Happy Holidays Everyone,
It is with great sadness that I write this blog. The tragedy at Sandy Point Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut has left a mark on my soul. My band "Midwest Kind, Bobbi and I send our heart felt prayers, condolences and huge amounts of love to the children, teachers, parents, the police, rescue workers and medical personnel, everyone who has been touched by this terrible terrible shooting. When darkness like this enters our lives, I always try to think of all the good people in the world who perform miracles everyday. American children's icon "Mr Rogers' said his Grandmother gave him some advice as a young boy- "when ever you're afraid, always look for the helpers". Very wise words because there are ALWAYS helpers, no matter where you are or who you are, there is always someone who wants to help you.
My band and I are taking it easy this month, having finished our shows for 2012. I am working on a new acoustic CD , which we hope to release sometime in 2013. We are very happy to announce we have a new drummer Jamie Taunton joining the band in February. The month of January will be completely acoustic, to give you all a taste of what you will be hearing on the acoustic CD. My lovely wife Bobbi Llewellyn will also be singing a couple of songs, which Im sure you will all enjoy.
We had an amazing tour in November, firstly visiting two new clubs- Canal House in Ohio and U Detroit Cafe in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Then it was the long drive south to Florida for the fabulous Riverhawk Music Festival, followed by the incredible Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee. Then it was the newly renovated and extended Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda. WOW!!! what a fabulous venue- Kevin Doyle really has created a beautiful Irish Pub. Then we headed north like a YOYO to Bettendorf, Iowa for The Muddy Waters, another great listening room. We visited the very cool, Trouser Mouse in Missouri then another new club- Old Skoolz in Sioux Falls, South Dakota- another great find for our touring schedule. We played the Alamo in Springfield, Illinois and we were very tempted to go and see the new film "Lincoln". The Blues Society arranged a Blues in the Schools sponsorship so Bobbi and I presented our "Australian Didge-ucation" project for the all the kids at Montessori Children's House. It was such an uplifting and fun experience, we hope to return soon! We performed at BBs in St Louis, Missouri for Thanksgiving Eve to a large and very happening crowd. Our Thanksgiving dinner was spent at an "IHop", no Turkey but mmmmm it was yummy. We finished the week with some great shows at The Gas Lamp in Des Moines, The fabulous Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Nebraska then the legendary Byron's Bar in Pomeroy, Iowa. What a great way to end the tour and Drummer Scott Key's last show at our home away from home- Byrons.
Back in Michigan our final shows of the year were Carrick's House Concert and The Hamlin Pub. Carrick's House Concert- would have to been one of the best shows of the year. It was held in Craig & Nick Carrick's basement with ample seating and a full sound system. Pizza and other tasty treats were served free of charge. Gemma & Jesse opened the show with beautiful harmonies. We then followed with the full band with our former drummer Marc Dixon filling in. We had close to 70 people packed into the basement and it was an intense, hilarious, joyful and intimate concert. Such a wonderful way to end the year. Thank you Craig and Nick Carrick!!! And a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the year. We couldn't do what we do without you all.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Winter/ Summer Solstice. Peace, joy and abundance to us all. May 2013 be the best year yet!!!!
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind November Blog
Hey Everyone,
November is just about here. Our prayers and positive vibes go out to our brothers and sisters on the East Coast of the USA- who are awaiting the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully most people have taken heed of the severe weather warnings and have taken themselves out of harm's way. We hope that Sandy's bark is worse than her bite!!!!
October saw us heading Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina. We had alot of fun at Quaker Steak and lube in Sharon, PA. Then we headed South to Florida for one of our most favorite out door clubs- Guanabanas in Jupiter. This club is stunning and has a very cool surf, beach vibe. We then headed to new club in Orlando called Mc Wells - put together by promoter Zaider Zoller- a wonderful person who really supports live music. We had a terrible thunder and lightning storm the night of the show which effected the turn out, but we have vowed to return another time. The next show took place at Jollimon's Grill in Dunedin. Our good friend Steve Arvey, who we have known for many years going back to our early touring days in Australia, opened the show for us. He was just amazing- kinda a Neil Young blues guys- very authentic. We were just getting into our first set, the crowd was building and the vibe was good, when a huge torrential down pour of soaking rain blasted this out door show into oblivion. The court yard flooded as music goers scattered in all directions. My band and I desperately tried to pack up guitars, amps, didgeridoos, drum kit while being blasted with rain through the severely leaky roof of the out door stage. It was crazy! We were all soaked to the bone and there was no way out of it. We had a few days off and were offered accommodation at the Bradfordville Blues Club's band house in Tallahassee, Florida. Thank you Gary and Kym Anton for your kind generosity. Our good friend Missy took us out for dinner on one of the nights - and good times were had by all. We had a fabulous show at Englewoods on Dearborn, in Englewood, Florida. Another out door show with a happening crowd for my birthday. It was a nice way to spend the day. The next day we visited our favorite special needs kids at the Buckingham Center for Exceptional Students in Fort Myers. I was presented with a HUGE birthday card which was decorated by the students. It was such a lovely gift for which I am very thankful. One of the teachers Barb Chapin told me that one of her students actually smiled and spoke for the first time at this show. The little boy had a big smile on his face and danced for the entire show. Just goes to show that the power of music is all inspiring and very healing. Ace's Lounge in Bradenton was also alot of fun. For those around the Sarasota area you really need to check out this great music club. All the touring acts perform there and the sound is great. After a show at the Buckingham Bar we headed to another one of our favorite clubs- Earl's Hideaway. We had a big crowd and nice weather. Promoter Franni Southern was called away suddenly as her husband Ernie became very ill and had to be taken to hospital. Thankfully everything was OK, we were glad to hear. We ended the month with a show at the Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach. We hung out with my former but fabulous guitarist Tyler Mac. We even got to meet his two month old baby girl. Bobbi and I presented a show for the kids at Kiddie Land in Salsbury, North Carolina. The teachers were wonderful and the children just loved learning about the didgeridoo, harmonica and Australia. We finished the week with a fantastic show at The Rowan Jazz and Blues Festival also in Salsbury. We got to catch up with Fruteland Jackson and Mac Arnold and his band. It was a great concert of new and traditional blues-.
This week we have two new clubs- Canal House in Tuscarawas, Ohio and the newly opened U Detroit Cafe in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The U Detroit show will be a special unplugged show and is the first club show we have done in the area for many years- so please come down and check us out. Hope to see you all out on the road!
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
November is just about here. Our prayers and positive vibes go out to our brothers and sisters on the East Coast of the USA- who are awaiting the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully most people have taken heed of the severe weather warnings and have taken themselves out of harm's way. We hope that Sandy's bark is worse than her bite!!!!
