interview with Harlow – Detroit
Have any of you played in other bands? Yes. We've all been in a few bands before we all landed in Harlow. Broke, Shudder, Avarice, and 12 Gauge Persuasion to name a few.
How is it that you started playing music? As the band Harlow, it started with Kelly and I wanting to start a musical project together. We had been in other bands but it was time to do our own thing the way that we wanted to. Then we needed a guitar player, so we talked to Joe and when we got together, we realized that we had the same ideas. Then when it came to finding a drummer, Kevin really liked the idea that we were going for. So when we all got together to jam for the first time, everything just clicked and we decided that we had something special and ran with it.
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?
Lauren Weaver, Vocals, 29
Joe Allen, Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals, 29
Kelly Weaver, Bass Guitar and Backing Vocals, 38
Kevin Razlog, Drums, 27
Have you had other previous members? No
Did you make music even when you were young? Yes. We've all been playing and been involved with music from a young age. However, I think for all of us as individuals, our musical journeys started when we were teenagers and playing in bands in high school.
Where are you from? Detroit, Michigan. United States
What year did the band form? 2013
What's your style of genre? Hard Rock/Alternative
What inspires you? Personal experiences and day to day life. Music is a means to escape, cope, and celebrate so i think all of those things play their own part to inspire us.
How often and where do you reherse? When we're not on the road, we usually rehearse twice a week and in the basement of mine and Kelly's house.
How have you developed since you started with the music? Music has a way of shaping and making us grow as individuals and as a band. We've had many experiences, good and bad. You live through them and learn from them and move on.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? We all have "day" jobs when we're not playing music. Lauren is a Hairdresser, Kelly works in logistics, Kevin is in computer technology, and Joe works in the auto industry.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We currently do our own booking. Kevin has taken the lead and really thrived in booking all of our performances. He has done an amazing job so far so as of right now, we're going to stay with the course that we're on.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? We've done a good job as being an independent act so far. We've only been together for a year and a half and have a great momentum going. We're not opposed to being on a label. I believe that when the time is right, the opportunity will present itself.
What made you decide to make this music? After being in many different bands, I think we all needed a change. And when something clicks and the chemistry is right, you just run with it.
What are your songs about? A lot of different things. Bad relationships, struggling with depression, back stabbing friends, losing loved ones, and rising above all the negative things in your life and learning to live and thrive from those experiences.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? We all play our part in the music composition, but Lauren writes all of the lyrics.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? We do both simultaneously, usually. Joe will start with a guitar riff, then Kelly and Kevin join in with bass and drums while Lauren listens and writes the lyrics. After a couple hours, we could have a completed song.
Do you compose in a certain environment? Most of our writing is done at rehearsal.
Have you done any covers live? We've done quite a few, but I would say the one that we do the most often (in our usual set) is a hard rock version of "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry. We'll be recording it and releasing a music video for it in the next couple months.
What language do you sing in? English
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? We've played anywhere from 10-200 people. There's good nights and bad nights.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? We have a wide demographic range. Ages 18 to 45. We have a little bit of something for everyone.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We usually play the same set but depending on the crowd and type of show, we like to change it up.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? Not really. We don't play a lot of shows in our home town because we're on the road a lot. But we do have places in surrounding states that we've played quite a few times.
What was your first gig like? It was at a venue that I (Lauren) have been playing at since age 16. We had a lot of people there to support us because they knew us all from the different bands that we had been in. We were all pretty comfortable playing together considering we had only been together as a band for 3 months before our first show. We were all pretty happy with it.
What was your latest gig? We just got done with an outdoor festival in Ohio. We camped there also, but it rained the entire day so we were all pretty soaked by the end of the day. We had a blast, though.
Have you had to cancel a gig? Not that I can recall, although we have had shows cancel on us before. When we make a commitment, I feel its necessary to keep them.
Where have you played live this year? We've been playing in our neighboring states a lot. Indiana, Ohio, and in Michigan mostly, but we've also played in Pennsylvania. All in the U.S.
Where do you plan to gig the coming year? We have shows coming up in Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, New York, and Connecticut to name a few. We're getting ready for our first 10 day tour in August hitting some more southern states.
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We've had merch since our first show, just t - shirts and stickers. Now we have a lot; CD's, t - shirts, tank tops, hooded sweatshirts, dog tag necklaces, wrist bands, drink coolies, lanyards, buttons, stickers, and underwear.
Where can people buy your merchandise? https://www.squareup.com/market/harlowband
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records nowadays? I think its a great way to reach a wider range of people. You could reach a greater audience that might not have local access to your music.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? It might have taken away a more personal experience and stifled the way that musicians make money from their art and craft, but like I said in the above question, it broadens your audience and helps reach people that you might have never gotten to.
What do you think of my work? I think its great that you're reaching out to bands and artists to help get their music out there. We all need as much support as possible and things like this are vital in keeping music alive.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? I think it will open peoples minds and let them into the inter workings behind the band and music. Things like this help spread our message and reach people that we may not have had access too. Its very important to travel any avenue that presents itself to get your music out there and share your love for your work.
Why do you think that they exist? Hard work and dedication. Nothing in this life just gets handed to you. You have to work hard to get where you want to go and dedication always goes hand in hand with that.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? They both share and equal part. You have to look to older bands to learn from their past experiences but also draw from current acts and musicians to look for where you want to go in the future.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Overcoming stigmas and genres. We have a female singer so everyone automatically assumes what you're going to sound like. We've been told that our music is "too hard" for certain shows and that we're "not hard enough" for other shows. We kind of get stuck in limbo sometimes, but then we are given a chance to prove ourselves, we deliver and blow those stigmas out of the water.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? Love what you do and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Be professional, be dedicated, be passionate, and work as hard as you can.
How do you get psyched for a gig? We try to keep each other pumped as much as possible. We have ritual "fist bump" that we do right before we're about to start our performance. A beer or two always helps, too. (laughing)
Do you have any new material?
We just released our first music video for our song "Shattered" which is also the first single and title track off our full length album "Shattered" that will be out this fall. You can watch the video here - http://www.vevo.com/watch/harlow/shattered/QMGR31513115
We also have our current EP available in our merch store or you can listen on our website - www.Harlowband.com
What are your web sites?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarlowDetroitRocks
Twitter : @HarlowDetroit
Instagram ; @HarlowDetroit
Reverbnation ; www.Reverbnation.com/HarlowDetroit
Vevo : www.vevo.com/artist/Harlow
How can people reach you? The can reach us at any of the social media mentioned above or email us at [email protected]
What are your plans for the future? We'll be touring and working on the new album well into the fall. Then we hope to do a full blown tour with the new album in early 2015.
Do you have something to add? We want to thank you for giving us this opportunity to open up and share Harlow with you! We also want to thank everyone for their ongoing support of Harlow and we hope to have nothing but good and awesome stuff for everyone in the future.