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BHB has evolved through several incarnations the past few years, all of which have steadily led to the progressive and innovative sound the band now puts out. A cool blend of harmony vocals, acoustic and electric instrumentation, strong and varied songwriting from the core of the band, and it's easy to see why people are excited about this San Francisco Bay Area group. "Wow. What a great concert last night at the El Rio...", from Reney at Code Pink, following a benefit BHB played a part in. View photos of the night. "...it's damn fine stuff..." says Jeff Abbas, program director at KPVL radio. BHB is made up of a solid crew of veteran players, all of whom found one another through the network of jam sessions and such in the San Francisco music scene. Brought together by Bay Area native, guitarist, singer and songwriter Bryan Harrison, BHB truly exemplifies the axiom "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Established as a diverse songwriter, drawing from his own life experience as well as from
issues of the day, Bryan shapes his poignant material with
musical colors that draw his fans in. An adept guitar
player, he more often than not chooses song structure and
chord progressions that go beyond the typical
"singer/songwriter" sound. His warm vocals add a richness that
brings it all home. Bryan met percussionist Dave Coan, affectionately known as Dave "djembe" Coan for the drum that he brings so much diverse life to, just a month after Dave's arrival to the Bay Area from Pennsylvania in the late summer of '99. They soon began playing as a duo at coffee house gigs, and opening shows at night clubs. Bryan and Dave travelled locally and as far as Southern California doing their duo act. Growing from there, guitarist, harmonica player, singer and emerging songwriter Jim McLaren became a dependable and regular fixture with the group. Self-proclaimed as playing "one step up from the curb", Jimmy established himself as a beloved street musician in the heart of North Beach, in San Francisco, where people still come looking for his brand of Dylan-esque harmonica and diversity in songs. A Jersey native, he returns to his roots whenever he can. Bryan and Jim met at about the same time Dave showed up. They quickly found an ability to vocalize pretty sweetly together. Their blend of rhythm and lead guitars, along with Jim's oh-so tasty harmonica playing and the vocals has produced a well received sound from parties to restaurant gigs, coffee houses, farmers' markets, as well as nightclubs. After a brief stint as a full-on Rock band, as they added the rhythm core of Gregg McRay on drums and Raven on bass, BHB was playing clubs like Cafe DuNord and The Last Day Saloon (as it was converting to The Rockit Room) in San Francisco, and travelling as far as Sacramento and the nearby Owl Club, in Roseville. At that time, BHB worked steadily with Mike Fleming and his Barbary Coast Allstars outfit, blending Mike into the band, and the band into BCA, as called for - a recipe that worked pretty well for some time. The band had a bit of a stint, verging on becoming a regular fixture, at The Bear's Lair at UC Berkeley, as BCA. About that time, BHB was also the featured headliner and the only completely male band of the day at the "Rockin' The Park" fundraiser concert event at Oak Meadows Park in Los Gatos, CA in September 2006, hosted by local Rockin' Mom, Tiffany Petrossi. By the start of 2007, things shifted as BHB began accepting more and more farmers' market and similar outdoor venue gigs. A natural progression fell into place, and the more acoustic nature of the sound began to take over, and the need for the rock rhythm core faded out. Bryan and Jim and Dave continued to play, with Mike Fleming joining in still as it fit in his busy schedule. Elisa M. Welch joined the band in the Summer of 2007, quickly adding her numerous and immense talents as a musician, singer and songwriter, giving BHB a more well-rounded dimension to the music. "For awhile, I thought we needed to keep at least a bass in the mix, " Bryan says. "For nightclub gigs it could be nice, but we don't really need it," he explains. "Between Dave's magic - making a single drum, his djembe, sound like a full kit, and the bassline runs Elisa brings on her octave mandolin, we're putting out a pretty full, but also very listenable, sound." Those elements, along with Bryan's rhythmic lead guitar, Jim's acoustic guitar and harp, make just the right backdrop for the vocal harmonies. Bryan ultimately felt the need to streamline the band further, and as Mike had more and more developing with his Barbary Coast Allstars, BHB became a four-piece unit. Solidifying the sound as an increasingly tight unit together , Jim and Bryan are enjoying the now three part harmonies they produce with Elisa, creating a range from a CSN kind of sound to what drummer friend, AJ, has taken to calling a modern day "Peter, Paul and Mary" (Jim was able to discern that he's "Peter" in AJ's eyes, so that must make Bryan "Paul"). Dave's percussion gives the music a funkified drive that "gets the kids moving, even if we're talking little kids at farmers' markets," Bryan quips. Elisa has diverse talents as a musician, playing octave mandolin, keyboards, mandolin, and even the penny whistle, all in addition to her strong and versatile vocals, she is also a very happenin' and creative songwriter. (her song, "Four Letter Word" is the second song on the player on our homepage). She has a solo CD, "The Wheel" available on i-tunes. Her talents have already melded well into the band. Described several years back as "quality alternative Folk Blues
Rock" by Broadway Studio's Artists' Showcase producer Tim
Reynolds , BHB has grown to fully represent a 21st Century Alt Folk Rock sound.
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