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)

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)

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)

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)

Harper & Rootstand Huge NYE Show

Hey Everyone,

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

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

See you out on the road,


Harper & Midwest Kind

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

Harper December Blog

Hey Everyone,

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

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

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

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

See you out on the road,

Peace,

Harper & Midwest Kind

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

Harper November Blog

Hey Everyone,

We are having some incredible weather here in Michigan, USA this Autumn. Just lovin' the sunshine!!! We began the month with a benefit for Robin Rogers at Callahan's in Michigan. Robin is on the same record label as me- Blind Pig Records. She has inoperable cancer so many musicians around the country have been putting together benefits to help pay for her medical costs. My band and I were only to happy to help out. Laurie Wright put this event together and we thank her for her incredible effort.

The rest of the month saw us touring to Tennessee, West Virgina, some home shows in Michigan, then on to Pennsylvania and Canada. We had a very sunny afternoon show at The Chattanooga State College then it was on to Brackins Bar in Maryville, Tennessee. We then headed to The Empty Glass in Charleston, West Virgina to perform to a packed house. We were very happy to be apart of the West Michigan Blues Society twentieth year bash at Billy's Lounge. The Rusty Wright band also performed which was a treat for us to see. October also saw the closure of Blues On Grand in Des Moines, Iowa- we thank Jeff Wagner for supporting us over the years and we wish him and his staff all the very best. We will really miss this great music venue.

We were very happy to visit our favorite club in Sharon, Pennsylvania - Tullys then we headed to the Canal Bank Shuffle in Thorold Canada. We had some fun and games crossing the border. The Canadian border guard kept asking me over and over whether or not I had any guns. Of course I didn't have- but it was funny to be asked the same question over and over again. As we waited in the Border lounge for our passports to be verified, we saw a young guy being handcuffed and being led away to a private room in the back. Not Good! Thankfully we were Kosher! The Canal Bank Shuffle was a superb event- huge crowd, big stage and fantastic sound. We finished the month with a show at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was a Pazman Super session featuring some of Michigan's finest musicians. It was a great event with some almighty jams. News just to hand - Mark Pazman has just received a "Keeping Blues Alive" award for his Sunday blues radio show on WCFX. Congratulations to Paz. Please note that we have decided to move our December tour to the West Coast to April, 2011. So never fear we will get to you, its just going to be a little longer than expected. Hope to see you all out on the road this November.

Peace,

Harper & Midwest Kind

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

Harper October Blog

Hey Everyone,

Autumn is upon us already here in Michigan and Im starting to feel the chill in the air. We managed to escape the fury of Hurricane Earl over Labor Day Weekend. The national news services had us all terrified but thankfully Earl turned out to be more of a storm than a hurricane. After our shows at the Dinosaur BBQs in upstate New York, we drove to Albany just to be careful. At that point we weren't sure if our show at Harry's Bar in Hyannis, Massachusetts would be happening. Hyannis was directly in Earl's angry path. The show went ahead & it was bitter sweet, because Harry's was due to be closed after Labor Day. Despite the weather, we had a packed house and perhaps the wildest after party at a club I have ever experienced. I guess Harry's owners Laddy & Fred decided to let their hair down after more than twenty years in the business. Its such a pity that the owners of the building got greedy and doubled Harry's Bar's rent, making it impossible to continue operations. But that's corporations for you. Very little ethics, always after the dollars no matter what the cost to people's lives!! Our shows at Inn on the Blues & The Time Out Pub were also alot of fun. We are sorry to hear of our amazing timeout friend Kathy whose partner passed away suddenly. We are sending all our love to you Kathy.

So then it was back to Michigan for Dally In the Alley in down town Detroit. At first we were a little disappointed that we had an early afternoon slot. But it turned out to be the best slot of the festival because after our set- it just poured with rain for the rest of the day. We visited a new club for us- Treasure Lake Ski Lodge in Du Bois in Pennsylvania which was fun. The next day was Camp Jam in the Pines in New Jersey which was just fabulous. Camp Jam is located at The Old Cedar Camp Ground in Monroeville, a stunning location with a bunch of very cool people. We met up with other road musicians- the Skyla Burrell Band who played a great set. Then it was back to Michigan for the Rootenanny at the Rocky Top Farm in Ellsworth. We got to hang with the Rootstand guys who are the nicest people that you could ever meet. We will be doing a double bill with Rootstand at The Loading Dock in Traverse City for New Year's Eve. It should be a great show.

