Harper and Midwest Kind June Blog 2018

Happy Summer Everyone,

Just back from Germany, Kentucky and South Carolina.   Our visit to the Grolsch Blues Festival in Shoppingen, Germany was outstanding in every possible way.  The crowd, hospitality, sound and atmosphere was incredible. We had the 9pm slot and it was fabulous.  Great artists like Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lucky Peterson and agency pals - Jeremiah Johnson Band were also there.   And an amazing thing happened!.  My old german writing partner - Joachim Griebe emailed me three weeks prior to our trip to Germany.  After a falling out, 16 years ago, he emailed, out of the blue.  I was so happy to hear from him and he was amazed we were going to be performing in Germany just 2 hours from his house.   We met up at the hotel and it was like meeting my twin brother again.  We laughed so hard, people were looking at us strangely.  To top it off, Joachim wanted to write with me again and was able to get our original recording deal back with a major European Label.  So "Harper and Griebe" will be releasing a CD very soon.  

Once back in the US we performed at the Blues Between the Bridges in Lexington, Kentucky.  It was a very hot but great day of BBQ and blues and roots music.  We had an absolute blast.  Then we had three shows at Old Daufuskie Crab Company on Daufuskie Island in South Carolina.  It was a really unique gig because we had to leave our van on the main land at Hilton Head and travel by boat with our gear to the island.  We were given two golf carts to get around in - got horribly lost on our way to our accommodation one night and rained out on one show.  But all in all it was a fun weekend and great soft shell crab to boot.  But a word to the wise, keep away from the "scrap iron hooch" .

This June/ July/ August we have a bunch of cool festivals/ concert series and club dates.  We will be performing in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Wisconsin, Iowa, Sioux Falls, Minnesota, Nevada and California.   Please come out and say hi.

See you all out on the road this summer!!!

Thanks and Peace,

Peter D. Harper,

Harper and Midwest Kind

#harperandmidwestkindspringtour

HarperWebsite                                                                                                                         Didgeridoo/HarmonicaWorkshops                                                                                         HarperandMidwestKindYoutube                                                                                                          HarperandMidwestKindFacebook                                                                                                                                                       HarperMusicPage                                                                                                                                                                              HarperandMidwestKindReverbnation
https://www.instagram.com/harperandmidwestkind
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Harper and Midwest Kind April Blog 2018

Hey Everyone,

April has arrived and that means the band will head out for yet another big tour which will take us to Missouri, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Michigan, Germany and Kentucky.  Super excited about heading back to Germany for the Grolsch Blues Festival in Schöppingen.  We are one of the headliners with other great artists such as Ronnie Baker Brooks and Lucky Peterson.  We are also really happy to be returning to Texas. Its been quite a few years and playing Antones in Austin and Big Beat Dallas will be quite a treat.

March was an easy month in terms of several local shows in Michigan.  We played at an amazing venue called Founders in Grand Rapids to a crowd of 500.  Great hospitality and incredible sound! We had our own personal server called Adam and he couldn't do enough for us.  And he refused to be tipped for his service!!!!.  We also had an intimate concert at The Gateway in Clarkston put together by music promoter/ supporter: Craig Carrick.  A beautiful Flower shop/ nursery and concert venue.  Very unique and such an enjoyable. soul satisfying evening was had by all.  We had a huge turn out for our Fundraiser for the Friends of Grass Lake Township at the Dale Fisher Gallery/ Eagle Farm.  The show was completely sold out and we raised $6400 + and residents donated over 300 pounds of food to the local food pantry.  The last week of March we headed to Martins in Roanoke, Virginia and got to hang out with some old friends. Then on to two new venues - Jonathan's Landing in Delaware - where we had a nice full crowd and then the legendary Madam's Organ in Washington DC.  Madam Os definitely lived up to her reputation!!!  We finished the month of March with a fun show at Sweet Nolas Southern Food lounge in Winchester, Virginia.  

We hope to see you out on the road this spring and summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Peter D. Harper,
Harper and Midwest Kind
#harperandmidwestkindspringtour
HarperWebsite                                                                                                                         Didgeridoo/HarmonicaWorkshops                                                                                         HarperandMidwestKindYoutube                                                                                                          HarperandMidwestKindFacebook                                                                                                                                                      HarperMusicPage                                                                                                                                                                             HarperandMidwestKindReverbnation

Harper and Midwest Kind Oct Blog 2017

Hey Everyone,

Happy Fall! Glad to report that I am feeling a lot better after getting a mega flu last week causing me to lose my voice and forcing me to cancel our shows to Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina.  We will reschedule these shows.  Very sorry we couldn't make it.  Thank you all so much for all the well wishes and positive vibes!

These last few weeks in between coughing, I have started working on a new CD which I hope to release sometime in 2018.  Its always hard to get the creative juices flowing with so much touring and being away from home. Its quite daunting to try to do better than "Show Your Love'. But Ive made a start, which is a good thing.  I am happy to announce that we will be touring Europe in May, 2018 having been booked at the prestigious Grolsch Blues Festival in Germany. Many more dates to follow.

We have some of our favorite shows coming up - Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester and Syracuse in New York,  the Lizzie Rose Music Room in New Jersey and Timeout Pub in Maine for an incredible Halloween Party.  Some newbies such as Sweet Nolas in Virginia and the Candlelight Theatre in Delaware, which will be fun to be acquainted with.

