Be the Pimp on TRB VIII...

The Rock Boat VIII is SOLD OUT, the waiting list is out of control, DAVID RYAN HARRIS will be there...and YOU don't have a cabin?

Well Sixthman wants to help you out.



For the 2nd year in a row, Sixthman is giving you the chance to win your way on board… in style! Sign up for your chance to win the ultimate Party In My Penthouse, aka P.I.M.P. trip, (this year with a little extra bling) on board the Carnival Imagination January 2008, sailing from Miami to Grand Cayman & Ocho Rios, Jamaica and rocking with more than 30 bands!

So... what exactly does it mean to be the Party In My Penthouse winner (with a little extra bling)??

• Category 12 Penthouse suite (sleeps up to 4 people)
• Roundtrip flights for you and up to 3 guests on AirTran Airways
• Ground transportation for up to 4 guests
• Hotel accommodations for the night of the pre-party
• VIP embarkation (front of line no matter what time)
• Ultimate TRBVIII Welcome package
• $500 Sail and Sign credit for you and your guests to enjoy onboard
• VIP seating at choice of 1 headlining show in the main room with complimentary champagne
• Priority meet and greet line placement
• Chance to announce one TRB band on stage!
• Admission to sound check for one headlining artist
• Private show in the Penthouse suite by one of our TRBVIII artists, subject to availability
• Personal interview and article about YOU in the 1st day of the TRB onboard caper
• More P.I.M.P. swag than you can handle!

To enter the contest go to http://partyinmypenthouse.com/.

Old Interview/Review - Boundary Jumpers

Boundary Jumpers
Friday, February 04, 2005
MARTY HUGHLEY

Let's put this simply, shall we? David Ryan Harris is a musician you really should go to hear.

His name isn't widely known, and if you've heard him at all, chances are it's been in the role of sideman. But his own work is richly rewarding, eclectic yet accessible, brimming with chops and soul. Rock, funk, soul, blues mingle in refreshing ways that remind you why you liked any or all of those styles in the first place. Highly recommended.

Same goes for Citizen Cope. Like Harris, Cope (as he's called for short; his real name is Clarence Copeland Greenwood) makes music that doesn't conform to simplistic classification. He hasn't had the best of luck getting through the major-label mill and reaching a sizable audience. But he's gaining traction with his second release, the critically praised "The Clarence Greenwood Recordings."

Both singer/songwriter/guitarists play Monday at Berbati's Pan, on a bill headlined by Marc Broussard. All three acts straddle genres, show the influence of Southern roots, can groove well and play with passion, so the evening should have a certain cohesiveness to it as well as variety.

"Everybody has their own take on it," as Harris put it recently by phone. "Everybody's mixed up the pot. Marc has his Louisiana thing, Cope is more East Coast and mine is kind of a Southern thing, but now maybe also So Cal -- though not in a No Doubt way."

Broussard, at least to judge by his first major-label release, "Carencro," isn't nearly as imaginative or as compelling as the others. (Though he does serve as a common connection: Harris co-wrote two songs on "Carencro," and that album's first song includes the line "me and my daddy and a kid named Cope, making music that nobody would hear.")

Harris first emerged in the early 1990s as an Atlanta teenager in a punk/funk band called Follow for Now that tried to squeeze through the black-rock door of opportunity briefly opened by Living Colour. Then, as musical director for Dionne Farris, he helped the former Arrested Development singer reach the Top 10 with her hit single "I Know." In recent years he's played in John Mayer's band.

Harris' big solo shot came in 1997, when he released an album through Sony, on a boutique label led by Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien. It was a brilliant amalgam of the Stevie Wonder, the Allman Brothers and the more earnest side of Prince. But its unclassifiability and the vagaries of record biz politics and promotion doomed the record to relative obscurity. Later, he teamed up with ex-Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt in Brand New Immortals, issuing an album on Elektra. Harris' more recent works "Soulstice" and "Atlanta" have been put out on his own and are available online. Perhaps the cultural climate is better suited now to accept music that goes beyond category.

