I first saw Harper when he opened for Anne McCue in 2004 at FitzGeralds and made a note to see him again. While top-notch bluesmen are common around these parts, it's not every day that you see someone play a didgeridoo. Well, it was a long time coming, but I finally saw Harper again Friday at the Berwyn roadhouse. I wasn't the only one marking time, either. "Welcome to FitzGerald's, everybody" Harper said after his first two numbers. "It's been too long".By then, the Australian musician had already reminded me why he so impressed me on the same stage seven years ago. "Harper may hail from Down Under, but everything about him is a cut above- from his songwriting to his harp playing to his singing to his vibe to his rapport with the crowd. And then there's the didgeridoo, a wind instrument developed by the Aboriginal people of Australia's Northern Territory some 1,500 years ago. Harper played three different didgeridoos, each measuring between four to five feet long. The longer the length, the lower the key. The didgeridoo is so unique that it could come across as a gimmick in lesser hands, but what's remarkable about Harper is how he seamlessly blends the wood instrument into his soulful blues. He incorporates the didgeridoo's droning sound naturally. Looking like he just returned from a journey into The Outback, Harper opened with "Love = Peace = Freedom, a song from his 2010 album "Stand Together". "Love, love, love, love," he sang, "equals peace equals freedom". The song was a melting of equal parts Australia, 60s San Francisco and Chicago blues. The idealism continued in "Not My Brother" which featured a big harp closing. "I was born in Chicago", Harper joked after the song. "I have that accent". While the didgeridoos visual presence can overshadow Harper's mastery of the harmonica, there's no doubt that Harper can stand tall with the town's standout blues harp players, and even teach some of them about the value of restraint. His playing is never showy, but comes from deep in his soul to serve the song. "Chill Out" and "Last Cup of Coffee" featured his flowing harmonica. Then it was time to break out one of his unique instruments on "Ill Go Home" "I feel like some didgeridoo", Harper said. "I just can't get enough of it". Who can, especially on the weekend when you have time on your side. He switched between the didgeridoo and the harp during the song, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. The fun "Gimme The Money" saw Harper toss in a couple lines from Barrett Strong"s "Money (That's What I Want). A three-piece band from the Detroit area backed Harper. He used them much like Hendrix used his bands, as percolating and kicking frames to his exploratory playing. Harper said he, too, is living in Detroit these days, but that shouldn't come as a big surprise. The guy is unique. I've made a note not to wait seven years to see him again. Dave Miller, Chicago Concert Goers. Listed in the Top Shows of 2011, Chicago!!!!!
"Harper was born to play the harmonica.... He has an amazing presence and sense of what fits in when he is playing. His blues is original and almost feels like its kind of like "back to nature" blues. It's very tied into the roots of music and his influences of Sonny Boy Williamson II and Muddy Waters are there, but his take on them is very unique.
Doug Morrissey, Muzik Reviews, USA. November, 2010
Harper is an Australian blues-rock musician who, in an effort to bring his own culture to the blues, has added the didgeridoo to his music. A master Chicago-style harmonica player, with elements of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson in his playing, he also possesses a strong voice and a deep, almost mystical approach to music. The didgeridoo, hovering below the more traditional blues instruments, along with the frequent use of Native-American rhythms, adds to the mystery. This man is doing something new. Harper is an original, singing about unity and love like a 1960s hippie, playing the harmonica like a '50s rhythm 'n' bluesman, and singing like a '70s soul man, but using the didgeridoo to make all of this timeless. At this point, he has pretty much left the blues behind and is working at creating his own genre. His is exciting, deep and mysterious music that deserves the widest possible audience. Rambles Magazine, August, 2010.
