North Elementary

The Chapel Hill, NC band North Elementary is a musical collective that orbits around the songs of John Harrison. With an inventive and soulful approach to songs, North Elementary creates moments that are beautifully original yet surprisingly familiar.

In the early 1990's, Harrison began recording songs and homemade sounds in bedrooms and basements across North Carolina via his boom box. Around the turn of the century, he acquired a 4-track and the ability to combine his songs and sounds into static, beep-filled, three-dimensional compositions. As a founding member of the psychrock band The Comas, most of Harrison's time was spent recording (Wave to Make Friends and Def Needle in Tomorrow) and touring, leaving little time for what was to become North Elementary. In 2001, Harrison parted ways with The Comas to prioritize his own musical endeavors.

With the help of friends, including Seven Mary Three singer Jason Ross and Sir Jerry Kee (Superchunk, Mendoza Line), North Elementary recorded the albums Out of Phase, Lose Your Favorite Things and the 7" project Weeble Wobble Sound Series (all released on sit-n-spin records). These records garnered high praise - "Lo-Fi Music Masterpiece" (Dominion Post), "Top 10 Albums of 2004" (Left of the Dial), "One of the Best Freakn' Bands in the World" (JANE magazine). All the while North Elementary toured constantly, sharing the stage with Apples in Stereo, The Minders, Superchunk and countless wonderful bands that light up the east coast on any given night.

After a show in late 2005, Harrison passed along some 4-track recordings to friend and producer Alan Weatherhead (Sparkelhorse, Lucero). The two exchanged ideas and North Elementay began recording the album Not for Everyone, Just for You at Sound of Music in Richmond, VA. This record is set for release in April 2008 in the UK only via Last Press Label.

In 2006/2007, North Elementary joined forces with Pox World Empire to release Berandals, which was recorded and produced by Zeno Gill (Portastatic, Rosebuds, J. Mascis). The songs on Berandals that were born on southern porches, big red couches and inside mansions are already receiving favorable acclaim - "The type of music that earns a spot on a list of personal favorites is the type that works it's way slowly and steadily into the heart. "Berandals" offers that special intangible relevance, which so often explains why we listen to pop music in the first place" (The Daily Tarheel).

North Elementary has toured relentlessly and will continue to do so with shows and festivals booked for Fall 2007. These tours include multiple trips around the east coast, Canada and a series of performances in the UK (November 2007). An iTunes only EP release is set for early September and the first UK single, "You Have a Heart", is set for release via Last Press Label in October.