UNCAPPED 016: THE HARLEQUINS

By Ezra Morris

We cruised Cincinnati with retro garage rockers the Harlequins and checked out various hot spots responsible for the DIY renaissance happening in the Queen City. We made a stop at Able Projects, a punk rock clubhouse with so many amenities it seemed like it must have been plucked out of somebody’s life long plans for the greatest art space ever. Later that night we journeyed to the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood where the trio got the crowd dancing at MOTR Pub with their blend of raucous rock ‘n’ roll.

If you come from Cincinnati you’ve got a pretty big legacy to live up to. Rock is in the bloodstream of this entire region. You know King Records and its sister label Federal? Responsible for discovering some guy named James Brown who pretty much taught the entire earth to dance in the twentieth century? Cincinnati and Ohio in general have done a great job of turning out high energy bands best experienced at loud volumes when you are among a large, writhing group of fellow revelers. Luckily, the Harlequins are another fine addition to this tradition. The band members all met each other at parties. Not at school, not at work, not from an ad. Parties. It makes sense that they make music appropriate for such situations.

Like garage rock godfathers forbears Rocket From the Tombs a few hours away and newer locals like the Greenhornes and the Heartless Bastards feeding the flames, the Harlequins put a fresh spin on a classic regional sound that’s got universal appeal. Atop the ragged, whirlwind electricity of early rock, singer Michael Oliva drops in the occasional vocal flourish that recalls the Smiths and the Kinks. Like Austin’s the Strange Boys and San Francisco’s Ty Segall, the Harlequins remember that fun and fuzz belong close together, not just in the dictionary but just about anywhere you can mange to combine them.