30-Minute Music Hour

It's the 30 Minute Music Hour. I'm Andy Moore. Here's Josh Harty. THE WINDS BLOWING COLD AS FAR AS I KNOW BACK WHERE I'D RATHER BE BUT ON THE HIGHWAY TONIGHT THERE'S BEEN NO ONE FOR MILES JUST THOSE SHINING EYES THAT STARE FROM THE SIDE YOU'RE ON MY MIND WELL, I WAS THINKING 'BOUT THAT TIME WE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT YOU WERE TELLING STORIES AND I WAS TELLING LIES TRYING NOT TO SHOW THAT I'D WANTED YOU TO KNOW FOR SUCH A LONG TIME YOU'VE BEEN ON MY MIND NOW A THOUSAND MILES AND A FEW MORE DAYS IS JUST A SMALL PRICE TO PAY AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT I'LL TRY TO REALIZE WHAT I KNOW INSIDE THAT I'M I'M ON YOUR MIND NOW THE MILES SEEM SO LONG AND THE CHOICES ALL SEEM WRONG OH, I WONDER WHAT HAVE I DONE? JUST REMEMBER WHAT I SAID THAT NO MATTER WHERE I AM YOU KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS YOU'RE ON MY MIND NOW A THOUSAND MILES AND A FEW MORE DAYS IS JUST A SMALL PRICE TO PAY AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT I'LL TRY TO REALIZE WHAT I KNOW INSIDE THAT I I'M ON YOUR MIND 'CAUSE YOU'RE ON MY MIND ALL THE STORIES MY DAD TAUGHT TO ME SHE TAUGHT ME AGAIN FROM JOSHUA TO MOSES TO ABRAHAM SHE MADE THOSE STORIES LIVE SHE TAUGHT ME WELL SHE TAUGHT ME RIGHT SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO SEE THESE ARE THE LESSONS THAT MINNA MILLER TAUGHT TO ME TREAT EVERYBODY RIGHT THE WAY YOU'D WANT TO BE NEVER FALL TOO FAR AWAY NEVER BE AWAY TOO LONG NEVER GO ALONE IF YOU FIND YOURSELF OUT THERE JUST REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME SHE TOLD ME ABOUT A LONG, LONG ROAD I'D HAVE TO WALK DOWN THERE'D BE NO ONE TO TAKE MY PLACE NO ONE TO WEAR THIS CROWN SHE TOLD ME ABOUT THE STRENGTH THAT I'D NEED WHERE IT COULD BE FOUND NOW I'M REMINDED FOR IN THE PAGES SHE WROTE DOWN TREAT EVERYBODY RIGHT THE WAY YOU'D WANT TO BE NEVER FALL TOO FAR AWAY NEVER BE AWAY TOO LONG AND NEVER GO ALONE AND IF YOU FIND YOURSELF OUT THERE JUST REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME IF YOU FIND YOURSELF OUT THERE JUST REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME (Andy applauding) Thank you, Josh. - Thank you very much. That's from the first CD. - It is. "Three Day Notice." I couldn't remember the title, "Minna Miller." And you can always come home, for you, means North Dakota? North Dakota, yeah. There's a lot of your upbringing in a lot of your songs. Yeah, there is. - Well, you used to sing with your father when you were very young, right? I did. I started when I was five years old. I started with my dad. We'd travel around to local nursing homes. A captive audience. - Yes, and they loved it. It was great. And then from there, we started going to churches and to senior citizen centers. And we ended up, I'm pretty sure, between North Dakota and South Dakota, and most of Minnesota. I've probably played every Lutheran Church, Lions Club, Elk's Club, Eagle's Lodge, that there is. By the time you were 10. - Yeah, maybe 11. What kind of music did you and you dad do? We played a lot of like country and country gospel. When I was 9, we recorded our first record. It was called "Joshua." Then when I was 11, we recorded another one. They were kind of, I suppose, a 9 or 11-year-old's version of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is kind of what it was. I'm not going to put you on the spot, to go back to that part of your catalog tonight. But do you occasionally or ever pull any of those songs out now? Occasionally, yeah. I really like the old gospel songs an awful lot. We did a lot of traditional gospel stuff, and I really like that a lot. And so, occasionally, there'll be an opportunity to do that. Is your father still with us? - He is. Do you sing with him when you get back together still? Not so much. I don't know why. I think the last time we played together