HARRY MANX
THURS 19 JUNE 2008
THE GOVERNOR HINDMARSH

Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil. He honed his hypnotic live show on street corners, in cafes, bars and at festivals. But it was Indian music that captured Manx and in the mid 80s he began a five-year tutelage with Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winner with Ry Cooder for A Meeting by the River). He also received the gift of Bhatt’s custom-made, self-designed mohan veena—a 20-stringed sitar/guitar—that was the catalyst for Harry to forge a new path with his now signature east-meets-west style of music. While the mohan veena itself is beyond exotic, Manx uses it within traditional Western sound structures.

A successful touring performer, Manx has brought his “breathtaking” solo shows across Canada and into the USA, Australia, and Europe. He has appeared at many prestigious festivals, world-class theatres, concert halls and infamous Blues clubs around the globe. Playing the Mohan Veena, lap steel, harmonica, stomp box, and banjo, Manx quickly envelops the audience into what has been dubbed “the Harry Zone” with his warm vocals and the hauntingly beautiful melodies of his original songs.

It’s in the live setting, Manx says, that the bridge between “heavenly” India and “earthy” American blues is most effectively built. “Indian music moves inward,” he explains. “It’s traditionally used in religious ceremonies and meditation, because it puts you into this whole other place. But Western music has the ability to move out, into celebration and dance. So when we play the Indian stuff on stage, it has the tendency to draw people into something really deep; they’ll get kind of quiet and spacey. Then we’ll play some more Western music, and it grounds them once more, they sort of come out of the mood the Indian music had put them in and get into the performance. I love to see that working — that effect on the audience. My goal has always been to draw the audience as deep as possible into the music.”

Manx is a prolific artist, releasing seven albums in a six-year span with no signs of stopping. His first album Dog My Cat (2001, Northern Blues Music) captured the attention of new fans, musical peers, and the media with favourable reviews and awards, including Best Blues Album of the Year from the Canadian Independent Music Association. The Juno-nominated follow-up Wise and Otherwise (2002) garnered nods from the American media with excellent reviews in The Chicago Sun Times and The Washington Post. Jubilee (2003), Harry’s collaboration with famed Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), has become a critical favourite, receiving both Juno and Maple Blues Award nominations. Road Ragas (2003), a collection of Manx’s live performances recorded around the globe, captures the essence of his mesmerizing solo shows and cemented a solid reputation for this artist amongst fans and musical peers.

Harry Manx’s fifth album West Eats Meet (2004) signalled the launch of his independent label Dog My Cat Records. Produced by Jordy Sharp (Dog My Cat, Wise and Otherwise, Road Ragas) Harry’s serene solo sound was enhanced with decorative elements of tabla, dholak, keys and strong female backing vocals. This release generated his third Juno nomination, this time in the Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Solo) category and accolades across Canada.

His most recent solo release, Mantras for Madmen (2005), is blindingly unapologetic when it comes to even greater use of instrumentation. The groove level is kicked up a notch with the addition of base, drums, and gospel-laden backing vocals with killer harmonies that enrich the ten original tunes. Indian instruments for the two ragas are also thrown into the mix.

Manx’s latest CD, another collaboration with Canadian guitar wonder Kevin Breit called “In Good We Trust”, was released on Stony Plain Records in the spring of 2007. It has just received a Western Canada Music Award nomination for Best Roots Recording (duo).

Harry has received two Maple Blues Awards and his mantel shelf also holds honours from the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Vancouver magazine Georgia Strait, and the South Australia Blues Society. Most recently he was the recipient of CBC Radio’s Great Canadian Blues Awards for 2007.

Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour. It’s hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences coming back for more.