If you have any videos, photos, artistic renderings, press or anything about Lance that you would like to share, please send us the hyper-link or email us a copy. Thanks, D
Notable Quotes...
"Lance and Donna create songs that sound and feel authentic. The nuances of the music really come across during live performances...†These two interesting musicians manifest traditional blues music and bring it across in a unique way."
-Bluesnews, DE
"Lance Harrison is a master of the guitar, he suffers and celebrates with it taking his listeners on a journey through centuries of classic blues. That is blues as it lives."
- Roth-Hiplotsteiner Volkszeitung, DE
"There was so much energy and fire in their music the audience fell for them from the beginning and sang along with them! Thanks to the organizers for bringing such a great duo to Poland."
- Twöj Blues Magazine, PL
"Exotics such as Lance and Donna, have shown that old blues does not exclusively live in eccentric and loud blues rock. Songs that will make you lift off and fly away..."
- Nürnberger Nachrichten, DE
"It always feels good to listen to people, who's authentic blues songs, we have gotten fond of, are performed on stage, very imaginable on a beautiful evening."
- Bluesnews, DE
"Lance and Donna have invalidated the old cliche, that blues is only depressive complaining."
- SudDeutsche Zeitung, DE
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Designed by Lance!
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Welcome to the all new
Lance Harrison site!
Here we hope to introduce you to some of the facets of the man known to many simply as 'Lance'. Musician, songwriter, entertainer, amateur magician, storyteller, prankster, traveller and more!
With his wife Donna, he has journeyed to more than thirty countries exploring their musical landscapes as well as the "Terra firma". Music and art are the driving forces in his life, and always have been. Nobody can remember a time that Lance didn't make music. It's just him. It's what he does.
Of the CD's that are available there are twenty-six (26) original songs. There are a lot more in line to be recorded and new songs are coming to him all the time so stay tuned. Although he has been concentrating mainly in a blues direction the many different flavors of his tastes are evident to those who listen. Click the "Music" menu above for a player window that streams about a minute of each of the songs.
photo by Omar Abdullah
NEWS
Wow! It's Fall already! Time really flies when you're having fun!
We have a new life plan, so we've divided our year into three blocks. From April until September are our European performance months with concerts, festivals, etc. Then, we take a couple of months in the USA playing some select shows and visiting family and friends. Next, we're off on our travels to different destinations around the world. Recently, our favorite travel destination has been on a small river island in the south of Laos called "Don Det". We've actually been back three times now! If you are our friend on Facebook, perhaps you know about the group that we started, "Paradise Guesthouse Don Det Laos," and perhaps you know about the projects that we have been promoting.
The first project we've initiated is the promotion of eye health on the island. It seems that a large number of people on the island are suffering from generally poor eyesight and in need of corrective lenses. Some have serious vision loss due to cataracts. Being a poorer region of Laos, the general health care is really very basic and not suited to specialized needs, such as cataracts.
How did we get involved? To recap...
The matriarch of our guesthouse has a cataract. She used to have two, but after a failed surgery in the local hospital she is now completely blind in one eye and refuses to go back to let them try the other. I can understand that! So we took up a collection from other travelers and took her to a hospital in nearby Thailand. Although they could not operate on that eye yet (it has to get worse before they can remove the cataract), we did have the wonderful luck of meeting the son of the director of a specialized eye hospital in Savannakhet, Laos that has performed over 10,000 successful cataract removals! They also have an optometrist and can make corrective lenses for a very low cost. So far, we have helped two people get glasses, have money put back for Mama's cataract surgery which should take place in November and are planning to make regular trips with others from the island who are in need of help, including the local doctor who we discovered also has vision problems. We've received a donation which now covers the doctors glasses. The director of the hospital gave us an eye chart and the island doctor is now testing the locals to see just who needs glasses or other eye care help. The cost per person, which includes (1) the bus to and from the eye hospital in Savannakhet (a 12 hour trip), (2) food for the three days (3) one pair of single focus eye glasses, with frames (bifocal costs a little more), comes to an amazingly low cost of approximately €50/$75. Yes! only €50/$75!! (Amazing isn't it!)
To help with this cause we've started a fund. At first, it was just a tin can on the table of one restaurant taking donations. Now to help make it easier for people who would like to help by making a donation we have made a PayPal donation button! So if you would like to contribute, they could use the financial help with this. NONE OF THE MONEY IS USED BY US! We pay all our own expenses when we accompany them to Savannakhet.
Don Det, Laos Eye Health Fund
We are also looking for used frames that could defer the cost.
If you have some laying around and would like to send them to us before we go, write me for a mailing address.
Another project is for the children of Don Det. We brought in 10 kilos/22 lbs.of books last year and opened a guesthouse book exchange. We donate the proceeds to sending 3 of the local children to an evening school to learn English. If we have a surplus, we plan on taking a couple of the kids up to the Pakse hospital for physicals. We think they may be anemic.
Getting down to the Music!
The third project... It is just my personally getting involved with the local musicians and learning the special bluesy grooves of traditional Lao music and mixing it with my own. I'm bringing recording equipment with us and when I have something to show for this I'll gladly share it with you!
There is a possibility that I will be the opening act for "someone big" sometime in November! I don't want to jinx it by saying who, but I will certainly keep you posted about this as the confirmation happens!
Other than that, I'm continually writing new songs and selecting the best for the next CD.
Donna's slipped and herniated discs continue to heal with the treatments and exercises she does daily.The quiet time on the island will also help her, I'm sure.
I'm not sure how my back will be as she's having me carry another 10+ kilos/25 lbs. of books to the island this year, LOL! (Thanks to Kirk Lutz for the generous book donation!)
We will return to Europe in April, 2010 and have several concert dates lining up for the new season already. I'm always looking for more possibilities to play, so we're open to your suggestions and contacts.
Until then, I'll keep you posted as to how everything is going.
And please, if you think any of your friends or acquaintances would be interested in helping with these projects, please forward this to them.
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