Livestream with Harken
The guys from Harken are on the show right before rehearsal for our show on October 25th!
Transcript
Mike (Bellwether Ritual, Host):
“Charse, and we are live! Happy Tuesday, everyone! Welcome to the live stream! You know how it usually goes—just a moment to get things live on Instagram. Give everyone a chance to join in. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments, and we’ll get started in a minute.
Alright, we’re live on Instagram as well, so let’s get to it. Hello and welcome to the BTHer CH live stream, where we talk about music, the local Lehigh Valley scene, and beyond! I’m Mike, guitarist and vocalist of Bellwether Ritual, and I hope you’ve had a great week.
Before we kick off, a few reminders:
We’ve got shows coming up at the end of October, one of which we’ll be talking a lot about tonight—October 25th! Also, we’ve got new CDs available, and a website, so be sure to check that out. Please like and subscribe if you enjoy what we’re doing, and remember to support your local musicians—it’s what it’s all about.
Tonight, I’m excited to have Matt, Jordan, CT, and Kenny from the band Harken with us! They’re a hard-charging, hip-swaying rock band from Delaware County, PA, and their latest single, Lifer, dropped in July. So, let’s jump into it! Guys, welcome to the stream—how are you doing?”
Harken (all):
“Hey Mike, thanks for having us, brother!”
Mike:
“My pleasure, thanks for jumping on! Let’s kick it off—anything you want to plug right away? We’ve got the October 25th show coming up, but anything else? Where can people find you and your music?”
Matt (Harken):
“Yeah, if you’re on Instagram or Facebook, we’ve got a Linktree in our bios. It’ll take you to all the places to listen—our YouTube, Spotify, everything. Instagram is @Harkenmusic, and on Facebook, it’s @Harkenrocks.”
Mike:
“Awesome! So you guys are from the Delaware County area, right? Have you always been there?”
CT (Harken):
“Yeah, Upper Darby, Newtown Square, Springfield… we’ve all been around this area for a while.”
Mike:
“Nice, yeah I spent some time down in Upper Darby and Drexel Hill—great scene down there. Always felt like a hotbed for rock and metal bands. What do you guys think? Still feeling that energy?”
Kenny (Harken):
“For sure. We’ve got some cool venues out here, and the bands we’ve met have been incredible. The scene’s alive, even though, you know, everyone’s feeling the squeeze these days.”
Mike:
“Totally! It’s been tough for venues and bands lately. So, let’s dive in a bit—what got each of you into music in the first place? Was there a moment, a person, or a song that really hooked you?”
Matt:
“For me, it was my older sister. Back in the late ’80s, MTV was huge, and she was really into glam metal—Skid Row, Poison, all of that. But the first band that really got me hooked was Skid Row. That song ‘18 and Life’—I remember seeing the video and being like, ‘Yeah, this is it.’ Later, it was Metallica, especially the One video, which scared me as a kid, but it had such a huge impact.”
Kenny:
“Same here—Metallica all the way. Hearing Orion made me want to play bass. I didn’t know what a bass was back then, but I knew I wanted to play whatever that low note was.”
Mike:
“Nice! I started out on bass too—there’s something about that low end that just draws you in. Jordan, CT, what about you guys?”
CT:
“For me, it was Leper Messiah by Metallica. My brother was getting into metal, and I remember laying in bed hearing that song, especially when it gets faster and heavier—it blew my mind.”
Jordan:
“Yeah, same, Metallica was my intro to heavy music too. And after that, it just opened the floodgates into every branch of metal.”
Mike:
“Metallica bringing people together, I love it! So, how do you guys balance looking back at the music that inspired you and staying current with newer stuff?”
Kenny:
“I’m always trying to find new bands, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. There’s so much content out there, but Matt and I are always sending each other stuff. It’s great finding new inspiration, but honestly, I missed some great bands back in the day, like Crowbar. I only just discovered them and went back through their whole catalog.”
Matt:
“Same here. I’m always looking for new stuff, but bands like Elder and Mothership are ones I keep coming back to. They keep that stoner rock vibe alive, and it’s inspiring to see how they’re getting bigger.”
Mike:
“Yeah, and it’s so cool how now you can really find anything out there, new or old. You just dive into someone’s whole discography in one sitting. Speaking of, how did Harken come together?”
CT:
“Kenny and I are brothers, so we’ve been together our whole lives, naturally. We’ve been in and out of bands for years. I met Matt in another band, D.A.’s Divide, and after that, we knew we wanted to keep playing together. So, we called up Jordan, who we’d played with in a band called The Return back in the ’90s, and here we are.”
Mike:
“That’s awesome—decades of history between you guys. What’s your songwriting process like now? Do you guys focus on a particular sound, or just go with the flow?”
Matt:
“We don’t really have one set direction. The songs kind of happen organically. We’re not in a rush, and if something doesn’t fit, it doesn’t get forced. A lot of the writing is collaborative, and we record everything—even little jams—because sometimes those doodles turn into full songs.”
Kenny:
“Yeah, it’s very relaxed. No pressure, we just enjoy the process. And with technology like BandLab, we can work on stuff even when we’re not all together.”
Mike:
“That’s the way to do it—keep it fun, keep it natural. Well, thanks so much for joining the stream tonight, guys! Looking forward to seeing you at the October 25th show. Anything else you want to say before we wrap up?”
Jordan (Harken):
“Just a big thanks to everyone listening, and we’ll see you at the show!”
Mike:
“Right on! Thanks again, Harken. Everyone, don’t forget to check them out online, and we’ll see you at the show on October 25th. Have a great night!”
