Jon Harris, a guitarist and a composer, is an “emerging star” in the instrumental rock scene, based in Edmonton. His artistic ability blends technical brilliance and emotional depth, creating immersive soundscapes that push the boundaries of rock. His debut album, Parallel Heart, which will be out on the 13th of December via Epitronic Records, reflects his distinct artistic personality as a musician and a producer, taking listeners on a “journey into the heart” of musical expression. Harris has previously published three singles: Entitled, Togetherness, and My Little Lady.
Videosound Art Magazine: Your debut album, Parallel Heart, is out on the 13th of December. You have already released three singles, which, in a certain way, reveal the concept of the record – very emotional and colorful soundscape, in terms of music style. What do you think about that, and could you tell us more about the artistic idea behind the album? Are you satisfied with the whole story?
Jon Harris: This album is about life over the past few years and what happens when we try to have multiple passions going at once, hence Parallel Heart. A lot of the record was written during the pandemic, encompassing relationships in tracks like ‘Togetherness’, the birth of my daughter in tracks like ‘My Little Lady’, and having feelings of being knocked over and perhaps acknowledging that no matter how hard we try we may not be okay in tracks like ‘Humpty Dumpty’. My family and I also took time to have as much fun as possible, so that is reflected in tracks like ‘97BPM’, ‘Mehnoynoy’ which I wrote with my son, and ‘Mustard N Ketchup’ which reflects my passion for culinary.
There were no lyrics, just licks, so communicating a story was crucial. When you acknowledge the emotionality and colour of the soundscape across the album and the three singles, that tells me the work I set out to do in telling a story without words was successful. You could say I spent a lot of time “hiding the minor chords in plain sight” as the songs, although groovy, are actually packed with emotion. ‘Togetherness’ for example is quite heavy emotionally. When I played the final mix of the title track ‘Parallel Heart’ to my wife she had tears rolling down her cheeks as she pulled me in and hugged me close. There were even times during car tests of mixes that my son would even comment about how emotional some of the songs came out, and for that I’m proud.
Am I satisfied with the whole story? I am! The album, although incredibly varied, flows very well from beginning to end and is surprisingly able to reach out across the world and communicate with people without using any words, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.
Your songs appear to reflect an upbeat and bright vibe through catchy rock riffs and funky grooves. What is your perception of the music you write, enveloped in the emotions that surround the melodies? Is your art your ideal soundscape, something that motivates you?
JH: It sounds like I did my job if you think the music is catchy, upbeat and groovy! (laughs) Actually, the perception I have of my own music can be quite clinical. I often have no idea what is unfolding or happening, I just know what I need to do to finish the song. In a lot of ways, the album feels almost like it just happened, like I blinked and this album was suddenly available. (laughs) I think my family can tell you more about what I went through in writing the album, though what I can tell you is that I spent a great deal of time on the record with tempos, formats, and lastly arrangements to ensure the songs came across as best as possible. If the song didn’t slap and make you move with flawless flow from beginning to end, then I kept cracking at it until it did those things!
As far as melodies are concerned, I know that I need to have a core melody early on in the writing process, because that melody is the story, I’m trying to share with you. Although I can have a clinical ear to music, I also have the ability to feel emotions in melodies and I work relentlessly to make sure the song gets you to feel something bigger than you. Is this my ideal soundscape? What I can tell you is that this album is me, and very much me as a snapshot for the time it was written. I was true to myself writing it, and I can only hope that authenticity makes its way to you, the listener.
Do you believe that the aesthetic of a song is determined by the artist’s virtuosity, or, on the other hand, the key to a successful song lies in the simplicity of the artist’s expression? What is crucial to you when it comes to creating good music and melody?
