Recently I got the chance to play a track by Harvest Blaque and Co. and just had to interview singer and frontman Bryan Harvest B. Hancock. The man's a real inspiration and here's what he had to say.......
Hi Bryan thanks for the interview, can you tell us about your musical background, how you all got together to form the band, the band members and how would you describe your style?
I am a huge Hip Hop fan and I've always loved the live sound. I am a writer for the most part who started mostly just doing regular two turntables and a mic shows. I Got to work with some close friends from the area of Virginia and we just kinda evolved. The members have changed some but Bill Goodwin is on Bass, Evan Goodwin is on drums, Nathan Paxton is on lead guitar Melissa Johnson is on Saxophone on this ep and I Harvest Blaque on the vocals. Melissa is unfortunately no longer with us but we welcome Violinist Rosemary St. Jaques and Turntablist Dj James Megahurt to the fold. We listen to all genres of music and bend genres into our music and it's so much great energy.
What are your music influences?
INXS, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Kendrick Lamar, The White Stripes, Audiolave, Earth Wind &Fire, Funkadelic, Talking Heads, De La Soul, Stevie Wonder, Mos Def, Michael Jackson and the list can go for miles and miles.
Has lockdown impacted you creatively at all, and how have you found the past few months?
I've written a solo album that I found very therapeutic. It has been a reflective season especially being forced to slow down you kinda have no choice but to really face yourself. I basically locked myself into this wonderful recording studio called Fainting Goat Studios in Bedford, Virginia and the engineer Willy Gurly and I made a hellova mess.
Can you tell us about your latest releases and the idea behind it? What other releases have you brought out?
The EP "Relief" is a sonic blend of live sounds match with my rhymes and singing. My official debut album "The Mind Scrub" is a bit darker as I explore my highs and lows and how I've evolved. I call it the mins scrub because I am emptying my head of the demons that hinder me and the ego that kept me from from growing.
Where can folks get to listen to your music?
I am streaming on all platforms and my website featuring my unfiltered thoughts called "THe Unapologetic Blog" will also be dropping the same day as my album March 9th, 2021
What's next for you?
I am currently writing alongside The Harvest Blaque&Company Band as we put together new music and finishing my book. Possibly do a couple safe outdoor shows but I am mostly enjoying writing and recording.Just finished shooting the video for my lead off single "Blood In The Water" Produced by Chris Prythm. I was also proud to represent in the "We Are Art" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubwMhsQetoI) music Video for our area libraries. Roanoke's music scene is so pure and deserves so much more attention.
Anything else you'd like to add about the project, or a message for the readers?
I would like to thank my family and friends who've supported me in spite of me. I've had moments where I've fallen flat on my face and I've had a great circle of support. Shout out to our growing fan base and I will continue to evolve and bring you greatness.
- Bryan "Harvest Blaque" Hancock
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