Stephen Harrison - Little H Collective Interview
Little H Collective is the moniker of Stephen Harrison's many creative endeavors in ambient soundscapes, woodworking, and graphic design. He has released music under this umbrella since 2017. Most of Stephen's recordings were made using an assemblage of guitars and musical esoterica that he built. The woodworking informs his music, the music informs his design, and all of this work is bolstered by his teaching at an elementary school in the Pacific Northwest. His songs are structured around simple melodies that roil and swell into lush vistas supported by an undercurrent of tonal ephemera collected along the way. Stephen considers his playing to be a form of meditation that both calms and invigorates the mind. With each listen, his music evokes a sense of wonder and new discovery.
Are you originally from Seattle, WA? What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall inlove with music, more specifically the guitar? I understand you also work in design as well wood works. Were these things that were relevant around your household growing up?
I grew up in Maryland, right outside of Washington, DC. My creative streak was very much encouraged. I always had drawing supplies close at hand. I would spend hours in the garage building tanks and planes with a pile of scrap wood and a bag of nails. Free to Be… You and Me was constantly spinning on the record player. That’s the earliest music that sticks in my memory. Then it was making mixed tapes of all the 80s hits on Q107 and classic rock on WCXR. I didn’t start playing guitar until I was in college, and I immediately wanted to build one. I have several well-worn guitar books that I flipped through endlessly while drawing up my first design. I ordered up all the parts and managed to create a very playable instrument. That guitar is sitting across the room right now.
What would you do for fun growing up? Who were some of your earliest influences in your more formative years? When and where did you see your first concert and when did you realize you wanted to spend your time pursuing music?
I have always loved to build. Model cars with all the cool decals and so many Lego kits when I was a kid. My high school had a sweet woodshop. All the machines and tools you could imagine. I think it was junior year when I had a double period of shop every afternoon. I was in heaven. The first music I remember going to see was at the Kennedy Center on school field trips. The orchestra played all the John Williams movie scores. Same stuff each year, but I didn’t care. The sound of all those people playing together was something else. Then I discovered Pink Floyd. The Wish You Were Here album is what made me pick up the guitar. I played those four notes in Shine On You Crazy Diamond over and over again. Looking back, I wish my guitar teacher had pushed harder on the theory. I just wanted to learn Neil Young and Allmans riffs. He was happy to oblige.
When and where did you play your very first gig and what was that experience like for you? Did you participate in any groups, or projects prior to LHC? You’ve released a very extensive body of work over the years including titles such as “Collected”, “Rings On Rings”, “Collect And Wonder”, “Susurration”, “Electric Raccoon” and many more.
My first gig was years ago at an open mic in an old church in Ripton, VT. I played a couple of instrumentals I wrote and then backed up a friend on You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere and Angel from Montgomery. It was such a thrill. I’ll never forget what it felt like to climb onto that stage and have everyone listen so quietly. It’s funny. Most of what I record these days is done in one pass. I dial the loops and pads in and out while playing over top of that bed. It’s an approach that would translate well to playing live in front of an audience, yet I rarely do. At least the ambient stuff. I’m in the teacher band at the elementary school where I work. We play an hour of singalong songs for the kids and families every Friday morning. The music teacher is incredible. She is always working new songs into the set. The shows become a lesson on rootsy Americana and selections from around the world.
What ultimately inspires the process and approach to writing and recording your music? You seem to pull from so many different directions and layers of the human condition including a more naturalistic place.
Writing, practicing and recording are like meditation for me. I like simple phrases that I can play like a mantra. There is usually a central theme to the songs that get surrounded and supported by loops, delays and reverbs. The Habit by Chase Bliss is currently my favorite tool. The organic nature of how the pedal collects, processes and returns signal is central to my sound. I always play and record in stereo. There needs to be two, or three amps filling the room at all times. That said, I have an idea I’m working on for a very minimal track meant to be heard in mono. Hopefully I get around to recording that in the next few months.
What have been some of your favorite albums/projects that you’ve created and why? Jumping head to your most recent record, “Avalanche Pass” with the fine folks over at Sun Cru. What was the overall process and approach tothis album and how did you approach the material that maybe differs from your previous works? You mentioned this was your most “rewarding recording experience”.
I feel so lucky that Josh at Sun Cru came across my music. At first, we talked about re-releasing something of mine on the label, but Josh was quick to ask for something new. I am so glad he did. He gave me complete creative license to just do what I do, but all of a sudden I had someone other than me to answer to. I spent the summer practicing the parts I wrote and playing with a variety of section sequences. Many of these practice sessions were recorded so I could listen back and capture notes on what worked and what didn’t. There was an evening in late July when everything fell into place. I experienced that feeling of being a conduit that we all hope for. The music just flowed and I captured what became the published piece.
As summer draws to an end, what else does the rest of 2023 look like for you? Any shows, projects, or tours in theworks? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
The beginnings of the follow up to Avalanche Pass has begun to show up on the fretboard. AP taught me to pay closer attention when a phrase or motif sounds and feels like it wants to be heard. I’d love to get out and play more this fall and winter. The Drone Sleepover was a blast to play the same weekend AP was released. Now I’m on the lookout for unique venues and situations to share my sounds. I have a short scale bass that I’m working on. The neck came from the parts bin by the door at The Trading Musician in Seattle. The body is made from the last of the wood I salvaged from a set of 60 year old doors. I’m currently puzzling over the bridge design. I also have a batch of pedal sized stereo guitar amplifiers in the pipeline. I’m always tinkering with something.