October saw us heading Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina. We had alot of fun at Quaker Steak and lube in Sharon, PA. Then we headed South to Florida for one of our most favorite out door clubs- Guanabanas in Jupiter. This club is stunning and has a very cool surf, beach vibe. We then headed to new club in Orlando called Mc Wells - put together by promoter Zaider Zoller- a wonderful person who really supports live music. We had a terrible thunder and lightning storm the night of the show which effected the turn out, but we have vowed to return another time. The next show took place at Jollimon's Grill in Dunedin. Our good friend Steve Arvey, who we have known for many years going back to our early touring days in Australia, opened the show for us. He was just amazing- kinda a Neil Young blues guys- very authentic. We were just getting into our first set, the crowd was building and the vibe was good, when a huge torrential down pour of soaking rain blasted this out door show into oblivion. The court yard flooded as music goers scattered in all directions. My band and I desperately tried to pack up guitars, amps, didgeridoos, drum kit while being blasted with rain through the severely leaky roof of the out door stage. It was crazy! We were all soaked to the bone and there was no way out of it. We had a few days off and were offered accommodation at the Bradfordville Blues Club's band house in Tallahassee, Florida. Thank you Gary and Kym Anton for your kind generosity. Our good friend Missy took us out for dinner on one of the nights - and good times were had by all. We had a fabulous show at Englewoods on Dearborn, in Englewood, Florida. Another out door show with a happening crowd for my birthday. It was a nice way to spend the day. The next day we visited our favorite special needs kids at the Buckingham Center for Exceptional Students in Fort Myers. I was presented with a HUGE birthday card which was decorated by the students. It was such a lovely gift for which I am very thankful. One of the teachers Barb Chapin told me that one of her students actually smiled and spoke for the first time at this show. The little boy had a big smile on his face and danced for the entire show. Just goes to show that the power of music is all inspiring and very healing. Ace's Lounge in Bradenton was also alot of fun. For those around the Sarasota area you really need to check out this great music club. All the touring acts perform there and the sound is great. After a show at the Buckingham Bar we headed to another one of our favorite clubs- Earl's Hideaway. We had a big crowd and nice weather. Promoter Franni Southern was called away suddenly as her husband Ernie became very ill and had to be taken to hospital. Thankfully everything was OK, we were glad to hear. We ended the month with a show at the Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach. We hung out with my former but fabulous guitarist Tyler Mac. We even got to meet his two month old baby girl. Bobbi and I presented a show for the kids at Kiddie Land in Salsbury, North Carolina. The teachers were wonderful and the children just loved learning about the didgeridoo, harmonica and Australia. We finished the week with a fantastic show at The Rowan Jazz and Blues Festival also in Salsbury. We got to catch up with Fruteland Jackson and Mac Arnold and his band. It was a great concert of new and traditional blues-.
This week we have two new clubs- Canal House in Tuscarawas, Ohio and the newly opened U Detroit Cafe in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The U Detroit show will be a special unplugged show and is the first club show we have done in the area for many years- so please come down and check us out. Hope to see you all out on the road!
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind October Blog
Hey Everyone,
I am writing to you from the Bradfordville Blues Club band house in Tallahassee, Florida. In the month of September we were very fortunate to obtain an arts grant from the Ruth Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan to present the Australian Didgeridoo Workshop at two Flint Elementary Schools- Freeman Elementary and Byrant Elementary. My band "Midwest Kind", Bobbi and I presented a general introduction to Australia, the didgeridoo, Aussie animals, Aboriginal art and culture to roughly about 600 students. The presentations took place in the School's gym. With the grant money we purchased one hundred plastic tubes that we converted into didgeridoos. Bobbi then taught two groups of 30 kids how to paint in the style of the Australian Aborigines on their very own didgeridoos. It was so cute because some of the kids asked if they were allowed to keep their didgeridoos. They were soooo happy when we told them they could. The kids created some beautiful designs. It was astonishing to see such creativity, as both schools no longer have art departments. So this was probably the only time these children would ever have the opportunity to paint and create a piece of art. After the didgeridoos were decorated, we took the two groups of kids back to the gym. I then taught the children how to play their didgeridoos. We then had a big blow out with the band. It was alot of fun.
In September we also made the long trip West to the incredible historic town of Deadwood, South Dakota for the Deadwood Jam. We visited Mount Rushmore along the way. We were amazed at the beauty of this National Monument. Photographs really dont give it justice. The monument is superbly crafted and very tasteful. The weather was picture perfect and the Deadwood Jam was excellent. The friendly staff and hospitality was unbeatable. We visited the graves of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jame and Sheriff Seth Bullock (for those fans of the Deadwood TV series on HBO). Bobbi, Chris, Matt, Scott and I walked right to the top of the mountain to see Seth Bullock's grave and our legs were aching for several days after. We visited Saloon No 10 where Wild Bill was shot and we had a fabulous meal just upstairs from the main saloon. What was really cool was that many of the locals could trace back their ancestry back to the early beginnings of Deadwood and they were a wealth of knowledge. It was a fascinating visit.
Back in Michigan we performed at a couple of new clubs for us- Tiz-It in Midland. Funny name but a great music club with a great first show turnout. Also The Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall. The Franke Center is a great theatre style club that was formally a church. It is run by volunteers who really know how to put on a show. We loved being there and hope to return soon. Coming up we have tour to Florida and North Carolina. We have another new club called Canal House in Tuscarawas, Ohio scheduled for Friday November 2. We also have a great acoustic show planned for Sat Nov 3 at the newly opened U Detroit Cafe in down town Detroit, Michigan . We still have some openings in December for possible Christmas / NYE parties. Just send us an email and we will try to head to your neck of the woods.
Hope to see you out on the road this Fall and Winter.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
I am writing to you from the Bradfordville Blues Club band house in Tallahassee, Florida. In the month of September we were very fortunate to obtain an arts grant from the Ruth Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan to present the Australian Didgeridoo Workshop at two Flint Elementary Schools- Freeman Elementary and Byrant Elementary. My band "Midwest Kind", Bobbi and I presented a general introduction to Australia, the didgeridoo, Aussie animals, Aboriginal art and culture to roughly about 600 students. The presentations took place in the School's gym. With the grant money we purchased one hundred plastic tubes that we converted into didgeridoos. Bobbi then taught two groups of 30 kids how to paint in the style of the Australian Aborigines on their very own didgeridoos. It was so cute because some of the kids asked if they were allowed to keep their didgeridoos. They were soooo happy when we told them they could. The kids created some beautiful designs. It was astonishing to see such creativity, as both schools no longer have art departments. So this was probably the only time these children would ever have the opportunity to paint and create a piece of art. After the didgeridoos were decorated, we took the two groups of kids back to the gym. I then taught the children how to play their didgeridoos. We then had a big blow out with the band. It was alot of fun.
In September we also made the long trip West to the incredible historic town of Deadwood, South Dakota for the Deadwood Jam. We visited Mount Rushmore along the way. We were amazed at the beauty of this National Monument. Photographs really dont give it justice. The monument is superbly crafted and very tasteful. The weather was picture perfect and the Deadwood Jam was excellent. The friendly staff and hospitality was unbeatable. We visited the graves of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jame and Sheriff Seth Bullock (for those fans of the Deadwood TV series on HBO). Bobbi, Chris, Matt, Scott and I walked right to the top of the mountain to see Seth Bullock's grave and our legs were aching for several days after. We visited Saloon No 10 where Wild Bill was shot and we had a fabulous meal just upstairs from the main saloon. What was really cool was that many of the locals could trace back their ancestry back to the early beginnings of Deadwood and they were a wealth of knowledge. It was a fascinating visit.
Back in Michigan we performed at a couple of new clubs for us- Tiz-It in Midland. Funny name but a great music club with a great first show turnout. Also The Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall. The Franke Center is a great theatre style club that was formally a church. It is run by volunteers who really know how to put on a show. We loved being there and hope to return soon. Coming up we have tour to Florida and North Carolina. We have another new club called Canal House in Tuscarawas, Ohio scheduled for Friday November 2. We also have a great acoustic show planned for Sat Nov 3 at the newly opened U Detroit Cafe in down town Detroit, Michigan . We still have some openings in December for possible Christmas / NYE parties. Just send us an email and we will try to head to your neck of the woods.
