Grammy Winner Opens Summer Arts Festival
By Vanessa Mccray, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
Jun. 13–INTERLOCHEN — Jesse Harris’s life changed after he won a Grammy Award for writing “Don’t Know Why,” a song performed by Norah Jones.
“I certainly became way more in demand as a songwriter, and I’ve been a lot busier,” Harris said.
The singer-songwriter will bring his talents to Interlochen Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. June 20 as the inaugural concert of the 2008 Summer Arts Festival.
Harris, who won the 2002 Grammy for Song of the Year, was born in New York City, where he resides. Recent projects include the 2007 album “Feel” and the soundtrack to the Ethan Hawke film “The Hottest State.”
“Ethan approached me to write some original songs for the film, because a character in the film played a singer-songwriter,” Harris said. “And then it just sort of snowballed.”
Contributing to the soundtrack, and performing songs by Harris, are well-known artists including Jones, Willie Nelson, Feist, Bright Eyes, Cat Power and Emmylou Harris.
Jesse Harris just completed a recording due out this year or early next year on which he mostly plays the banjo. Its title has not yet been released.
“It kind of took the concept of my last record ‘Feel’ and just brought it further,” he said.
He also started his own label, Secret Sun Recordings, something he long dreamed of doing. There’s been an explosion of interest in independent music, which has produced “some interesting results” from groups that “don’t care about being commercial,” he said.
“Everybody is like super-hip these days. I can’t even keep up these days. There’s so many bands,” he said.
Interlochen’s summer lineup includes upcoming performances by Dr. John and Madeleine Peyroux on June 25 and the Maia Quartet on June 26. Catching early buzz are shows scheduled later this summer by REO Speedwagon, Kenny Rogers and Bonnie Raitt.
Tickets to Harris’ Corson Auditorium concert, which also features Robert Di Pietro on percussion, are $25. For more information, go to www.tickets.interlochen.org or call the box office at 276-7800.
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