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Event
Jason Harrod w/ Scott Fab
Jason Harrod is a Brooklyn-based performing songwriter known for generous melodies and poetic, image-rich lyrics. Jason made his mark as one-half of seminal Boston duo Harrod and Funck before venturing out on his own. Over years of constant writing, recording, and touring, Jason has garnered a devoted fan base which has steadily grown over time. With each of his releases, from Living in Skin to Bright As You to his collection of Christmas songs, Jason has grown with his audience. Now, with the release of his third solo release, Highliner, Harrod has reached a high watermark of musicality and poetry. Highliner is a collection of 11 sweeping, cinematic travelogues, filled with quirky narrative detail and propelled by Harrod's honey-dipped tenor, now clearer and more commanding than ever. Harrod often begins performances by stating that he sings of "God, Women, and Geography." He also sings of yearning to be set free, to take to the skies like that train on the cover (rendered by Vesper Stamper), and to be known, both by a warm human body, and by God almighty.
Produced by Philly-based Brian McTear (known for his work with Sharon Van Etten, The National, and Dr. Dog) Highliner has an earthier, folkier sound than Harrod's previous Nashville-polished release. While the songs lean on folk forms, they resist simple two-step treatments and, instead, bloom--especially in the back half of the record--with soaring, surprising melodies and fresh orchestral arrangements (courtesy of Joshua Stamper), adding a depth and lushness no previous Jason Harrod record has achieved. Harrod is a top-drawer songwriter, and there is no filler or mediocrity here.
Snowstorm is a 70's-rock-style celebration of American English and an offering of warm hope during a New York City blizzard. Train arrives as a driving ode to the subway riders Harrod bumps up against with every day. When I Came Down Off the Mountain soars and barnstorms through a colorful spiritual landscape. Moon Mission, a haunting love letter from a lonely spaceman, features Seattle-based singer-songwriter Shannon Stephens honey-dipped vocals wrapping around those of Harrod's to achieve a mesmerizing effect. The aforementioned Stamper pulls double duty, playing bass on the album while his Danielson Familie bandmate, Patrick Berkery, joins in on drums.
In addition to his fan following, Jason Harrod has earned the acclaim of industry leaders. In 2000, he won first place in the bluegrass category of MerleFest's Chris Austin Songwriting competition. The following year, he took first place in the North Carolina Songwriters Co-Op contest and followed that up with a 2002 appearance on Arthur Smith's Carolina Calling stage with Alison Krauss and Union Station. Jason was selected as a spotlight performer at the annual Healdsburg Guitar festival in 2009, sponsored by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and in 2010 he was awarded a fellowship by the International Arts Movement in the prize's inaugural year. In 2012, Jason received a Fulbright grant to teach songwriting to students in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Jason has lived in Boston, Durham, and most recently New York, where he is the music director for a small church that meets in a black box theater on Manhattan's Lower East Side. He tours frequently throughout the US.
Singer-songwriter Scott Fabs introduction to music came from Detroit punk. As a member of the hardcore band GCMS he was part of the same Cass Corridor-scene that spawned the legendary pioneers of the genre, Negative Approach. After practice sessions he started writing songs, when he would put down his drumsticks and pick up a guitar, thus starting his transformation in sound and style.
Having drifted away from music in the early 2000s, Fab started performing again in 2013 and soon afterwards began working on a new batch of songs. He now returns with the resulting album, Leave My Friends. His arrestingly scuffed-up vocals are the sound of Midwest desolation laid bare over the bones of an acoustic guitar and chronicle the complex nature of relationships and loss that haunt us all as we travel through life - a permanent reminder that our existence isnt guaranteed to be long.
Newtons Third Law of Motion states that For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and its a law that is as applicable to Fabs own life as it is the world of physics. Working in a technical field by day, his musical output provides balance in his life, affording him a creative counterpoint.
Fabs gift for both melody and lyrics will delight fans of Ray Lamontagne, Ron Sexsmith and Ryan Adams alike, as he combines a rustic mystique with striking stories of everyday life. As well as gathering them from his own personal experiences, he draws inspiration from cycling through his local neighborhood and from the novels of Willa Cather and the poems of Charles Simic.
The recording process took place one-day-a-month over the course of a year, when time and money allowed, and this slow-burning approach matches the considered style of his music. Recorded at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor, Michigan with musical allies Cary Marsh and Gary Watts, and engineer Geoff Michael, you can hear the deliberation and thought that has gone into every track.
For Fab, his songs are a way of making a permanent connection with the listener. Its why hed rather play to an audience thats more interested in a well-delivered song than a cheap drink and why he finds the superficial nature of social media so depressing. Theres still something to be said for doing things properly, such as devoting a year of his life to the creation of Leave My Friends, and anyone who hears his music will know that its been time well spent by Scott Fab.
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LocationTrinity House Theatre (View)
38840 West Six Mile
Livonia, MI 48152
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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