Hope to see you out on the road this Fall and Winter.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind September, 2012 Blog
Hey Everyone,
We are on the road to Deadwood, South Dakota as we speak. My band and I will be performing at the Deadwood Jam this Saturday and we plan to do some tourist stuff along the way. August was a fabulous month of festivals and concert series. After the fabulous Mount Baker Blues Festival in Washington, we headed to Colorado. We hung out in a three storey house in Dillon, Colorado for a couple of days. Now this house was completely decked out- hot tub, pool table, big screen TVs in every room. I wish every band house was this luxurious. We performed at The Krystal 93 BBQ at the Summit in beautiful down town Dillon. We had a great show despite a huge soaking down pour. Those hearty mountain folk just laughed and kept dancing in the rain. The next day we drove along the scenic route through the Rocky Mountains crossing the Continental Divide. We saw some stunning views. Unfortunately a large percentage of the pine forest has been devastated by the mountain pine beetle. The mountains are either bald or full of mostly dead trees. Its terrible to see! Another casualty of the planet's rising temperatures. Our next show was The South Pearl Street Festival in Denver. South Pearl Street was literally wall to wall full of people. We had a great show followed by a huge down pour of rain that lasted about thirty minutes during Rosie Ledet's set. People scattered in all directions to escape the rain. Back stage we hung out with my former Keyboard player James Pace who now plays with Tommy Castro. It was great to see him perform with his new band. The next day we played Lincoln's Roadhouse, then it was the long drive back to Michigan.
After a couple days of chilling in sunny Michigan, we headed to a "Hair Raising Event" for the lovely Michele Arroyo at the incredible B & O Station in Youngstown, Ohio. It was a beautiful evening and we hope to return soon. We performed a private event for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors in Rochester, New York. We had an absolute ball with these guys!!! Then it was back to Michigan for the Birch Run Blues & Brews Fest where we saw the amazing Rusty Wright Band throw down. We ended the weekend with a show at Scooters in Flint Town. We ended the month of August by "Jammin in Jackson", then heading north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the Porcupine Music Festival. We had a great set and to my surprise, I was asked to perform with the incredible Gospel group- The Holmes Brothers. They had me play some harp for them for 30 minutes!!!!! (WOW!!)- it was such an honor and a privilege!! We ended the weekend with an awesome set at the Tawas Blues by The Bay Festival. What a superb weekend!
Please note there have been some changes to our tour schedule for late September and October. Some clubs have closed and some dates have been moved to a later date- Sorry!!!
Hope to see you out on the road this Fall.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
We are on the road to Deadwood, South Dakota as we speak. My band and I will be performing at the Deadwood Jam this Saturday and we plan to do some tourist stuff along the way. August was a fabulous month of festivals and concert series. After the fabulous Mount Baker Blues Festival in Washington, we headed to Colorado. We hung out in a three storey house in Dillon, Colorado for a couple of days. Now this house was completely decked out- hot tub, pool table, big screen TVs in every room. I wish every band house was this luxurious. We performed at The Krystal 93 BBQ at the Summit in beautiful down town Dillon. We had a great show despite a huge soaking down pour. Those hearty mountain folk just laughed and kept dancing in the rain. The next day we drove along the scenic route through the Rocky Mountains crossing the Continental Divide. We saw some stunning views. Unfortunately a large percentage of the pine forest has been devastated by the mountain pine beetle. The mountains are either bald or full of mostly dead trees. Its terrible to see! Another casualty of the planet's rising temperatures. Our next show was The South Pearl Street Festival in Denver. South Pearl Street was literally wall to wall full of people. We had a great show followed by a huge down pour of rain that lasted about thirty minutes during Rosie Ledet's set. People scattered in all directions to escape the rain. Back stage we hung out with my former Keyboard player James Pace who now plays with Tommy Castro. It was great to see him perform with his new band. The next day we played Lincoln's Roadhouse, then it was the long drive back to Michigan.
After a couple days of chilling in sunny Michigan, we headed to a "Hair Raising Event" for the lovely Michele Arroyo at the incredible B & O Station in Youngstown, Ohio. It was a beautiful evening and we hope to return soon. We performed a private event for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors in Rochester, New York. We had an absolute ball with these guys!!! Then it was back to Michigan for the Birch Run Blues & Brews Fest where we saw the amazing Rusty Wright Band throw down. We ended the weekend with a show at Scooters in Flint Town. We ended the month of August by "Jammin in Jackson", then heading north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the Porcupine Music Festival. We had a great set and to my surprise, I was asked to perform with the incredible Gospel group- The Holmes Brothers. They had me play some harp for them for 30 minutes!!!!! (WOW!!)- it was such an honor and a privilege!! We ended the weekend with an awesome set at the Tawas Blues by The Bay Festival. What a superb weekend!
Please note there have been some changes to our tour schedule for late September and October. Some clubs have closed and some dates have been moved to a later date- Sorry!!!
Hope to see you out on the road this Fall.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind August Blog
Hello everyone,
We are on the road to Colorado as we speak. Warm weather and stunning views surround us as we drive. Very excited to announce that the "Live at The Blues Museum" CD reached number 2 on the national XM/Sirius Radio Network- Bluesville. Woohoo!!! July was packed full of festivals. We made a long awaited appearance at The Milwaukee Summerfest on the Harley Davidson Stage. It was great to catch up with many old friends including stage manager Rudy Valentino- descendant of the famous slient screen star - Rudolf Valentino. The weather was very hot and so was the show! Then it was on to our fav St Louis club- BB's for yet another fun show. We had a great afternoon show at The Eat to The Beat Series in Southfield, Michigan then it was the amazing Concert of Colors in Detroit. We performed in at the Max. M Fisher Music Center . It was a great show in air conditioned comfort- the house was full, and the vibes were friendly. We then headed out on tour to Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, California and Washington. Our show at The Hub in Cedar Falls, Iowa was quite unique- we were fortunate to have a drum circle play with us on a few songs. After the show we drove north for a few hours to lessen the trek to the Fargo Blues Festival in North Dakota the next day. The Fargo Blues fest was amazing- a bright blue sky with a large music friendly crowd. The place was pretty full for our 4.15pm show and we had a huge lineup for CDs after the performance. We then drove to Wisconsin. On our way we witnessed a bizarre accident. A semi trailer truck lost its two back wheels and scraped the side of a mini van packed full of kids and their parents. Incredibly the driver of the mini van steered his vehicle out of harm's way onto the median strip. Mean while the truck driver managed to steer his massive truck to the right side of the highway with out flipping over or taking any cars with him. No one was hurt thankfully!!! Our show at The Prairie Dog Festival was also a fine time. We caught up with our old friend Matt Eimer who helped us out in 2010 when our van broke down. Matt was the stage manager for the fest and really went out of his way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The next day we performed at the World Famous Byrons in Pomeroy, Iowa and had a blast!