We hope to see you out on the road this Fall in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Virgina, Delaware, Maine, Georgia and Florida with more to follow in the Winter !!! 

Thanks and Peace,

Peter D. Harper,
Harper and Midwest Kind
#harperandmidwestkindfalltour
HarperWebsite                                                                                                                         Didgeridoo/HarmonicaWorkshops                                                                                         HarperandMidwestKindYoutube                                                                                                          HarperandMidwestKindFacebook                                                                                                                                                      HarperMusicPage                                                                                                                                                                             HarperandMidwestKindReverbnation

Harper and Midwest Kind August Blog

 Hey Everyone,

Sending positive vibes to our brothers and sisters in Texas who are facing devastating floods - the worst in 500 years,  caused by Hurricane Harvey.  So good to see neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger!

Summer has rolled by way too fast!!  We've had an amazing festival season with some great shows at the Manistee National Forest Festival, Michigan, The Greenwood Blues Cruise in South Carolina and The Merchant Street Festival in Illinois in July.  It was great to catch up with old friends at The Rogue River Concert Series in Michigan. The Cosmic Awakening Show in Detroit with good friend Michelle Wailing was very interesting and unique for me.  In August, we had a crazy drive from the London Jazz & Rib festival in Ohio to Delaware for the Riverfront Festival with only 5 hours sleep but we made it to the gig in time and the show was very well received.  So nice to catch up with amazing guitarist Laura Chavez who used to perform with the fabulous Candye Kane. We had some stunning weather for our shows in South Dakota - Music at the Meridian and Sounds of Sprit Lake in Minnesota.  Such beautiful places to perform. The Flatted Fifth and the Legendary Byrons in Iowa were a lot of fun with some great crowds and smiling faces which always makes us feel good.    Our private event at Blues at the Burgundy, New York was way too much fun - the folks, the food and vibes were all good and we even had a fabulous Hula dancer - Jacquelyn spinning her hoop to our tunes.  We will be returning to the Dinosaur BBQs - Oct 25- Rochester and Oct 26 - Syracuse, New York in the Fall!  So please spread the word!   In September, we have the Sioux Falls Block Party, Peoria Heritage Blues Festival. IL, Pops Place, IL, Wine and Harvest Fest, MI, Niagara Falls Blues Festival and Camp Jam in the Pines, NJ.  We have a very special House Concert - Fri Sept 29th - CaD 'Zan House Concerts - Cambridge, Illinois - RSVP: john.r.taylor@gmail.com Limited to 30 seats if indoors!  So Please contact John for your ticket. This will be an intimate house concert - one of the best ways to enjoy music!

Some of you may notice a new face in the band - Dee Washington on Drums.  We wish Mario the very best for his move to Toronto Canada. Thank you for your support and we hope to see you out on the road this Summer and Fall in  South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Virgina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia and Florida with more to follow in the Winter !!!

Peter D. Harper,
Harper and Midwest Kind
HarperWebsite                                                                                                                         Didgeridoo/HarmonicaWorkshops                                                                                         HarperandMidwestKindYoutube                                                                                                          HarperandMidwestKindFacebook                                                                                                                                                      HarperMusicPage                                                                                                                                                                             HarperandMidwestKindReverbnation

Harper and Midwest Kind February Blog, 2017

Happy February Everyone,

Very excited to announce that our Australian and China Tour is set.  Through the generous contributions of our fans through our Go Fund Me Campaign, https://www.gofundme.com/2t98u6r8 - the plane tickets have been purchased and we are close to obtaining our goal of raising $5000, with only $1432 to go!!!!!!!!.   We have 12 shows in Australia and 10 - possibly 11 shows in China.  Thank you everyone, we are so pumped to have the opportunity to do this ground breaking tour!

We have a huge show coming up on Sunday February 12, produced by the amazing Detroit Blues Society - Cabin Fever Reliever  at the Shrine Circus Park, Clio, Michigan.  We have a Mega band lineup: Kevin Nichols & Blue Tuesday, Asamu Johnson and the Ambassadors of the Blues, The Good, The Bad & The Blues, Martila Sanders & Gee Q, Plus guests: Howard Glazer, Billy Davis, Harmonica Shaw, Eric Goebel, Denise Davis & The Motor City Sensations plus many more. The event is a Fundraiser for China but also a showcase for all these amazing bands. Only $10 for the whole day (2pm -7pm)

January was surprisingly relatively warm for Michigan and the Midwest.  We had some great shows at Tip Top Deluxe and O Maras Irish Pub in Michigan and the wonderful Jillys in Ohio.  We had a great run through Iowa and Illinois.  A fun show at the House of Blues, Chicago plus a cool house concert at the Light House Inn in Storm Lake, Iowa.  The Cherokee Jazz & Blue Fest at Loft 101 was amazing and Byrons in Pomeroy was packed to the rafters as per usual.  We finished the month at Mash Bar in Ann Arbor, a great show and a full house of fun people.   Our weekend in Canada for this weekend has been rescheduled due to the sudden closure of Hughs Room in Toronto, we have moved the Kitchener Boat House to Sat May 20th and hope to organize another show at the newly reopened Hughs Room in the near future.  Hope to see you out on the road.

