Today we’d like to introduce you to Harris Breyfogle.
Hi Harris, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is simple; I was raised in small-town Virginia on a strict diet of blues, roots & rock ‘n’ roll. My father & mother were extremely artistic in their taste of all things. There were delicate paintings around the house, choice albums & southern comfort food on the table, so there was creation in every square inch of my childhood. Like music, I am an amalgam of the world around me, absorbing the things that stain me and doing away with the rest. So, I maintain a strong affinity for old sounds, worn things and music that reflects tradition.
For me, there is no more sacred of a place, representing the convergence of those traits, than the blues. When I was young it really became a safe destination for escapism amongst a world of business, economics and combat. And the people around me studied these fields as I was always the odd one out in academics.
I attended boarding school, where I did “okay”, but spent the large majority of my time violating quiet hours from my dorm room with my guitar at concert volumes. From there, I got into Berklee and quickly became enamored with the rich world of musicians it provided. And then, unlike some, I graduated.
In 2020 I moved to Los Angeles and brought a little bit of home with me, assembling a large country-rock band of mostly East Coasters and Southerners. Together we toured, recorded & elevated the blues. Or as I call it: country-fried, finger-lickin’, honky-tonk rock ‘n’ roll, beer-battered and dipped in guitar solos…or “solos & bolos” for short.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fuck no. Just simply, no.
It has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and to sell it as anything short of a gamble would be absurd. That’s not to say that I am not extremely blessed, though. The arts from end to end, top to bottom, are performative, and there are far too many artists painting their journey as this clear, linear launch pad with a “how-to” process—marketable & glorious.
I’ve had jobs I didn’t like, letdowns, bad shows, failures, gigs fall through, tours back out, bad contracts on the table, and music I wasn’t proud of. But this is part of the process, no? Failure is, hands down, the most important thing, period. Why? Because it adds real value to the successes. And my successes have been immeasurably fulfilling, and I am grateful every single day that I have the life that I do—playing music with my loved ones in beautifully adorned spaces.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in a narrow and yet deep lane of sound. The sounds of Americana, the Great American Songbook & hard-driven blues through the lens of a single-coil pickup. People come to me for loud amps, guitar tones & sets that leave a little bit of tinnitus in their ears.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Community, there is no music without community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://harrisandhisguitar.squarespace.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrismusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@harris_music
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ON7FATSdTyyyi5ZMy4Jjo?si=U1c1LWvLRcavfG0-dV3Uug&nd=1&dlsi=00bd70ad2fe142a2