After chilling out with friends in Reno, Nevada we headed to the beautiful Mammoth Lakes in Northern California. We performed at the Bluesapalooza in the woods. It was a fabulous show and the lineup also included Trampled Underfoot, Johnny & Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer. The wood site was packed to the rafters. We hit the road after the show to get closer to our show at Roadhouse 101 in Lincoln City, Oregon. The traffic was bumper to bumper for the last leg of the journey but we made it with time to spare. The next day was the fabulous Mount Baker Blues Festival in Bellingham, Washington. It was a toasty 100 Degrees F but the hospitality was unbeatable. We had freshly caught BBQ cooked salmon brought to our dressing room for our after show feast. We got to hang out with good friend Hamilton Loomis and his band and even got to jam with every one at the end of the evening. We all had a fabulous time in a beautiful part of the world. In August we have many more festivals coming up plus a special "Hair Raising Event" at the B & O Station in Youngstown, Ohio- a Celebration for Life for Cancer survivors on Thursday August 16.
Hope to see you out on the road this Summer and Fall.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
We are on the road to Colorado as we speak. Warm weather and stunning views surround us as we drive. Very excited to announce that the "Live at The Blues Museum" CD reached number 2 on the national XM/Sirius Radio Network- Bluesville. Woohoo!!! July was packed full of festivals. We made a long awaited appearance at The Milwaukee Summerfest on the Harley Davidson Stage. It was great to catch up with many old friends including stage manager Rudy Valentino- descendant of the famous slient screen star - Rudolf Valentino. The weather was very hot and so was the show! Then it was on to our fav St Louis club- BB's for yet another fun show. We had a great afternoon show at The Eat to The Beat Series in Southfield, Michigan then it was the amazing Concert of Colors in Detroit. We performed in at the Max. M Fisher Music Center . It was a great show in air conditioned comfort- the house was full, and the vibes were friendly. We then headed out on tour to Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, California and Washington. Our show at The Hub in Cedar Falls, Iowa was quite unique- we were fortunate to have a drum circle play with us on a few songs. After the show we drove north for a few hours to lessen the trek to the Fargo Blues Festival in North Dakota the next day. The Fargo Blues fest was amazing- a bright blue sky with a large music friendly crowd. The place was pretty full for our 4.15pm show and we had a huge lineup for CDs after the performance. We then drove to Wisconsin. On our way we witnessed a bizarre accident. A semi trailer truck lost its two back wheels and scraped the side of a mini van packed full of kids and their parents. Incredibly the driver of the mini van steered his vehicle out of harm's way onto the median strip. Mean while the truck driver managed to steer his massive truck to the right side of the highway with out flipping over or taking any cars with him. No one was hurt thankfully!!! Our show at The Prairie Dog Festival was also a fine time. We caught up with our old friend Matt Eimer who helped us out in 2010 when our van broke down. Matt was the stage manager for the fest and really went out of his way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The next day we performed at the World Famous Byrons in Pomeroy, Iowa and had a blast!
After chilling out with friends in Reno, Nevada we headed to the beautiful Mammoth Lakes in Northern California. We performed at the Bluesapalooza in the woods. It was a fabulous show and the lineup also included Trampled Underfoot, Johnny & Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer. The wood site was packed to the rafters. We hit the road after the show to get closer to our show at Roadhouse 101 in Lincoln City, Oregon. The traffic was bumper to bumper for the last leg of the journey but we made it with time to spare. The next day was the fabulous Mount Baker Blues Festival in Bellingham, Washington. It was a toasty 100 Degrees F but the hospitality was unbeatable. We had freshly caught BBQ cooked salmon brought to our dressing room for our after show feast. We got to hang out with good friend Hamilton Loomis and his band and even got to jam with every one at the end of the evening. We all had a fabulous time in a beautiful part of the world. In August we have many more festivals coming up plus a special "Hair Raising Event" at the B & O Station in Youngstown, Ohio- a Celebration for Life for Cancer survivors on Thursday August 16.
Hope to see you out on the road this Summer and Fall.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind July Blog
Hey Everyone,
Happy July 4 to all my American friends. Well its hot here in Michigan- hitting the high 90's F for several weeks now. This summer is reminding me of Perth, Western Australia where I grew up. Lots of sunshine, lots of dust and very little rain. Don't get me wrong Im loving all the sunshine but a couple of good downpours of rain would be nice. The new CD "Live at the Blues Museum" has been getting a great deal of airplay all over the world. The CD is currently number 8 on the national XM/Sirius Bluesville Charts. This is very exciting. A huge thank you to Bill Wax and his crew for their incredible support for my music over the years.
The month of June saw us performing at Michigan's Nor Eastr Festival in Mio. Extremely hot weather but great music and good vibes. If finally got to see and meet the guys from Lansing's "Steppin in it"-great band!!! Then we headed to Bettendorf, Iowa for another show at the fabulous Muddy Waters. Then it was on to Des Moines for our second show at The Gas Lamp (formally Blues On Grand). We had a very good turn out -and will be returning in November. The Hambone Music Festival in Rochester, Minnesota was alot of fun. Smart thinking Music Director--Lynne Oldre-Mortenson moved all the bands from the out door main stage to the tent stage. Good thing she did because we were hit with a huge blast of soaking rain. It didn't effect the festival one bit- the bands played on and everyone huddled under the all weather tent. We left early the next day for a concert in the park in Blues Springs, Missouri- for another scorching hot performance both musically and temperature wise!! Oh how nice it was to hit the air conditioned hotel room later that evening. The next show was Michigan's Huntington Rogue River Blues Series in downtown Rockford. We had an amazing show complete with a little kid down the front doing "the worm" through out the show.
We ended the month with our annual show at The Rathskeller Biergarten in Indianapolis. Good to see so many friends. We were saddened to see that the Biergarten maybe ending its live music due to a power struggle with the folks who run the Athenaeum . The crux of the matter it that they want more money!!! Its a pity that live music and the folks who support it are the ones to suffer. There is a "Save the Biergarten" page on Facebook if any of you would like to sign up.
July sees my band Midwest Kind and I heading all over the country- Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. We have some fabulous festivals booked- Milwaukee Summerfest, The Concert of Colors, Fargo Blues Festival, Prairie Dog Blues Festival, Mammoth Bluezaploosa, The Mount Baker Blues Festival, BBQ at The Summit and the Pearl St Festival just to name a few. Hope to see you out on the road this summer :)
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Happy July 4 to all my American friends. Well its hot here in Michigan- hitting the high 90's F for several weeks now. This summer is reminding me of Perth, Western Australia where I grew up. Lots of sunshine, lots of dust and very little rain. Don't get me wrong Im loving all the sunshine but a couple of good downpours of rain would be nice. The new CD "Live at the Blues Museum" has been getting a great deal of airplay all over the world. The CD is currently number 8 on the national XM/Sirius Bluesville Charts. This is very exciting. A huge thank you to Bill Wax and his crew for their incredible support for my music over the years.
The month of June saw us performing at Michigan's Nor Eastr Festival in Mio. Extremely hot weather but great music and good vibes. If finally got to see and meet the guys from Lansing's "Steppin in it"-great band!!! Then we headed to Bettendorf, Iowa for another show at the fabulous Muddy Waters. Then it was on to Des Moines for our second show at The Gas Lamp (formally Blues On Grand). We had a very good turn out -and will be returning in November. The Hambone Music Festival in Rochester, Minnesota was alot of fun. Smart thinking Music Director--Lynne Oldre-Mortenson moved all the bands from the out door main stage to the tent stage. Good thing she did because we were hit with a huge blast of soaking rain. It didn't effect the festival one bit- the bands played on and everyone huddled under the all weather tent. We left early the next day for a concert in the park in Blues Springs, Missouri- for another scorching hot performance both musically and temperature wise!! Oh how nice it was to hit the air conditioned hotel room later that evening. The next show was Michigan's Huntington Rogue River Blues Series in downtown Rockford. We had an amazing show complete with a little kid down the front doing "the worm" through out the show.