Thanks and Peace,

Peter D. Harper,
Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
CD Baby                                     
Harper Workshops                                                                     
Harper and Midwest Kind Youtube                                                                   HarperFacebook                                                                                                                                                     www.musicpage.com/harper                                                                                                                                                                              www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind December Blog 2016

Happy Holidays Everyone,

Well its nice and cold here in Michigan and we were fortunate enough to have a white Christmas.

November saw the band and I head down to Florida for a warm week of shows.  We had some great crowds at Englewoods on Dearborn and the Little Bar in Goodland.  We had the Grand Opening of Mermaid Blues on Marco Island which was a sell out.  Another new venue for us was the Rhythm House in Fort Myers and we finished the tour at the amazing Terra Fermata - a stunning out door venue in Stuart, Florida.  December saw us hold our first China Tour Fundraiser at The Green Door in Lansing, Michigan. Twyla Birdsong and her band put on a great show for us and Twyla even got up and sang a few tunes with my band.  She has a great voice and her band consists of some of Lansing's finest musicians. It was such a pleasure and honor to have them play.  The snow pelted down but we were all warm and snug inside the Green Door.  We continue to Fund raise for our upcoming China Tour through https://www.gofundme.com/2t98u6r8  We have lots of goodies on offer in return for your support.

We had a very cool show at TCs Garage in Napoleon, Michigan.  Good to see TC putting on shows again.  We had a nice turn out at this intimate music room.  We also had an acoustic concert at one of my favorite rooms - Trinity House Theatre in Livonia, Michigan. We finished the year at Bemo's Bar in Bay City.  Another great sounding room with a really cool crowd.  We had a kinda of a bizarre and dramatic end to the night. On the very last song, a man head planted the floor right in front of the stage.  It looked like he had died on the spot. The whole room seemed to collectively gasp in shock! We were very relieved to see his lips moving while he lay on the floor.  He had only feinted after all.

2016 was a busy year, lots of tours, festivals and the release of the "Show Your Love" CD which got to # 3 on Billboard and stayed in the Top Ten for six months. It also hit # 1 in Europe and # 3 in Australia. Such a wonderful result for this new CD, I am so very thankful. 2016 was also a rough year, so much war, mass shootings, devastation and the loss of so many wonderful musicians.  Icons such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Prince, Leon Russell are no longer with us.  The world seems a little sadder!  The cool thing is that their music lives on. They stay with us through their songs.  With a new year brings a new beginning and a new hope for a better world.  For Harper and Midwest Kind we will be embarking on a tour of Australia and China in March which is very exciting!!!

Thank you so much for supporting my band and my music and sharing our journey. Happy Holidays, may 2017 be a year of peace, prosperity and joy for us all.  See you out on the road!!!

Thanks and Peace,

Peter D. Harper,
Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
http://cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind2
www.youtube.com/harperband                                                                                                         www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind                                                                                                                                                        www.musicpage.com/harper                                                                                                                                                                              www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind October Blog 2017

Hey Everyone,

Happy Fall!!!!.  We have some amazing news.  Harper and Midwest Kind have been invited to tour China for two weeks in March, 2017.  This such an amazing opportunity for my band to play our music to such a unique culture, were are all very excited.  We have put together a  Harper and Midwest Kind China Tour Go Fund Me Campaign to raise funds to cover touring costs such as flights/ train tickets/ Chinese tour manager/ accommodation and equipment hire.   In return for your amazing support, we have loads of cool stuff on offer: the new "Show Your Love" CD, the limited edition "No Wukkin Furries" China Tour Tee Shirt/ Ladies Tank, workshops and concerts.  We certainly intend to give back to our supporters.  Please spread the word, every little bit helps!!

https://www.gofundme.com/2t98u6r8  Please click on the link & also check out our youtube video about the project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6Sv2T_ZCE

In September we headlined the Art Eats Beats Festival in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA which was pretty cool.  We played a new and very cool venue called BeMo's Bar in Bay City and finished the weekend at The Wine & Harvest Festival in Paw Paw.  Then we headed to Vegetable Buddies in Indiana, our favorite Pop's Place in Illinois, the amazing Alamo in Springfield and then The Rathskeller in Indianapolis.  Our good friends Justin Brown and Mark Menefee got up and jammed at The Rathskeller.  Then the next stop was Hattiesburg, Mississippi for the Thirsty Hippo.   We had an amazing set at Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival in Louisianna.  It was unbelievably HOT, but so was the music. It was crazy to realize that the festival grounds had been under 5 feet of water only six weeks before.  So many amazing bands at this festival, the standard of musicianship was outstanding. We also got to hang out with Trent Ayers and Cedric Burnside .  The Capitol Oyster Bar was up next in Montgomery, Alabama. And you know we ate a ton of oysters!!!   We finished the month with a three day visit to The Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach, Florida.  Bass player James got to see his whole family. Our old guitar buddy Tyler Mac stopped by and got up and jammed.  It was a very cool visit.  Then it was The Celic Ray in Punta Gorda, hanging with Mackie and Ann Marie! Then over to the east side of the state to visit Katie, Everett, Scott and Dawn at the "Camp Ground" in Jupiter, Florida.  Cool shows at Guanabanas and Terra Fermata.  Good times were had by all!!!!

We have an amazing Fall/ Winter Tour.   Hope to see you out on the road this Fall and Winter!!



Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
 http://cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind2   CD Baby      
www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind September Blog 2016

Happy Fall Everyone,

This long and hot summer has flown by, as it always does.  The hottest summer on record for Michigan and we really felt it!!!  Happy to say that the new CD "Show Your Love" continues to break all previous records hitting # 3 with 23 weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard.  Woohooo! 

