Americana guitar prodigy Jason Hawk Harris is classically trained, and experienced a musical coming of age through Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” So his influences are far-reaching enough to make him a little different to the standard dusty, alt-country singer-songwriter. He’ll be performing at Boulevard Music this weekend, so we had a chat…
CULVER CITY NEWS: WHEN DID YOU START SINGING, PLAYING AND WRITING MUSIC? AND WHEN DID YOU START TAKING IT SERIOUSLY (PLAYING LIVE, RECORDING, ETC)?
Jason Hawk Harris: I started playing guitar in second grade and very quickly gravitated toward song-writing. I was always very attracted to song as craftwork. I actually started playing live in a local punk scene in Humble, TX at 14. The music wasn’t great but it made me realize how much I loved playing in front of a crowd. I also learned that wearing a leather jacket on stage is kind of a poser move.
WHO ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES?
I grew up listening to a lot of Queen, Elvis and the Beatles, but since then my life has been a string of phases. I studied classically at a conservatory as a composition student, so I got really into avant-garde composers of the 20th century like George Crumb, Witold Lutoslawski and Krzszyof Panderecki. After that I went through a lengthy bluegrass phase and listened to a lot of Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin and Larry Sparks. From that I moved to an obsession with folks like Emmy Lou Harris, George Jones, Hank Snow and Patsy Cline. Now I’ve been listening to a lot of pop (Perfume Genius, Haim and Jesca Hoop) and hip-hop (Kendrick Lamar, Chance, Vince Staples, 2 Chainz). So I guess you could say I’m kind of all over the place. If I listen to too much of one thing I find it gets me in a funk of derivation and stagnation.
DESCRIBE YOUR OWN STYLE…
In short? Americana. However, I’m open about the fact that I don’t think I’ve established an individual style yet. That’s not to say I don’t know what I want the music to be, I only mean to say that what I really want to do, I haven’t been able to accomplish yet. I love country and Americana music, and the stuff I put out there will always be grounded in those genres, but I also have this desire to mix in some aleatoric and atonal stuff into otherwise traditional country songs. Country music could use some atonality. I’ve accepted the fact that many folks would hate me for saying so, and that’s fine.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LOCAL SCENE?
I’m based in Pasadena. I find it’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle without being too far. There’s not much of a scene there, however. I’m much more involved in the Hollywood/Silver Lake scene than anything. I love the scene there. There are a lot of artists and songwriters I love and respect, but I’ll single one out: Jamie Drake. She’s a staple in that scene and having had the privilege of hearing her new record before most folks, I can tell you it’s damn good.
BEST GIG TO DATE? AND WORST?
My favorite gig ever was actually as a member of a band called the Show Ponies. We played the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. I love that venue. It’s the class of the West Coast as far as mid-sized venues go. My worst gig… I don’t wanna single anybody out, but let’s just say if you’re the owner and operator of a venue that is advertised as a music venue, you should probably hire a sound guy that understands what a “fader” or a “monitor” is. Leave nepotism to politicians and the Wall Street folks.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ALBUMS / SINGLES AVAILABLE?
I released my debut single back in April, The Smoke and the Stars. On November 3rd, I’ll release a 5 song EP called “Formaldehyde, Tobacco and Tulips.” For the time being, it will only be available in a digital format.
HAVE YOU PLAYED BOULEVARD MUSIC BEFORE? DO YOU LIKE PLAYING CULVER CITY?
Playing Boulevard Music will be a first time experience for me. I’ve heard good things. Culver City is a ways from me, but I’ve always had a positive experience there.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SET?
Some sad songs, some great fiddle playing (from Phil Glenn), lion-taming, self-aggrandizement, self-deprecation, deference, stories, grief, fast music, slow music. I think that about covers it.
Jason Hawk Harris plays with The Novel Ideas at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 4 at Boulevard Music; 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City; 310-398-2583; $15.