We ended the month with our annual show at The Rathskeller Biergarten in Indianapolis. Good to see so many friends. We were saddened to see that the Biergarten maybe ending its live music due to a power struggle with the folks who run the Athenaeum . The crux of the matter it that they want more money!!! Its a pity that live music and the folks who support it are the ones to suffer. There is a "Save the Biergarten" page on Facebook if any of you would like to sign up.
July sees my band Midwest Kind and I heading all over the country- Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. We have some fabulous festivals booked- Milwaukee Summerfest, The Concert of Colors, Fargo Blues Festival, Prairie Dog Blues Festival, Mammoth Bluezaploosa, The Mount Baker Blues Festival, BBQ at The Summit and the Pearl St Festival just to name a few. Hope to see you out on the road this summer :)
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind June Blog
Hey Everyone,
Summer is nearly here in the Northern Hemisphere- woohoo!! We had a fabulous May tour which took us to Iowa, Kansas, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maine and Michigan. Our shows at the Boogaloo Cafe in Burlington, Iowa and Uncle Bo's in Topeka, Kansas were alot of fun. Always nice to visit our good friend Suki. We then headed south to Florida by way of Memphis, Tennessee where we were hit with one of the worse thunder/lightning/hail and rain storms ever. We were stuck in construction on Interstate Highway 55 driving very slowly, hazard lights on. We were pelted with hail, huge blasts of wind with cracks of thunder and lightning all around us. There was no where to get off the highway to take shelter- we just had to proceed and hope for the best. Thankfully the bad weather began to subside and we were on our way. We managed to roll into the Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach, Florida in time for the mega Monday night jam. We met up with my former but fabulous guitarist Tyler Mac who toured with me for five years. Drummer Justin Headley (Sauce Boss) and guitarist John Hart (Sauce Boss) were also in the house. We had 10 musicians up on stage, - three guitarists, two drummers, bass guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboard, harmonica/didgeridoo and saxophone. It was an amazing jam. We all hung out after the show and played lazer frisbee in the car park woohoo!
After a great show at the Paradise Inn the next day we headed to our favorite juke joint- The Blues Tavern in Mobile, Alabama, then it was the Funky Blues Shack in Destin/ Sandestin. We hung out with our good buddies Ken and Rachel Brown. Then we headed north to Rochester/ Syracuse, New York for the amazing Dinosaur BBQs. The Armor Inn in Hamburg, New York was the next stop, just out side of Buffalo. This is an amazing new venue run by former Lafayette Tap Room owner Marc Alfieri. Then it was home to Michigan for two shows - Guy Hollerins in Ann Arbor and Scooters in Flint. At the Flint show our awesome former drummer of five years Marc Dixon sat in with us as well as the incredible Heather and Don Jones of"Jones n' Live". After a quick breather we headed back east to Connecticut for the Bayou n Boogie Festival. We were mixed in with a bunch of brilliant Zydeco Bands which was kind of different, but it worked. Bobbi and I hung out with Mitch Wood for a bit, which was cool. Our final show was at the Timeout Pub in Rockland Maine, which is always a good time.
We had some mega problems with credit cards during this tour. It does happen from time to time but for some reason, we had multiple problems in May. One hotel charged us twice, then we discovered that someone had stolen our credit card number and racked up $2500 worth of on line goods. Thankfully the credit card company was on the ball and shut the card down before any damage was done. Then when we were at the hotel for the Bayou n Boogie Festival, we were charged for all the rooms for all the bands. Thankfully that was sorted out too. What a drama!!!. To top it all off when we arrived home in Michigan, a young guy backed his car into my van. I was in the store at the time and never saw the accident. The lady who owned the car sort me out and told me what had happened. That just goes to show you that there are honest people in this world for which I am very thankful.
We have bunch of festivals and concert series coming up this summer in the US. We will be performing in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Ohio and New York. We would love to see you all out on the road.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Summer is nearly here in the Northern Hemisphere- woohoo!! We had a fabulous May tour which took us to Iowa, Kansas, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maine and Michigan. Our shows at the Boogaloo Cafe in Burlington, Iowa and Uncle Bo's in Topeka, Kansas were alot of fun. Always nice to visit our good friend Suki. We then headed south to Florida by way of Memphis, Tennessee where we were hit with one of the worse thunder/lightning/hail and rain storms ever. We were stuck in construction on Interstate Highway 55 driving very slowly, hazard lights on. We were pelted with hail, huge blasts of wind with cracks of thunder and lightning all around us. There was no where to get off the highway to take shelter- we just had to proceed and hope for the best. Thankfully the bad weather began to subside and we were on our way. We managed to roll into the Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach, Florida in time for the mega Monday night jam. We met up with my former but fabulous guitarist Tyler Mac who toured with me for five years. Drummer Justin Headley (Sauce Boss) and guitarist John Hart (Sauce Boss) were also in the house. We had 10 musicians up on stage, - three guitarists, two drummers, bass guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboard, harmonica/didgeridoo and saxophone. It was an amazing jam. We all hung out after the show and played lazer frisbee in the car park woohoo!
After a great show at the Paradise Inn the next day we headed to our favorite juke joint- The Blues Tavern in Mobile, Alabama, then it was the Funky Blues Shack in Destin/ Sandestin. We hung out with our good buddies Ken and Rachel Brown. Then we headed north to Rochester/ Syracuse, New York for the amazing Dinosaur BBQs. The Armor Inn in Hamburg, New York was the next stop, just out side of Buffalo. This is an amazing new venue run by former Lafayette Tap Room owner Marc Alfieri. Then it was home to Michigan for two shows - Guy Hollerins in Ann Arbor and Scooters in Flint. At the Flint show our awesome former drummer of five years Marc Dixon sat in with us as well as the incredible Heather and Don Jones of"Jones n' Live". After a quick breather we headed back east to Connecticut for the Bayou n Boogie Festival. We were mixed in with a bunch of brilliant Zydeco Bands which was kind of different, but it worked. Bobbi and I hung out with Mitch Wood for a bit, which was cool. Our final show was at the Timeout Pub in Rockland Maine, which is always a good time.
We had some mega problems with credit cards during this tour. It does happen from time to time but for some reason, we had multiple problems in May. One hotel charged us twice, then we discovered that someone had stolen our credit card number and racked up $2500 worth of on line goods. Thankfully the credit card company was on the ball and shut the card down before any damage was done. Then when we were at the hotel for the Bayou n Boogie Festival, we were charged for all the rooms for all the bands. Thankfully that was sorted out too. What a drama!!!. To top it all off when we arrived home in Michigan, a young guy backed his car into my van. I was in the store at the time and never saw the accident. The lady who owned the car sort me out and told me what had happened. That just goes to show you that there are honest people in this world for which I am very thankful.
We have bunch of festivals and concert series coming up this summer in the US. We will be performing in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Ohio and New York. We would love to see you all out on the road.
