Chances are, if the event is happening in Harrisburg, then John Harris will have had something to do with it. Harris has been booking acts, managing bands, and scheduling events in the area and on the east coast for the past twenty years. He was the man behind the Sharks’ and the Kix’s rise to fame in the early 80s and the one that brought you all those huge, huge acts like Ted Nugent and the Grateful Dead when City Island was still doing concerts. He also handled all the arrangements for the acts during the Metron’s heyday and is currently the manager for that local sensation, The Martini Brothers.

I tracked Harris down at his office at the Best Western Conference Center off Exit 18A where he’s been the Entertainment Director for the past two years. He had also been the Food and Beverage Director for the hotel, but recently resigned the position to free himself up for some other opportunities. I popped in for an interview and was greeted by a medium-sized, tanned individual with a casual attitude and a charming smile. I had been expecting someone more uptight, considering all the different pies this man has his fingers in. But, as the interview progressed and he got warmed up, Harris began to show some of the energy it takes to keep all those balls in the air at once.

When I asked Harris exactly what it is that he does, he laughed and said, “I think of myself as a consultant. That’s why I started The John Harris Group, so I could consult on sports, entertainment and hospitality.” He then began to reel off a list of things he does that includes those mentioned above plus promoting the Harrisburg Heat, the Hershey Wildcats, owning his own amateur Harrisburg soccer club, lining up acts at Kokomo’s and other local venues, doing the scheduling for the City events such as the Kipona and Independence Day celebrations as well as being the middle agent for large out-of-town acts that need local help or equipment. If you want an event done in the area, Harris is the man.

When asked how he got into the business and if it was what he had set out to do, Harris answered, “No, I just sorta fell into it through a series of events that led up to my managing my first band, The Pikers. I was running the Creekside and lining up bands for them. I had been personal friends with the Quinn brothers during that time. The Pikers hired me as their manager and I happened to run into the Sharks who were having trouble with their guitar player. I sent them one of the Quinns and the rest was history.

Then, one day we were playing an out-of-town gig and one of the Kix came up to me and asked me to manage them. I brought them to this area and they took off.” He continued to reminisce and said, “As a manager, I was setting up bookings and events for my bands and then took the next step to doing concert promotions. I had made contacts all up and down the east coast with club owners and promoters through travelling with the bands. I then took the big step up and became known to the large national acts when I took over the Metron’s bookings and the concerts on City Island.”

Hearing a trace of wistfulness in his tone, I asked Harris if he missed travelling all over with bands and those glory days of the big nightclubs in the 80s. Ruefully, he shook his head, “No. I don’t need to travel anymore, what with the internet and conference calling. I only go along to a show if the venue is new so I can make personal contact with the owners. Otherwise, I pretty much stay put. I’m not looking to manage anymore bands, there are other things that I’ve been doing to keep busy and make money.” I dug a little deeper and asked if he would continue to ride the flow if The Martini Brothers made it big and he said, “Of course. I’d like nothing better than to see them take-off. But, you can’t bank on it in this business, so many bands come and go. And, even if they do make it, sometimes you get left in the dust. I did Bon Jovi a favor and booked him when he was nothing, then couldn’t get near him when he made it big. It’s the way it goes, no one can tell who’s going to make it and who’s not.”

When asked his plans for the future, Harris just shrugged and said, “I’ve been tied down here at the hotel for the last two years. Now I’m free. This business is seasonal like many others, spring and fall being the best times, so I’m heading to the beach with The Martini Brothers. We’re playing Cape May for two weekends. I’ve got family in Atlantic City and a possible ‘in’ into promoting there. I have no set plans, I’m just going to see where it goes. I’m not originally from Harrisburg and I miss the beach a great deal.” He hinted around for a while that he would be open to moving his base of operations to AC if his ‘in’ pans out. He ended that subject by saying, “I’m not married, so I can go wherever I like. I guess I’m married to my work. Although that could change in the blink of an eye if I finally met someone!” he hastened to assure me. So, don’t give up hope, girls.

We ended with talking about Millennium, Harris’ personal pet project. Millennium is an annual musician’s showcase and symposium held in the different clubs of Harrisburg. Local bands can come and perform and then attend the seminars with producers, technicians and record labels to find out the information they need to compete in that most frustrating of businesses. This year’s Millennium saw over one hundred bands performing over a two-day period. “I got the idea by attending seminars in other cities,” said Harris. “I thought Harrisburg should have one, too. It’s a way for the local bands to network and foster a supportive community for each other, which is something they’ve been missing. I try to explain to bands that those that do really well invariably go out and see other acts perform, they mingle with other musicians and create relationships outside their own group. It’s natural to be competitive in this business, but it’s shortsighted.” Harris went on to explain, “We started our own label, Fat Back Records, to put out The Martini Brothers’ CD. We now have other bands recording on the label and if one group is big in an area, we generally try to make use of that and schedule another of our groups that may not be as well-known to perform with them, bolstering their name recognition.” It’s that type of a supportive effort that Harris hopes the Millennium conference will help to engender. “Hopefully, also, it will put Harrisburg on the map. We’re in the perfect position because all roads go past here if you’re travelling anywhere up and down the east coast. I’ve booked many a band that was just passing through from Boston to Florida and who happened to have a free night for a stopover in Harrisburg. We’re not a college town, so we do have to offer something that other towns don’t. I’m hoping Millennium will be that thing.” The next Millennium will probably be scheduled on Valentine’s Day Weekend in 1999.

So, if you need help scheduling, promoting or even conceptualizing an event that will take place in Harrisburg or the surrounding area, give The John Harris Group a call or visit his website at www.johnharris.com. You’ll find no one more connected and if he can’t help you, he’ll pass you onto someone who will. But, catch him soon or you’ll have to hunt him down amongst the casinos in Atlantic City or the sand dunes of the beach and that would be your loss.