We talked with Harvey about his band, his music and his love of Dayton.
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I recently turned 50, I work a “9-5,” I’m a father of two girls, I love music and sing in a party/cover band.
Q: When did your love of music start?
A: I was probably 4 or 5. The sounds that I heard, be it from a guitar, or drums, or synthesizers, or even vocals just intrigued me.
Q: You worked at a legendary music store in Huber Heights when you were younger. Tell us about it.
A: Yes, Spud City Records, later CDX-Compact Disc Exchange ... one of my favorite jobs ever! From the guys I worked with, to the people that came in to purchase music, it was nothing but a fun and mind-expanding experience, because I was able to hear so many styles/genres of music, and I like to learn about different forms of music. To this day I’m a liner notes guy to the bone.
Credit: Peter Wine
Credit: Peter Wine
Q: When was the first time you sang in public?
A: It was in the sixth grade, in a school production of the musical “Annie.” Not too bad of an experience.
Q: What made you decide to audition to sing the national anthem at Dayton Dragons games?
A: The opportunity to sing is hardly ever refused by me, and this was just another chance for me to showcase this gift.
Q: How was the reception you got when you sang your first anthem at the stadium?
A: Extremely positive crowd noise!
Q: How many times have you sung at Dragons games?
A: Eighteen out of 20 years. Would’ve had a game last year, but COVID shut that down.
Q: You are a lead singer in a popular local band. What is the band’s name? When and how did you join them?
A: The band’s name is Party Punch and we formed late in 2020. Three of the guys in the band, including myself, came from another band to form this one.
Q: You are something of a walking jukebox. You know a lot about music history. Has this knowledge ever come in handy for you?
A: Absolutely. From music trivia contests to just being able to hold a conversation with other music lovers and musicians, being able to bring up history or weird facts tends to interest people.
Q: Who is your favorite artist? Whose music inspires you?
A: Artist? Ha! More like artists! I have my “holy trinity” that consists of Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder. All three are also inspirations and to me the majority of artists past, present and future somehow are connected with those three artists. Right behind them is James Brown.
Q: Have you worked on anything else musically recently, besides your band?
A: A couple of years ago I wrote and sang the jingle to SVG Motors. Also, over the past few years I have sung with a couple of Cincinnati artists, mainly Mr. Vincent Stroud, including a show that was a tribute to the mighty Temptations.
Q: What do you think about Dayton’s local talent? About its music fans?
A: We have an extensive history when it comes to Dayton music and it continues to this day. The local talent here is amazing and if you’re willing to look and find then you can definitely find that out. And its fans are very loyal and supportive! Without them then it would be hard to perform.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming musical plans.
A: Just gonna sing until I can’t sing anymore, and that includes my band, other artists that ask me to sing with them and all other opportunities that present themselves.
You can contact this writer at: grgsmms@gmail.com.
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