Photo by Scott Lawson
Jeff Harrington
Best known as a bass player, Jeff "H" Harrington connects on YouTube with his new project Inside Sky until he can return to the electricity of live performance.
How has the lockdown affected your creativity?
At the start of the lockdown, I had a massive amount of space in my life, and it was really an artistic utopia. I was able to go down many side streets, which I had wanted to explore for years. Different instrumentation and arrangement ideas, different ways of writing. Using an interesting percussion loop as the initial inspiration for a song, for example.
So much mental static was removed. I don’t want to make light of all the darkness which the pandemic has brought to so many people, but it has been an incredible time for me creatively.
Do you have a routine or schedule for staying in practice or working on new material?
My routines, such as meditation, exercise, healthy eating, etc., are more about creating a framework for creativity. I think I’ve finally gotten to a place where I understand that I can’t demand that I be given a new song this very minute! Ideas just seem to come whenever they feel like it, and their origin remains a complete mystery to me. I just try to be grateful for the times when they come.
My understanding is that the whole idea that “we” are the ones coming up with the ideas is a relatively recent one, in human history anyway. I used to try and force things, but I found that approach to be a fruitless, exhausting exercise in ego.
There are ongoing projects that keep me on a bit of a creative schedule though. I’m recording an album, regularly releasing Inside Sky videos on YouTube, and recording and producing music for other artists.
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My new musical project, Inside Sky, is chant music, and so the act of singing the songs can be helpful in staying clear and connected with the creative wellspring, as chant can be so powerful in that way. Most of the lyrics are ancient Sanskrit mantras, and the simplicity and repetition can really bring a lot of peace and focus.
Are you making plans for when you can resume playing in front of people again?
Inside Sky is a new musical project for me, and so there haven’t been any live events yet. It will be really exciting when that finally happens! It’s probably going to be quite a while though, as I’m taking a pretty cautious approach to the pandemic. There’s just nothing like the electricity of human beings being in the same physical space. Especially with chant music, where everyone is encouraged to sing along, and so everyone is kind of building on each other’s energy. In the meantime, the lockdown has helped me realize that YouTube will probably also be a great way to connect with people.
To read more stories of Milwaukee musicians dealing with lockdowns, sheltering in place and more, click here.
To read more stories by Blaine Schultz, click here.
