Big Harp
Big Harp haben auf ihren ersten Europatourneen Publikum und Veranstalter betört (u.a. Reeperbahnfestival, Take Root Groningen u.a.).
Mittlerweile gehört zu ihrer Musik etwas mehr „Indie-Punk-Roots", ohne daß die „intimen Balladen, open-hearted Love Songs, klassischer Country“ (Rolling Stone) fehlen würden, mit dem die Band sich ihren Status erspielt hat, der längst über den eines „Geheimtipps“ herausreicht. Und Big Harp sind eine sensationell gute Live-Band. Starring: Stefanie Drootin-Senseney (bass, vocals), Mitglied von "The Good Life", Touring- und Recording-Member etlicher Saddle Creek- und sonstiger Bands (von Bright Eyes über She & Him bis zu Azure Rey) sowie Gründerin von "Omaha Girls Rock!", einem Rock'n'Roll Camp in Omaha zur Förderung von Frauen in der Musik. Ihr Ehemann Chris Senseney (Art in Manila). Und ein Drummer.
„Formidabel." (Stern)
„Ein Trumpf von Big Harp: die sehr unterschiedlichen Stimmen von Chris Senseney (ein leicht brüchiger, nöliger, sehr beeindruckender Bariton) und Stefanie Drootin (hauchige Background-Vocals, die an Girlgroups der 60er erinnern." (Focus)
Big Harp, "Numbers" (Live on German TV, 1972):
Zwei sehr besondere Bands auf gemeinsamer Europa-Tournee im Februar 2016:
Big Harp und The Good Life.
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Big Harp - You Can't Save Em All from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.
Big Harp zu ihrem neuen Album:
"Big Harp released their new album Wavelesson August 14 via the Portland-based tape label Majestic Litter. Big Harp's third album follows up the limited edition single "It's A Shame". Waveless marks a complete sea change in the band's approach. All signs of the folk or Americana heard on their past albums are gone, replaced by loose, fast, sometimes heavy, spaced out thrash pop. Gone are the slow-burners and heavy-handed narrative lyrics which sometimes made their earlier albums sound like auditions for the role of serious songwriters. In their place are big, fuzzed-out riffs and scruffy pop melodies floating over sneakily complicated timings and changes. The exuberance and fuck-it-just-do-it-ness carries over to the release itself -- the album came out only a month or so after most of the songs were recorded. Free from the typical cycle of record - wait a year and a half - tour - write - repeat, Waveless is by far Big Harp's most immediate recording.
In the band’s own words: The truth is Big Harp doesn't really exist. It's kind of a catch-all that covers whatever Stef (Stefanie Drootin-Senseney, who plays bass and sings) and I (Chris Senseney, who plays guitar and some keys and sings) and now Daniel (Ocanto, who is the drummer) feel like doing at any particular time. None of our albums are really related to each other. We don't typically perform back catalog material; in fact, most of our songs have only been performed BEFORE they were recorded. Which could change, if we feel like it.
So, we made a new record. We're not putting it out with the labels we've worked with in the past (Fat Possum and Saddle Creek). We're releasing it on Majestic Litter, a tape and digital label run by a close friend in the Pacific Northwest. It feels pretty great to be putting out an album basically right after it's finished. A few of these new songs we recorded with John Congleton in 2014, but the rest we self-produced with our friend Pierre de Reederengineering like a month before release (June /July 2015). The music is fuzzy and poppy and kind of thrashy and Stef and I sing together a ton. We think it rules the most of all our albums, but we get that people who like the first two might not love it (they would be wrong though). Like I said, the records don't really have anything to do with each other, except that the same people made them. Sort of the same people. Although how the same are we really? Wait, wait, sorry, I'm rambling, I do that. See ya."
Stefanie Drootin-Senseney (October 2015)