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Music, Friends, and Good Times
Remembering Bryan Harvey
by Steve Wynn
 I first met Bryan Harvey when he and Johnny Hott moved to LA and played an amazing show at Raji's. They were amazing. I couldn't believe all of the sound and energy and fury that came from just two people. I was instantly a fan and would not have imagined that I would eventually be in a band with them. I didn't really spend that much time with Bryan when he and Johnny lived in LA. Both of our bands toured all of the time and even though we had friends, a manager and a record label in common, we didn't have that much time to hang out. But after Bryan moved back to Richmond, I went to a House Of Freaks show when they came through town on the "Cakewalk" tour. We ended up talking for a long time after the show and sharing stories and gripes, mostly about the frustrations of dealing with the music business and still keeping some kind of artistic integrity and sanity. He told me to come out to Richmond sometime so we could write some songs together. I think I surprised him a few months later when I was in Nashville and asked if I could drop by, as though Nashville was just down the street rather than an 18-hour bus ride away. As always, he was gracious and generous with his time and told me to come on out. I spent the next week, I stayed at Bryan and Kathy's house. We kept warm by a wood-burning stove, drank red wine, ate homemade pizzas, played with their cats, told stories and had a great time. Oh, and we wrote a bunch of songs and then impulsively rounded up the extended House Of Freaks lineup and in one night made what became the first Gutterball record. That time that I spent with Bryan and Kathy was so enjoyable, so easy, so warm, and it reminded me that music is an extension of life. It is not a chore or a task or a burden but rather a reflection of good people, kindred spirits, conversation, good times and friendship. Bryan had gone back to Richmond and found these things and I was grateful to be able to be clued into the life they were living. It was invigorating and it led to three years of touring, another record and so many good times. Bryan loved being in Gutterball and we had a lot of fun together but he also loved being home with Kathy in Richmond. "I've seen the most incredible cities and have had the most incredible experiences... with a bunch of guys," he would often say, and by 1996 it was apparent that the Gutterball experience was over. I would regularly call and write and nag and cajole, trying to get the band going again, but he was content and happy to be at home, off the road, and enjoying his life. He would always say, "Come on down, hang out with us, let's eat some good food and drink some wine. But I don't have time to make a record or go on the road." I wish I had gone down there more often. Bryan was incredibly talented. He was a great singer, an unbelievable guitarist, and the best co-writer you could ever want. I loved being one of the "bunch of guys" who got to see the world with him, always through his perspective of the priority being the music and friends and good times, rather than the career aspect. Kathy was such a good friend and always loved to hear the songs we would write, and she created the World of Mirth store, a place that reflected her spirit of fun and community. Stella and Ruby were great kids, and I wish I had had more time to know them. This was a family that got it right, that knew how to live life. They were my friends. I miss them so much.
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Comments:
The Harvey family meant so mcuh to me!! Each one of them brought a different joy! They went to my pool so today we had a party to remember them! The party was wonderful....exactly what Bryan, Kathy, Stella, and Ruby were! If i could choose we wouldn't be having a party because they would still be here! But since they are gone and we needed a party to honor and remember their love, kindness, and creativity it was perfect! The harvey family are the most beautiful and wonderful angels in heaven
It's a real tragedy.
I've loved his music.
Maurizio Blatto
Torino, Italy
Steve Wynn's remembrances are heartfelt and moving. Unfortunately, for me, it only heightens my disgust and revulsion at what happened to this family.
I don't how to make sense of things like this.
Bryan was an incredibly talented and nice guy. I first met him when I was in high school and he was fronting The Dads. This was either in '82 or '83. He had all kinds of time for this aspiring pro musician's questions who wasn't even a legal adult yet. He was always just as pleasant and generous on subsequent times I met him. I'm still in shock and the only thing close to solace I have is the fact that they caught those responsible.
I met Steve Wynn in wings of Listner Auditorium in DC once, when House of Freaks were on the same bill as Robyn Hitchcock and Matthew Sweet. Guess who introduced him to me? Yep, it was Bryan Harvey! Bryan and I had known each other from the "old days" when he was in an amazing pop band called The Dads, and I was in about 100 failed, forgetable bands in the southern VA area. The night I met Steve, the extended version of HoF, with Stephen and Bob, played such an incredibly great sounding set. But, as is the case at times with opening bands, it was far too short. However, the way it ended was outstanding. Bryan brought Steve Wynn onstage and they played Barry Gordy's "Money," you know, the one the Isley Bros. and then The Beatles made famous (Dwight Twilley likes to play this song in concert as well). What was so great about it was that they reversed the dynamics of the song so that the verses were loud and wild and then when they came to the chorus, it was quiet with Steve's vocals barely audible - a great idea indeed! And then, as Steve mentions, Gutterball happened. What an amazing "community" band that was! Yes, Bryan was, and still is, very special. And like Steve Wynn, I regret not picking up the phone more often, writing more often, just dropping by Richmond more often. Lesson learned, when someone like a Bryan Harvey enters your life, embrace them often and don't assume they will always still be around. -Steve Guion, Hampton VA steveguion@cox.net
thank you Steve for going deep on this
we got to dig it while we're here
Duane Jarvis
Today I was listening to the House of Freaks' Tantilla record (badly recorded on a bad tape) on my way to work and I thought that Bryan will live forever through his music. I know this is no relief from the grief, but it helps me in front of a tragedy with no explanation like this one. I had the wonderful opportunity to see him playing with Johnny Hott, Steve Wynn and Armistead Wellford in Barcelona in 1993 or 1994 and I keep it in my mind as a moment of communion with a higher place, maybe a place where Bryan is now.
I'm full of sorrow and from here I send all my strength to Johnny Hott to go on.
Enric
Mallorca, Spain
While working at Plan 9 Music, I got to know Kathryn as a very good friend, She was always there with a warm smile and a hug when it was needed. She was genuinely warm and giving. I think of her often and have several items from World of Mirth that remind me of her. There is a Chinese Good Luck Cat that waves a banner that Kathryn talked me into getting for my wife for Christmas one year. It is in our living room. It still waves to me everyday. And it reminds me of the good times we had. I saw Bryan a few months ago, also. He was always very friendly and always had an uplifting thing to say. These were good people that were struck down in their prime. But, I have good memories of times that I have spent in their presence through the years. Love, Dave Driver- Richmond, Va
Every new year's-eve after 12 I play Tantilla by the House of Freaks. I saw them twice in concert. The second time Bryan called me there personal archivist 'cause I told him about there first performance in the Netherlands were I was.
Great band, great guy.
Peter, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Nineteen years after first hearing Monkey on a Chain Gang it's still one of my absolute favorite albums. I wore out the vinyl and now I'm wearing out the CD. I even skidded off a snowy road into a ditch one night while listening, stone sober, to "Dark and Light in New Mexico"! The album changed the way I heard music, wrote music and played music for all time. What a huge loss... My deepest sympathies to those who were close to Bryan and his family.
Jenna Clayton
Westhampton, MA
i loved the Harvey family so much. All of them had a certain, beautiful, personality!
i will remember you well, forever with love.
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