Harley Poe
OriginKokomo, Indiana[1][2]
GenresFolk punk
Years active2004 (2004)–present
Members
  • Joseph Whiteford
  • Gregg Manfredi
  • Cristian Riquelme
  • Wesley Plantenga[3]
Past members
  • Kevin Phillips
  • Adam Kerr[4]
  • Chad Serhal
  • Christopher Thomas[2]
Websiteharleypoe.bandcamp.com

Harley Poe is a folk punk band from Kokomo, Indiana. Originating from the members of Christian punk band Calibretto 13 after it disbanded, the band has released 14 albums, including Satan, Sex and No Regrets, which was voted best album of 2012 by Rue Morgue. Described as "murder folk" and "extremely dark", their lyrics focus on horror film and related topics.

History

Harley Poe began from frontman[5] Joseph Whiteford's previous band, Calibretto 13 (later Calibretto).[6] Soon before Calibretto 13 ended, Whiteford wanted to create a band that would sing about horror film themes; after Calibretto 13's label ended their contract and the band broke up, he started Harley Poe.[1][4] The origin of the band's name is dubious; Whiteford has said that he "always give[s] a different answer... because it's kind of lame".[7] He has variously claimed that he "thought it had a good ring to it" and wanted the band's name to be a person's name,[7] that "Harley" came from Ed Harley in the movie Pumpkinhead and "Poe" from the last name of one of Whiteford's role models at a church group,[8][6] or that Harley Poe was the name of a neighbour of Whiteford's that was murdered by his friends in his youth.[9]

In 2012, Harley Poe released Satan, Sex and No Regrets on Chain Smoking Records, which was voted best album of the year by Rue Morgue.[10]

In 2015, Whiteford announced that the band would be going on a hiatus,[11] playing their final show before the hiatus on Halloween night that year.[12] Whiteford later stated this hiatus was due to him having issues in his marriage and wanting full control over his music.[11] The band's 2017 album Lost and Losing It stemmed from those issues with his marriage and his later divorce.[9][11][12]

In 2019, Harley Poe appeared in Scary Stories, a documentary about the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, performing their cover of the folk song "The Hearse Song". Whiteford also talked about his childhood connection to the books.[13]

Other than Whiteford, fifteen different musicians have been members of the band.[14]

Musical style

Harley Poe has been described as acoustic punk,[8][4] folk punk,[11][15] or murder folk[16] with horror aspects.[17][18] Their music has been variously described as "a toe-tapping, gore filled, blood splattered romp",[17] "carefully crafted and additively immersive",[12] "creative and twisted",[19] and permeated by the influence of horror films,[20] with their lyrics (which often discuss horror film themes) being described as "extremely dark, demented and twisted beyond belief"[1] and "some of the most deranged lyrics in the genre".[12] Their music is inspired by bands such as Violent Femmes, The Tiger Lillies, and The Cramps.[4]

Discography

Albums

  • In The Dark: Or, B Movie Trash! (2006)
  • The Dead and the Naked (2006)
  • Wretched. Filthy. Ugly. (2010)
  • Satan, Sex and No Regrets (2012)
  • B-Sides from the Basement (2012)
  • Pagan Holiday (2013)
  • Fallen Down (2015)
  • Lost and Losing It (2017)
  • Alive and Alone (2018)
  • Have a Great Life. (2019)
  • 7 Inches of Hell (2021), originally released as 7-inch singles through Horrorhound Magazine[8]
  • Uke Puke (2021)
  • Horrorful (2022)
  • Little Joey and the Psychophallic Sex Brain (2023)

EPs

  • Harley Poe and the Dead Vampires (2007)
  • The Serhal Sessions (2012)
  • Man of God (2013)
  • Pinocchio Pariah (2020)

Singles

  • It's Christmas Time Again (2006)
  • Merry Christmas 2015 (2015)
  • Ticks (2021)
  • Welcome to Slime City (2021)

References

  1. 1 2 3 Centeno, Anthony (30 April 2015). "Harley Poe: A Band Of Horrific Proportions". Modern Horrors. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 Jefferson, Thomas (14 January 2005). "Harley Poe - In The Dark". Punk News. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Wretched. Filthy. Ugly., by Harley Poe". Bandcamp. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Alexander, Dave (March 2006). "Minstrel of the Macabre". Rue Morgue. No. 54. pp. 36–37.
  5. ↑ Shea, Devin (5 May 2019). "Don't go into the woods: Our favorite songs from Harley Poe". 1428 Elm. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 Walker, Lacey (13 July 2023). "the banjo pluckin' genre blend of folk-punk". frankie magazine. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  7. 1 2 Solis, Jorge (26 April 2010). "A Conversation with Harley Poe's Joe Whiteford". Writer Without Fear. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "Harley Poe defines 'Acoustic Punk'". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  9. 1 2 Crowley, D. D. (17 May 2017). "Harley Poe is the Dose of Folksy Horror You Never Knew You Needed". iHorror. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "R.I.P. 2012: The Year in Review". Rue Morgue. December 2012. p. 33.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Carlson, James (April 2017). "Trials, Tribulations, and Catharsis Through Art: An Interview with Joseph Whiteford of Harley Poe". Punk Globe. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Crawford, Sean (3 March 2017). "Harley Poe - Lost and Losing It". Punk News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Kingsley, Joanna (9 October 2019). "Scary Stories - Exploring the tradition, drama and legacy surrounding the much-loved children's books". Film Daddy. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Culp, Ashton; Mayenschein, Kailee; Pollock, Mason (23 February 2023). "The mind behind Harley Poe". The Trail Blazer. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  15. ↑ Nauta, Lily (28 February 2019). "On Assignment: Lily Nauta Sees Harley Poe Amigo The Devil At The Catalyst". kzsc.org. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Harley Poe at Beat Kitchen". wnur.org. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  17. 1 2 Peters, Josh S. (21 November 2013). "Record Review: Harley Poe - Pagan Holiday EP". Bearded Gentlemen Music. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Souvenir of the Week: Satan, Sex, and No Regrets". KCR College Radio. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Harley Poe - Man of God". Rue Morgue. July 2013. p. 60.
  20. ↑ Bennett III, James (4 April 2022). "Harley Poe releases new horror, folk punk album "Horrorful"". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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