NEW ALBUM...NEW SHOWS...

 

            I think this is the 9^th time I have attempted to compose the WAY overdue Harvest City blog! Pretty sure I began the others (from 5-now) the same way. Josh Eagle and The Harvest City is a band that is making their 3^rd record. We do not know what it is yet to be called, but we have some ideas: some sentimental, some haha, some have not yet manifested…So for now we will simply call it #3. We are working a little more experimental, it seems (my dog, Gonzo, is doing the same apparently, as he recently ate one of the farmhouse chickens. That’s another story for another day!). Yes yes, we have made use of our new baby grand piano, mandolin, trash cans, banjo (once it is fixed… another studio massacre.) Leaving things wide open is important and I think very difficult to do for a lot of musicians and people in general…Our JEHC goal=  hearts beating together, our moments are to be lived in, our big egos are not aloud to exist in any way shape or form. Shit on big ego! And this works for us as we go on a musical ride. It is fun and we all dream of this to be full time so soon :)

We had a bundle of songs on the last record used for a TV show called The Voice and a few MTV spots (something about being 16 and prego)...so there’s that.

Show shows shows!  Fountain square (Cincy), Chicago, Sleepy Creek Vineyards (Illinois), and most soon to be… we’ll be opening for POMEGRANATES Album Release at Madison Theatre. If you do not know these overly talented, kind, exuberant, musical cats then you soon will. The show is June 9^th and the weather predicts awesome with a chance of orgasmic. What great new technology.

‘Til we meet again,

Josh Eagle and The Harvest City

JEHC 2011 Highlights--New Video-Happy New Year!!

Hi there. Happy New Year to you and to yours. I wish you goodness now and throughout the year.
I just said to myself how wild it was I hadn't spoken an inter-web word in damn near 6 months. Blow me down, Popeye. That is lousy, neglectful artistry. My friend Rebecca's door has hoisted a very simple, yet fabulous quote that says it all: "Painter, Paint."-Salvador Dali.
Well, Josh...Writer! Write!
I'd like to point out that even though the blogging has not been at high velocity, the past 6 months for The Harvest City and I have been busy and full of deep, creative breathing. Currently we are piecing together tunes for our next record that we begin recording in Feb. It will be on vinyl record. Why? Why not!! We prefer that method of listening and think you should also :)

--Highlights of the Year-- (In no particular order)
*Releasing A Good One is Hard to Find @ The Historical, remarkably beautiful and never forgotten(and now closed) Southgate House.
*Being nominated for 3 CEA Awards and winning for Best Singer/Songwriter
*Being a part of The Whispering Beard Festival/Family
*Performing Midpoint Music Fest
*Opening for one of the finest songwriters around, Mr. Robert Earl Keen
*Touring midwestern towns as much as humanly possible (meeting the warmest folks in excistence)
*Loving our craft and each other throughout it all!

We are putting video(s) for our songs together while we record the record. Look out for ideas that drop out of many sleeves.

Be well and Be TOTAL,

Josh

New Album...Whispering Beard Fest...Midpoint...

It has been months since I have typed anything in this blog! Shame on me...
JEHC has finished their 2nd full-length record :) What's it about? What does it sound like?
Not to be vague or anything, but it's about stuff. Yup, that's right a whole pile of stuff turned into sounds that go "BAM!" or "LALALA...POW!" 11 songs that we thought would get us a good start on conquering the world. AKA playing this part full time. We went warmer on this one. We dug deeper than we ever thought we could have and hope that ya enjoy the tunes as much as we did creating them.
What's it called? I am so glad you asked because...
A good name for an album is hard to find. How does one go about really identifying the sum of emotion and feel for a recording! It can be challenging with many push and pulls plenty of ins and outs.However, it was not for us! We knew what we wanted to call it months ago when we began recording at the All nighter, and we solidified it on the road in March.

A good anything is hard to find: a car, a friend, apartment, fishing lake, person who understands or listens, a good home.
Album number 2 = A Good One is Hard to Find

lookalikedis...

Gorgeous painting(s) by overly talented Cincy artist Jared Kaake
will be used as album cover

***To be released at the Southgate House (non-smoking Ballroom show) on July 30th..
TICKETS ON SALE @ SHAKE IT RECORDS:::

***Portions of the proceeds will go to Play It Forward, a local non-profit that is working towards health insurance for hard working musicians!


***Whispering Beard Fest is happening August 26-28
with headliners Hayes Carll and Todd Snyder, two of our favorite songwriters.
Seriously, this is not to be missed. For a complete line-up go to:

http://whisperingbeard.com/festival/the-lineup

***CINCY's own MIDPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL is a September treat. We will be there.

FACT: There is no cool holiday in September except Midpoint.

