Harry Bailey's Transport

by Stacy Barton


The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is a great night to get out and see a band, and this year was no exception as Harry Bailey's Transport entertained the crowd at Square One. The band was celebrating the release of their first full-length album, Nothing Glaring.

Harry Bailey's Transport is made up of two familiar faces in the local music scene, Joe Roman and Steve Morris. Club-goers might recognize them from The Funnies, a popular cover band that plays at area venues.

In Harry Bailey's Transport, the two perform their own music, and the songs are catchy and fun, getting the crowd on their feet and dancing. With only drums and piano, the more open arrangement lets their vocal talents to the forefront.

The songs are rhythmical and jaunty, with lyrics that are playful and sometimes silly. In Mom, a song about getting in trouble, the words are written from a kid's point of view. The chorus proclaims, "I'm telling Mom and you'll get a spanking, you never shoulda done what you did. When Daddy gets home, he's gonna ground you for being a naughty kid".

The band has a god foothold on the internet as well as the local music scene. Their Myspace site has music and video, photos and upcoming performances, as well as an opportunity to say hello and leave them a message. They also have a website at www.harrybaileystransport.com .

For more information on the CD, or the band, check out the website or keep your eyes out for the guys playing around town. - Prophetstown Echo

(listen in the Audio Files) - w/ Jeff Hamilton

It’s a wonderful life … for these two longtime friends from Prophetstown. You may recognize Steve Morris and Joe Roman from the local band The Funnies. Remember that teaser? Well, here’s the goods on Harry Bailey’s Transport. What is Harry Bailey’s Transport? you may ask.
It’s just drums and a piano. “Huh?” is probably the next question that comes to mind. Yes, just drums and a piano – and vocals, of course.
Give it a chance.
They’re like nothing you’ve ever heard before.

I sat down with Steve and Joe at Jim’s Lounge one Friday night when they were setting up for a weekend stint with The Funnies, in order to find out more about this new project of theirs. The first thing I discovered is that HBT isn’t exactly a new project. It’s been in the works since 2004. The two of them always knew they wanted a project for original music, but time after time, and bassist after bassist, they just couldn’t find the right mix. So they decided to just go for it on their own, just drums and a piano. Thus, Harry Bailey’s Transport was born.
I had the privilege of checking out a four-song demo of HBT before getting together with them. As I was listening, I kept thinking, “Who does this sound like?” “Who can I compare this to?” “What’s missing?” I’m still at a loss for answers. One would think that you would miss a guitar riff or bass line, but for me the sound was full. And while you think you might hear the influence of someone or another, you just can’t quite say for sure.

While their demo consists of just four songs, HBT has 15 original songs in preproduction and 10 more they’ve put on the backburner for now. April will be busy for them as they start heading out to introduce their sound to the Sauk Valley area. In May they plan to head back to the studio, Sparko & Roboto Studios in Prophetstown, to put together a full album which they hope to release in late summer.
When asked about their sound, their influences and writing original tunes, Steve and Joe both had plenty to say. They describe their sound as “honky funk.” While I’m not quite sure what that is, once you give them a listen you’ll know. Their influences are everything, from Led Zeppelin and Queen to Elton John and Ben Folds. They’ve both grown up listening to all types of music, and those influences are evident in the songs they put out. While both have written on their own, they are also quick to agree that collaborating is better, as they fill in each other’s weaknesses, and that it is a pretty even split for each in their contributions. You can see the fun and humor they put into their creations with songs like “Allergy.”
The funky grooves come alive in tunes like “I Like It.” Steve adds that The Funnies are a cover band and it is fun, but his passion is to play his own music, which is what HBT allows him to do.
Joe explains that there are different ways of doing music and that they hope to show people that. There is a lot of material out there without guitar; many just don’t realize it. They will mix in a few covers as they work on expanding their collection of originals, but they will be putting their own unique twist on them.
Their No. 1 goal remains to entertain people. Steve encourages everyone to come out and listen with an open mind. They also hope you’ll end the night with an HBT song stuck in your head for the rest of the week.
While HBT has played a couple of dates at Square One, their hometown bar, they will be making their mark on Sterling-Rock Falls with dates at Champs on April 2 and PJ’s II on April 14 and 15.
They’ll also be playing the River Music Experience in Davenport, Iowa, on April 20. You can keep up to date on future HBT events by checking out their Web site, harrybaileystransport.com.
I hope you’ll head out and give HBT it a try. Really … just drums and a piano! - HAVE FUN! Entertainment

Saturday, September 08, 2007

With nothing more than a wide-ranging piano and a sharp drum kit, Harry Bailey's Transport make quirky, catchy pop on Nothing Glaring. Deftly skipping between rollicking, noisy, funk-infused pop ("Mom," "Deep Philosophy") to the elegantly composed numbers ("These Shoes," "Static"), HBT bring numerous influences together with their unique stylistic vision. Though obvious comparisons to Billy Joel and Ben Folds apply, tracks like the sweetly off-kilter "Dance" and "Directions" reveal HBT possess plenty of their own sharply crafted melodies.

– Patrick Conlan - Illinois Entertainer Magazine