We started off the month of August with an amazing weekend in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada for the Kitchener Blues Festival.  The main stage show was off the hook with giant jumbo trons at the back of the stage, a big raucous crowd and a great sound.  Backstage hospitality was excellent as were the Festival staff.  We felt very welcome and soaked in the great blues and roots music coming off the multiple down town stages.  On the Saturday I did a harmonica presentation/ concert at the Boat House in Kitchener, which was packed to the rafters then followed by at late night club show at the Lancaster Smoke House. We plan to have a return visit to the Boat House on Friday February 3, 2017, which is good news!.  

Then it was back to the US for a bunch of concerts in Sioux Falls and Iowa.  The show at Mckennan Park Band Shell, Sioux Falls was nice, then it was a return visit to the Strawbale Winery.  Unfortunately we had some huge problems with the sound system with one of the speakers blowing out, a couple of songs into the set.  We soldiered through and thankfully the crowd was very forgiving.  Our show at the Court House was rained out, but we ended up playing inside in the actual court room, which was very cool.  The Storm Lake, Wood, Wine and Blues Festival was kinda of different, but a lot of fun,  we played music while the woodmen chainsawed their wooden masterpieces.   We ended our tour at the Legendary Byrons in Pomeroy, Iowa.

We have an amazing Fall/ Winter Tour coming up plus a 3 week tour to Australia in March with a possible 2 week tour to China there after!  If any of you want the band to play at a festival in your home town please let the festival folks know and we will do our best to make it happen.   Hope to see you out on the road this Fall!!

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
 http://cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind2   CD Baby      
www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind June Blog 2016

Howdy everyone,

Sending positive healing vibes and prayers to our brothers and sisters in Orlando, Florida.   

We have just come back from an amazing weekend in Orangeville, Ontario Canada where we were fortunate enough to headline the Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival.  What an amazing event, located down town with multiple stages, workshops, food vendors , arts/crafts and a car show.  The weather was stunning, the vibes were friendly and the crowd numbers were full to the max.  This was guitarist Mike Howe's first show with us, returning after a 14 month hiatus. 

The new CD "Show Your Love" hit # 5 on Billboard Blues Charts for the second week and top ten for the past 10 weeks.   Also # 10 on The Roots Music Report and # 1 Hot Hit Tracks 100, in the Netherlands woohoo!  And to top it off, # 3 on The Australian Blues Charts, so cool to be appreciated by the folks from home!   In May we headed down south for some very nice shows. The first show was The Natchez Festival of Music, held at the Performing Arts Center.  This theatre was featured in the James Brown Film.  A beautiful building for sure.  After the show,  the sponsors for the event kindly held a reception for us in their home which was a renovated Train Station.  The next show was Martins in Jackson, Mississippi,  this was a bit of a quite one, but a really nice room  and cool folks.  Then we headed North to BBs Jazz Blues and Soups, St Louis.  Yes we are back at BBs!!!   Some of you may remember we had to cancel last time through.  Word is that the old management is back in place and all is well.  We had an amazing show at Blues at The Bohm in Albion Michigan.  This is a cool theatre gig where we got to play a set and then the blues jammers got up to jam for a few sets then we finished off the night.  We had a great turnout - 217 peeps for a Monday night aint too shabby.   The Bohm theatre is a stunning music venue, check it out if you are ever in Albion, Michigan

We have a busy summer schedule coming up, loads of festivals, concert series, some club dates and workshops.  Please check out the tour guide below.  Hope to see you out on the road this summer!!
Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
 http://cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind2   CD Baby      
www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind March 2016 Blog

Hey Everyone,

Happy Easter! Just back from a tour down South and getting ready to head out again this week.Very happy to say that the new CD "Show Your Love" is now available for pre release on the newly revamped Harper and Midwest Kind website: www.harper.biz Downloads are also available on CD baby, iTunes, Rhapsody and more: http://cdbaby.com/cd/harperandmidwestkind2

So happy with this CD. It was created by the love of our fans. I feel it is the best music Ive ever written.I hope you all enjoy the new tunes. Official Release date is March 31st!

 February saw us in the snows of winter. After our amazing sold out show at Violets in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, we headed back to Michigan. About 30 minutes from the US Border, we made a stop at a Gas Station, then we headed to the Tunnel at Windsor. I had to change some Canadian Cash into US Dollars at the Currency Exchange. When I got back in the van, we all noticed that our drummer Mario Copeland was no where to be seen. Then the horrible realization hit us- we had left Mario behind at that gas station! I then had to talk the Canadian Border guard into letting me turn the van around so we could back track to that gas station from earlier that day. Mario didn't have a phone on him and we had his passport, so there was no way to contact him. Incredibly we found the Gas Station and we were so happy to see Mario's smiling face as we rolled into the car park. Funnily enough this is the second time this has happened to us, but we will make sure it doesn't happen again!