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind May Blog
Hey Everyone,
We are just about to head out on tour for the whole month of May. We will be heading to Kansas, Iowa, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Connecticut and Maine. Festival season is in full swing and we have close to 25 festivals booked so far. The new CD "Live at the Blues Museum" was released on April 16 which coincided with my wedding anniversary with my lovely wife Bobbi. We had some amazing CD release parties at The Key Palace Theatre in Redkey, Indiana and The Gem Theater in St Louis, Michigan. We had a short road trip to West Virginia for the Empty Glass, a very cool club in Charleston and Roanoke, Virginia's Blue 5. The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in North Carolina was just amazing. After a short fierce blast of rain in the afternoon, the blue sky broke through and the rest of the day and evening was stunning. We had a large wild crowd at the Grove Stage. Unfortunately our Sunday show on the Main Stage was a pretty soggy affair. It just rained and rained. The rain was even leaking through the roof of the stage. But the show must go on and of course it did. It was very inspiring to see so many people standing in the rain. Some with umbrellas, some bare foot in the mud, while others were wrapped in cold wet blankets. These were the die hard music fans and they were going no where!!!
We have four CD release parties coming up at Uncle Bo's, Topeka, KS (May 5), the Dinosaur BBQs in Rochester/ Syracuse New York (May 16/17) and the Ann Arbor, Michigan release party at Guy Hollerins (May 19). We will finish the month with a cool festival "Bayou n Boogie Festival" in Sterling, Connecticut and our favorite pub- Time Out Pub in Rockland, Maine. For those of you who would like to download the new live CD please go to www.cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind or go to www.harper.biz for both downloads and physical CDs. We had some great reviews of the new Disc which is very exciting! Hope to see you out on the road this spring and summer,
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
We are just about to head out on tour for the whole month of May. We will be heading to Kansas, Iowa, Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Connecticut and Maine. Festival season is in full swing and we have close to 25 festivals booked so far. The new CD "Live at the Blues Museum" was released on April 16 which coincided with my wedding anniversary with my lovely wife Bobbi. We had some amazing CD release parties at The Key Palace Theatre in Redkey, Indiana and The Gem Theater in St Louis, Michigan. We had a short road trip to West Virginia for the Empty Glass, a very cool club in Charleston and Roanoke, Virginia's Blue 5. The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in North Carolina was just amazing. After a short fierce blast of rain in the afternoon, the blue sky broke through and the rest of the day and evening was stunning. We had a large wild crowd at the Grove Stage. Unfortunately our Sunday show on the Main Stage was a pretty soggy affair. It just rained and rained. The rain was even leaking through the roof of the stage. But the show must go on and of course it did. It was very inspiring to see so many people standing in the rain. Some with umbrellas, some bare foot in the mud, while others were wrapped in cold wet blankets. These were the die hard music fans and they were going no where!!!
We have four CD release parties coming up at Uncle Bo's, Topeka, KS (May 5), the Dinosaur BBQs in Rochester/ Syracuse New York (May 16/17) and the Ann Arbor, Michigan release party at Guy Hollerins (May 19). We will finish the month with a cool festival "Bayou n Boogie Festival" in Sterling, Connecticut and our favorite pub- Time Out Pub in Rockland, Maine. For those of you who would like to download the new live CD please go to www.cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind or go to www.harper.biz for both downloads and physical CDs. We had some great reviews of the new Disc which is very exciting! Hope to see you out on the road this spring and summer,
Thanks and Peace,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs and E Book
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
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind April Blog
Hey Everyone,
Happy April!! Its Spring for us here in the Northern Hemisphere. April is an exciting month because the new CD "Live at the Blue Museum" will be released on April 16. This CD was recorded on a cold wintery night on December 17, 2011 before a packed house of rabid music fans at Canada's only "Blues Museum", in Place Concorde, Windsor, Canada. "Live at The Blues Museum" features 75 minutes/ 15 live tracks from my last five CDs. Please go to my website www.harper.biz if you would like to grab a copy.
March was a month of blessings combined with considerable stress. I was forced to cancel our three week tour to California, Washington, Utah, and Colorado as I had to have a surgical procedure that just couldn't wait. Im very happy to report that the surgery was a complete success and my band and I will be back on the road this month. My sincerest apologies go out to our fans and the many clubs that had booked us. A huge thank you for the words of encouragement and positive vibes from your all. It made the healing process so much easier!
Early March saw us performing at some of our favorite clubs in Michigan, Rochester Mills Brewing CO, Billys Lounge and Scooters. We had a packed house for the Friends of the Blues show at the Bradley Bourbonnais Sports Club in Illinois. Bobbi got a free lesson on hoola hooping after the show. The Kankakee Friends of the Blues are a cool bunch of people!. BBs in St Louis is always a favorite stop. Two new clubs for us - The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf, IA and The Hub in Cedar Falls. Both fabulous clubs with great crowds. We visited The Washington in Burlington for St Patrick's Day and were treated to some very tasty corned beef and cabbage. Our final stop was the legendary Byron's Bar in Pomeroy, Iowa.
We have an exciting Spring and Summer schedule full of festivals and concert series coming up which will take us all over the USA. Hope to see you out on the road :)
Peace and Thanks,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs & E Book
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.myspace.com/harperband
Happy April!! Its Spring for us here in the Northern Hemisphere. April is an exciting month because the new CD "Live at the Blue Museum" will be released on April 16. This CD was recorded on a cold wintery night on December 17, 2011 before a packed house of rabid music fans at Canada's only "Blues Museum", in Place Concorde, Windsor, Canada. "Live at The Blues Museum" features 75 minutes/ 15 live tracks from my last five CDs. Please go to my website www.harper.biz if you would like to grab a copy.
March was a month of blessings combined with considerable stress. I was forced to cancel our three week tour to California, Washington, Utah, and Colorado as I had to have a surgical procedure that just couldn't wait. Im very happy to report that the surgery was a complete success and my band and I will be back on the road this month. My sincerest apologies go out to our fans and the many clubs that had booked us. A huge thank you for the words of encouragement and positive vibes from your all. It made the healing process so much easier!
Early March saw us performing at some of our favorite clubs in Michigan, Rochester Mills Brewing CO, Billys Lounge and Scooters. We had a packed house for the Friends of the Blues show at the Bradley Bourbonnais Sports Club in Illinois. Bobbi got a free lesson on hoola hooping after the show. The Kankakee Friends of the Blues are a cool bunch of people!. BBs in St Louis is always a favorite stop. Two new clubs for us - The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf, IA and The Hub in Cedar Falls. Both fabulous clubs with great crowds. We visited The Washington in Burlington for St Patrick's Day and were treated to some very tasty corned beef and cabbage. Our final stop was the legendary Byron's Bar in Pomeroy, Iowa.
We have an exciting Spring and Summer schedule full of festivals and concert series coming up which will take us all over the USA. Hope to see you out on the road :)
Peace and Thanks,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs & E Book
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.myspace.com/harperband
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind March Blog
Hey Everyone,
Spring is nearly here and there is no snow in Michigan!!! We have an exciting offer for all the members of our blog and Facebook. We are offering for purchase, 50 signed CDs of the new "Live at the Blues Museum" CD prior to its official release of April 10. Just go to the Harper website: www.harper.biz and click on the merchandise button.
February was a nice and warm month for us. My band "Midwest Kind", Bobbi and I headed south to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. It was great to catch up with some friends at the Green Bar in Tuscaloosa, AL, where there was a devastating tornado in 2011, thankfully the Green Bar was not hit. Then it was on to Humphrey's in Huntsville for indoor show. There was some wild "dance offs" happening that night. Pretty funny to watch!. We had a fabulous Sold Out show at The Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee, Florida. We love this club!- huge bonfire, juke joint atmosphere, a fish fry and some very cool people!!.