"(In the mid-'90s) we didn't have the culture of iTunes and of indie music being low-hanging fruit," he said. "I think the thing that's changed is there being a greater number of people who seek out new things. I don't have to homogenize what I do so much."

Harris won't be bringing a band for this tour, but that shouldn't diminish the power of his presentation. Citizen Cope, in a separate phone interview, recalled being "blown away" seeing Harris open for Farris long ago with a solo acoustic set like the one he'll perform in Portland.

Cope will have a four-piece backing band including players who've worked with the likes of OutKast and Robert Randolph. The inspirations for his character-driven, cinematic soul-rock range from Willie Mitchell's productions for Al Green to Radiohead to the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

"I don't want to sound like anybody else," Cope said. "But at the same time, I want people to enjoy my music and be inspired. Ultimately, people like they sound 'cause they sound like they sound. But you make more of an impact when you change the boundaries of what came before." DAVID RYAN HARRIS

Source: The Oregonian

PhotoShoot from the Days of Olde

Circa '97?














Source: Paxtonimages.com

DRH at the Hotel Cafe

Work It!

Photos from the 8.7.07 John Mayer Tampa show:










And one of JJ just because he's funny:


*These are all photographs I found on the web. If any were taken by you, hit me up so I can credit you properly.

Source: The Interwebs

Old Interview/Review - Brand New Immortals Biography

Brand New Immortals - Biography

[Review: Tragic Show 6/30/01]


Brand New Immortals' name may give some clue as to their real mission: Not out to save rock, just turn its eternal flame up a notch. Powered by a phosphorous blend of compelling lyrics, saw-toothed guitars, and sonically honed percussion/loops, their 12 song debut, Tragic Show, tips its hat to the rock/blues and even funk roots of the Immortals' rollicking cast: vocalist/guitarist David Ryan-Harris, bassist Johnny Colt and drummer Kenny Cresswell.

Johnny Colt, resident multi-hyphenate of the band (ex-Black Crowe, current yoga-aficionado, revered bassist, and accomplished songwriter) points to the band's dedication to songwriting as their greatest strength. "David and I had known each other for a long time. We agreed on one rule when we set out on this journey. We were not going to do anything until we had written a set of songs that moved people, that we thought had the potential to affect people's lives."

Consider that tall order accomplished. Steel-eyed rockers like "Reasons Why," and the punchy "Black Sun" are complemented by the funked-up sprawl of "Kalifornia" and "High Time." All 12 songs were good enough to draw the attention of longtime friend/acclaimed producer Brendan O' Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, among others). O'Brien's deft touch helps make Tragic Show one of the most solid rock debuts of the year.

"We all started intersecting at the right time," says David. "I was working on a project with Brendan when he had his label deal at Columbia. He and Johnny and me all knew each other from our Atlanta days."

David made his first splash on the Atlanta rock scene with the eclectic cult-band Follow For Now. Brendan, also relatively unknown at the time, produced their early demos. "The Crowes were just starting back then," recalls Johnny. "We weren't known outside of Atlanta yet. Follow For Now was the hot band and we were right behind them." The close relationship now enjoyed by David and Johnny wouldn't really kick in until much later. But Kenny knew Johnny quite well during those formative years. "I was in one of Johnny's first bands, even before the Crowes. We always stayed friends," he says.

Johnny torpedoed to rock stardom with the Black Crowes, and David rolled with Follow For Now. The two Immortals would meet again, however, on a mid-'90's H.O.R.D.E. tour that seem to spark the possibility of working with each other. "It was one of those tours that just had a great camaraderie, a great spirit of community. He played me about 30 songs he was working on. We renewed our friendship, and kicked around the idea that maybe we'd do something together."

In 1998 Johnny left the Black Crowes. "Instead of expanding creatively, my role seemed to be diminishing," he says. "It was just time to move on." Intermittently, he also took time off to do some soul searching, traveling to India and taking up yoga. In fact, the band's moniker - Brand New Immortals - most likely was coined because of Johnny's exploration of a tenet of yoga known as Vendanta.