We finished the month with a show in Chicago at Martyrs for the Chicago World Music Festival. My band & I opened up for an Indian Sitar group which was a very unique experience. I also received some great news. I will be writing the music for a documentary about the life of Marilyn Chambers. Some other exciting news is that drummer Marc Dixon became a proud new home owner. Hope to see you out on the road this Autumn.

Peace,

Harper & Midwest Kind

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

Harper September Blog

Hey Everyone,

Wow the summer has really flown and Labor Day Weekend here in the USA is upon us. We head to the East Coast this Labor Day weekend with shows at Harry's, Hyannis, Mass, Inn on The Blues, York Beach, Maine & The Time out Pub in Rockland, Maine. Hurricane Earl is not going to effect our shows. August saw more festival madness. After our incredible weekend at the Maximum Blues Festival in Quebec, Canada we headed to Grand Rapids, Michigan to do a free show for the kids at the Williams Syndrome Camp. Now that was a saga- do you think we could find the Indian Trails Camping Grounds?. We drove up and down, Bobbi got out of the van to ask for directions three different times. It seems our GPS couldn't get her act together, so we had to rely on old fashioned local knowledge. We arrived about one hour late which was a first for us, but it didn't seem to matter, because everyone was so happy to see us. I have to say that this part of my musical career is the most fulfilling. These kids just give you so much love. I invited one of the kids up on stage to sing a 12 bar blues. The teachers told me he had a great voice. Well that kid sang like an old Chicago blues dude- it was amazing.

The next day we headed to The Cow Pie Festival in Alaska, Michigan. The weather was stifling hot, but no one seemed to care at the Cow Pie, and you really did need to watch where you stepped. The Festival was held on a working Angus Cattle Farm- so the cow pies were a plenty!!! There was no time to stick around as we had to drive to Madison, Wisconsin that night. It was a bummer because our good friends Biscuit Miller and Larry McCray were there and we all wanted to hang out. We made it to Duluth Minnesota the next day for the brilliant Bayfront Blues Festival where we performed just before Rod Piazza and Dr John. Bobbi & I hang out with Dr John before his set and we had a very in depth conversation about New Orleans and the BP Oil disaster. It was very inspiring because a week later we saw Dr John on the HBO Katrina Documentary by Spike Lee "If God is willing and the da creek don't rise" We had a fantastic set at Bayfront and was the highest CD seller of the day. We performed at a very cool bar called the Smiling Moose in Wisconsin on the way home to Michigan.

The next week we performed at the Cross Roads Music Festival in Ypsilanti, Michigan, we had a great set but the festival was closed down because a bunch of kids were fighting at another festival close by. We drove to Chicago that night & the next day we arrived at the hotel in Wausau, Wisconsin for the Big Bull Falls Festival. As we were rolling into the car park of Country Inn & Suites, the crank shaft pulley fell off our van. Yes it fell off!! After the accident in May, the transmission in late June and then having to wait for nearly 4 weeks for the body work to be repaired, Sylvia the Silver Bullet (Dodge Sprinter) was out of action yet again. Well I have to say on the positive side, we did land in Dodge Sprinter heaven- there was a dealership just 2 miles up the road and the kind folks at the festival came and picked us up & took us to the festival. The coordination was amazing- really no stress at all. We had a great set at the festival and we were the highest CD seller that day. We experienced the amazing music of Ruthie Foster and the Tommy Castro Band, the weather was picture perfect and the location was just stunning. Having a break down on a weekend, meant that we had to wait till Monday for any work to be done. So after the wrong part arrived on Tuesday, the van wasn't ready to go till Wednesday afternoon. I think everyone was going insane because we were only supposed to be away from home for one day which turned in four and a half days. But thankfully we are back on the road. I really have to thank the folks at The Country Inn & Suites in Schofield who really helped us out with a great deal on accommodation and a very late check out.

We are now driving home from a great weekend at The Paola Roots Festival in Kansas where we hung out with Hamilton Loomis and his band and Anthony Gomes who rolled in late Friday night from Chicago. We all stood about in the lobby of the hotel swapping road stories for hours-it was great to catch up with these guys. On a sad note we performed our last show at Blues On Grand in Des Moines, Iowa, unfortunately this club will be closing down in October. We will miss Jeff Wagner and his crew at this amazing blues mecca. We are all praying for a miracle to keep this club open. On another sad note, Harry's in Hyannis, MA will be closing after this weekend. Another great club gone, such a pity! Hope to see you out on the road this summer and fall.

Peace,

Harper & Midwest Kind

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