Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Decades of persistence has paid off for a local singer-song-writers Rob Watkins and Tom Harpell, who recently inked a three year deal with Revolver Records.
They joke they’re about to become overnight sensations, half a century after they started.
Known as Watkins Harp, the duo’s latest album, Boondog Quip, was released by the England based record company on Sept. 12.
“We’re kind of like Hank Williams smashing into the Beatles,” Watkins, who is based out of Napanee, said when asked to describe the group. “The Beatles would have Ringo sing a country song, and then over here would be Helter Skelter and then there would be everything in between. We try not to limit ourselves. The Boondog Quip album came out more country, there’s a term now, Americana. It’s just music that has been around forever. I guess ours would fit in there. It’s not the polished pop country. It’s very rootsy music.”
The latest offering is their 10th they put out together. In that time they’ve really honed their sound, opting to forgo the latest technology in most cases in favour of a more stripped down sound.
“We spent a lot of time thinking what does this song need,” said Watkins. “Rob is the most prolific writer, so we get together to write and quite often Rob will show up and he’s already got four songs written. Then we’ll sit down at the piano and a lot of times I’ll have a verse or something and I’ll say ‘I’m stuck’. Rob and I will get together and 15 minutes later, we’re recording.”
Harpell, who hails from Amherstview, says far more often than not they get the track perfect within their first two takes.
Once their album was completed, they began researching record companies. Having been in the business for quite a few years, they knew finding interested labels and standing out among the thousands of entries they get wouldn’t be easy. They also knew to be on the lookout for scams, such as companies promising big things in return for upfront cash and then never delivering.
When Watkins found the England-based Revolver Records, he figured he’d send some tracks and see if he got a response. To his surprise, less than a week later they contacted him expressing a lot of interest. After asking some questions, he learned they were legit, offering to pay royalties with no upfront fees.
They also offered an agreement that was music to their ears-the right to have some of the more well-known names on their label to record their songs.
“We’re song-writers, that’s how we want to be known,” said Harpell. “We’re not the next pop duo. We’re song-writers, our main objective is to get that exposure and get it out there. If we can make contact with other artists who are established and get in that way, that’s what we want.”
The agreement also gets their music onto exclusive Spotify playlists, which is extremely sought after by musicians in the digital era.
Both agree that although it’s taken several years to secure their big break, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This is a dream that Tom and I have had since we were teenagers,” said Watkins.
Though they’re now old enough to be parents of teenagers, with age comes wisdom. They’re both more grounded with more realistic expectations.
“We do this because we’re having a lot of fun,” added Harpell. “We just enjoy it. We spend a lot of time laughing.”
That love of playing music has kept them motivated all these years despite several doubters telling them to give up. Harpell says young musicians should follow suit and just chase their dreams because they never know when it may all fall into place.
Their Boondog Quip album is now available on digital platforms such as Spotify, Google Play and Amazon.