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
Monday, October 29, 2012
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
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