Howlin’ Whale‘s relationship to harmonica is one of the defining symbols of her relationship with music. The harmonica allows her to express herself mimicking the sounds of birds, frogs, insects, trains, and waves crashing. In her latest single and music video for “Many Lives,” she sings and plays of recollected memories from her childhood, and the scenery exhibited in the video shows the train tracks she spent her childhood walking on. The train is a formative symbol in “Many Lives,” including the ocean, the woods, and the bog, each giving significance to their own pivotal reflection of life.
As the bog is displayed, Howlin’ Whale performs the song sitting on a rock in the Bubbling Bog, surrounded by the swamp in the woods where she grew up (Hip Video Promo). “Many Lives” blends bits of reggae, rock, and funk, and is featured on Howlin’ Whale’s latest EP of the same title, and her music is deep, haunting, and spiritual. She has worked with such disperse artists and songwriters as Fire Mist, Taylor Quinn, Kosmic Geckos bandleader Kavika G, funk bassist M. Cat Spoony, and jazz sensation Tyler Hammond. Howlin’ Whale discusses her relationship with the harmonica, which came first (the harmonica or music), other instruments she plays, and would like to play, and of course, the collaboration project for her latest video and single “Many Lives.”
I enjoy your relationship with the harmonica and the way you play it. When did you first pick it up, and what drew you to begin playing it?
Howlin’ Whale: Thank you very much! When I first heard harmonica as a little kid, I fell in love. It’s mysterious how the sound of a certain instrument can enchant a musician’s heart forever. Harmonica can create the soundscapes of my favorite places: the ocean, woods, train tracks, and more. I love the sound so much, I wanted nothing more than to learn to play. It took me a little while to work up the courage to believe in my dream and start playing. When I decided to be the person I truly want to be and do what I most want to do with my life, I picked up the harp. And I’m not ever putting it down. You can’t get this dog off that bone!
Which came first, your love of singing or the love of harmonica?
Howlin’ Whale: My love of singing and harmonica began around the same time, at about six years old. I remember the exact moment I realized I loved singing. I was singing late at night in bed when I was supposed to be asleep. I remember realizing how powerful and freeing it felt. I started singing louder and louder, thinking my family was asleep, nobody could hear me. I was suddenly interrupted when my dad knocked on the door to remind me I was supposed to be sleeping. I remember how hard it was to swallow up my song so quickly! I also remember the moment I fell in love with harmonica. My love of harmonica was born the moment I heard harmonica for the first time, John Popper shredding on my brother’s Blues Traveler CD four.
Are there any other instruments you play or would like to play?
Howlin’ Whale: I mostly compose on the piano, and I play a little bit of keys. Kavika G, bandleader of the Kosmic Geckos and master keyboardist, taught me how to play reggae keys, the bubble, and bang. Those rhythms are meditation, and locking in on keys is pure joy. I also love theremin and have a blast playing the theremini, which you can set to specific scales to play in key. The more music I write, the more I grow curious about new instruments, so I’m always excited to learn.
Your music video for “Many Lives” is a love letter to where you spent much of your childhood. What was filming for it like, and did it bring back a flood of those precious memories growing up?
Howlin’ Whale: Filming at my favorite places felt like coming home after a long trip. It was fun, dirty, familiar, tiring, and fulfilling. It was comforting to feel the woods unchanged by time. The trees were just as majestic, the bugs were just as aggressive, and the big rock was just as big as ever. While filming, I heard so many sounds again that had only lived in my memory. I loved hearing the familiar loud crunch of leaves underfoot and snapping branches. The droning buzz of insects is so loud and intense, it’s like a lawnmower. When I tune into that, it is awe-inspiring, the sheer amount of insects surrounding you, all singing. Hearing the soundscape of the woods again affirmed my memories of its unique and deeply sensorial magic. As always, the sounds inspire me to grab my harp and get weird.
Your name stems from a fateful encounter with whales. Can you share that story with us?
Howlin’ Whale: My name comes partly from experiences with whales in dreams and meditation as well as the ocean. I once came to a crossroads where I realized I had forgotten how to smile. I had been living in cities, and my connection with the natural cycles of the Earth had dimmed. My gut said return to the wild, so I started swimming in the ocean to listen to whales singing. As long as I can remember, I’ve loved whales and dreamed about them, but I’d only heard recordings of their songs. When I first heard them sing underwater, it awakened me to a deeper joy than I had ever known. I would stay up all night on land and listen to whales howling in the distance and slapping their tails like thunder. Their songs got inside my bones. I began swimming in the ocean every day. In a pivotal moment, whales led me back to nature when I needed it most. The healing power of their songs led me to center my life in music, singing wild songs of my own.
Love how your music and lyrics are versed in nature and its elements. Is there anything in particular about nature and earth that inspires you specifically?
Howlin’ Whale: Thank you! Nature is a wise teacher who teaches freely in a language we can all understand. You can learn all you need to know just by looking at a leaf. A leaf will show you how life relates to itself, as you study its stem, veins, its greenness absorbing light, its relationship with sun, water, and soil. A leaf teaches you about nourishment and disease, life and death, predator and prey, the harmony of the cycles we all experience. Nature teaches balance. It shows how death is life transformed to nourish our world in new ways. Water flows through all life. It shows us how the sea is a raindrop, as a raindrop is also the sea. Nature shows us how we are all connected, and we each have an important role in our world.