Detroit singer/songwriter and harmonica ace Peter D. Harper puts an interesting spin on roots/blues-based rock. He infuses it with rhythms and a tribal spirit he experienced growing up in Perth, Australia, and later through a Hopi Indian he befriended in Colorado. Beginning with the rhythmic "I Never Want," Harper's songs... are framed with rich textures -- often his droning didgeridoo -- that give them a haunting, otherworldly feel. Lyrics in tracks like the chugging "We Stand Together," and the bluesy "Love=Peace=Freedom" champion a worldview that hopes for greater understanding -- an idea that (thankfully) seems to resurface every generation or so. Rather than a showcase for his harp skills, which are certainly ample, this is a disc about songs, grooves and ideas fleshed out with a tight backing band that follows his every mood. "Not My Brother" winds up on the ethereal rock side of the Neville Brothers a la "Yellow Moon." "What Are You Gonna Do?" is based on a muscular groove in which Harper, in the words of Detroit's MC5, questions whether you're going to be part of the problem or the solution. Michael Liption, West Virginia Gazette September, 2010
Peter D. Harper, with his latest record, "Stand Together", has written and arranged some of the most soulful, blues-rock filled music I’ve heard in quite some time. The man can blow a harp like no body’s business; and did I mention he has created some of the most soulful, most blues-rock filled music I have heard in quite some time? However, this is just skimming the surface of what this phenomenal artist emits from this 12 song CD consisting of his Michigan-based touring band, Midwest Kind. Harper enlists the sounds of blues, rock, R & B, and adds a strong element of world music, as evidenced by the use of the aboriginal musical instrument didgeridoo. In fact, Mr. Harper himself plays this incredibly recognizable musical instrument commonly played by the native peoples of the “Outback”.
He intricately weaves its mysterious sound into several of these very uniquely original tunes. His use of the didgeridoo in combination with the more traditional musical instruments (i.e.; electric guitar, drums, Hammond and Wurlitzer, etc.) adds an eerie, wild sound from down under that lures the listener in, and almost savagely places its hooks into the listener’s sense of hearing. He or she is seemingly left dangling there, metaphorically speaking, totally taken into custody by this incredible combination of sounds. As the listener progresses through the album, it’s as if he or she is trekking through a jungle of musical notes in conjunction with other strange sounds, creating an extremely textured wall of musical vegetation and undergrowth. You can feel and hear the richness growing all around, eventually smothering the listener in a symbolic quicksand of wonderfully strange sounds. It’s a musical jungle one will never want to leave. Rebel Rod Ames, "No Depression Ezine", USA May, 2010
Harper is a complex, multi-faceted artist who takes chances. Call it world music, blues-rock, jam band, ‘70s retro or whatever. There is no clear label to stamp on Stand Together. But if you are open-minded and want to get down and groove with a harmonica wizard and his funky Michigan bandmates, then Harper’s Stand Together will stand and deliver.
Linda Cain Chicago Blues Guides, USA, October, 2010
.....Harper is a good blues belter, and a very good harpist. "We Stand Together" uses the powerful bottom end of the didgeridoo, laying a nice soul/blues over the top, and lets the drone come back in the spaces instead of solos; it is different. A clear shot at radio play, "Love=Peace=Freedom," takes a bass/percussion riff that sounds like something on the "Superfly" soundtrack and melds on a catchy little melody with a feel-good lyrical message. The next track, "You Know What You Got," is musically very familiar to "Love," with the drone mixing with a Sly Stone vibe and R&B tune, with a hot harp solo. "No Problem", "Weaker Man" and a couple of the other tunes late on the disc feature Harper's harmonica - he's a talent; think Blues Traveler's John Popper if the latter were to slow down some of his speed-lick mania for half of his solos but still keep the fire there. In fact, two of the most satisfying things about this disc are the fact that it isn't wall-to-wall harp, and that a guy as good as Harper mixes in restraint with his flash. "Stand Together" is a good dose of blues, with a different spin. Harper packs in plenty of good harp and blues energy, and there are no clunkers here. Review by Frank Kocher, Turbular Music USA, September , 2010.
Australian-born blues vocalist and harmonica wizard Peter D. Harper has been regarded as one of the very best on his instrument, slashing and dashing across American bar and festival dates in the decade of the 2000s while based in metro Detroit. His soulful voice is much more refined than raw, charming in many ways but still tough as nails, and sounds much more like a true singer of songs relating to the mean streets of the big city and being on the road. Simply Harper (as he is known professionally) plays the didgeridoo on many of these tracks, and though one might think that wouldn't work, it does, in tandem with his singing or his biting, strong, harmonica playing. He's also come into his own as a songwriter on this, his fourth album overall and third for the Blind Pig label. Closer to rock than purist or even contemporary blues, songs like "I Never Want" or "We Stand Together" also have a personal, uniting vibe, while "You Know What You Got" is as honest and real as it gets. In the blues vein, Harper can jam and get down as evidenced by "No Problem," as he is strapped in with electric guitarist Gregg Leonard on a deeper blues, while there's much overdubbing on the cautionary tale "Weaker Man," a compelling tune with hit potential. Harper does tap on New Orleans voodoo shuffle à la Charlie Musselwhite, organ combo sounds via the fine keyboardist Kurt Wolak, some lighter pop-oriented songs, and a waltz ballad where Wolak plays piano. Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide, USA. May 2010.