JH: You bring up a great point, as there are several moments on this album that couldn’t have happened without a certain level of playability or virtuosity, as you so kindly put it. For example, the second verse of the song ‘My Little Lady’ has a moment where the lead guitar sounds like my daughter having a temper tantrum, and even the second verse of ‘Parallel Heart’ has moments of me having a temper tantrum and showing defiance with how I’m playing the lead guitar. (laughs) Often my wife would come into the studio while I was working and remind me to show restraint, which is also very powerful, rather than just noodling all over everything. I made it a goal not to serve a big plate of spaghetti on this record! (laughs) I think the level of virtuosity that is aesthetically pleasing can certainly be relevant to any number of people, though I get off the train at a few stops before the music becomes too technical. (laughs) I believe the key to a successful song, albeit defining success at the same time, will always lay in the artist’s expression. If the artist is able to express themselves with an intention that is true to their natural spirit, and is what the song requires then both fan and artist wins.
When it comes to creating good music and melody, it’s absolutely crucial that I ask myself two questions: “What is the story?” and “Am I still telling the story?” In order to establish the story, I move quickly into writing a core melody and work on it relentlessly until it feels correct. As the progress on the song continues, with every new addition, albeit a piano part, a lead guitar, a counter-rhythm, even drum fills, I stop to ask myself again, “What is the story?” and “Am I still telling the story?” Aside from the story, I spend a lot of time on the tempo, even continuing to change the tempo for a week or more as the track develops. The tempo has to be right so it slaps and makes you move. Lastly comes the format of the track and the arrangement of the track that help to serve the emotions, the feelings, and the story. The format needs to be right so it flows well, and the arrangement needs to be on point so the message comes across clearly.
What music inspires you the most? Connected to that – how do you feel about the global music scene nowadays, and is there any new band, composer or a musician, that you appreciate?
JH: The music that inspires me the most is centred around melody and beat. (laughs) It’s gotta slap, it’s gotta move, and it’s gotta transport me to another world! I listen to a lot of EDM, namely Trance and House, as well as a lot of 80s hair metal and 2000s nu-metal. For this album, I switched some gears ever-so-slightly listening to a lot of 70s / 80s funk with artists such as Baby Huey, The Commodores, The Brothers Johnson, Chic and of course, Prince. The two biggest guitar players to influence me would probably be Kirk Hammett of Metallica and George Lynch of Dokken and Lynch Mob. My wife has always told me that I sound a lot like Jeff Beck which was, of course, a massive compliment and a shock to my system the day she told me. I’ve also gotten comparisons to Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson which to this day still surprises me, and I’m grateful as you could say I’ve spent some time learning some of their licks over the years, too.
The global music scene now-a-days is homogenous, oversaturated, and unhealthy. At a time when it should be easier than ever for artists to be heard, there is a compound effect of larger artists not only getting all the airplay on radio, they are also on the front page of all the streaming services burying the rest of us. I read a statistic recently that 20 years ago (around the early 2000s) the charts had more variation in the artists being played in the Top 10 than there is today, and that makes sense from what I remember 20 years ago. I haven’t heard anything from modernity that has shaken me to the core like in previous years; and, as long as the mainstream continues to be dominated by larger artists using upwards of 12 songwriters on a track who are scared to write something great out of fear it won’t sell, there’s a good chance we may not hear anything exceptional for a long time.
Any newer artists I can say I really dig are Midnite City from the UK for 80s hair metal revival, Creye from Sweden for more 80s hair metal revival, Max Cruise from Australia for saxophone synthwave goodness, and, of course, my label mates Tzadok from Mexico have an incredible album coming out this month that mixes together everything I love about metal and is a must listen if you’re into bands that craftily mix multiple genres of metal together.
Are there any plans to promote the album, Parallel Heart, live at concerts?
JH: I’d like to get as much together as possible, and I am in the process of establishing a live set. Booking agents are welcome to reach out to my label to set something up info@epictronic.com , or with me directly jonmanrockmusic@gmail.com .
Album credits:
Mastering: by Kevin Ulliac at Vintique Sound
Photography by Yahozka Godfrey at Gabriela Cruz
Jon Harris, links:
www.facebook.com/jonharrisrocks
www.instagram.com/jonharrisrocks
www.youtube.com/@jonharrisrocks
Promotion – Epitronic record label:
#JonHarris #Album #ParallelHeart #EpitronicRecordLabel #KevinUlliac #VintiqueSound #YahozkaGodfreyPhotography #GabrielaCruz #VideosoundArtMagazine