is probably five years ago. There's got to be a reason. Too busy talking, I guess. Probably. - What's his name? His name is Ken. Did I read that he is in Kindred, North Dakota? Kindred, yeah. - That he was also the sheriff. Yeah, or town Police Chief, I think is the technical term. Sir. Sir, yeah, it was interesting growing up, being afraid to do anything, because I was sure to get caught. But yeah, he was the town cop. It was only a part-time job. I read that, along those lines, that you figured you were either going to jail or hell, one or the other. Well, my dad was also a minister. The minister part came up later on. But we were raised very strict in our church. And so, as far as my house went, my father was the Pope. With a badge! - With a badge. What's more powerful than the Pope with a badge? I'm going to try to use this to try to push you into one of my favorite songs that you do. And maybe you can set it up with just a few lines. We talked about it before we started, so it's not like it's a complete surprise. It's named after a tavern that you grew up in and around, the Empire Bar. Could you play that one? Sure, absolutely. - Thanks, John. IF THERE IS NO WISDOM WRITTEN UP IN THE STARS THEN THIS AIN'T AN ARROW DIGGING A HOLE IN MY HEART AT THE EMPIRE BAR UP ON BROADWAY AND FOURTH WHERE I WROTE MORE LOVE SONGS THAN I COULD AFFORD WHERE AT 17 YEARS OLD WITH MY BROTHER'S ID WHERE I LEARNED TO DRINK WHISKEY AND SING HARMONY AND IF I CAN DRINK WISDOM OUT OF THE STARS THEN I'LL DRINK THIS ARROW RIGHT OUT OF MY HEART DID YOU WONDER WHERE I WAS BEFORE YOU WENT TO SLEEP I GOT TO DRINKIN' AND STEALIN' THIS MELODY BUT THE JUKEBOX WAS PLAYING LOW ANOTHER MIDWESTERN SONG I STARTED SINGING OUT BUT THE WORDS WERE ALL WRONG I SANG OF WHISKEY WITH NO SMALL REGARD I SANG THIS ARROW RIGHT OUT OF MY HEART AT THE EMPIRE BAR UP ON BROADWAY AND FOURTH WHERE I WROTE MORE LOVE SONGS THAN I COULD AFFORD WHERE I WROTE THIS ARROW TO SING YOU TONIGHT WHERE I WROTE THIS LOVE SONG TO SHOOT YOU ON SIGHT SOMETHING'S GOING ON THAT I CAN'T EXPLAIN SOMETHING LIKE A FEVER SOMETHING LIKE A FIRE BURNIN' THROUGH MY VEINS IT SEEMS LIKE I MAY NOT FIND MY WAY OUT THIS TIME TURN ANOTHER CORNER TO A DEAD-END STREET AND TRY TO RUN OUT ON MY MIND BUT I'VE GOTTA GO I'VE GOTTA GO NOWHERE IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE TO LOOK BEHIND TO KNOW WHERE IT IS I CAME FROM WE'RE STILL THERE TO CALL MINE EVERY HOUR AND EVERY DAY ANOTHER MILE AWAY WHAT IF THE HANDS DON'T STOP AND THERE'S NO TIME SAVED AND I HAVE TO GO I HAVE TO GO NOWHERE BUT NOW I'D LIKE A LITTLE TIME ALONE TO EASE MY MIND AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHERE I'VE GONE WHERE I'VE GONE BUT NOW I KNOW THE LESSONS THAT I'VE LEFT TO LEARN I'VE GOT TO FIND MY WAY BACK OVER BRIDGES THAT I BURNED SO GIVE ME DIRECTION POINT ME BACK TO THE ROAD AS FOR TAKING ALL THE RIGHT TURNS SOMETHING I'M NOT OFTEN KNOWN I DON'T WANT TO GO I DON'T WANT TO GO NOWHERE NOW I'D LIKE A LITTLE TIME ALONE TO EASE MY MIND AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHERE I'VE GONE WHERE I'VE GONE All right, very nice. We're going to do some business here real quick. If you're just tuning in, this is the one and only Josh Harty, Madison-based, by way of Kindred, North Dakota. We're going to talk about his new record in just a second. wpt.org/wisconsinchannel Are you writing that down? We'll wait. No, we can't waste time. But spread the word, that whenever we make the "30 Minute Music Hour," we Webcast them live. And I don't think I'm doing a good enough job getting the word out on that. But you can go to our Web page and see when we create programs, and then watch them and your favorite artist live, as we make these shows. Then they wind up on television a month or so out. So, if you're watching this on TV, and this is getting confusing, don't panic. Get another beer. Relax.

