Events Calendar
|
Latest Issue
|
Membership
|
Log In Sign Up
  • Play

    Play

    • A Beginner’s Guide to Soccer
    • You Spin Me Right Round: D.C. Roller Skating 101 in 2021
    • Leading the League: The WNBA’s Natasha Cloud on Breaking Barriers + Inspiring D.C.
    • Spring Has Sprung: 10 Ways To Get Outside in the DMV
    • Play Week Combines Games + Social Impact
    • High and Go Seek Illustration
    • O Captain, My Captain: Washington Spirit’s Andi Sullivan
  • Life

    Life

    • Local Entrepreneurs Infuse CBD into Wellness
    • 19 Entrepreneurs Shaping D.C.’s Cannabis + CBD Industries
    • Upcycling in D.C.: Transforming a Culture of Consumption
    • The Green Issue: Experts + Advocates Make Case for Cannabis Legalization + Decriminalization
    • The District Derp Story
    • Grassfed Media Champions Cannabis Clients
    • Nat Geo Explorer Gabrielle Corradino on Plankton, the Anacostia + Conservation
  • Eat

    Eat

    • The State of Takeout in the District
    • A New Twist on Food Delivery: MisenBox
    • Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.
    • Foxtrot Market Is Officially Open for Business in Georgetown
    • Food Rescue + Assistance Programs Fill the Gaps in a Pandemic Food System
    • Hungry Harvest Helps to End Food Insecurity
    • Notable Summer Bar + Restaurant Reopenings to Try this Spring
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Pandemic Drinking: Derek Brown Leads the Way to Low-ABV Future
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • A New Way to Binge: Sobriety Anchors Business + Being for Gigi Arandid
    • King’s Ransom + The Handover in Alexandria Celebrate a First Year Like No Other
    • Wines of the World Are Just Around the Corner
    • Open-Air Drinking + Cocktail Delivery Changes in the DMV
    • Denizens Brewing Co.’s Emily Bruno: Brewing Change for Community + Industry
  • Culture

    Culture

    • The Artistry Behind D.C.’s Cannabis Culture
    • The Best Movies of 2021…So Far
    • The Survival of the Brutalist: D.C.’s Complicated Concrete Legacy
    • Plain Sight: A Street-Front Revolution in Radical Arts Accessibility
    • A Touch of Danger in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet”
    • Artgence + Homme: Where There’s Art, There’s a Story to Share
    • 21 D.C. Makers + Curators to Follow
  • Music

    Music

    • Emma G Talks Wammie Nominations and the D.C. Music Community
    • J’Nai Bridges: A Modern Mezzo-Soprano in a Changing Opera Landscape
    • Punk Legends The Go-Go’s Talk Four Decades of Sisterhood, Resilience + Zero Fucks Given
    • Ellen Reid “Soundwalk:” Exploring the Sonic Landscape at Wolf Trap
    • SHAED Releases First Full-Length Album in a “High Dive” of Faith
    • Obama + Springsteen Present “Renegades”
    • Christian Douglas Uses His “Inside Voice” on Pandemic-Inspired Debut Album
  • Events

    Events

    • Play Week 4.17-4.25
    • Midnight at The Never Get 4.30-6.21
    • Cannabis City Panel Presented by BĀkT DC + District Fray
    • Browse Events
    • DC Polo Society Summer Sundays 5.9
    • National Cannabis Festival’s Dazed & Amused Drive-In Party
    • Vinyl + Vinyasa 4.30
  • Log In
    Sign Up

Log In Sign Up
Members Only: Braulio Agnese
Metropolitan Beer Trail Returns, Bigger + Better
A hand holds fresh pasta.
Food For Thought: Lotsa Pasta
Libby Living Authentically
Beginner’s Guide: Tease Your Way Into Burlesque
Photo Gallery: Hello Betty
Home » Articles » Music » Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers at Strathmore’s Shades of Blues Festival

Music

Photo: Jim Countryman

Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers at Strathmore’s Shades of Blues Festival

Share:

March 17, 2017 @ 12:00am | Monica Alford

It couldn’t be more fitting that Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers are slated to play Strathmore’s Shades of Blues Festival, taking the stage at the Mansion on March 31. The blues-meets-roots rock band is among a talented lineup of musicians connected with the festival, a “musical exploration of the great American art form and international language known as the blues.” We caught up with the frontwoman of this Boston-based band before their upcoming show in the DMV.

On Tap: Is it true that you spent a decade playing the flute before picking up the guitar, under the influence of a beau who knew all the lyrics to “Alice’s Restaurant”? Is there more to that story?
Erin Harpe: [Laughs] Yes, I don’t know where you heard that story! I joined the music program in elementary school, playing flute from fourth grade through high school. Maybe this was my way of rebelling, playing classical music – my dad being a blues musician. In high school, I was always on the periphery of the artsy/acting kids, but I was way too shy to ever be in one of their productions. I was however, able to impress an actor I liked, James, who knew all the words to “Alice’s Restaurant.” I knew my dad played that song, so I went home and asked him to teach it to me. He said it was a pretty hard fingerpicking song, but I ended up learning it in one week! Let’s just say my interest in playing guitar has far outlasted that relationship, but it did get things started.

