Peace, prosperity, unity and joy to all. Its been an amazing year.  We've traveled all over the USA and Canada, seen some amazing scenery and been fortunate to have had many incredible experiences along the way.  Life on the road is certainly never dull!!!   During this year we drove through and performed in amongst the incredible red woods of Northern California which were covered in thick  white smoke from the wild fires in the Fresno. We  experienced a blizzard in Fargo, North Dakota and were snowed in for a few days earlier in the year and had to make the mammoth drive from Fargo to Key Largo, Florida in 2 and a half days!!!   We all lost money in Reno, Nevada LOL but it was fun!!! . In northern Michigan we saw black bears, wolves, turkey vultures and bald eagles.  In New Brunswick, Canada we saw some amazing countryside, got to speak a little French in Quebec but no Moose to be seen, despite the many traffic sign warnings.   We had a very successful Kickstarter program and Motor City Josh and I released our first acoustic CD "Bare Bones" together and had a very successful 18 show / 19 day tour.  I got to jam with Walter Trout, Anthony Gomes, Sab and the Family Band, Scott Holt plus many more.  Bobbi and I also took our "Australian Didge-ucation" presentation nationwide.  We performed over 200 shows this year and covered nearly 70 000 miles.  One of the main highlights of the year was performing to our special needs Kids at The Buckingham Exceptional Student Center in Fort Myers, Florida.  Such a beautiful experience to see and feel the joy of these wonderful children.  It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to do this.  Also a special mention to my good buddy Justin Brown who presented me with a musicianship award in late October in Indiana.  Thanks Brother!!!

The tour with Motor City Josh was an absolute blessing.  Apart from being an amazing guitarist, he is also a great guy and has become a good friend.  The shows were so much fun everywhere we played.  There will definitely be another tour later in 2014, cause lets face it - we just had the best time working together.   A big thank you to my band "Midwest Kind".  We will be performing our last show for the year at The Avenue Cafe in Lansing, Michigan on Sunday December 29th.  So come on down Michigandas!!!

Due to immense pressure from our New England fans, we have put together a tour to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine for the last week of April, 2014.  So  New Englanders, please spread the word for us, because if it works out well, we will make this trip more often.

Thank you for the incredible support through out the year. Hope to see you out  on the road this winter!!!  May 2014 be the best year yet!!!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.myspace.com/harperband