the harmonica pocket a description of the music
- keeth monta apgar acoustic wah-wah guitar, words, harmonica
- jon ryser alto saxophone
- nala walla vocal harmony, hula hoop
- lorne watson percussion
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what is the harmonica pocket?
the harmonica pocket begins simply as the swinging songs of composer keeth monta apgar. keeth delivers storytelling lyrics accompanied by thick jazz chord progressions wrapped up into thoughtful, mature songs.
keeth’s songs are brought to life by a rotating musical pop-gang of friends. harmonica pocket songs are as diverse as the players who play on them. along with numerous other musicians, instruments, and sounds, harmonica pocket regulars include:
keeth monta apgar– acoustic wah-wah guitar,
harmonica, vocals
jon ryser– alto saxophone
nala walla – vocal harmony and hula hoop
lorne watson– congas / drum kit
as both a recording and live performance project, the harmonica pocket
is known for its outside-the-box, headphone-pop, and highly improvised
live shows laced with unusual cover songs. the harmonica pocket
also has a touring children's
show which has performed in classrooms, libraries, and festivals.
the harmonica pocket's 2008 release ladybug one, a parent's choice recommended award winner, is a truly all-ages album made for kids and adults to listen to together. the album was recorded off the grid using solar electricity and is full of genre-crossing originals and twists on traditional folk songs. kidsmusicthatrocks.com said "you won't hear arrangements like this on any other album for children."
from the opening soundscape the light of a firefly featuring a science lesson presented by an 8 year old, straight into the 60s inspired pop-jazzy firefly; or from the supercatchy horn-laden reggae counting song ladybug 123 to the darkest version of the alphabet song you've ever heard (complete with wah-wah guitar and electronic beats), the harmonica pocket consistently takes musical risks and colors outside the lines of what everyone else is doing.
ladybug one also includes a version of o susanna in 5/4 time with sitar and tabla accompaniment and then chills out listeners with six tracks of "bedtime music" for the napping crowd. the colorful cd release contains illustrated liner notes, lyrics, and a letter to listeners.
the harmonica pocket's music has charted on core college and non-commercial CMJ radio stations around the country, satellite radio stations, is being played on MTV and other cable stations, and is currently being downloaded all over the planet.
pull up a tea cup and put on some harmonica pocket. your ears will smile.
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| keeth monta apgar
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in his nineteen prolific years of songwriting, the harmonica pocket’s keeth monta apgar has created an enormous catalog of music.
with well over 400 song compositions, keeth has developed an untraditional style of weaving acoustic wah-wah guitar, lush jazz chords, and image-evoking lyrics into intelligent, refreshing pop. his soulful songs effortlessly span the genres, navigating folk, blues, reggae, and childrens. keeth holds a degree in ethnomusicology from mary washington university, spent half a year studying the didgeridoo in australia, and plays the mbira – a “thumb piano” from zimbabwe. he composes music for dance companies and writes musicals, among them a rock opera called the jigsaw dog.
keeth loves to write and perform children’s music. he teaches and performs at schools, festivals, and libraries up and down the west coast. his "harmonica pocket children's show" is a mix of original tunes and twists on classic american folk songs, a combo which entertains and delights both kids and their parents by blending music with movement.
ASCAP has honored keeth with several songwriting awards, and has booked him to perform at invitational songwriter workshops and showcase events in new york, nashville, and hollywood. his 2008 release ladybug one was a parents' choice recommended award winner.
keeth has a growing collection of strange canned foods, and is not embarrassed to cite eddie van halen as a major musical influence. he can be regularly found strumming up a tune in seattle, wearing an unusual hat, or planting a tree in his orchard on a tiny island in the puget sound.
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| jon ryser |
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don’t arrest that man! the beautiful bald fella playing the horn is jon ryser.
though jon majored in voice at dick grove's school of music (you should hear him sing sam cooke's "a change is gonna come"), the alto saxophone is his preferred musical choice. jon is a true listener, and his melodic ideas often reference the vocal melodies of the tunes he plays.
regarding his approach to playing a solo on the horn, jon says: "i try to begin with a strong statement and then elaborate on it, much like one would in a conversation. a solo is one's time to really 'speak' to the listener. i try to say something worthwhile and coherent."
jon, also known as "big talk," gets around. in addition to the harmonica pocket, the list of bands he plays with is longer than the line at the pancake breakfast on strawberry syrup day. here is a much abridged, short stack sampling:
dub championz
stingshark
phat sidy smokehouse
marmalade
the high children
if you're looking for jon he can be found sipping a warm drink with a wheat free cookie, creating electronic sounds for video games with names like "grutter flut air streaks” and "medium warble zop," or taking a walk with his daughter willow.
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| nala walla |
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born an east coast kid in queens, nala walla grew up sneaking out of her bedroom window to dance it up at new york city clubs. after seeing some of her first big trees in college, nala landed in seattle and then spent two years sailing to alaska and back on a catamaran.
nala brings her transdisciplinary background to the harmonica pocket as a vocalist, improv dancer, and hula hoop artist. she blends her voice in vocal harmony, and also plays the spider and the ladybug at harmonica pocket children's shows.
nala's movement draws on contact improv, butoh, aerial dance, and clown. off stage, she is a community building activist, writer, and permaculture teacher who integrates principles of ecology into the interactive, body-based arts through her group Bcollective.org.
if you want to make a good impression on nala, bring her a bouquet of organic vegetables, something chocolate, or some 10 penny nails to hit with her hot pink hammer.
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| lorne watson
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lorne watson was banging on stuff before he had teeth. after moving on to solid foods, he got his first drum at 2 years old and has put some serious time into studying music.
after high school, lorne continued his percussion studies playing and recording with the robert hohner percussion ensemble at central michigan university where he graduated with a bachelors of arts in music education and percussion performance. around this time lorne was locally famous for getting air in his tan 1982 chevette, once landing it in a ditch.
tired of scraping ice and snow from his beat up car, lorne headed west to seattle where he taught percussion at the seattle drum school and music northwest, and also joined the harmonica pocket.
with a strong focus on western classical music and a deep interest in folk music from around the world, lorne has developed a unique style combining congas with the modern drum set played with mallets, brushes, and his bare hands.
lorne now calls brooklyn NY home and is involved in a handful of musical projects including new york city chamber group LOOP 2.4.3. lorne is author of the 2005 publication three dimensions: hands, reading, drumset -- a drum method book for all levels.
these days, lorne can be found accepting applications for roadies, eating mashed potatoes, and tapping out a melody on his snare drum.
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