OT: How would you say your sound has evolved over the years, from your solo work and duets with your dad, to Lovewhip and now The Delta Swingers?
EH: I started out playing solo or at open mics when I first came to Boston. After I met Jim [Countryman, her husband], we started Lovewhip. It started out as a bigger seven or eight-piece band, playing original dance-based music. First Afro-pop and ska/reggae, then we got into electro and disco, funk and hip-hop, and at this point we’re kind of a psychedelic jam band. Lovewhip has toured all over the country for years, but when I’d have a chance, I’d get together with my dad and do some blues. We did one album together, and he also helped me prepare for the DVD I recently recorded for Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop on Women of the Country Blues. Meanwhile, I started Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, wanting to build on the sound of my first two acoustic blues albums by adding bass, drums and harmonica. Since then, the sound has evolved, and there’s actually a lot of crossover with Lovewhip. In fact, one of our fan favorites is a Lovewhip song reinterpreted, “Gimme That,” which will be on our new album! We’ve also been writing more originals, and I’ve become the lead guitar player.

OT: What’s it like to form and play in two bands with your husband?
EH: It works for us! Jim is basically our manager and deals with all the business, and I’m the art and music director. He road manages and I drive. It works well, for the most part. Best aspect: being able to spend all our time together. Most challenging: having to spend all our time together!

OT: How would you describe the band’s style? What about your onstage presence?
EH: Our style matches our quirky retro sounds. Lately, I’ve become known for wearing fishnets, but I dress them down with short shorts or a leather biker jacket. Jim brings his punk-rockabilly boogie aesthetic on bass; Matt, our harmonica player, frequents thrift stores, and like Macklemore he wears your grandad’s clothes and looks incredible [laughs], and our drummer Kendall looks like Frank Zappa if he was the lead in A Clockwork Orange. The show is both lively and interactive, with lots of dancing, stick twirling, even some whip wielding – plenty of dance music to get people moving. I play kazoo during the show, and fans can get their own kazoos at the merch table and play along! And we do have at least one sing-along!

OT: What about your personal style?
EH: I’ve always gravitated towards the 1920s/30s and 1970s/80s. Having two bands gives me the musical outlet that provides a place to play both those parts. I’m a very visual person, and in both bands, we try to be visually stimulating! It’s fun to dress up at shows and transport the audience to somewhere fabulous outside their normal lives.

OT: As a Maryland native, how do you think it will feel playing Strathmore?
EH: It’s a huge honor to play at Strathmore! My family is very excited, too. It’s a great venue, and it will be great to be able to show everyone what we’ve been working on. We’ve been touring so much lately – we just got back from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where we made it to the semifinals. And we’ve got new music. We’ve been working on our new album and we’re just excited to share it with family and friends!

OT: Will you play songs mostly from Love Whip Blues, or incorporate some newer work in there as well? Any favorite covers to perform live?
EH: We’ll be playing songs from Love Whip Blues, as well as songs from our upcoming album – we’re in the studio working on our sophomore album right now. We’ll be starting the recording tomorrow [at Verdant Studio in Vermont]. So we’ll be playing all the tracks from our upcoming album, which will be out by the end of the summer. Our favorite well-known cover is Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips” (The Rolling Stones did it too). It’s a really fun song. A fan recently told me that part of our set was “a religious experience” for him.

OT: What can fans expect from your new album?
EH: It’s going to highlight our electric side, featuring my electric guitar, backed up by the live band, getting a very live sound. It’s going to be less of a blues album and more of a rock album with blues elements. ZZ Top meets the Black Keys at a Canned Heat concert!

OT: Although retro sounds are definitely in, blues and roots rock sometimes appeal to an older audience. Why would you encourage younger music lovers to check you guys out? What makes your sound relatable to millennials?
EH:
Blues does tend to appeal to an older audience, but we’re doing something fresh, not just recycling the same old sounds. We tend to appeal to the people who are looking for something fun and different. Our mix of influences is pretty diverse, and our next album is going to show that off. We aren’t just retro blues and Americana. We have some really fun original songs that aren’t blues at all, but more rock, even psychedelic, and very funky! It’s gonna be a fun time, come on down! And we have at least two millennials in the band, too.

Catch Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers at the Mansion at Strathmore on Friday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Learn more about the band here.

The Mansion at Strathmore: 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD; 301-581-5100; www.strathmore.org

Share:

Related Articles

No Articles

DISTRICT FRAY MEMBERSHIPS

District Fray members receive unlimited access to our digital content, including new articles published daily. We also have membership options available for locals interested in our print magazine, member events, or first-access tickets and giveaways.

Join Today
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Hiring: Join Our Team!
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member 2023 Media Kit 2023 Editorial Calendar Corporate Wellness Contact: Media Pitches + Advertising Inquiries
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Events Calendar
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix
Subscribe

By clicking submit, you agree to receive emails from District Fray and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy.

© 2023 District Fray.