Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Harper and Midwest Kind April Blog

Hey Everyone,

We are currently on our annual tour to the West Coast of the US. We are in Salt Lake City, Utah today with a show at The Wine Cellar tonight in Ogden. March has been an eventful month. I found out that my new CD "Stand Together" was nominated for a 2011 Detroit Music Award for "Most Outstanding Recording" and to top it off I will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at The Blues Museum in Windsor, Canada by the South Canadian Blues Society on September 17- Wooooohhoo!!!

We started the month of March with a show at one of our favorite Michigan clubs- Billy's in Grand Rapids. We had an amazing show and this time we made it home without having our van flipped over :) We headlined a show at Fitzgeralds in Berwyn, Illinois which had a great turnout then we headed down to Bloomington Indiana for a show at The Players Pub. My good friend Justin Brown celebrated his birthday with a peanut butter cake and a jam with the band. Our new friend Patty also celebrated her birthday. Johnny Rawls also performed a great soulful set. We were so glad that Des Moines, Iowa has new venue for us- at The All Play Stadium Bar and Grill. BB's in St Louis was alot of fun, then we hit The Trouser Mouse in Blue Springs, Missouri, another new club for us.

Then it was onwards to Colorado where we had some perfect Spring weather. We hung out and relaxed in Evergreen for a few days. Such a stunning place to be, with an amazing mountain backdrop, a bright blue sky with just the right amount of snow on the ground. We broke our curse at the Little Bear Saloon where for the last few years, every time we performed there was a massive blizzard, but not this time. Another new club for us was Southside Johnnies in Colorado Springs. Great harp player "Maddog" got up and jammed with us at Jakes Roadhouse. After a crazy show at Lincolns Roadhouse in Denver, we did an over night drive through the mountains. Although the weather in Denver was sunny, that was not the case for the Rockies. As we headed up the mountain, 10 000 feet above sea level we experienced blizzard like conditions. We all know now what is it like to live in a snow globe. It was with great relief that we made it through the Vail Pass at a very slow 30 miles per hour. But there was more, once the snow eased, then we were hit with torrential rain and flooding on Interstate Highway 70. We could only relax for the last hour of the drive to Grand Junction. It was a hell of a night, that's for sure! We made it to Salt Lake City the next day for our show at the Sun and Moon Cafe which was a sell out. Great folks there and we hope to return soon.

My band Midwest Kind and I continue on our annual tour to the West Coast We will be performing in Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Texas then its back to Michigan then down to North Carolina for Merlefest.

Hope to see you out on the road this Spring,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Harper and Midwest Kind March Blog Part 2

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick one! My new CD "Stand Together" (Blind Pig) has been nominated for a 2011 Detroit Music Award for "Most Outstanding World Music Recording". Not too shabby for an Aussie now living in Michigan.

My band Midwest Kind and I continue on our annual West Coast Tour. We are touring Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Texas.

Hope to see you out on the road this Spring,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Harper and Midwest Kind March Blog

Hi Everyone,

Spring is nearly here in the USA. During the month of February we had an amazing tour to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina. It was so nice to leave the frigid temperatures of - 3 F in Michigan. We welcomed the 80 degree temperatures F in Florida with open arms and flip flops. It was nice to meet many other snow birds at The Coconut Casino, Ace's Lounge and Earl's Hideaway (which had a big, big turnout). Our Valentines Day show at The Celtic Ray was a huge success. It is wonderful to see this club back to its former glory. My favorite show of the year was our visit to the lovely special needs children at the Buckingham Center for Exceptional Students. As always it was a truly spiritual experience which filled my heart with joy, inspiration and light. Our new guitarist Matt Besey also fell in love with the Buckingham kids.