As we headed south to Georgia, North Carolina and Florida, a huge snow storm hit Michigan, we were happy to leave when we did. We had three weeks of amazing weather and great shows at the Blue Note Grill, NC, Darwins in GA, the Legendary BBC in Tallahassee, FL, The Green Parrot in Key West, Guanabanas in Jupiter, our fav Irish Pub - The Celtic Ray, Punta Gorda, The Little Bar in Goodland, Key Largo's Bayside Grille and Terra Fermata in Stuart. On some off days we hung with some friends in Jupiter - Katie and Everett and Dawn and Scott. We had bon fires every night and I even cooked a massive salmon pie for us all! Our friends Ann Marie and Mackie gave us a delicious feast before the Celtic Ray show!! We had some mighty fine dining in Florida for sure! . We all managed to put on a few extra pounds. It was a big haul North to Michigan, but when we arrived we were greeted by Spring! Hope to see you at our CD release Parties and upcoming tours!

Thanks and Peace, Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs/ Shirts/ downloads
 http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html   Australian Didge-ucation/ harmonica workshops

www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)

www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind

www.musicpage.com/harper

www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind December Blog

Howdy Everyone,

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving.   After our amazing Australian Tour,  it was straight out on the road to South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.  We were greeted by warm weather - up in the 80s and many friendly faces.   Home team BBQ on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina was fun.  You may remember this time last year, we had two guitars stolen from our van, but thankfully we were able to catch the thief with the help of the Charleston Police.  Thankfully, no problems this time through.  Darwins in Georgia was also a good time.  Then we hit florida with a vengeance with some amazing shows at Englewoods on Dearborn, The Cultural Center of Charlotte , Terra Fermata and Guanabanas.  We stayed most of the week with our good friends - Katie and Everett and Dawn and Scott in beautiful Jupiter.  These kind folk really took care of us!

The big news is that the HARPER AND MIDWEST KIND NEW CD GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN has reached the new total of $6520 raised with only $480 to reach our target of $7000
  Woohoooo !!!!!! gofund.me/peterdharper 

If this link above doesn't work please cut and paste this link and put it in your browser.   https://www.gofundme.com/peterdharper   A huge thank you to those who have contributed and shared.  We are able to create this new CD because of you!!

For those who would like to pre order the new CD/ shirt or other stuff we will be keeping the website open for another week finishing on Christmas Eve.  We have been recording the new CD at Big Sky Recording Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I hope to have the CD ready for release sometime in February, 2016.   There will be 11 new tracks and I plan to call the new CD  "Show Your Love" .  Let's face it,  we need more love in this world with all the tragedy we see and hear about.  So hopefully my music will put that positive energy out there into the universe!

Hope to see you all out on the road this Winter.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays, Peace, Love, Unity and Happiness  to all!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Hey everyone,

Happy Fall!!!  A few more shows to go before we head to Australia for three weeks!  As you all know I had to cancel the tour last year because of some fractured ribs caused by another driver driving through a red light. But Im all recovered now and the Aussie clubs and festivals were gracious enough to rebook the tour for 2015.

The big news is that we have launched our GO FUND ME" campaign for "Harper and Midwest Kind's new CD"   gofund.me/peterdharper

If this link doesn't work you can cut and past and put it in your browser. That should do the trick:  https://www.gofundme.com/peterdharper

The main goal is to raise  $10 000 to cover the recording studio, artwork, CD pressing and publicity costs.  So far, in just over one week we have raised $1800 with much more being pledged.  This will be the first studio CD in five years, so its well overdue!  I have written a bunch of new tunes and we've been road testing them since the Summer.  We have the recording studio "Big Sky Recording" in Ann Arbor, Michigan booked for December and  we have even lined up a great publicist.   For those who wish to get involved there are loads of goodies to choose from.  You have several choices: a  pre release signed copy of the new CD and a signed poster or a Tee Shirt or all three.  Maybe a house concert or harp/didgeridoo lesson in your own home as well!  Bobbi and I could also bring "Australian Didge-ucation" to your local school or library.  We certainly intend to give something back for your amazing support. 

Hope to see you all out on the road this Fall!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind September Blog, 2015

Hey Everyone,

September is here and we are just about through the summer and the festival season.  We had a blast out on the road this summer!  We performed in MI, PA, IN, IL, IA, SD, NE, ID, OR, WA, CA, CO, MN, Ontario  and Manitoba, Canada, TN, NC and SC and drove through all the states in between. Lots of driving but stunning views from the road.

We are launching our GO FUND ME" campaign for "Harper and Midwest Kind's new CD"   gofund.me/peterdharper

If this link does't work you can cut and past and put it in your browser. That should do the trick:  https://www.gofundme.com/peterdharper

Our aim is to raise $10 000 to cover the recording studio, artwork, CD pressing and publicity costs.  This will be the first studio CD in five years, so its well overdue.  My band and I have been road testing most of the new songs over the summer and the feedback has been great.  Some of the new tunes feature my new didgeridoo in C with the beautiful Dolphin artwork  (aptly named Heather) . She sounds amazing!  The Official launch date is Saturday September 19th . The GO FUND ME page is up and running!!!!. For those who wish to get involved there are loads of goodies to choose from.  You have several choices: a  pre release signed copy of the new CD and a signed poster or a Tee Shirt or all three.  Maybe a house concert or harp/didgeridoo lesson in your own home as well!  Bobbi and I could also bring "Australian Didge-ucation" to your local school or library.  We certainly intend to give something back for your amazing support. 

