1. The Underground
Your Alternative Christian Voice
http://theundergroundsite.com
Introducing City Harbor
City Harbor is a duo comprised of singer/songwriters Robby Earle and Molly Reed. The
duo isn't a household name yet, but their self-titled debut, "City Harbor" which was released
yesterday, is set to change all that.
I was able to listen to an advanced copy of the album, and can’t wait for you to listen as well as
the duo's music is so beautiful.
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2. The Underground
Your Alternative Christian Voice
http://theundergroundsite.com
I spoke with Earle and Reed about City Harbor-– the group, the album and its sound. Below is
what they shared.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): How did you come up with your name , “City Harbor,”
and how does your name relate to your musical style?
Robby Earle (City Harbor): We wanted a name that was true to what we strive to be as
people and musicians. At the same time, we wanted to make it something bigger than
us. If you look up the definition of the word ‘city’ in a dictionary, you’ll see it defined as
‘any place where people are gathered.’ Harbor obviously denotes a safe place or
sanctuary. We love the idea of our music being a refuge in the midst of all the noise and
the craziness. In some sense, we’re all vessels designed for these grand voyages. So
often, Christ acts as a harbor, a place for us to rest up and refuel before He sends us
back out bearing His name. Our hope is to take part in that process in any way we can.
Our prayer is that the Lord would use us to serve His people in that way.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Your sound can be described as a blend of organic and
harmonic pop.What inspired your sound?
Molly Reed (City Harbor): We were both inspired to write songs that were honest and
fresh. We are huge fans of pop music that maintains the organic elements, so we
wanted to make sure our record was the same vibe. Both Robby and I are suckers for a
good harmony part. Being a duo is allows for so many interesting harmonies and we
tried to take advantage of all the opportunities to make each song fresh and original.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): This debut album "City Harbor," focuses on songs that
convey emotions and man's dependency on God. Is this theme just an album thing or more like
what you, as a duo, will always focus on?
Robby Earle (City Harbor): That’s a great question. I think this record came pretty
naturally out of where we were while writing it. And, to some extent, the things we speak
to are pretty consistent to us as people. That said, there’s no doubt that we both
learned and grew a lot through this process. I mean Molly’s gotten married since then.
And believe me, my life looks very different than it did when we first sat down to write
together. So, to answer the question, I think the only way to continue writing honest
records is to be aware of where we’ve been and where we’re going and to be willing to
put that out for people to see. I expect that we’ll touch on the same themes in the future
but from some radically different perspectives.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Molly you have been a notable songwriter, and now you
are a recording artist. What has the transition been like?
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3. The Underground
Your Alternative Christian Voice
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Molly Reed (City Harbor): For me the transition has been very natural. I always knew
that one day I wanted to record my own songs and make records, but I wanted it to
happen organically. I waited patiently for the right door to open and when City Harbor
came into the picture, I knew this was it! Songwriting will always be my first love and I
feel SO blessed that I am able to record my songs with Robby and play them for people.
Music begins with a song, I just hope to be able to continue to reach people and make
music through song.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Robby, who have you guys toured with so far? How has
touring and being on the road impacted you as an artist and as a person?
Robby Earle (City Harbor): Well, so far. We’ve toured with Francesca Battistelli,
Sidewalk Prophets, Finding Favour, and Mikeschair. It’s been an amazing process. For
starters, it’s been an incredible blessing to spend time with people who are doing it
right. If nothing else, we’ve learned a lot by osmosis. But the touring life itself is a blast.
I’m still a pretty young guy. I don’t have a family of my own yet so it’s a really fun time
to be running around all over the country. I think the biggest impact touring has had on
me personally is probably a deepened understanding of the nature of community. I think
having a solid group of people around who know you and love you is of the utmost
importance. On the road, that becomes the bands you’re traveling with. At the same
time, I’ve had to be more intentional about keeping up relationships with friends and
family back home. Similarly, I’ve had to adjust some things in terms of daily prayer time.
It’s easy to get knocked off your routine being away from home. But I’ve found without
that constant immersion in God’s word, I can quickly get overwhelmed. Of course, Molly
and I’s favorite part of this whole thing is just getting to meet fans. I guess you’re
supposed to say that, but honestly, it’s the biggest highlight. Between conversations
with promoters and volunteers and moms and kids, we learn so much about who we’re
singing to. And I think that, more than anything, gives us fuel to keep writing and playing
this stuff.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): I must ask how was City Harbor birthed? Did you both
just know or was there a lengthy planning?
Molly Reed (City Harbor): It sounds cliché but City Harbor was truly a "God Thing."
Robby and I met at a mutual friend’s show in Nashville. We instantly became friends
and started writing with each other. From there it naturally birthed into City Harbor.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): How lengthy was the recording process of "City Harbor?”
Robby Earle (City Harbor): Oh, man. It takes a while to make a record. Haha don’t get
me wrong - it was so much fun. We got to work with some of the most talented folks in
the business. But it was months of writing followed by months of recording followed by
months of writing followed by months of recording. There’s a lot that goes into that
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4. The Underground
Your Alternative Christian Voice
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process. I’ll say this. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience, but we are
definitely excited to get this record out.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Both of you are songwriters, so it is natural to assume
that you have quite a number of songs that you wrote but didn't make the album. How did you
choose the songs that we see on the album?
Molly Reed (City Harbor): You couldn’t' be more right! We probably wrote close to 90
songs for this record. It was quite the challenge to narrow them down, but we have an
amazing team around us who helped put it together. Anyone who listens can know that
we poured out hearts into each song. It was hard to let some of them go, but in the end
we feel like we chose the best of the best. Who knows, maybe some of the songs that
didn’t make this record will show up on the next one!
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Robby what songs from other artists are you currently
listening to? Your top 3 favorite songs?
Robby Earle (City Harbor): Oh, I love that question. I’m a big seasonal music listener.
So I’ve been listening to winter music. My top three right now are probably “Plans” by
Matt Wright, “Overture” by Sleeping At Last, and “Vice Verses” by Switchfoot.
Michael Ernest (The Underground): Molly, did you make any New Year's resolutions? If yes,
care to share?
Molly Reed (City Harbor): I'm not sure about Robby (if I had to guess I'm betting his
resolution would be to dig deeper into the Bible). I did make somewhat of a resolution. It
is to work on all the relationships in my life every day! I want to always be growing
deeper with The Lord, my husband, my family and friends. Community and people are
the most important thing in my life and I never wanna take anyone for granted.
City Harbor hit stores Feb. 4.
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