Love,

josh

Towns Filled with Sin...30 songs in 30 days...The Smurfs

Belly is filled with sugar and suppers big and dinners small. Wine is always in front of my thirsty face. I hope to the skies and beyond that everyone had a magnificent holiday, filling themselves with whatever makes them all smurfed up. Smurfed: this is a new expression I have been using. I heard my giddy gal Kelly say it on out recent New Years trip to the Red River Gorge. I'm not even really sure if I am using it in the correct context, but it sure sounds like a bubbly word. It makes me smile as I say it! If it's wrong, well, fuck it cause it makes me happy :) <--- SMURFED!

IN VEGAS VISITING GRANDFATHER
Las Vegas is difficult: Difficult to live, to stay sober, to maintain a cancer free body, to feel like a real cowboy, to breathe like a Yogi, to get around, to avoid Spanish speaking call-girl pushers, to eat well, and on and on and on. I now know - much more than ever - what Gram Parsons was singing during his lighted slurred, sedated tune, "Oh Las Vegas" ....Oh Las Vegas/ain't no place for a poor boy like me/Every time I hit your crystal city/ I know you're gonna make a mess outta me." Now I am getting a head of myself because the outskirt of tinsel town USA are budding with delights: Hoover Damn (new bridge!), Red Rock Canyon, Mico Brewers, the desert of Nevada is filled with pleasantries... NO gambling(!)

I am writing 30 songs in the month of January. I am calling the process "30 songs, 30 days". It sounds like a late teenage romance movie soon to be right around the corner on Judy Garland Street...very innocent yet fetish-able. Some ideas might not be as involved with me as others, but that is besides the point, really. The point is to lay out the brain and heart to create melody and lyrical character as a foundation- a starting line. The focus is to make sure

something new is written everyday. It has been fun to pull stuff from olde recordings summer '03-Xmas '10), to see what can be done and how the mind-of-me from 5,6, or 7 years ago can meet up with a mind-of-me today. The Harvest City and I will then dissect them like a science project. Some will be soft and easy skin to cut into like a traditional frog, or others more like wild boar with it's overly tough exterior. It is after all, Rock and Roll and not always easy.


Cincinnati heart throb/brilliant songwriter Dusty Bryant is releasing his full-length record, "Wasted Midwestern Town Blues", this coming Saturday (1-15) at Mayday in Northside. It is The Harvest City's pleasure to open up the show for him. Watch out for some of Dusty's tunes, they are right to the gut, good.

OTHERS
*Recording our 2nd Album (out in spring)
*Playing Acarya's CD Release at Northside Tavern Jan 21st
*Cbus and Dayton and Kent Shows


Cheers.

Be TOTAL,

Josh

Jackie Frost, G-Unit, New Album

What a day to be had when our sky glows different at sunset. Sure, lots of sunsets have been handed to us at the end of our days, but none are identical. None speak the same language or even toss around the same sky jargon. 

Jackie Frost is here and certainly standing much taller than she has in previous years. The cold crumbles my bones to the point of not wanting to go out of my house (not even to enjoy a delicious cigarette, which makes me even more crabby-assed). Where's jovial Josh? Where is the outlaw spirit? Is it my age creeping deeper into snowbirdism? I have no fireplace and these ears on my head are alway ringing. Jumping into a soothing hot bath filled with 3 different woman of all ages is sometimes all I can think about. The age diversity is to ensure good, hearty story telling and also to develop sexually into something not even Tony Danza has looked in the eye.

i have been drinking large amounts of nightquil the past few days. mustn't worry mom, it's not to just get high -even though that is a plus- but to fight off this satanic sickness that has grown into my nemesis. It's weird to have your enemy so close to you at all times. My weapons of choice are the G3 Bash Brothers and their Dr Sidekick: Garlic, Ginger, Green Tea, and...to keep the feet warm/smile risen...Dr. Gonzo. 

Sad to see that Bughouse Video in my neighborhood is closing down. I hear netflix is an awesome deal and unbeatable this and that, but right now F-off Netflix! Bughouse moved into Northside right about the same time I did in 2004-5ish and was my cozy spot for rentals of obscurity. Bughouse introduced me to the films of Woody Allen and Robert Altman. I wanna say that I first picked up DEER HUNTER at Bughouse (I was screwed up for a while after that one!) I must admit those freebee scratched ups I would at times gather at the library due to pocketbook casualties. When the dough was their it was dinner and a movie night at my apartment above sidewinder: Bughouse and Melt's Nacho's (kudos to DJDQ for introductions) ...So as I walked into Bughouse to find out the horrid news I decided to purchase there copies of A FISH CALLED WANDA and MAN ON THE MOON

Shit man! This is a music blog...get to it you fool

The Harvest City a greatful for all the local and regional support we have been given as of late. we recently were featured on Cincy NPR station 91.7 talking about the record and this and that. sometime soon 89.7 will be showcasing us a morning show interview. Stay tuned! I promise I will try to say something smart and wild and witty. We all like to be tickled in that pants, no?