Bobbi and I were invited to present our didgeridoo workshop at The Southwestern State Hospital, just over the border in Thomasville, Georgia. We had a nice visit with the staff and patients and everyone was very happy to receive some didgeridoo therapy.
We headed further south to Punta Gorda, Florida to our favorite Irish Pub- The Celtic Ray. We had five shows at the Ray and they were all alot of fun. The new renovation is just about complete and it looks amazing. We performed at the Buckingham Bar Blues Festival. There was a huge turnout, but the weather took a turn for the worse, as dark ominous clouds rolled n. The temperature took a sudden dive and only the most ardent music fans stood their ground. We got to perform to our favorite students and the Buckngham Exceptional Student Center in Fort Myers. All the kids lined up to have some didgeridoo played on them. Its amazing the effect the didge has upon the soul. We performed at Guanabanas- a stunning club in Jupiter, our fav hang, Aces Lounge in Bradenton and the fabulous Backroom Bar in Delray Beach. Then it was north to The Beal Street Bottle Club, where you can bring your own booze. We finished off the tour with Papa Mojo's in North Carolina and Fiery Ron's Hometeam BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina. A very busy but fun tour.
A whole week off then we have three shows in Michigan. In March we will be touring to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Washington, California, Utah and Colorado. Gee Im tired already. Hope to see you out on the road.
Peace and Thanks,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs & E Book
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind
Spring is nearly here and there is no snow in Michigan!!! We have an exciting offer for all the members of our blog and Facebook. We are offering for purchase, 50 signed CDs of the new "Live at the Blues Museum" CD prior to its official release of April 10. Just go to the Harper website: www.harper.biz and click on the merchandise button.
February was a nice and warm month for us. My band "Midwest Kind", Bobbi and I headed south to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. It was great to catch up with some friends at the Green Bar in Tuscaloosa, AL, where there was a devastating tornado in 2011, thankfully the Green Bar was not hit. Then it was on to Humphrey's in Huntsville for indoor show. There was some wild "dance offs" happening that night. Pretty funny to watch!. We had a fabulous Sold Out show at The Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee, Florida. We love this club!- huge bonfire, juke joint atmosphere, a fish fry and some very cool people!!.
Bobbi and I were invited to present our didgeridoo workshop at The Southwestern State Hospital, just over the border in Thomasville, Georgia. We had a nice visit with the staff and patients and everyone was very happy to receive some didgeridoo therapy.
We headed further south to Punta Gorda, Florida to our favorite Irish Pub- The Celtic Ray. We had five shows at the Ray and they were all alot of fun. The new renovation is just about complete and it looks amazing. We performed at the Buckingham Bar Blues Festival. There was a huge turnout, but the weather took a turn for the worse, as dark ominous clouds rolled n. The temperature took a sudden dive and only the most ardent music fans stood their ground. We got to perform to our favorite students and the Buckngham Exceptional Student Center in Fort Myers. All the kids lined up to have some didgeridoo played on them. Its amazing the effect the didge has upon the soul. We performed at Guanabanas- a stunning club in Jupiter, our fav hang, Aces Lounge in Bradenton and the fabulous Backroom Bar in Delray Beach. Then it was north to The Beal Street Bottle Club, where you can bring your own booze. We finished off the tour with Papa Mojo's in North Carolina and Fiery Ron's Hometeam BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina. A very busy but fun tour.
A whole week off then we have three shows in Michigan. In March we will be touring to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Washington, California, Utah and Colorado. Gee Im tired already. Hope to see you out on the road.
Peace and Thanks,
Harper & Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs & E Book
www.myspace.com/harperband
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.facebook.com/pages/Harper-and-Midwest-Kind/163124467948
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind February Blog
Hey Everyone,
February is here and we are heading south to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina where it is nice and warm. I have recently finished mixing and mastering the new CD "Live at The Blues Museum" at my favorite Ann Arbor studio Big Sky Recording with sound engineer- Geoff Michael. Im happy to say we had so many great tracks that it was very difficult to decide which track to use. We narrowed it down to 15 tracks- 75 minutes of music. The CD will be released officially on Tuesday April 10. There will also be a Television presentation due to be aired later in the year. "Live at the Blues Museum" will be my first live CD in ten years- wow time flies. A huge thank you to my band "Midwest Kind"- Chris, Scott and Matt and to Johnny V who recorded the show. Incredible thanks to The Canada South Blues Society for making this show possible.
January was an easy month with a lot of shows in Michigan. We visited the Upper Peninsula - Blackstone's Pizza Company in Iron Mountain and Upfront and Company in Marquette. We had amazing weather with very little snow which is just about unheard of in this part of the world. We had a few scary moments driving back to our beautiful cabin in Cornell provided by the very generous- Steve Pence. There must have been at least 50 deer either crossing the road or about to. One particular deer just stood in the middle of the road with its back to us, totally oblivious to the large Chevy Express waiting for it to move. The GPS decided not to work so we had to work out our route in the dark. Thankfully we arrived at our destination safely.
We took a short trip to Missouri, Kansas and Illinois with shows at Mojo's, BB's, The Trouser Mouse, Uncle Bo's and the amazing Fat Fish Pub. The following week was a huge show at the Kalamazoo State Theatre with Motor City Josh. It was a fantastic double bill with a packed house full of rabid music fans. We had a fun show at Ann Arbor's Guy Hollerins. The last weekend of January saw us performing at the Hamlin Pub where we had some major sound system problems, then The Cabbage Shed in Elbert followed by the amazing Scooters in Flint. The Scooters show turned into a pro jam of sorts. Former drummer Marc Dixon played on a number of tunes, Heather and Donnie Jones, of Jones'n Live, Raphael on bass. Even Paul Wiley Smith got up and sang a few tunes. We had a lot of fun and good vibes were shared by all.
We hope to see you out on the road this Winter and Spring.
Peace and Thanks,
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
February is here and we are heading south to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina where it is nice and warm. I have recently finished mixing and mastering the new CD "Live at The Blues Museum" at my favorite Ann Arbor studio Big Sky Recording with sound engineer- Geoff Michael. Im happy to say we had so many great tracks that it was very difficult to decide which track to use. We narrowed it down to 15 tracks- 75 minutes of music. The CD will be released officially on Tuesday April 10. There will also be a Television presentation due to be aired later in the year. "Live at the Blues Museum" will be my first live CD in ten years- wow time flies. A huge thank you to my band "Midwest Kind"- Chris, Scott and Matt and to Johnny V who recorded the show. Incredible thanks to The Canada South Blues Society for making this show possible.
January was an easy month with a lot of shows in Michigan. We visited the Upper Peninsula - Blackstone's Pizza Company in Iron Mountain and Upfront and Company in Marquette. We had amazing weather with very little snow which is just about unheard of in this part of the world. We had a few scary moments driving back to our beautiful cabin in Cornell provided by the very generous- Steve Pence. There must have been at least 50 deer either crossing the road or about to. One particular deer just stood in the middle of the road with its back to us, totally oblivious to the large Chevy Express waiting for it to move. The GPS decided not to work so we had to work out our route in the dark. Thankfully we arrived at our destination safely.
