The Technician

How many people know what a didgeridoo is or better yet how it sounds played over a jazz melody?  Rubes Bar and Grill hosted the band Harper on February 28, 2009 and there was an abundance of didgeridoo, harmonica, steel drums, bass guitar, and other instruments.  In order to get in there was no cover charge and the age limit was eighteen years or older.  Rubes Bar and Grill is located conveniently less than a mile north on Chevrolet Avenue from Kettering University Campus.  It’s within walking distance if you can handle the winter weather.  The drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is welcoming to people of all sorts.  Recently, the bar went through some renovation in which the interior was repainted and lighting was added. The new look brings a mellow and relaxing feeling to the bar. 

Harper mixes rock, blues, soul, and world music into a unique and mesmerizing sound.  The band gave it their all at Rubes, and the crowd showed their appreciation in numbers and applause.  Rube’s crowd was far larger and more diverse than the typical crowd.  The variance in age was impressive.  One thing I noted about the audience was how few Kettering students were in attendance during the concert.  There were no more than seven students, including my friends and me.  I wish there was a larger Kettering presence at local events such as the concert because we can help Flint by spending money at local businesses.  Rube’s isn’t the biggest venue, but the sound system and DJ were collaborating perfectly.  The vocals were crisp and the instruments were profound, without overwhelming the crowd.  The worst thing at concert is when you can’t hear the vocals through the booming guitar and drums, which was not the case at Rubes.  Harper himself even commented that the DJ really made him sound like a professional.  The only instrument that could have been amplified slightly more was the steel drum, but it was still audible. 

Harper was born in the United Kingdom and started his music career performing in brass bands.  As a young boy at the age of ten his family moved to the town of Perth in Western Australia.  Perth was a very isolated city, but it had a successful blues and folk scene.  Harper learned how to play the didgeridoo from the Australian Aborigines, and he brought this skill all the way to Flint Michigan.  It was great hearing an instrument hardly known to the American culture.  Harper even said that, “The didgeridoo is a spiritual and healing instrument and it seemed blues music accepted it with open arms."  The harmonica and harp are also in his bank of instruments.  During the February 28^th concert Harper didn’t use the harp, but he heavily used the harmonica.  Electronic enhancement of the harmonica takes Harper’s talent past the competition and reaches into the roots of deep blues music.  This enhancement truly made the harmonica stand out over the guitars and drums with its piercing notes.  The lyrics of his music cover many themes, mainly the plight of the Aborigines in Australia.  A few of the songs he sang at the concert were One Day, Face the Truth, Get Out of this Mess, and Watch Your Back.  Some of his inspiration came from Muddy Waters, Sunny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter, Sugar Blue, and Stevie Wonder (http://www.harper.biz/).

Harper released six albums in Australia before coming to America in 1996, and he has toured in America ten times.  His rare blends of music have been shared with many countries, including Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, and France.  Due to the popularity of his music in America he has permanently moved to the U.S.  Blind Pig signed Harper to their label, making him their first international signing.  The next time Harper will visit Rubes Bar and Grill is April 17th and he will also be stopping in Ann Arbor Michigan at the Fire Fly Club on April 11th (http://www.harper.biz/).  Hopefully with this article there will be more students at Rube’s for Harper’s next showing, and I can assure you that it’s worth the time.  Brain Doolittle, a former Kettering student once said, “How can you beat hearing a didgeridoo and steel drums jamming together for over an hour. Sublime!”

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