Guanabanas in Jupiter, Florida was a new club for us. Situated amongst large trees and leafy palms, this surf styled bar, complete with waterfalls, is really something to see. The world famous Buckingham Bar was another first- another capacity crowd- a superb show with great sound. We got to hang with our dear friend Ken McKenzie- former owner of the Mckenzie Inn- a great supporter of touring bands and just a great guy!. A quick stop at the Funky Buddha in Boca Raton then it was on to Pensacola Beach for the Paradise Inn. We had a huge crowd of over 300 peeps at The Paradise. It was very cool to see so many folks come out. Pensacola Beach really suffered along with Louisiana last summer because of the BP oil disaster. I can verify that Pensacola Beach is just as stunning as I remember. Our final show in Florida took place at the very new Beal St Bottle Club in Fort Walton Beach, where you can bring your own booze. Another superb listening room with amazing decor. Congratulations to Beale St for winning the Beachcomber Best Music Club award.

Then it was on to Alabama for a show at The Green Bar formally Littles Willies and the newly opened "Shed" in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Our drummer Marc Dixon had a terrible bout of food poisoning and was too sick to perform for part of the first set at Humphreys in Huntsville, Alabama. The wonderful staff really took care of him. After a swig of pickle juice, Marc suddenly felt well enough to perform. What a trouper!!!! Our final show of the tour took place at stunning Blue Ridge Big Sky Farm in North Carolina, where we recorded part of the live show. We plan to return in June to record another show and then hopefully a new live CD will be born.

Our drive back to Michigan was a trip. Torrential rain, flooded highways and fog so dense that we could not see 2 feet in front of the van. It was tough that's for sure. Thankfully we made it safely home without any further mishaps. I would also like to offer up a prayer to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake in New Zealand which destroyed the beautiful city of Christchurch. Also the blues world lost one of its extraordinary sons- Mr Eddie Kirkland in a car accident in Florida. Our heart felt condolences go out to Eddie's family, friends and fans.

In March we head out on the road for our annual West Coast tour. We will be touring to Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Texas.

Hope to see you out on the road this Spring,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Harper & Midwest Kind February Blog

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all survived the huge snow storm that swept across the USA this week. Here in Michigan we experienced howling winds, several feet of snow and dangerous icey roads. We really appreciated our kind neighbor Tim for plowing us out of our house. Thankfully my band and I weren't out on tour. After two major accidents in 2010 we really didn't want to tempt fate. So sorry to hear of my Australian friends experiencing a category 5 cyclone in Cairns, Queensland. After all the massive flooding - a huge cyclone was all they needed. Thankfully it seems not too much damage was done.

January was spent mainly in Michigan with some superb shows at The Livery, The Cabbage Shed and an intimate acoustic show at The Crooked Tree Arts Center. We were pretty much dumped upon snow wise but the folks managed to come out despite the bad weather. Our new van Sheila enjoyed her first tour to Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. We were blessed with some nice weather for this tour and some great crowds.

February is now upon us- so that means we will be heading South to Florida, Alabama and North Carolina to get warm. We have a very full schedule- so we hope that you will all come out and support us. We plan to record a live CD at Blue Ridge Big Sky Farm in North Carolina. March will see Midwest Kind and I heading West to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, California and Arizona. For our Chicago fans we have just announced a headlining show at Fitzgeralds in Berwyn on Friday March 11. Good news also for Des Moines, Iowa music fans- we have a new venue - All Play Stadium Bar & Grill. The shows are promoted by the sound people from Blues On Grand and will take place on Friday nights.

See you out on the road,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Monday, January 3, 2011

Harper January 2011 Blog

Happy New Year Everyone,

We hope you had a good one. We had a brilliant show with the fabulous Rootstand at The Loading Dock in Traverse City, Michigan. A Great crowd with relatively warm temperatures for a Michigan winter. We all danced the night away and kissed 2010 goodbye with a vengence! The new year brings us a brand new Chevy Express 3500 LT touring van who goes by the name of "Sheila". We are also excited to announce that we have a new guitarist- the amazing Matt Besey from Saginaw, Michigan. Drew Pentkowski has decided to go back to school- we wish him all the very best.