"Basically, it follows a philosophy that we are immortal, that there isn't any division between people, that we all stem from a universal tide. It reflects the transcendence of karma that says we are never born and we never die."

But they do rock - and thus, Brand New Immortals were born.

"I don't know if you could say we really had a charter for the band," says David. "But we all had our influences. Things that might not immediately come to mind if you knew our previous work. Bjork. Band Of Gypsies. Parliament. All that informed what we wanted to do."

Kenny adds that the strong mutual friendships seemed to anchor the band to something real. "I was Johnny's roommate. In some ways it's all so simple. This is an opportunity to play with my very best friends in a really good band. When we're on stage we can simultaneously read each other. It's almost second hand. Our relationship to each other gives this group its backbone."

A quick listen to the poignant "Satellites" or the haunting vocals of "If I Had A Dime" confirms a mystical, indefinable quality to Brand New Immortals - timeless ingredients that could be attributed to their organic roots. "Look at a song like 'King For A Day'" says David. "It's not a song a 19 year old could write. It's got an old soul flair to it, but at the same time it's more pumped up."

In fact, the lyrics of the song pose an age-old question - one certainly appropriate for a band who dare call themselves Brand New Immortals: 'Am I a king for a day, or a fool for a lifetime.' About to launch a whole new chapter of his career, it's a question Johnny has no doubt asked himself. "I think Brand New Immortals was a way for us to re-discover what we've always been," says Johnny. "The minute David and I started writing songs together, it was like we were reborn. I never had so much energy. I never wanted to be out on the road so bad. We have all been in a number of bands. We decided if we were ever going to do this again, you better believe it's going to be special."


Source: hiponline.com

Song of the Week - King For a Day

David Ryan Harris - King for a Day (Smith's Olde Bar 1/5/07)

LYRICS:
I took the pill like I was told
And I prayed that it would ease my nerve
The room went black and the day grew cold
I guess I got what I deserve

One feathered bed, a busted spring
Man, I took everything and I wonder where I am
Where I am

I am king for a day or a fool for a lifetime
One day I might find out who I am
I am king for a day or a fool for a lifetime
One day I'll find out who I am

I drank the wine 'til I was done
and it made me weak it made me numb
I wondered who I had become
I ran to what I was running from

One feathered bed, an open wing
Man, I took everything and I wonder where I am
Where I am

I am king for a day or a fool for a lifetime
One day I might find out who I am
I am king for a day or a fool for a lifetime
One day I might find out who I am

Took some time to see
Wings don't make you free
Wind won't make you get high

Took some time to see
Wings don't make you free
Wind won't make you get high


Taped/Transferred by: Geneva Weaver

John Mayer Photo Blog

All Photographs Taken by John Mayer.


Off Day



Off Day II



For the rest of the photographs in the series, go here:
Source: John Mayer Photo Blog @ stunningnikon.com NVM link deleted by Nikon so here are the rest of the pics:



Rene at Soundcheck



Beach Walk



End of the Tour



Stop This Train



Dusk Again



Under the Boardwalk



Minimal Lighting



Feeding Frenzy



JJ Downtime



Another Day Another Driver



Clouds Rolling In



Natural Gels

Old Interview - Everything Old is New Again

Everything old is New again

The not-so-unlikely success of the Brand New Immortals

BY LEE SMITH
Published 09.30.00


Inside a cavernous rehearsal hall, the Brand New Immortals are finishing a blazing version of "Kalifornia," a track from their just-released EP. The song seems a fitting prelude to an upcoming trip planned to the Left Coast to play the infamous Viper Room. "I'm gonna go there and just punch somebody," jokes David Ryan Harris, the soft-spoken front man for the band. Harris and company, however, won't have to pick a fight with anyone to make their big dent.

Harris, the former leader of Follow For Now, is joined by former Black Crowes' bassist Johnny Colt, drummer Kenny Cresswell, of the now-defunct blues-rockers Gracie Moon, and Mac Carter, guitarist for the recently reunited Kathleen Turner Overdrive. Individually, the members have been making a name for themselves since the '80s.

