The Harry Chapin Archive at HarryChapin.com

Richard Shindell Richard Shindell is as close to a modern-day Harry Chapin as anyone I have seen. "The Courier," a live collection of Shindell's best story songs (in the Chapin tradition), is up there with Harry Chapin's Greatest*Stories*Live. Highly recommended.

Matt Nathanson Matt Nathanson is probably for a younger crowd. Some of his banter will probably drive away older audiences. Nonetheless, he has some good, aggressive, folk-rock songs like "Pretty the World," "First Time," and "Lucky Boy." Worth a look.

Christopher Jak I remember watching Chris perform in an amazing spot in the Berkshire hills where I went to summer camp. Chris had it then, and he has it now. Chris is just starting out. I don't know if Chris will be heard on the radio a lot in the future, as his music is genuine. No bubblegum. If you're someone who Remembers When The Music was the best of what we dreamed of, you may wish to check out Chris's music. I especially like his track "The Swimmer," available on his website.

The Samples Sean Kelly, the lead singer of The Samples, is a songwriter from another era. Former fellow bandmates Jeep MacNichol, Al Loughlin, and Andy Sheldon created a unique, bubble-like reggae folk sound in the early 90s. With the exception of Sean Kelly, the original members have departed. The band now revolves around Kelly's modern folk ballads, and remains something special, although in a different way than originally. Songs like "Weight of the World" (a tribute to Kurt Cobain), "Flying" (imagining the experience aboard Pan Am Flight 103), and "Who Am I" (a searching song about being very small in a very big universe) make Sean Kelly's work with The Samples reminiscent of what Harry Chapin would call "music that matters."

Dispatch Sadly, Dispatch has not toured in quite some time, although plans are in the works for a final show. Dispatch was three extraordinarily strong musicians from a small, New England liberal arts school. Each could (and now does) carry his own band. Put together, the three made for an amazing sound and repetoire. The Band began as three dueling acoustic guitars with tracks such as "Mayday," with solid harmonies crying out, and evolved into diverse styles led at different times by each of the three frontmen. Songs like "The General" are reminiscent of the social conscience of a Harry Chapin song, with a more contemporary funk, reggae feel. But then "Spades" represents almost a complete re-birth musically and lyrically of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" for this generation. The original members have now gone their separate ways: State Radio, Pete Francis, and Braddigan. While each is interesting on his own, this was a band where the sum was truly greater than each of its parts.

State Radio Special thanks to John Molinaro for the following write-up of State Radio:

State Radio is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachussetts, consisting of former Dispatch member Chad Urmston (lead vocals, guitar), Chuck Fay (bass) and Mike Najarian (drums). State Radio's songs range from a mixture of roots reggae and rock to punk and more somber, low-key numbers. "Keepsake," for example, has a very acoustic feel in delivering a song about love for others. The group's work also features more hard rock, politically-oriented songs like "Guantanamo," addressing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. State Radio veers into reggae with songs like "Right Me Up"--a song written about Chad's mentally handicapped friend Manny from Rhode Island. Off stage, State Radio is very active in promoting several causes, having recently started a new organization--Callingallcrows.org--that promotes human rights. Before their shows in 2008, State Radio would coordinate a pre-show community service project. Learn more at stateradio.com.

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"Oh, if a man tried to take his time on earth and prove before he died what one man's life could be worth, I wonder what would happen to this world?" -- Harry Chapin, 1942-1981.

Harry's Music

Bottom Line Encore Collection
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Chapin Music
      [iTunes]
Cotton Patch Gospel
      [iTunes]
Dance Band On The Titanic*
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Essentials
      [Amazon]
Gold Medal Collection
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Greatest Stories Live*
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Harry Chapin Tribute
      [Amazon]
Heads & Tales
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Last Protest Singer
      [Amazon]
Legends Of Lost & Found*
      [iTunes]
Living Room Suite
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
On The Road To Kingdom Come
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Portrait Gallery
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Sequel
      [iTunes]
Short Stories
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Sniper & Other Love Songs
      [Amazon] [iTunes]
Songwriter
      [iTunes]
Story of a Life
      [Amazon]
Verities & Balderdash
      [Amazon] [iTunes]

* = Highly Recommended

The Latest Release

Sniper & Other Love Songs

[iTunes]
In 1972, Harry released Sniper & Other Love Songs. Thirty years would pass before the album would ever reach the CD format. Sniper was finally re-released in June, 2002.
Originally given a working title of Sweet City Suite, the album tells the story of various characters one might run into in a city. The album features the original studio versions of Chapin classics "A Better Place to Be" and "Circle." But perhaps more importantly (as those songs are already well-distributed on compilation CDs), the album features seemingly lost Chapin stories, including "And the Baby Never Cries," "Burning Herself," "Barefoot Boy," and "Woman Child."
Sniper is for the seasoned Chapin fan. New fans would do better to check out Greatest Stories Live. But for Chapin fans who have reached the level of the Dance Band on the Titanic album, this is the next step. Slightly over-produced and having a little of the "forced" feel that some of Harry's studio albums possess, this album does not capture the powerfully live Harry Chapin. Nonetheless, it captures Harry's great iconoclastic songwriting--Harry takes the story song to new heights here. But the album works best for those ready for it; don't buy it until you are ready to appreciate it!