Our very first show with Matt will take place this Saturday at The Livery in Benton, Harbor, Michigan, 8pm- so please come on down. We have an exciting year planned for 2011-several national tours, loads of festivals and a possible tour to Australia & Europe if all the stars are in alignment. We also plan to record a long awaited live CD. The last live CD I recorded was in 2002- so its been a while that's for sure. In January we will be mostly in Michigan with a quick trip to Missouri, Iowa & Kansas visiting some of our favorite spots. In February we head south to be warm in Alabama, Florida and North Carolina. In March we will be heading west to Colorado, Utah and California.

May 2011 be a year full of peace, joy, prosperity and inspiration.

See you out on the road,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Harper & Rootstand Huge NYE Show

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick reminder that we will be doing a huge New Year's Eve extravaganza with the amazing Rootstand at The Loading Dock, 205 Lake Ave, Traverse City, Michigan. 49684. Tel:231-941-4422 Website: www.myspace.com/theloadingdocktch Tickets are a lowly $10, show starts around 9pm and goes to the wee hours of the morning.

Thank you all for your continued support. Hope you all had an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, & Holidays. May 2011 be a year full of peace, joy, prosperity and inspiration.

See you out on the road,


Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)

Friday, November 26, 2010

Harper December Blog

Hey Everyone,

I hope all my friends in the USA and Canada had a Happy Thanksgiving. Wow this year has really flown by with tremendous speed. It has been a turbulent year for my band and I with some huge highs and some very deep lows. The release of my new CD "Stand Together" in May was a huge high. The number of excellent reviews gave me a true sense of accomplishment. Getting to number 10 on Billboard and number 2 on XM/ Sirius Bluesville was another achievement. Another huge high was working with the amazing special needs kids at The Buckingham Center For Exceptional Students in Fort Myers, Florida, the Williams Syndrome kids at the Williams Syndrome Camp in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the inner city kids of The Detroit Merit Academy. To help others through my music is a true blessing. I feel very fortunate to have been given this opportunity.

Of the lows would be the major accident we had in North Carolina in May. But this was not to be a one off event. I have to say that my wife Bobbi and I are very lucky to be alive. On early Sunday morning (November 21) after a fantastic show at Billy's Lounge in Grand Rapids, Michigan we were hit from behind with huge force by an SUV on our way home. Our Dodge Sprinter was catapulted through the air which caused the Sprinter to flip on to its passenger side. Bobbi and I were suspended in mid air, held securely by our seat belts. Thankfully no major injuries- just a little bruised and battered. The whole side of the passenger side was nothing but a twisted metal mess. The front window and all the passenger side windows were shattered. The frame was twisted and the back doors demolished. It truly is miraculous that Bobbi and I only have some bruises to show for our ordeal. Thankfully the driver of the other car and his passengers were also OK. A good Samaritan with powerful arms pulled both Bobbi and I out of the wreck. The rest of the band had driven to the gig in their own cars- which was also a true blessing. My didgeridoos didn't even get a scratch, my amp, my harps- all were OK. On a sad note- our Dodge Sprinter- named Sylvia is no more- she was totaled by our insurance company State Farm- who I would have to say were very helpful and supportive. Marc our drummer came and picked us up at the scene of the accident and even gave us a bed for the night. We were very lucky.

So as we enter this Holiday season, I would like to suggest that we all look over our lives and count our blessings. Material things can always be replaced, but a loved one can't. Think of those less fortunate than yourself and if you can, try to do something for others. It doesn't have to be big- helping someone with their groceries, or opening a door for a stranger, helping out at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Or as in our case- a perfect stranger pulling us out of our wreck of a Sprinter van. Every little bit makes this planet a much better place. Giving is the greatest gift of all. I can certainly testify to that.

Thank you all for your continued support. Have an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays to all. May 2011 be a year full of joy, prosperity and inspiration.

See you out on the road,

Peace,

Harper & Midwest Kind

www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, E Book & T Shirt orders
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind (just for chatting)
www.blindpigrecords.com (for CD orders & downloads)