You teamed up with a variety of songwriters for your Many Lives EP. What were those collaborations like?
Howlin’ Whale: I am continually humbled by the support amazing musicians have shown me, especially since I’m just starting out with my own music, and there is so much to learn. I hear music in my head, it dances around inside my brain saying “LET ME OUT,” so I head to the piano to play it out. When I started making the Many Lives EP, I didn’t even know what a chord was. I was writing strictly from my inner ear. To produce the songs as I was hearing them in full-band arrangements, I enlisted Taylor Quinn and Fire Mist, who helped me fit the right chords, bass lines, and other instruments together with my melodies. FM and Taylor Quinn were tirelessly patient as they figured out what I wanted before I was versed enough to express what I heard in musical terms. Thankfully, they know me well enough to intuit what I’m going for, and the music sounds exactly as I dreamed it.
Making “Many Lives” taught me the importance of learning the language of music composition to express myself more efficiently in the studio. Kavika G plays all the keys on Many Lives, so I called him up to see if he would be willing to teach me and share his vast knowledge of music theory, songwriting, and keys mastery. I’m so grateful he took me under his wing. Studying music theory and composition with Kavika G has given me a strong foundation to understand what I hear in my head and make it work out loud.
What’s next for you throughout the year?
Howlin’ Whale: This year I’ll be releasing new music, directing some fun music videos, and hopefully rocking live shows again. I’m working through my catalog of existing songs, and new songs are coming through steady like a waterfall, so I’ll be spending lots of time charting and recording it all.
I’m also painting a series called “Harmonica Theory As Art” which abstracts the theory behind harmonica into color-coded shapes to show the relationships of each note and how you play them. Each painting is an educational tool designed to reference harmonica theory at a glance. Designing each piece is helping me understand harmonica more thoroughly, and I’m excited to apply this to my music.
Fun Questions
Who was your first concert, and do you have a favorite?
Howlin’ Whale: My first concert was the Backstreet Boys. I got to go when I was a kid and had a blast. My favorite concert was seeing Led Zeppelin perform at the O2 Arena. I love Zeppelin’s music beyond words, and it was a miracle I got to go. I made a hard line with the universe. There was no way I was going to miss seeing Led Zeppelin perform in my lifetime. While there was breath in my body, I was going to that show. I am forever grateful to the miracle workers who helped me get to see my favorite band. Experiencing the music live felt like the entire stadium lifted off like a rocketship. It was a dream come true.
What was your first album on cassette, CD and/or vinyl?
Howlin’ Whale: My first album ever was Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morisette, on cassette. I was a tiny little kid, about six years old. I didn’t know what any of the lyrics meant, but I loved the wild howling spirit in her voice. I still have my tape!
The Grease soundtrack was my first CD, which my brother gave me. I would listen to it on repeat and dance like crazy.
My first album on vinyl was Lightnin’ Strikes by Lightnin’ Hopkins, which my friend Miguel gave me the day he taught me how to use a record player for the first time.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Howlin’ Whale: In Europe by Big Mama Thornton – Big Mama’s powerful spirit on this album heals all blues. Her stunning talent and presence leave me in awe. I’m so grateful to her for making her music.
Live at the Roxy by Bob Marley and the Wailers – I can barely live with myself for missing this show because I wasn’t born yet, so I definitely do not want to live without this album.
Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix – Two of my all-time favorite songs are “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be),” and “Moon Turn the Tides, Gently Gently Away,” the most gorgeous sonic soul journey to the deep sea and beyond.
Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin – This album is a masterpiece for any setting, alone in your room, or having the best party of your life.
Sublime by Sublime – Bradley Nowell’s exuberant spirit and hilariously frank, heartfelt take on life always make me smile even in the hardest times.
Do you have a guilty music and/or entertainment pleasure?
Howlin’ Whale: I love puzzling, and it’s gotten extreme. I have a stack of about seven finished puzzles ready to be shellacked and hung in my Hall of Victory.
What have you been listening to, reading, and/or watching?
Howlin’ Whale: I’m a book nut, so I’ve always got several books going. I’m reading Alice Coltrane, Pema Chodron, “The Gospel of Hip Hop” by KRS-One, “Anam Cara” by John O’Donohue, Gavin Maxwell’s “Ring of Bright Water,” Francesca Lia Block, and Tamora Pierce. I love books that spark your imagination and take you on an inward journey.
My favorite tv show of all time is “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” I just watched “AJ and The Queen” and loved it. I also love the new film “Lost Transmissions” by Katharine O’Brien. It beautifully captures the tragic loving hilarity of the human experience.
Right now I’m rocking Linton Kwesi Johnson, Empress Akua, Steel Pulse, Lt. Stitchie, KRS-One, Flying Balalaika Brothers, Perro Bravo, Falcon Stevens, Gil, Migs, and Rog, Horace Andy, Jah9, Led Zeppelin, King Tubby, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bad Brains, UNI, Prince, Born Jamericans, Billie Eilish, Howlin’ Wolf, and more!
I’ve also been listening to birds from morning all through the night. Their songs change as spring arrives. I’m entranced by the bizarre sounds night birds make. I love to stay up past dawn to listen to how the soundscape shifts as night makes way for day.
Connect with Howlin’ Whale on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Stream her music on SoundCloud.
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