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Harry Manx

Canadian multi-instrumentalist Harry Manx returns to Australia with his latest take on ‘Blues meets Ragas’ explorations. Bringing all that his fans have come to know and love about him – including his precious Mohan veena and his now-characteristic beanie – Manx will lift you up with his warm and unexpected style. 

 
It’s about four years since our last interview, after your Mohan veena was stolen – and subsequently  returned – from Chicago airport. How has your beloved instrument travelled over the last four years?!
Yes that was traumatic at the time, but later on I came to see it as a blessing in disguise. The silver lining was that I became known to over five million people on Facebook, we sold a lot of my music and I received many offers for free guitars and invitations to perform. Who knew that I would benefit from being robbed! What became apparent was that there’s a lot of good will out there in the world waiting to counterbalance the bad. I got more loving from the public than I knew what to do with it – they crashed my website with love! And since I got the veena back it sounds better. I don’t know what the thief did to it, but it sings so brilliantly now. 
 
For those who haven’t encountered your music before and have no idea what we’re talking about – what’s a Mohan veena? And why is this your choice of instrument?
The Mohan veena is the marriage of the Indian sitar and the guitar. It looks like a guitar but it has 20 strings and is played in the lap with a steel bar like a Hawaiian guitar. I spent a dozen years in India and learned the instrument from its creator Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. 
 
You’ve recently released Faith Lift, a reimagining of previously released material. Tell us about what you’ve done differently on this album.

Faith Lift is my 15th recording. It’s unique amongst all my recordings in that it’s just my guitar, voice and a string quartet. I’ve been fasci-nated with the sound of strings for many years so I had charts ar-ranged for a quartet playing a doz-en of my originals and well known cover songs. I made this recording while on tour a few years ago using the string section from the Sydney Opera House. 

You’re back in Australia for your 12th local tour. What do you most look forward to when returning here? Is there a venue you love, or a landscape you can’t wait to reconnect with?

I find Australia to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet to travel around. There’s not a corner in this country that I don’t love. You’ve got everything from hot to cold, dry to wet and every combination in between. But at the end of the day it’s the people that I look forward to seeing. Their enthusiasm is what propels me forward. 

In all the press photos I’ve ever seen of you, you’re wearing a bean- ie. Why are you always wearing a beanie? And how do you go with the beanie in sweaty Darwin?!
My hat has become my trademark. People recognise me immediately when I wear it – and they want me to wear it. For instance, I changed to another cool looking hat at a re-cent show in Sydney and right away I had comments during and after the show – “where’s yer beanie Harry?”, “what’s with the new hat Harry?” etc, etc. Barely concealed indignation ran rampant! They let me know in no uncertain terms they won’t accept any hat changes!

WED 4 APR | 7PM | DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB | $51.50 | See the event listing
 

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