Our July trip to Colorado was a lot of fun.  Bobbi and I presented "Australian Didge-ucation" at Five different libraries.  We had some very big crowds of kids and their parents.  Our  Colorado club dates at Still Cellars, Navajo Hogans and The Little Bear Saloon were great. Lots of old friends turned up. Good to see our old buddy Lloyd Hoops back at The Bear!!!   We had shows in Michigan at The How Bazare Festival,  Roots on the River and the Michigan Theater.  We drove all the way up to Beausejour , Manitoba, Canada for the Great Woods Festival, Concerts in the Parks in Thunderbay, Ontario and The Boundary Waters Blues Festival in Ely, Minnesota.  Lots  and lots of miles but well worth it.

Hope to see you all out on the road this Fall!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind June Blog, 2015

Happy June Everyone,

The Summer Festival season has arrived here in the USA . My band "Midwest Kind" and I are about to head out on a Four week Tour taking us all over the USA.   We will be headlining Pennsylvania's, Jacks Mountain Blues Festival  and opening for HEART at the Spyglass Winery this weekend then its onward to Idaho, Washington, Oregon then California, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado then back to Michigan before heading to Thunderbay, Ontario,  Canada and Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada.  We have some great festivals coming up in July: Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival, Oregon,  7 Sisters Festival, California, Sioux Falls jazzfest and The Blue Waters Blues Festival, Nebraska.

Happy to announce that the "No Wukkin" Furries" T Shirt has arrived and are available on www.harper.biz    We have small through to 3XL, some sizes sell out more quickly than others but be assured, we can now order in new shirts in a timely manner.  We will also have shirts at our shows.  Some of you will also notice a bunch of new tunes over the next few months.  We plan to road test a lot of new material. Please let me know what you think.  My band and I will be recording a new studio CD in December for a February release.   Its been a while between CDs but Im really working hard to make this one the best so far. 

Hope to see you all out on the road this Summer!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind May Blog, 2015

Hey Everyone,

Hope you are enjoying this Spring weather, here in the Northern hemisphere!.  We are entering into the festival season in the USA, the best part of the touring calendar.  We had an amazing tour to Ohio, Alabama and Florida.  We had a delicious Soul Food dinner with Cedric Burnside and his partner Mona, Trent Ayers and their family.   The best fried chicken, mac n cheese and black eyed peas ever.  We absolutely chowed down!!  Bobbi is now booking Cedric Burnside Project as part of her new agency- Hwy Key Touring Artists and doing a great job.  It was an absolute pleasure to meet them all. In Florida we caught up with my former but fabulous guitarist Tyler Mac at The Paradise Inn in Pensacola Beach,.  It was so cool to jam with Tyler.  Jame's Brother Paxton also got up to play guitar.  Nick from Nick and the Overals also jammed with us, which was very cool.  It was a fabulous three nights of music in beautiful Pensacola Beach.  Then it was on to Guanabanas- our favorite club in the jungle and then on to Terra Fermata in Stuart - a new stunning out door venue with incredible sound.   We made some amazing new friends, Katie, Rhett, Dawn and Scott.  We stayed with these fabulous folks in Jupiter for a couple of days. We had a rocking show at The Little Bar in Goodland followed by our favorite Irish Pub- The Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda.  Many of you will know that our scheduled show at  2 Brothers was cancelled due to the venue burning down in late March.  The Celtic Ray kindly gave us a make up show at the last minute.    Happy to say the Celtic Ray was packed for this last minute show. 

Two weeks ago we performed at a new club in Jackson, Michigan called Grand River Brewery.  Lots of friends turned up for some great brews and tasty treats.   Last week we toured to Upstate New York for the Dinosaur BBQs then south to New Jersey for Camp Jam in the Pines and further south to the Rowan Jazz & Blues Festival in North Carolina.

Hope to see you all out on the road this Spring and Summer!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind March, 2015 Blog- Stolen Guitars Returned!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Yay Spring is finally here in the USA!  We have some amazing news!!!!.  The two stolen guitars of Mike Howe and James Norris have been recovered and shipped home to the guys as good as new.  James found the two guitars with serial numbers listed up on Ebay last week.  Bobbi our intrepid manager called the Mount Pleasant Police in South Carolina to let them know.  She was told that EBay are very difficult to deal with when it comes to stolen items being listed.  So Bobbi and Detective Fey put together a ruse to find out exactly who was selling the guitars and the exact address.  So Bobbi pretended to be a guy named "Pete" and contacted the seller on Ebay asking if she could come and look at the Les Paul  and was willing to pay $2000 cash.  The seller immediately replied.  As it turned out the guitars were at a Pawn Shop in Charleston, South Carolina.  So Bobbi set up a sting with Detective Fey at 3pm last Monday.  The Pawn Shop seller was arrested as was the guy who pawned the guitars.  Woohooo!!!  A huge thank you to The Mount Pleasant Police and Detective Fey!  So happy for Mike and James

The next big of amazing news is that I have been nominated for two 2015 Detroit Music Awards-  Best World Music Songwriter and Instrumentalist.    The final bit of great news is that Harper and Midwest will be appearing on PBS Television on Friday March 20th at 11pm Eastern  USA as part of WKAR Backstage Pass.  For those of you who would like to see the concert now here is the link to the concert on line  http://video.wkar.org/video/2365430223/

Lots of touring coming up here in the USA. A big sorry to our New England fans we had a change of routing in May due to an offer to headline the Rowan Jazz & Blues Festival in North Carolina. We will get back your way, promise!!    Good news for Aussies- We will be touring Australia in late October/ November, working on dates as we speak!

