Meet New Orleans' Own Damn Hippies

The hour approaches 10:00 pm in a small dark nightclub off the famous St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Two tall men dressed in 1960's regalia enter the room to an outburst of cries..."Damn Hippies!"

That boisterous welcome is for bassist George Deane and singer/songwriter/guitarist Jonathan Harder, two consummate musicians who've survived decades of Mardi Gras, Jazz Fests, slammin' late-night gigs and a hurricane named Katrina to still entertain with a passion.

Deane, who admits to having played everything from country to gospel though he prefers blues and jazz, was paid to play at the age of eleven and he's been playing ever since. Harder also started at a very young age writing his first song at the age of 13 and while Deane had been a studio musician and sideman for many bands, most recently T-Bone Stone and the Lazy Boy's, Harder was a prolific singer/songwriter (over 100 songs), popular local coffee-house performer and original lead guitarist for the hard-edged New Orleans rock group The Boo LaCrosse Band.

After spending a career making others look good they placed their time and talents into their own show with their own recordings to produce an arena for Harder's masterfully created lyrics and melodies that soar with an indescribable fusion of jazz, folk, blues and rock. Add to this an uncanny ability to cover popular songs from the sixties to today with a new alive resonance in a repertoire of over 80 songs...and you've got the Damn Hippies.

Mr. Harder, some people say you're Stevie Ray Vaughn incarnate. Do you think you play like him?
Harder: Whoa, jump back! I don't put myself in the same league as Stevie Ray Vaughn. I admit sometimes I sound like him but as far as influences go I'm probably a cross between David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead; they're almost polar opposites. Then there's Hendrix, Jimmy Page...

Mr. Deane, you are noted for your powerful, down and dirty bass. What influenced you?
Deane: Israel Crosby, George Harry's bass player. Jack Bruce, Cream -- power blues --Butterfield. John Mayall.