EMQ's

EMQ’s With Harpazo

EMQ’s With Harpazo

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Rock Opera Concept project, Harpazo. Huge thanks to project founders Gary Wehrkamp and Marc Centanni for taking part. 

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Gary Wehrkamp: Then band is called HARPAZO, and while most members are veterans of the music industry, this is our first release together. The band began when Marc Centanni and I began writing a concept album.

How did you come up with your band name?

Marc Centanni: The New Testament was originally written in Greek, and “Harpazo” is a Greek word meaning “caught up” or “caught away.” “Crucible” signifies “a severe test,” aptly describing the trials the characters will endure. In this future, humanity will face a harsh test of mortality versus AI godhood, faith in Jude Solomon, or adherence to ancient traditions amidst the global chaos brought down by meteors that hit earth and plagues. Will humanity “evolve” for better or worse? These are the questions we explore in this dystopian Rock Opera and they are the reasons why I chose the names.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

Gary Wehrkamp: We are a band from the northeast USA – namely Pennsylvania where the record was recorded, and Atlanta Georgia. There are some guests from many different places. The Metal scene is bigger in some of the big cities, but I find Europeans to be more actively involved in emerging Metal.

What is your latest release?

Gary Wehrkamp: THE CRUCIBLE released in Europe a few days back in arrives to America July 5th. We have released two singles so far with videos. The first is called “I am God” and the second is a song called “ICHOR”

Who have been your greatest influences?

Gary Wehrkamp: Styles: Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock, Metal, and all styles, really. Bands include Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, Queen and Jellyfish to make a few. Individually I would name Bassist Chris Squire, Guitarist David Gilmour, Keyboardist Jens Johansson, Engineer/Producer James Guthrie, Film Scorer Thomas Newman.

Marc Centanni: My early influences were Stevie Ray Vaughn, Molly Hatchet, Kansas, Styx, Van Halen and Petra. Later on, as I got a little older, I moved into metal bands like Queensryche, Dream Theater, Fates Warning. The evolution continued into Ayreon, Avantasia, Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian, Symphony X and Theocracy.

What first got you into music?

Gary Wehrkamp: I started at age 10 as a drummer and has been performing ever since. I moved through teaching myself various instruments throughout my teen years. I just wanted an outlet to create. I enjoyed performing and having the possible chance to inspire people, but writing and improvising was the real reason I did anything.

Marc Centanni: Watching my day play his guitar growing up and watching concert footage of bands like Van Halen, Bloodgood, and whatever else was on MTV. I looked up to my dad a lot and wanted to be like him. His heroes were players like Eddie Van Halen, George Lynch, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Gary Hoey, so naturally many of those became mine musically.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Marc Centanni: I would love to write the lyrics to a Dream Theater song or a contemporary christian band like Elevation Worship.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Gary Wehrkamp: Wacken would be a great place to play that I have not gotten to yet.

Marc Centanni: Any large rock/metal festival that would be accepting to Harpazo!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Gary Wehrkamp: When I was touring with Shadow Gallery in 2010, we received large boxes of pasta and food from Italian fans. There was so much that we couldn’t even get it all home. I did manage to take as much as I could, and it was fantastic! This may not have been the “weirdest” – It may have been the best.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Gary Wehrkamp: Dive Deep. Try good quality headphones and immerse yourself in the music until you have heard every detail and ear candy that may be in a record. Great records continue to give for many dozens of listens or more. Usually my message is “Thank You!” but I thought I would try a different answer this time.

Marc Centanni: Thank you so much for your support and we ask if you like it, you share it anywhere applicable. We are spreading a message of hope and redemption while giving a warning about the future of humanity and I think it needs to be heard.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Gary Wehrkamp: Neil Peart… or my dad. He wasn’t a musician, but he was a rock star to me.

