Review Fix Exclusive: Kevin Harrison & True North Talk ‘Howl’ EP And More

Review Fix chats with Kevin Harrison from Kevin Harrison & True North to find out what inspired their new EP, “Howl,” as well as their creative process and goals for the future.

About the Band:

Recorded in the Catskill Mountain of New York, the band enlisted the expertise of acclaimed producer Simone Felice (Lumineers) for the EP Howl. Five days of barn sessions and campfires produced a collection of five songs that illustrates a band that is as comfortable playing heavy rock – like lead track “Practice What You Preach” – as it is playing acoustic ballads entirely unplugged such as “Lost In The Snow” with its haunting piano melody courtesy of band friend Sloan Marshall.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

Kevin Harrison: We like to call ourselves “Craigslist All-Stars.” I moved to the East Village of New York City as a solo singer-songwriter in late 2012 and put up a Craigslist ad for band members. Brendan was the first to come out, and adding him was an easy call despite his wearing a Red Sox hat to audition for a lifelong Yankee fan’s band. We had a rotating cast of members for a couple years, and when Pete and Ray joined the fold things really started to come together.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Harrison: I’m sure you could find awkward youth photos of each of us playing our respective instruments – that might have to be the subject of a little #TBT series on our Instagram.

Personally, I grew up in a household built around music. My dad was an excellent rhythm guitarist and had one of the strongest, yet smoothest voices I’ve ever heard (definitely a contrast to my style of singing). My mom didn’t inherit much musical talent herself, but she was amazingly enthusiastic nonetheless. Sunday afternoons with the stereo pushing Genesis through big old wooden floor speakers, my dad playing air piano to Bruce Hornsby while driving me to basketball practice, my mom standing alone in a local festival crowd, swaying to a cover band’s rendition of “Freebird”… so many of my cherished memories involve music.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Harrison: It usually starts by singing into my phone’s voice memo app – often awkwardly in crowded, public places.

Sometimes it’s a melody or just a guitar riff, sometimes lyrics. Then  I sit down with an acoustic guitar and work through the song until it’s close enough to a finished demo to bring to the guys (which could take 20 minutes or 3 years).

From there, everyone brings their own perspective to our rehearsal studio. Ray will try out a few different approaches on drums, Brendan adds lead guitar parts (basically every song I’ve written since meeting him comes with an *insert guitar solo here* space in it), and Pete is a master at finding not only the right bass groove but the perfect harmony vocals. From there, we tweak and tweak and tweak. I don’t know that our songs are ever 100% finished products. We’re constantly adjusting based upon what works well live, the music we’re each listening to at any given time, etc.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Harrison: Obstacles. Heartbreak. New York City. Mountains. Subway passengers. Relationships.

Review Fix: What makes “Practice What You Preach” a special track?

Harrison: For starters, it’s a lot of fun to play! It’s probably the most straight-ahead rock song on the album.

Lyrically, I was inspired by a line from Jackson Browne’s “These Days:” “If I seem to be afraid to live the life that I have made in song, it’s just that I’ve been losing for so long.”

My rendition is kind of intentionally hypocritical. I spend the first couple of verses and choruses addressing my own insecurities and failure to “practice what I preach,” but still call on the listener to “practice what you preach” in the outro. I think we can all be a bit hypocritical from time to time; this song is me owning up to that.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Harrison: Our little tagline is “Folky-Bluesy Rock & Roll.” As you can hear on Howl, we cover a pretty wide range under the umbrella of rock music, but it still feels cohesive.

We pull from so many different influences – from the Black Crowes to James Taylor to Jane’s Addiction -  that we end up sounding like…Kevin Harrison & True North. John Mayer had a great line: “It’s my failure to sound like my heroes that allows me to sound like myself.”

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Harrison: We tend to stretch out the songs and jam a bit more. There are more than a few tunes on which Brendan has carte blanche to let it rip while we wait for his patented head nod to transition to the next part of the song.

We also put a lot of thought into building our set lists, so that the show flows the right way. Ray and Pete work up cool rhythm section transitions between songs; we’ll occasionally weave cover song in and out of an original; I’ll share a story here and there to add a layer of context to the lyrics.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2018?

Harrison: To get Howl in front of as many ears as possible. We’re really proud of this album and hopeful of where it might take us. The more folks that hear these songs, the more doors we think will open toward our ultimate goal of making a living playing music.

Review Fix: Why does rock still matter?

Harrison: Because it’s just so good! I’ve tried to dim my old man, “get off my lawn,” mentality in recent years. Other genres deserve their due, but for my money, nothing can touch the versatility of rock & roll.

When done well, rock music features the storytelling of country (or rap!), the musicianship of jazz, the soul of blues, and – if you’ve got the right rhythm section – it’ll make you dance as easily as any electronic or hip-hop song.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Harrison: It’s time we hit the stage! I did a run of solo acoustic shows out in California this summer while we handled all the logistic stuff that goes into releasing an album, so it will have been nearly four months between full band shows. We’re antsy to play these songs live.

The first three shows that we’ve announced in support of the album are September 6 in NYC, September 15 on Long Island, and September 22 in NJ, with more to come. Head to kevinharrisonmusic.com or track us on BandsInTown to stay in the loop.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Harrison: Just a huge thank you for helping us get the word out about Howl. If  you like what you hear, we hope you’ll come out and see a show, connect with us on Facebook or Instagram, and – most importantly – share our music with your friends.