Our new record is underway. We have many songs to pick from. Some may be surprising to us on how the actually turn out. Who knows, maybe we'll be asked to be part of White Snakes reunion tour. Or David Hasslhoffs Munich, Germany stadium sellouts. Or Maybe that Chinese Democracy Tour will finally come to the People Republic of China and The Harvest City can be asked to leave not for our belief in Democracy but because Axl required all of us to have dreads.

Wow...our record will not sound like that. I promise. :)

Next show is one week before Christmas, Dec 18th @ Northside Tavern w/ The Cliftones and The Hiders.

JEHC

Go Listen...T-shirts....Campfires breathing

GoGoGo!

The weather is calming down. Don't you love those night where you need a campfire to keep warm. The calmness then the crackling, the work for your warmth and then the wood in turn working for you...you have fulfilled the lumber's destiny in a way. The aroma of your hooded sweatshirt the next day: smokey (of course), rustic and damn near countrified! All of this is an unspoken conversation with nature. Autumn is a brilliant fucking season.

Thank you to those who came out to the shows this past weekend. Friday night at The Northside Tavern 'twas very special to us as we were bless to play with two of our favorite local acts. Scotty Anderson & The Lucky Stars and The Hiders...know that we hold you in great reverence and are proud to be devoted fans/musical comrades.

We've decided to begin recording our follow up record in November. It was quite the run around to schedule the date with Bengal's season and job and traveling and all the crap that we have to take care of in order to be comfy. 

Who wants shirts! We have shirts. They say "Josh Eagle and The Harvest City" (go figure) and then there is grain, or grass...or grain grass...Why would someone harvest grass?  Beats the hell out of me but the shirts are awesome and they are for you! Buy one for Uncle Buck. Early Christmas gift for the kids? Let's not forget that Hanukkah has 8 wild days/nights! That's a lot of gifting. These shirts are not edible but they are Kosher as Rabi Sorvo blessed them himself... he also plays a mean bass guitar. P.S. Thanks to Brendan Male for making these shirts a possibility!

In other news we are booking a spring tour as of now to visit new southern spots as well as hit up some previous friendly, hospitable rangers and slingers . If you know of some great townie bars and pubs to play in, please let us know. They are always the gems! 

Looking forward to The Clifton Heights Music Festival Oct 1-2....we'll be in the 12p.m. slot @ Murphy's (where one could listen, dance, meet a one night stand, buy a Kosher t-shirt and have a good 'ole time). 

Go to midpoint. There is so much good music at this fest and Cincy is truly lucky to have something this bodacious. TomTom Club? Caribou? Are you fucking Joking! Go get money and go. 

Kisses,

Josh Eagle and The Harvest City 

name was bojangles and he danced for me...Charlotte...

The car stinks. It’s awesome. Jeremy and Colin I think have now become full time smokers. The air conditioning shot out 2 days back and we have developed a sincere fetish for the Bojangle’s Chicken & Biscuit Company. Strangest thing about this is we haven’t even tasted this highly regarded food chain’s chicken or biscuits. I am unsure if we as a collective even know a sole being that has, but they are everywhere in the great state of North Carolina! I wonder if the Shoney’s of Kentucky and the Bojangle’s of NC have family BBQ’s on Sunday to celebrate their state’s devotion towards food that doesn’t make consumers last for long.

 

 

Charlotte -like our beautiful river town- is called “the queen city”. Cincy skyline kicks its ass. We stay with my old friend J.R. who, lucky for us, has his fiancé out of town (I love you Sara and it would have been great to see you, but us five grizzly men would have startled you) so it is nice to not worry. Arriving at the Common Market is standard: butterflies in stomach, exuberance, anxious. New things are always exciting and this sandwich shop/bar/ convenience store is a rare bird that deserves the local love it receives. We begin to load in and are greeted by the booking agent known to man. Sara is small and cute and helpful tattooed and…is a fire dancer. How bad-to-the-bone is that! She is excited to see us and points us to the outdoor where we will be playing. The stage is made for midgets but we pull off the set up and grasp our handles and mouths towards our PBR tall boys. Mingling in this spot is easy and fancy-free. It is still early and the twinkle in people’s eyes showing the eagerness to get to fun that is to be had on this Saturday evening/night. Have I mentioned the weather? Hot! The hottest day so far this year in Charlotte!

 

Collin hands out buttons and really does a great job each and every moment he has been with us. So thankful we befriended this cat. 

 

The Harvest City goes on at 9 and we open up with “Silver Locket”. A song that has tick tocked around the clock with many different meanings throughout it’s lifetime and at this point in time it feels good not to over analyze things. Just feel. Don’t think and just feel. A line in the song I have always had so personal: “I will ring the bell from the highest red rock / if you’ll ever catch me when I’m standing”. By the end of the tune I look at the other three guys and the crowed that is smiling and still curious and staring and clapping. “I’m no longer falling on my ass all the time...” I think afterwards. “Only standing taller.” Music can save a life, ya know.

 

What a show. What a neat town. We are ever grateful.