Marc Centanni: Well now that I’m tearing up Gary it’s hard to follow that. Let’s bring Gary’s dad back. I want to meet him, but I bet I met a lot of him I already know because his spirit lives on in my dear friend and partner here.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Gary Wehrkamp: I love the freedom to have many options of expression. I perform with many bands. I teach music. I run a recording studio and teaching facility. I don’t hate any part of it other than the occasional fluctuating pay.

Marc Centanni: Watching it all come together and listening to a really early demo. When you got a demo, the possibilities are endless and it’s exciting to watch it grow the more you add to it. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s absolutely a beautiful process. 

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Gary Wehrkamp: That artists would be rewarded on the merits of their music and talents and not how pop and mainstream it has become.

Marc Centanni: How the mainstream music industry of America pushes the most negative, selfish, disgusting and vile lyrics into the ears of our youth. Mainstream artists will do literally anything for exposure, riches, and fame. The spirit of mainstream music is to corrupt and make a buck off our kid’s souls. Don’t believe me? Go read the lyrics of any of the top 10 songs on the Billboard 100. Drinking, sexual deviance, violence, offensive language, disrespectful to religious beliefs, and many times they want the destruction of important institutions.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Gary Wehrkamp: Rush – Hemispheres. This one never gets old for me.

Marc Centanni: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater. Super long album and their best album in my opinion. Ask me though next week, and that might change ha ha!

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Gary Wehrkamp: I should start playing vinyl again! I have been through those formats, and then even some others like 8-track! Having files on my computer provides a great convenience to access it quickly, so I cannot discount that. CD was a good format, but I don’t think I own a CD player anymore. So, my simple, complicated answer is- I do not care about the format as much as the emotion of the music.

Marc Centanni: CD and I’ll tell you why. I love putting a CD of a specific band (not mix or compilation) into a Walkman or radio and it’s just you and that band’s music.. It’s a commitment to listen to all the songs and not just the single. I don’t listen to Spotify lists, compilations, mixes of various bands. We are so focused on singles nowadays that there doesn’t seem to be much of a place for this. I do enjoy high-definition downloads with my earbuds though when I am mowing the lawn or biking or at the gym. Streaming is okay but I can tell you the more I stream, the less of a relationship I have with a band’s music. The temptation to flip to another song from another band is too high!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Gary Wehrkamp: I have had the pleasure of playing to audiences from a few dozen to I did one in my 20’s in front of about 40,000-45,000 people. My standout favourites were the smaller ones win front of 400-600, namely in Milan, Italy and Athens, Greece.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Gary Wehrkamp: Struggling. No, I had so many interests when I was younger thinking it would be fun to be a scientist or lawyer or a chef (I love cooking!). Now, it’s been so long with performing, teaching, and producing music that I can’t think of anything else.

Marc Centanni: I’m not primarily a musician and work a full-time tech job. If i didn’t do this or the music thing I probably would be a tow truck driver again. I loved the open roads and listening to music. It just doesn’t pay to do that job and it’s a shame.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Gary Wehrkamp: They guys from the (retired) band, JELLYFISH.

Marc Centanni: Jesus and anyone he wants to bring along.

What’s next for the band?

Marc Centanni: Our main priority is promoting Harpazo right now and getting it heard. It would be a dream to do this as a live show or musical.

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people? 

https://harpazomusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Harpazomusic

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4yYfRcXw9PygLX41bkLlMg

https://www.instagram.com/harpazo_music

https://twitter.com/HarpazoMusic

https://www.facebook.com/gary.wehrkamp

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

Gary Wehrkamp: I clearly need to spend more time in The UK because I am not sure of this answer. A Roll? I am going with that because as a drummer, I like thinking of a drum roll.

Marc Centanni: Very tempting to Google this but I’ll guess Barm Cake because you over-explained on that one and that makes me think it’s the right answer.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Gary Wehrkamp: We appreciate your time, and these interesting questions! Thanks for supporting this band and record.

Marc Centanni: Thank you very much for your questions and for supporting our efforts to get the music out. God bless you all!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.