Feature: John Harrison Decodes ‘Beyond Provisional’
How did you come up with the theme?
The theme lyrically for much of the album is a reminder to try and be present in the moments that are happening around you constantly. Its a near impossible task but the strive for that thinking is a practice. I have noticed that a theme of reflection as started to appear around events surrounding emotions I dont always know how to fully process are being worked out. As far as the title "Beyond Provisional" and the cover art....that was a collaboration between Alex Livingstone (bass/vocals) and myself (John Harrison) that extended beyond the music. I'm not exactly sure how to describe that theme but I've learned that sometimes the reveal is long after the process of creation and sharing. It all came together in a way that made sense to me.....felt right and oftentimes feelings are the guiding light in this process.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'Beyond Provisional?'
We are all really proud to have recorded and produced this album ourselves. We tracked most of the songs at John Crouch's (drummer) studio which is our rehearsal space. I took those recordings to my studio for some overdubs and then returned them to John where he mixed and produced the album we shared. As of note...John and I live a few houses down from each other on the same street which makes all this a bit easier.
Which track(s) do you like the best and why?
Oh jeez...well I like them all as they are all snippets of my life lyrically and a documentation of our time together as friends and a band. We released "Magic Here" as the single and I feel it does a good job of revealing what other songs are on the album lyrically and musically. I also like "Midnight Moon" as it represents a kind of song that has some structure and sing along type chorus as well as some instrumental elements and prog rock leanings we like to explore. Having songs like that on an album opens us up to being able to perform them live in a different way each time that can keep us present and tuned into the energy of that evening. Arranging a song in a way that can allow us to explore the live version in a different way each time we perform it.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Sorta just what you said in the question.....connections and relationships with others. We chose to share what we do in hopes of that human connection and shared experience. Its fullfilling to connect with others in that way....both musically and personally in my own life. My feeling is that its wired in our DNA to varying degrees in all of us to want to have relationships with others around us. I think its important...vital.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as a trio?
We are continuously writing and hanging out sharing music with each other. Turning each other on to new ideas and sounds we discover. Being that we can record and produce our own music we are able to explore all facets of that process. Each one of us are multi-instrumentalist as well as songwriters and does not view that what we record needs to sound exactly the same live so that in itself opens a multitude of doors. I'm always remaining curious as to what explorations we take...I can be just as surprised as anyone...I like to be open to all the possibilities.