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wpt.org/wisconsinchannel Josh's show will be streamed there, too. So if you're going to miss the last part of this, you can watch it on the stream. Speaking of production, the new CD. -

Director

But please know that we're at

: Show it to camera 2. - Camera 2, all right. The new CD, "A Long List of Lies," and hell was paid to make it, right? Yeah, it was-- It was terrible, I guess. I recorded the album six times. So I guess, after now that it's all done, it's probably not so terrible. But it became kind of tough to get it done, because it was like roadblock after roadblock after roadblock. Cut nine, "Where Did I Go Wrong." That's on your website. What kinds of roadblocks? What was the problem? Well, I recorded it twice in Minneapolis. And it was just kind of a production issue that I didn't like. It was coming off, stylistically, not how I had it planned in my head. Because you were accompanied by some pretty good musicians. - Yes. Did they stay with you through the six tries? No, it's been a different line-up each time, almost. The first two were the same. Or, I'm sorry, the second and third were the same. And the third time, it was kind of a studio issue. We had a lot of technical difficulties, and things just weren't rolling out. The fourth time, I recorded it in West Palm Beach, Florida. And that one, I really liked. I miss that record a lot. But they called me after I had come home. They, who? - The studio where I recorded it; they called. They were talking to me about the new computer they had gotten, and that it was a real nice computer. It was huge. It was really nice. I don't like where this is going. Yeah, they said, the thing is, that when we were transferring everything from one hard drive to the other, we lost half of the record. And it wasn't as though that a couple of songs had been lost. They had lost guitar tracks throughout the entire thing, and different things and so that was a wash. What did you do when they told you? I drank beer. That's about all I could do. And so, we recorded it again. You can't make this stuff up. No, I wish I were. I wish it hadn't happened like that. But then, the fifth time, again, it was just a stylistic issue. The sixth time, I found a fellow named Justin Perkins, who's worked with a lot of local bands. And I think a lot of them have been on here, on the program. And he got it done. That was cool. Full circle all the way home. - Full circle, all the way back to Madison. I hope we get to hear at least one cut. I think we have time for three more, if that third one is that two-minute wonder you were talking about. Sure, yeah. - All right. Josh Harty. "A Long List of Lies" is the hard-fought new CD. I CAN LISTEN TO THE WIND BLOW ALL DAY IT WOULDN'T BOTHER ME AT ALL I COULD WATCH THE RAIN FALL ALL AROUND ME TILL THE DAWN I COULD LISTEN TO THE LAUGHTER OF THE CHILDREN PLAYING ACROSS THE WAY I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING HOW I'VE NEVER SEEN A BETTER DAY OH NO, OH NO I CAN LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE ALL AROUND ME SAYING WHAT THEY WILL THEY TALK ABOUT ME AND ALL THE THINGS I DO YOU KNOW, BUT I I JUST GET OLDER I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA GET BETTER OH, TILL THAT THAT DAY IN DECEMBER UNTIL THAT ONE PARTICULAR DAY IN DECEMBER I REMEMBER SITTING IN THAT BROADWAY BAR THE WINTER CHILL SET IN AND ALL THAT'S AROUND ME ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA KEEP ME IN NOW I POUR ANOTHER NUMBER ONE MORE GLASS OF WINE ONE MORE STRANGER'S STORY AS ONE MORE TRAIN GOES BY NOW I YOU KNOW I REMEMBER I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA GET BETTER BUT UNTIL THAT THAT DAY IN DECEMBER UNTIL THAT ONE PARTICULAR DAY IN DECEMBER MEANWHILE, BACK AT HOME EVERYTHING'S THE SAME SINCE YOU BEEN GONE I STILL WAKE UP EVERY MORNING SAME OLD TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWIN' ONE MORE TIME I'M GONNA TRY TO WRITE THIS LETTER DOWN I TRY NOT TO SEEM ALONE BUT THE WORDS NOW, THEY WON'T LET ME LIE MAYBE YOU'LL JUST KNOW OH, NO, NO, NO I KNOW, I I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO HIDE AND I CAN'T SEEM TO LIE WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME? HOME DO YOU REMEMBER HOW IT USED TO BE? WE'D NEVER LET LET ANYTHING BETWEEN BUT OLD TIMES CHANGE AND WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? BUT HOW COULD WE HAVE KNOWN OH, LORD OH, HOW COULD WE HAVE KNOWN OH, LORD I KNOW, OH I I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO HIDE AND I CAN'T SEEM TO LIE WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME HOME THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF OVERTIME TO KEEP ME AWAY BUT BABE I DON'T WANT TO GO ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT THE ROAD I'M ON IT'S GONNA TAKE ME HOME TO YOU THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN WE DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE GONNA MAKE IT THROUGH BUT IT ALL COMES AROUND FTER THE RAINS FALL YOU KNOW, I'M STILL SO IN LOVE WITH YOU OH, NOW I KNOW THINGS CAN BE KIND OF HARD AND NOW I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE IT RIGHT OH 'CAUSE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF OVERTIME TO KEEP ME AWAY BUT BABE I DON'T WANT TO GO I MAY NOT BE THE BEST AT SAYING SO BUT I'M STILL SO IN LOVE WITH YOU I'M STILL SO IN LOVE I'M SO IN LOVE WITH YOU WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND I'VE SEEN THAT LOOK BEFORE AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN CRYING YOU TRY TO LIE, TRY TO HIDE THE TEARS IN YOUR EYE BUT I'VE LEARNED TO RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU'RE DOWN WHEN YOU'RE DOWN YOU CAN'T KEEP IT ALL INSIDE THAT'S WHAT I'VE HEARD BEFORE IT'S HARDER TO PRACTICE THAN TO PREACH A HEART CAN BE PARALYZED BY A STORY SOMEONE TELLS AND I KNOW THAT I'VE TOLD ONE OR TWO I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU OH OH OH OOOH OH NOW AND THEN THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I WAS WRONG THAT DON'T MEAN WE CAN'T GO ON OH I, OH I, OH I I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU SO WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND I'VE SEEN THAT LOOK BEFORE AND I KNOW I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN CRYING