We took a short trip to Missouri, Kansas and Illinois with shows at Mojo's, BB's, The Trouser Mouse, Uncle Bo's and the amazing Fat Fish Pub. The following week was a huge show at the Kalamazoo State Theatre with Motor City Josh. It was a fantastic double bill with a packed house full of rabid music fans. We had a fun show at Ann Arbor's Guy Hollerins. The last weekend of January saw us performing at the Hamlin Pub where we had some major sound system problems, then The Cabbage Shed in Elbert followed by the amazing Scooters in Flint. The Scooters show turned into a pro jam of sorts. Former drummer Marc Dixon played on a number of tunes, Heather and Donnie Jones, of Jones'n Live, Raphael on bass. Even Paul Wiley Smith got up and sang a few tunes. We had a lot of fun and good vibes were shared by all.
We hope to see you out on the road this Winter and Spring.
Peace and Thanks,
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
Monday, January 2, 2012
Harper and Midwest Kind January 2012 Blog
Hey Everyone,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Its going to be great year this year!! Just found out that my band and I were listed in the "Top Concerts of 2011 for the City of Chicago" by Chicago Concert Goers Ezine. Not too shabby for an Aussie!!!
Our tour to Italy and Belgium was absolutely full on but incredible at the same time. It was my very first tour of Italy and for my band "Midwest Kind"-Chris, Matt and Scott- it was their very first tour to Europe. So we were very excited. We flew out of Chicago to Brussels, Belgium to catch another plane to Milan. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the airline that I had booked the flights to Italy were at another airport in Brussels. Now one would think OK I 'll catch a bus or a train, but with such little time available to us, I had to take us all to the airport in a taxi- VERY expensive. Thankfully we didn't have guitars and amps with us, so we all fitted in nicely. We caught our flight with time to spare. Our first show in Bergamo at Dusco Circus was excellent. With virtually no sleep we performed to a packed house of music lovers, we ate fabulous food and good times were had by all. We met up with our agent Luca and all was well. The hotel we stayed in was an absolute palace. The next day was the town of Torino for Il Magazzino Di Gilgamesh. Another great show in a beautiful town. After the show we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast which was close to the airport. We were all woken up at the crack of dawn by a very loud rooster, who just wouldn't shut up.
We caught a flight to Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy, right on the Mediterranean Sea. It was just stunning and the weather was warm and sunny. You could see Sicily from the club. The Blue Dahlia Gallery Art Cafe was yet another excellent show. Now the funny thing about Italy is that they tell you that you have to perform at 10pm but in reality you perform at midnight because Italians don't go out until late, I mean very late. But they came out in force and we had yet another full house. Club owner Rogero treated us to aged Chianti and he even got up to play some harp with us. The next day our tour manager Enzo took us out to see the sights. He took us to a Tuscan Saracen Castle. It was an amazing day. Southern Italy is a beautiful place to see and the food is just divine!. The final show took place at La Sosta in Villa San Giovanni and again we had a great show!! After about 3 hours sleep we barely made it to our flight back to Belgium. Literally by the skin of our teeth!!! A huge thankyou to Luca and Enzo for a very successful Italian tour. We plan to revisit this year!
Next up was the Pjeire Blues Festival in Vilvoorde, Belgium. I had performed at this festival in 2008 and had an incredible time. It was so nice to meet up with dear friend Eddy Plasquy, festival director. Now Vilvoorde is known for eating horse and the word "Pjeire" is actually a nickname for "horse eater". But before all you horse lovers start yelling, there was no horse on the menu at the festival. The festival actually took place in a former aristocrat's stables. It was very grand indeedy!!! It was a fantastic event and we were all made to feel very welcome. We had an easy flight home and were very thankful to have had the opportunity to see such beautiful countries. Our families and friends were very happy to received their gifts of Belgium chocolate!!!
To end a fabulously busy year was a show at the Rochester Mills Brewing Company in Michigan, then followed by the big show at the Blues Museum in Windsor Canada. The show at the Blues Museum was just incredible. The show had been sold out six weeks in advance. There was an induction into the Hall of Fame. I received my "blue star" from Ted Boomer,from the Canada South Blues Society. The show was filmed by CFTV 34 for a TV presentation to be aired later in the year. We all had way too much fun, those Canadians know how to party!!! We also recorded a live CD, which will be released in March/April of this year.
Thank you all for your continued support through out 2011. May 2012 be the best year yet!!!
Peace and Thanks,
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
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Its going to be great year this year!! Just found out that my band and I were listed in the "Top Concerts of 2011 for the City of Chicago" by Chicago Concert Goers Ezine. Not too shabby for an Aussie!!!
Our tour to Italy and Belgium was absolutely full on but incredible at the same time. It was my very first tour of Italy and for my band "Midwest Kind"-Chris, Matt and Scott- it was their very first tour to Europe. So we were very excited. We flew out of Chicago to Brussels, Belgium to catch another plane to Milan. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the airline that I had booked the flights to Italy were at another airport in Brussels. Now one would think OK I 'll catch a bus or a train, but with such little time available to us, I had to take us all to the airport in a taxi- VERY expensive. Thankfully we didn't have guitars and amps with us, so we all fitted in nicely. We caught our flight with time to spare. Our first show in Bergamo at Dusco Circus was excellent. With virtually no sleep we performed to a packed house of music lovers, we ate fabulous food and good times were had by all. We met up with our agent Luca and all was well. The hotel we stayed in was an absolute palace. The next day was the town of Torino for Il Magazzino Di Gilgamesh. Another great show in a beautiful town. After the show we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast which was close to the airport. We were all woken up at the crack of dawn by a very loud rooster, who just wouldn't shut up.
We caught a flight to Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy, right on the Mediterranean Sea. It was just stunning and the weather was warm and sunny. You could see Sicily from the club. The Blue Dahlia Gallery Art Cafe was yet another excellent show. Now the funny thing about Italy is that they tell you that you have to perform at 10pm but in reality you perform at midnight because Italians don't go out until late, I mean very late. But they came out in force and we had yet another full house. Club owner Rogero treated us to aged Chianti and he even got up to play some harp with us. The next day our tour manager Enzo took us out to see the sights. He took us to a Tuscan Saracen Castle. It was an amazing day. Southern Italy is a beautiful place to see and the food is just divine!. The final show took place at La Sosta in Villa San Giovanni and again we had a great show!! After about 3 hours sleep we barely made it to our flight back to Belgium. Literally by the skin of our teeth!!! A huge thankyou to Luca and Enzo for a very successful Italian tour. We plan to revisit this year!
Next up was the Pjeire Blues Festival in Vilvoorde, Belgium. I had performed at this festival in 2008 and had an incredible time. It was so nice to meet up with dear friend Eddy Plasquy, festival director. Now Vilvoorde is known for eating horse and the word "Pjeire" is actually a nickname for "horse eater". But before all you horse lovers start yelling, there was no horse on the menu at the festival. The festival actually took place in a former aristocrat's stables. It was very grand indeedy!!! It was a fantastic event and we were all made to feel very welcome. We had an easy flight home and were very thankful to have had the opportunity to see such beautiful countries. Our families and friends were very happy to received their gifts of Belgium chocolate!!!
To end a fabulously busy year was a show at the Rochester Mills Brewing Company in Michigan, then followed by the big show at the Blues Museum in Windsor Canada. The show at the Blues Museum was just incredible. The show had been sold out six weeks in advance. There was an induction into the Hall of Fame. I received my "blue star" from Ted Boomer,from the Canada South Blues Society. The show was filmed by CFTV 34 for a TV presentation to be aired later in the year. We all had way too much fun, those Canadians know how to party!!! We also recorded a live CD, which will be released in March/April of this year.
Thank you all for your continued support through out 2011. May 2012 be the best year yet!!!
Peace and Thanks,
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
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