Hope to see you all out on the road this Spring!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind February Blog 2015

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to the first Blog of the year.  We are heading to the Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival in Pennsylvania as we speak and the sun is shining!!!!.    We've been dealing with alot of snow here in Michigan, I have had close to three feet of snow on the front porch of my house.  In January we had  a few very snowy Michigan gigs. In early January, a huge snow storm was blowing through, yet folks still seemed to make it out to our acoustic show at the Sandhill Crane Wineyard in Jackson,  Mash Bar in Ann Arbor and Scooters in Flint.   The Scooter's show was part of the Greg Nagy Presents Concert Series, so there were a lot of very talented musicians in the audience.  Greg got up for a few tunes, guitarist Will Rideout  also played a few tunes and our drummer Cam Lewis did a great soulful rendition of "The Thrill is Gone".  The drive home from Flint was white knuckle scary, but we made it home- slowly but surely!

The Following week the weather was fabulous, lots of sunshine and clear, dry roads. Our tour to Nebraska and Iowa was alot of fun.  We played a fun double bill with Jim Suhler at the 21st Saloon in Omaha then we headed east to Burlington, Iowa for a show at The Washington.  Owner:  David Hazel has done wonders with this amazing listening room.  Midwest Kind and I had a great show at The Washington and definitely plan to return in the Fall.   Next up was The Cherokee Jazz & Blues Festival in Cherokee, Iowa.   This was a multiple venue event, we had the pleasure of performing at a very new and happening club called "Loft 101".   We had a packed house of intense music fans, unfortunately we were having some major sound issues, so we cut our set short and sent in Mike Howe our amazing guitarist/ sound engineer to sort things out.   After a bit of rewiring and adjustment of graphics, we were good to go!.  We did a long set and the place was jumping.  We loved playing at Loft 101 so much that we will be doing a repeat performance - back by popular demand on Saturday April 11th.   So please spread the word!  The next day was a full house at the Legendary Byron's Bar in Pomeroy, Iowa.   You all need to put "Byron's on your bucket list because this bar is truly a unique experience that can't be explained!

The next week we did a TV spot on Fox 4 Morning Show in Kansas City.  We had a blast at the TV station and even got to meet the dancer- Amy of "So You Think You Can Dance".   That evening we played a show at The Trouser Mouse in Blue Springs.  We did a double bill with a fabulous local band called "Blue Plate Special" - a very talented and extremely nice bunch of guys.   Then it was on to one of our fab clubs- the incredible BBS Jazz, Blues & Soups in St Louis.  We ended the month with a new club called Pop's Place in Decatur, Illinois.   We had a full house and received lots of good vibes from all there.   In February we head south (yay) to West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. 

Hope to see you out on the road this winter and Spring!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind December Blog, 2014

Hi everyone,

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter/ Summer Solstice and a Happy Holiday Season.    In November we welcomed our new drummer from Chicago - the amazing Cam Lewis, who we met earlier  this year in Pensacola Beach, Florida.  I prophetically told Cam at the time that we would be working together someday!  Funny how things turn out.   We had a fabulous acoustic show at Trinity House in Livonia, Michigan, followed by the amazing and very wild Mash Bar in Ann Arbor and the fabulous Celtic Ray in Lexington over Thanksgiving weekend.

In early December we headed out on tour to The Alamo in Springfield, Illinois.  The next day Bobbi and I presented Australian Didge-ucation to the beautiful children of Montessori's Children's House.  Afterwards we visited the Illinois State Museum's Research and Collections Center. Curators: Terrance J Martin and Jonathan E. Reyman gave us a tour of an ancient Australian Aboriginal collection from the 1800s, Western Australia.  There were ancient didgeridoos, shields, spears, boomerangs, jewelry plus more.  It was an amazing collection of artifacts.  The plan is to return the collection to Canberra, Australia.   We then headed south to Brackins in Maryville, Tennessee which was a fun show.  Then its was on to Charleston , South Carolina for Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ.  We had a great show and the BBQ was fabulous.

Unfortunately early on Saturday December 6th my van was broken into at The Sleep Inn in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.  The front passenger window was smashed and the door was damaged.  Mike's Gibson Les Paul guitar and Jame's 5 string Fender Jazz Bass guitar were stolen.  The thief also tried to get into the back of the van but was unable to.  Two other cars were also broken into.  I made a police report and have been checking Craig' s list, music stores, pawn shops- you name it, since.  Such a horrible thing to happen.  Our insurance covered the damage to the van but not the guitars.   We had the window taped up with plastic so we could make our show at Darwins in Marietta, Georgia.  Two wonderful local musicians loaned us their guitars for the evening.  Then the next week our good buddy Steve Arvey loaned us two guitars to finish the rest of the tour to Florida.  A big thank you to these generous musicians and also to our friends and fans for donating some cash to Mike and James to help them replace their stolen guitars.

Bobbi and I finished the year with an Australian Didge-ucation presentation at the JVS in Detroit for the PTS veterans.  These programs put together by the JVS really do work.  One veteran in particular was so sad, isolated, depressed and defensive when we met him earlier in the year.  We were astounded by this his beautiful smiling face this time around.  He had been transformed.  Bobbi told Psychosocial Specialist Donna Rhoades that she had given back this man's humanity.    It was so beautiful to see.   Thank you all for sharing this journey with Bobbi, my band "Midwest Kind" and me, this year.  We truly appreciate your support and love.

