Harvey Fonda New Release “Guild Songs”
Haven’t shaken this guy’s hand yet, let alone met him. But, I can see that Harvey Fonda is a hard-working man devoted to his craft of song and taking that song over the hill. As a solo performer he has bookings all over the area, occasionally collaborating with others for what is an Americana centered repertoire.
He has his selection of covers, but, more importantly Harvey has released a new body of work, “Guild Songs” featuring original work ammassed along the way. The album includes some of the area’s top players to help him flesh out his sound.
We’re fortunate to have him by to tell us about it, himself.
Chuck Schiele: Hello Harvey. Heard you’ve got a new album out. Congratulations! Please tell us a bit about it.
Harvey Fonda: A few years back I was urged by my wife, Kathy, to consider documenting more of my music. She convinced me that I needed to do more to put my songs out for others to hear whenever they wish…and without being morbid, after I was gone. It was during the COVID epidemic, when I started doing live streams and we realized there were a number of folks who enjoyed my songs. I think this was what moved her to encourage me to take my music further. To be honest, I’ve had this album “Guild Songs” (and the next two-yet to be named), planned out in my head for years. I write in a couple of different styles and I wanted this particular record to be a collection of my songs that were primarily singer/songwriter, acoustic guitar compositions. And as the title suggests, they were all written while strumming various chord progressions out on my Guild D-25 which is featured on the album art.
CS: Who’s playing on the project?
HF: Brett Hobin plays bass and was the most amazing engineer, Liz Strodel plays drums/percussion, George Newton on pedal steel, Mark Nanni plays keys, Luke Parsnow is on mandolin and flat pick guitar, Joe Davoli on fiddle and “chin cello,” Mark Westers on lead guitar, Pete McMahon on harmonica, Jessie Elizabeth sings harmony, and Taylor Bucci on banjo.
Central New York is blessed with a plethora of incredible musicians. These players are among the best around! They brought so much joy and enthusiasm to the sessions in addition to a creative gift that made the songs on this record shine. I cannot say enough about what a joy it was to work with each one of them.
CS: You have a number of projects that you’ve released, yes?
HF: I released a 12 song album in 2000 as a CD that I have available at my shows. In order to become familiar with the process of releasing music digitally to streaming platforms, I have re-released some of those songs as singles. I also wrote a holiday song for one of my live stream shows (“It’s a Holiday”) and released that as a single last November. In December I put out a single/teaser for “Guild Songs” titled “Saratoga.” Later this summer I have a “tropical” song being prepped for release. So, stay tuned for that!
CS: What inspires you to write?
HF: I have a LOT of voices in my head! But, seriously, I hear music in my mind all the time. My dreams often have background music. Is that weird? I’ve had songs come to me in dreams – but I’m no Paul McCartney – and they usually don’t translate so well in reality. But, honestly, I don’t know if I can pinpoint what inspires me to write, other than to say it’s a feeling that comes over me for a desire to sit and play the guitar. There was a time, before the pandemic, when I was not inspired to play my guitar at all. I had put it down for about 10 years and just never felt like playing it. It may be a coincidence, but this was also a time when I was working on being sober. My early musical adventures and altered states of mind were very hand in hand, if you will. Once I did pick it up again – mostly out of the boredom of being confined – I had to start learning all over how to play. Fast forward to the present day, I think I’m playing better than ever and have reclaimed that desire to pick up the guitar and let that inspire me to convey an emotion, tell a story or just have a bit of musical fun.
CS: Who are some of the writers you resonate with?
HF: Early on I was fascinated with Lennon & McCartney and how different each song was from the next. I’m not all that, but as I mentioned before, I write in a couple different styles. I think that hearing them change it up from song to song gave me a kind of freedom to explore. When I first heard James Taylor, I knew I had to learn to play guitar to tell stories like he does. In college, I was a huge fan of Steely Dan and was blown away with what Donald Fagan and Walter Becker were doing with chord changes. That got me started on a path I still follow today. I’m always looking for that unexpected change in a progression!
CS: When, how and where did your music journey begin?
HF: I grew up in Baldwinsville and have been a Syracuse resident for most of my adult life.
I grew up in a musical family. I had four sisters and a brother and we all sang! We got that from my dad. He taught us all how to harmonize. We were very active in the church and often performed special music together. I picked up the guitar right around 8th grade along with my best friend (the pastor’s son). He and I were always going into the church when it was empty and played our guitars on the stage. We learned most songs by ear and by dropping a needle on a record to learn certain parts (there were no YouTube tutorials!). My junior year in high school I entered the talent show and sang three of my own songs in front of a packed house. When I finished, there was a standing ovation – and I was hooked!
CS: What are some of the highlights from along the way?
HF: Well, it’s a long way from that first standing ovation to today. I would say, though, when I was art director at the Syracuse New Times, I was asked to put together the NewTimes Banned to celebrate that publication’s 25th anniversary. We had a core of really talented musicians who worked there (Russ Tarby, Larry Hoyt, Mike Davis, Skip Murphy, Mike Ranger to name a few). The plan was to put on a show at the Landmark for the celebration and bring in the local music scene’s performers to do spotlight performances of songs from 1969 (the founding year). This provided me an opportunity to connect with the local music scene even more than I had already as a regular performer around town. The show went so well we replicated it several times at the local music venues, each time with a different special guest performer. I got to play music with so many great musicians, many of whom I’m still friends with to this day!
CS: What is your view on the Central NY Music scene and community?
HF: There is so much talent here, it’s crazy! And the variety is amazing. For the most part I would also say there is a real sense of community – of musicians working with and helping out other musicians. I know when I started booking myself again three years ago, I received a ton of helpful tips from others out there. I try to do the same and help when I can. There are also an incredible amount of opportunities to perform. Also, whenever I have played somewhere I’m so impressed that there is always a strong sense of appreciation for live local music.
CS: What’s in store for your future music plans?
HF: I mentioned earlier the upcoming late summer single. Additionally, the next album is already in the works at Hobin Studios. This record will be quite different, I think – a little more uptempo and blues/rock influenced. Once that is complete, I will likely put together a show with a full band that will incorporate all of my releases to that date. And, of course, I will continue to perform live around town as a solo acoustic act and also as a duo from time to time (with either Arty Lenin or Mark Westers). I am, however, looking to do more showcase work for my own music and incorporate some listening room experiences to my schedule. So, stay tuned for those gigs! Also, keep an eye out for the debut of the HFM Project on November 21 at JP’s in B’ville with Arty Lenin, Brett Hobin, Liz Strodel and myself!
CS: How can we stay in touch with you and your future music endeavors?
HF: My website harveyfondamusic.com has my full calendar of bookings and links for most everything else there. Thank you so much, Chuck, for taking the time to connect. I’ll see you out there!
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