Hey Everyone,
Just back from the West Coast of the US, landing back in Michigan for a couple of weeks. We are asking you all for a big favor. We need you all to vote for Harper & Midwest Kind for the Mixer on the Mall concert series in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Just go to this link and tick Harper & Midwest Kind and vote at the bottom of the page . Its quick and simple and the voting ends on Saturday April 23. We really need your help!!! Here is the link: http://wvfm.fm/mixer-on-the-mall/
Well our tour to the West coast was pretty wild. After our very frightening drive through the Colorado mountains it was nice to hang out in Salt Lake City for a few days. Our shows at The Sun and Moon Cafe and The Wine Cellar in Ogden, Utah were alot of fun. We had one night in Reno, Nevada as a stop over to California. Thankfully we didn't lose too much money. We hung out with our dear friends Mary Anne and Dave from Syracuse, New York, who were newly relocated to Reno. Our show at The Torch Club in Sacramento was pretty cool as always, then it was on to San Jose for The Poor House Bistro where we got to hang out with some more dear friends Leslie Marple and her crew. Then it was back to Reno for a show at Third Street where Bobbi got to experience the best chocolate cake ever, courtesy of the friendly staff at Third Street. Then it was an amazing scenic drive along a winding Highway 50 though to Cedar City, Utah. Marc, Chris and Matt stayed at the Chicken House, hosted by Joleen and Steve Wise. We call it the chicken house because there is a flock of free range hens who the lay the most delicious eggs you will ever eat. We had a show at Mike's Tavern near by, thanks to good friend Tim from Groovacious Records. One of the cool things when we go out on tour, is that we get to do some touristy stuff along the way. On this trip we went to the phenomenal Zion National Park. Zion truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful sites here in the USA. We saw water falls cascading from sheer red stone cliffs, an amazing fast flowing river and stunning canyon and rock formations. It was a great day. That night we had a show at Jazzy's Rock n Roll Grill in St George then it was on to Southern California for The Mint and Cafe Boogaloo. Then we headed to The Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Arizona, where Marc was suprised by an unexepected visit from his Mum. Our final show of the tour was Railroad Blues in Alpine, Texas, a very out of the way place near Big Bend National Park. We almost didn't get there because we were held up by the Border Police near El Paso who threatened Bobbi with Jail and fines for not having her green card on her. Little did we know, her passport and green card were safely packed away in her brief case just below the passenger seat of the van. Well no harm was done! At Railroad Blues, we could smell thick smoke in the air. We knew there were wild fires close by, but it was only the next day that we realized just how close the fires came to the town of Alpine. Thank God for the brave fire fighters who managed to put the fire out before too much damage was done.
We made it home safely to Michigan. Last Friday we were inspired by 400 didgeridoo playing children from the Davisburg Elementary School, where my band and I presented a didgeridoo workshop. It was an amazing day and much fun was had by all. We performed at a new club for us in Ann Arbor at The Holiday Inn, called Guy Hollerins and on Sunday we visited our favorite Flint Club- Scooters. We are about to head out on tour again for five weeks where we will be heading to North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine and Massachusetts
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, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Harper and Midwest Kind April Blog Part 2
Hey Everyone,
Just a quicky! Please help us out by voting For Harper and Midwest Kind for the Mixer On the Mall Concert Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Here is the link.
http://wvfm.fm/mixer-on-the-mall/
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)
Just a quicky! Please help us out by voting For Harper and Midwest Kind for the Mixer On the Mall Concert Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Here is the link.
http://wvfm.fm/mixer-on-the-mall/
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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