Today, this locally bred supergroup is currently making their presence felt beyond Atlanta. After being thrown into regular rotation at local modern-rock station 99X their song "Reasons Why" has been subsequently added to playlists across the country, bringing major label reps with begging pens. But the band has actually been working on their overnight success for over two years now.

"I liken all this to how Michael Jordan refers to things as 'going in slow motion,'" says Harris as he calmly takes a sip of coffee.

The Immortals' growing fame is somewhat amusing, considering the fact Colt and Harris started it as a salute to Atlanta producer Nick Didia's love of Bruce Springsteen. "He [Didia] always teased me that I look like Bruce," says bassist Colt. "So I called Dave and asked him to come be Clarence Clemmons as a joke."

Colt had left the Black Crowes in '97 and was eager to try his hand as a songwriter. In Didia's house is the 2-inch tape machine that the Black Crowes recorded their Southern Harmony And Musical Companion album on. "So I just went to work in his basement, teaching myself to engineer and sing," Colt explains.

The plan was to do only one song, "but we all got in a room -- with Phil Zone, Joey Huffman and Harold Sellers -- and wound up writing songs." "We had more rehearsals than shows," Harris says.

The makeshift Springsteen tribute band was dubbed the New Immortals. "I told David, obviously you need to be singing. I will get back on the bass and we will do this right. That's when it really locked."

"See, we all were slightly shell-shocked," says Colt. "David was leaving Sony after his solo record and I had just left my family, basically. The Crowes were the people I had been with since I was just a kid."

As the leaders' nerves calmed, they began to enjoy the process more. "We walked in with a really good idea of what we wanted the Immortals to be sonically and structurally and I think we hit it."

Harris and Colt went through an intensive period of writing; then the band started playing live last year.

"They know how to handle it and they don't have to rush into anything," says 99X Program Director Leslie Fram. "All that has to happen is for anyone to come see this band live. Johnny has got the look and the moves and David is such a star and has one of the best voices out there." After seeing the band at this years' Music Midtown, Fram decided to add their song "Reasons Why" to regular rotation then asked the Immortals to headline the "Locals Only" stage at this years' Big Day Out.

Harris is excited about playing to the big crowds at the event. "It will be one of the first shows we've done since 99X has been playing us," he says. "It's actually generated a Brand New Immortals crowd. We have only played maybe 20 shows total and it's difficult to build an audience without airplay. Now the album is out, it will be good to interact with people familiar with the material."

All the Immortals agree that Music Midtown was the turning point for the band. Though it was more or less their debut as a band, the big stage performance was old hat for the members.

"They looked like they'd been playing together live for 10 years," Fram recalls. "To really make it in this business you have to have the whole package and these guys have it all."

"The next few shows coming up are going to be definitive statements by us to set the record straight as to where we are coming from," promises Colt. "The unknown should be known around the time of Big Day Out."

Source: CreativeLoafing.com

Song of the Week - Genie

David Ryan Harris - Genie (Smith's Olde Bar 6/28/06)

LYRICS:
My, my what good fortune.
I found a genie on my front porch and I’m gonna use him
to get next to you.
I won’t wish for diamonds, long life, or money
Just for a moment alone with you honey.
I’m trying to use him to get next to you.

Chorus:
I’ve got a feeling I’m wasting my wishes
I’ve got a feeling you’ll never be true
I’ve got a feeling your mountains too high
your river is too wide
I’ve got a feeling you’ve got a genie too,
and your genie is stronger than mine.

You’re mine all mine, you’re my destiny.
I’ll have my genie use his trickery to tempt and entice
oh, to bring me next to you.
Mystical sorcerer taste my longing, sate my appetite.
I’m gonna use him to put a hex on you.

Chorus

Your genie does things that mine can’t do.
Your genie does things that mine can’t do.

Chorus

Your genie does things that mine can’t do.
Your genie does things that mine can’t do.
Your genie does things that mine can’t do.
Your genie does things that mine can’t do.


Taped/Transferred by: Geneva Weaver