After spending most of the early nineties recording ambling melodies and random sounds on a boom box in his bedroom, John Harrison got his hands on a 4-track. The device allowed him the newfound ability to meld songs and noises into layered compositions. The result was experimental, a whim. It was also a sonic epiphany for Harrison that eventually led to the stylistic center of North Elementary, a band whose music bursts with noise collage embellishment and power pop cheer.
Nowadays, North Elementary functions as much as a “musical collective†as anything. Harrison is ever the adept and amused lead songwriter, but he shares creative control with an imitable crew made up of Chad AC (drums), Jimmy Thompson (bass), Betty Rupp (keyboard/vox), and Sean Parker (guitar/vox). With five records (Out of Phase, Lose Your Favorite Things, Berandals, Lovesday Dead Down, & Not For Everyone Just for You) and a 7†project ( the Weeble Wobble Sound Series) wrapped and a new full length on the way, North Elementary has no intention of slowing down, but you should probably take this opportunity to catch up. See North Elementary along with Inspector 22 and The Wild Complete at The Reservoir this Tuesday, June 22nd.
And now just five quizzical questions of the principal of North E:
1. If your band were a planet, which would it be?
Uranus – hahahahaha…that never gets old
2. When was the moment you first thought music was something you might like to try?
I’ve always been interested in sound…..first by listening to the radio and wondering where it was all coming from….. and then by recording things on an old tape recorder …..like the birds outside, cars going by and things like that. I was attracted to drums at first….I wanted to make those sounds and I guess when you do that you are wanting to become a musician…..that’s how it all started. I liked sounds and wanted to know how to make them….I still do that.
3. Describe the way your visual art and your music shape each other.
They both come from a similar place. A need to create something that wasn’t there before.  If I get tired or bored of myself in one medium I can change up the tools and ways to output my thoughts and ideas instead of just not creating. Using both mediums gives me a way to still be creating when a musical or visual art lull arrives. I get musical ideas while painting or screen printing – I certainly listen to a lot of music while do it. On the flipside – I like view sounds as you would view color…..I like to create so it gives me another way to do so.
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
Hmmmm….not sure how surprising it would be but some of the first music I heard and was played around me in a live setting where southern Baptist hymns…..I still like the melodies in those songs such as “nothing but the blood†and “that old rugged cross.†The songs have deep meaning and an obvious redemption quality –– I like the weight they carried – they seemed very important.
I like really like the soundtrack to RENT. I listen to it every year when I drive to St Louis at Christmas time. The production and some of the lyrics are over the top but most every song is pretty good and many are downright brilliant…..
The Beastie Boys – I think they are a creative force for good – from my purchase of “License to Ill†in the 8th grade to watching the awesome Scott Walker documentary released by their production company Oscilloscope Laboratories last year I always check in to see what is up with them.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how’d that turn out?)
I first wanted to be a garbage man. It looked like fun to ride on the outside of the truck and compact all the garbage. I used to wait for them in the summer so I could watch them compact it……sometimes they let me pull the lever. This dream died once I realized how early you had to get up. Once that dream died I dreamed of being a backup number two guard for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA…..this did not turn out good.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Follow your feet over to The Reservoir this Tuesday to catch North Elementary live. And by all means, give John a high five when you see him!