THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Hannah Harber, Lil Indies, Mar. 19
Though young, local Americana artist
Hannah Harber has been around the scene for some years now. I saw her with her all-star band the
Lionhearts just
last September at the debut of Southern Fried Sunday’s
Southern Belle Ball. But that was part of a rather crowded night that ended up being more about the musical dynasty of the
Wynn family (of which she’s a member by marriage to the Believers principal
Thomas Wynn) than her individual identity.
In her recent solo stand at the intimate Lil Indies, however, Harber’s own voice would be on full, unvarnished display. Ain’t much hiding behind a mic and an acoustic guitar. Under that lone spotlight, she performed a well-chosen set of originals peppered with some very personal covers by the likes of
Patty Griffin, Tom Petty, John Prine and the
Boss. Harber’s presence and point of view have notably matured over the past few years. Instead of anything mellow or golden, “mature” in Harber’s instance is actually a case of more incision, bite and taste. And like good salt on sugar, time has given her intrinsic grace some
edge and
steel. In her twangier moments, she can be a pistol with echoes of a young Dolly.
Although admitting to the ultimate vulnerability of being without her band, she commanded all on her own once she settled in. As defining as any of her aforementioned affiliations might be, forget ‘em. Harber’s to be considered in her own right because, somewhere along the way, this voice has ripened into one of the
sharpest, most cogent roots presences in the city.
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This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2018.
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