From the opening track, "I Never Want," the music grabs the listener and won't let go. Hypnotic, compelling, stylish and rhythmically unique, the CD takes you on a sonic journey. Hang on and enjoy the ride. All the tunes were written and arranged by Harper, and it seems he takes influences from Blues, rock, soul and God knows what else and transforms them into something very unique - but totally comforting to the senses. This music soothes the body, mind and soul. Barrel House Blues, USA, June 2010
Whether plaintive and gut wrenching or laid-back and soulful, the blues possess a myriad of emotional forms. And as long as the delivery and intent are authentic and heartfelt,the strength of the music lies in the individuality of the artist. Enter Brit-Aussie Peter Harper with a musical approach that is as distinctive as it gets. He pairs his articulate vocals and razorsharp harmonica acumen with adept facility on the didgeridoo. Its haunting, enveloping drones, interwoven with back beat-driven grooves, create a provocative and fascinating tapestry like no other. ––Eric Harabadian, Music Connection Magazine, June 2010.
A truly wonderful recording.Harmonica, electric guitar and even the aboriginal didgeridoo, an Australian instrument, give “Stand Together” a contemplative feel. It's a rumination on the state of affairs of the world today with a seething undercurrent of restlessness and frustration flowing just beneath the surface. There's a message in it for fans who choose to pick up on it, and it might best be summed up in the aforementioned song “Love = Peace = Freedom.” Steve Wildwood, Maryville Times, TN. USA May, 2010.
Harper has melded all his musical influences for his latest Blind Pig release, "Stand Together." On these twelve originals, Harper uses his virtuoso harmonica skills, deeply soulful voice and topical songwriting skills to create his strongest album to date. Often referred to as "the Hendrix of the harp," Harper's playing style incorporates the traditional sound of Little Walter with the somewhat avant-garde approach of Sugar Blue or John Popper. And, on this album, Harper has settled into somewhat of a "comfort zone," as this set is his first with his regular band of musicians, Michigan-based Midwest Kind. Their familiarity with the arrangements and with each other's abilities allows them to stretch out the groove on these cuts, giving this set more of a "live" feel. The primeval sound of the didgeridoo opens the title cut, where we are reminded that "we're all united with dust and sand" and should "all stand together as one great voice." Another positive message is conveyed in trying to make the world a better place by utilizing the "Love=Peace=Freedom" concept. More didgeridoo and smokin' harp runs reminiscent of John Popper delineate "You Know What You Got," and "Weaker Man," while more traditional harp and a funky backbeat are prevalent on the set-closing "Damn Shame." We had two favorites, too. A deep, percussion-heavy groove sets the tone for a tale of today's economic woes, "Not My Brother." And, a friend who's always there encourages those who need him to "Take These Arms" to seek comfort. This one features excellent acoustic piano work. Harper has a keen ear to the ground with his socially-conscious lyrics and unhurried vocal delivery. Toss in his uncanny harp prowess and it's easy to see why "Stand Together" will go down as one of the year's best! Until next time....Sheryl and Don Crow. Nashville Blues Society, June 2010.
Harper has stamped his music with his original perspective.....He plays harp, but he also plays the didgeridoo. He writes imaginative songs and arranges his own music, and in the process paints a unique musical portrait .He sings bluesy stuff, but also sort of other-worldly stuff, and does it all with skill and musicianship. Jim White Pittsburgh Post Gazette, May 2010
There's a menace in Harper's music, an edge of danger that, if it isn't physical, certainly lives in the psyche.. The addition of the didgeridoo to the traditional blues band lineup might sound odd, but on listening, it sounds as natural as rain on a spring day. Blend it with the growling guitars, Harper's harp and his lyrics and you've got a depth of feeling and thought that is unusual in today's music. Harper's narrators are people who have to keep looking over their shoulders; his lyrics contain such statements as "It's going to fall down on you," "I sure could use somebody help" and "you better watch your back." His vocals are often howls of pain. Harper's music is primal. It goes way inside, creating honest, deeply felt emotions. It is joyful and painful at the same time. And another thing -- Harper's music is essential. It should be widely heard."