May 2015 best a year of peace, prosperity, joy and love for us all.  See you out on the road next year!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
www.youtube.com/harperband (for live video clips)
www.facebook.com/harperandmidwestkind
www.musicpage.com/harper
www.reverbnation.com/harperandmidwestkind

Harper and Midwest Kind September Blog, 2014

Hey Everyone,

October is upon us and we are having some amazing Autumn weather here in Michigan, USA.   After our beyond crazy summer tour it was nice to have an easy September, a time to regroup and write some new tunes for a new CD, I hope to release in early, 2015.  A big thank to those of you who bought our Aussie Tee Shirts.  They were all sent out this week.   The last weekend of August was spent at a new festival for us- The Snowy Range Music Festival in Laramie, Wyoming.  A 19 hour drive from Michigan but well worth the trip.   Unfortunately the weather was not the best.  We were having a great set and the crowd was really getting into it when a huge storm blew through.   The wind was howling and the rain started to pelt down, my band "Midwest Kind" and I kept on playing.  The overhead lights were swinging and then suddenly the backdrop ripped and fell- landing  on our drummer's head.  Like a pro, Greg kept playing and didn't miss a beat.   The backstage crew removed the back drop and the show went on.  This was a great festival to catch up with a huge bunch of friends: such as Erika Brown and Billy Branch. Also got to see the incredible "Dumpstafunk" perform!  The backstage hospitality was fabulous - great food/drinks and even several masseuses.  It was heaven!   We did a late night jam- I got to play some harp with the amazing Billy Branch and the next day I presented a didgeridoo workshop.  

September brought us a new Ann Arbor club - called Mash which was fun.  Then the next week we played the Niagara Falls Blues Festival.   Great crowd, sound and good vibes but again it was ccccold!!!!   The next week we played the Old Town Bluesfest in Lansing, Michigan.  WKAR Backstage Pass filmed the show for PBS- The weather was just right and the sound was superb.  I think we will have a nice TV feature coming  out in 2015.   It was so much fun catching up with all the Michigan musicians after the show.  We then headed south to the Rathskellar in Indianapolis.  We were kinda rained out for a bit but then the weather cleared and all was well.  Our good friend Justin Brown did a great version of "Help Me" which brought the house down.  We finished the month at our favorite Lexington, Michigan pub- The Celtic Ray!   We head to Florida next week, then our much anticipated tour to Australia for the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival and The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz!!   Hope to see you out on the road this fall and winter!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs, Tee Shirts
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
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

Harper and Midwest Kind March Blog, 2014

Hey Everyone,

Finally Spring has arrived here in the USA yay!!!   March has been an exciting month.  I learned that I have been nominated for FIVE- 2014 Detroit Music Awards- "Outstanding Acoustic Vocalist", "Outstanding World Music Vocalist", "Outstanding World Music Composer", and "Outstanding Blues Recording and Outstanding Acoustic Recording for the Harper and Motor City Josh "Bare Bones" CD.  Its such an honor to be nominated.  Motor City Josh was also nominated for "Outstanding Blues Instrumentalist" which is very much deserved.   Its been a long cold winter here in Michigan.  We were very lucky to tour for a month in February to Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to escape the Polar Vortex.  After our last show in SC we headed North to Michigan.  It was a pretty uneventful drive until we hit Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio where a winter storm was barreling through.  The roads were icy and treacherous!  The going was slow but we got through the worst of it without too much trouble. Once we reached Michigan the roads were dry and we could breathe a sigh of relief.    Our driveway was not so good.  It had at least a foot of snow on it,  so with just the right amount of speed I managed to get the van up the hill and into the garage.  Once I got into my house I was struck by how cold it was.  I soon realized that my furnace had stopped working and most of our taps were frozen.  I couldn't get the furnace working so I decided to get the log fire going to warm up the house. Bobbi got online to the Red Cross website to find out the best way to thaw out frozen pipes and taps.  So with space heaters and hair dryers in hand we worked on thawing out our house.  It was freezing.  Our bass player James Norris was also with us because his van was still stuck in a snow drift on our driveway.   Thankfully no major damage was done.  The furnace guy came out and fixed the furnace and AAA towed Jame's van out of the drift.  So life is good!!!

That week Bobbi and I presented "Australian Didge-ucation" to the Veterans at JVS in Detroit.  We had an absolute blast.  Great bunch of guys.  We plan to have another visit in July.  We also took our presentation to the Jackson School of the Arts in downtown Jackson, Michigan.  We had a packed house of very enthusiastic children and their parents.  We painted didgeridoos and had an all out didgeridoo jam at the end of the session.  Our shows at the Plymouth Elks Lodge and Inside Out Gallery in Traverse City were fabulous.  The Manistee All Spring and Music Festival held at the stunning Ramsdell Theatre was a lot of fun.  We met many talented musicians and I even got to hang with Smokey Bear!!

We are currently on tour to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana.  We have a NE tour planned for the end of April to New York, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.  Then its back to Florida, Alabama, Georgia and New Jersey in May.  No Rest for the Blessed!!!   Hope to see you out on the road this Spring and Summer!!

Thanks and Peace,

Harper and Midwest Kind
www.harper.biz (Official Harper Website) CDs
http://www.harper.biz/workshops.html    Australian Didge-ucation
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