MUSIC - Guitarist,
Tony Harrod

DC born Rhythm and Bass Guitarist Tony Harrod has been performing with a band since his 9th grade girlfriend convinced him to play with a group at a social club dance.  The band (The Mar-Tribs), had three solid songs.  Two fast and one slow; "Baby Baby Don't Cry" by the Miracles.  This performance launched Tony's professional career, but interestingly enough, it was not Tony's first public performance. 

Back in the day, Tony started his musical career at a very tender age on a Mickey Mouse wind-up guitar, but the artist in Tony would not allow him to wind it.  Tony strummed and sang "Blue Suede Shoes" while standing on the front porch of his house and people walking by would give Tony money for his performance.  Tony knew he had a career in music ahead of him.

The first instrument Tony attempted was the trumpet but it did not work out for him.  Tony began playing guitar at age 13.  After the Mickey Mouse wind-up, Tony's first real guitar came to him at the age of 17 and he began playing with a band.  As a musical artist, Tony played without instructors till Junior High School. 

As Tony's skill evolved while playing  with the Mar-Tribs, the band was also evolving their craft as a group, they began to range farther a field.  The band started going to New Port News Virginia to backup a singing group.  The singing group broke up but the drummer asked if Tony wanted to make some "real money" so Tony began playing at cabarets and catering houses.

Tony became the musical director for the band and moved the group into playing jazz standards and he began writing original songs.  Feeling a need to expand his horizons, Tony left the Mar-Tribs to join the "Sounds of Us" band.  The "Sounds of Us" would open for noted performers like "Millie Jackson" and "The Dells".

In 1970, while on the road with "The Undisputed Truth" the band was abandoned by the singing group and left with the hotel bill.  They were threatened with having their instruments confiscated.  Luckily for the group, one of the band members knew someone at Motown who bailed them out.  Go Motown!

Since the 70's, Tony has played with many bands.  He released his own CD under "THP" Tony Harrod Project on CDBaby.com in 2004.  Tony is the consummate guitarist  and performs with many local musicians.  From Reggae tunes with "Englishman", to Jazz with Flutologist Arch Thompson and R&B with "One Nite Stand", Tony lays down the rythmn and keeps us swinging in our seats or on the dance floor. 

I sat down with Tony for part of the interview.  The following evolved from a running email Q&A session:

DCB: Your linked bio gives the background for you, but how have the changes in the tastes of the public personally affected your musical career?
TONY: ....well i don't get calls to do hip-hop, LOL!....I think people get to hear by word of mouth that I'm a good R&B player so most of my calls are for that....However because Hip-Hop is based on Soul or R&B, I'm prepared to play it....

DCB: It looks like you diversified your playing style to allow you to appeal to (literally) any audience. I would not be surprised to come upon you playing in a band for a bat mitzvah. Is this a accurate observation? .
TONY: been there, done that...for about six years I was in one of the most popular wedding bands in the area "NEXT EXIT". ,and just recently a band called "The Mustangs" so I've done my share of Bar-mitzvers as well as bat- itzvers.  

DCB: While you have been influenced by guitarists, you have your own sound and style that has developed over years of play.
TONY: That's true....

DCB: Sometimes you sound like Wes and sometimes Jimi, but mostly you sound like Tony, which leads to the following - as an artist you have an ear for the music that you play. If you were to place your style, where would you put yourself?
TONY: I like to say I'm a Soul musician, which is to say I play music that has feeling or swing.  Music that makes people feel good or makes them dance....which isn't saying that I can't play "serious" music, but I think that if you feel what you're playing, others will too!

DCB: Do you have a favorite type of music per se?
TONY: Yes, I love jazz, almost any kind of jazz... I heard the great drummer Art Blakey say one time  "Jazz is the highest form of musical execution", and I believe that.

DCB:  What do you see as the direction of music in the DC area and the Music Industry generally?
TONY: Well,I see the music really crossing over... in that whites are dancing to Go-Go and more R&B and Blacks are more into the samples and computer-based music, it's kinda weird....

DCB: I have lived in DC most of my life and I believe you have as well. Do you get a sense that there is an evolving musical renaissance developing in DC?
TONY: Well there seems to be more places to play in terms of clubs and such, but I don't see it going back to the days of Live bands like it was in the 70's, the bands were too big and clubs couldn't afford them. 

It became simple economics, it was cheaper to pay a DJ 150 bucks versus paying 500 for a band.  This is especially the case if the band didn't draw.  I believe that was why Disco became so big in the clubs here, but a part of that was the musician's fault, but that's another story. 

But I think because so many groups have CD's out, it may come back but on another scale, like concerts and stuff, which would be good,

MORE MONEY!   LOL!.

DCB: Something new on the local Jazz scene, the "Brotherhood", is comprised of Art Cobb on Drums, Tony on rhythm guitar and Kevin Shepard on Bass.