Michael Scott Cain, Rambles Magazine, USA
Harper @ Millers Snooker Club, Nottingham, United Kingdom May 22 2008
Miller's is renowned for it's open mind in promoting different Blues artists, but a Bluesman playing a didgeridoo was an eye-opener! Harper was raised in Australia and is currently living in the USA. His exposure to the Native American Indians sent him back to his own Australian roots and the Aborigines. His set at Miller's was most definitely World Blues and his performance on the didgeridoo showed it to be an instrument well suited to the whole ethos of the genre. Its deep, primordial notes lending themselves to the roots of the Blues and beyond. A music born out of one people's suffering but shared by all oppressed. "Does Anybody Really Care" was a Blues-rock number with some funky lead guitar and Harper's hard hitting lyrics on the plight of firstly the Aborigines, but also all who have had their rights to land-culture and thought eradicated by the oppressor. Harper's strong, expressive, at times pain- ridden vocals was interspersed with some top class electronic harp playing and the unearthly and soul wrenching call of the didgeridoo. "One Day" saw drummer Mark Dixon don a Djembe, whilst guitarist Tyler Mac switched to drums- a deep bass riff underpinning vocal and didgeridoo. Harper and his band showed themselves to be tight, highly proficient and profound musicians carrying on a legacy with honour and innovation.
Carol Borrington, Blues Matters, United Kingdom
"Imagine a singer with the deep soul of Motown, a harmonica player who can graft Sonny Boy 11 and Little Walter with Sugar Blue, a song writer who tells his own compelling stories in an unhurried, J.J Cale -like manner, and a musical visionary who is unafraid to mix the didgeridoo, an important part of the Australian Indigenous culture of his homeland, with infectious modern percussive rhythms, and you have a glimpse of what Harper is about".
Art Tipaldi, Hartford Advocate, Connecticut . USA
An Australian now based in Michigan, Harper uses his trump cards - a strong and direct singing voice, a stirring harmonica out of Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter, a droning didgeridoo - to give the dozen melodic tunes he wrote for his second stateside album (and eighth overall) a modulated excitement that suits his intelligent use of blues-rock and soul forms.
Frank John Hadley "Down Beat, Jazz ", Blues & Beyond. New York. USA
"Harper is a crack harp player, he plays the instrument with both speed and efficiency, blasting into his runs with the force of a jet stream, but it would be a mistake to pigeon hole Harper as just an impressive instrumentalist. He is also a solid songwriter and a soulful singer with a knack for impassioned sincerity. Harper may sound like he’s from Tennessee, but he’s from Perth, Western Australia and recently he has begun working the Aboriginal didgeridoo into his music, giving him a unique roots sound that walks the line between being comfortable and familiar while simultaneously veering off into some eerie territory"
Kyle Diebler, All Music Guide, USA.
"Harper is a most refreshing musician, harmonica player/song writer to come into our presence. He writes music that goes to the very core of your soul and mind with substance and thought provoking lyrics.His songs are as meaningful as say the early Bob Dylan/Neil Young era, his delivery/timing and phrasing are absolutely amazing. His voice is silky smooth and he knows how to get in a groove and work it- be it singing or playing his harp or droning on the didgeridoo" .
Guide To the Best of The Blues Harmonicas & Beyond. USA.
Harper introduces the Australian aboriginal instrument to the blues with the same respect for its traditions as did Rufus Harley before him introducing bagpipes to jazz. Most important, Harper recognizes that singing is the essence of the blues…. Harper puts his heart into his singing knowing that’s what propels the true blues. … he is expressive and sincere”
Rick Ellen, Harp Magazine. USA.
“Harper takes the basics of the African American approach to his blues instrument and expands on it in original, not yet heard before creativity” George Fish, Indiana News, USA.
"Harper's infectious mix of blues, soul and Brit-folk is made more endearing by the way he experiments with his harmonica to get some interesting sounds and fuses it with the didgeridoo. Harper follows the creed of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis: the notes you leave out are just as important as the ones you leave in. Its is an intelligent and self assured record with alot of heart in its lyrics". Christie Eliezer, Australian Musician.
"Many people class Harper as just a harmonica player, just blues, but one visit to his show will prove that he is a lot more diverse than that. Rock, roots, soul, blues, funk, all have elements in his songs and the use of Didgeridoo on several tracks gives more depth again. Having said that, he is by far the best harmonica player I've ever heard. He just bends that thing and makes it wail". Luke Jolly, Mixdown Magazine, Australia.
