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Americana musician comes to Gallup

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Sean Harrison to perform at the Gallup Masonic Center June 19

“I’d like to think I’ll die in an interesting way/ A final effort for some glory to my life/ Like falling from a cliff/ Or run over by a train.” That’s how “Wake up Dead,” a song off of Sean Harrison’s 2020 album “Halfway from Nashville,” starts.

Harrison’s music has been described as “Americana,” meaning that it encompasses traditional music styles, such as folk, country, and bluegrass. In an interview with the Sun, he said he considers most of his work to be more on the blues side of music. He said his inspirations include Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

“I like writing songs that make fun of guys like me, to be frank about it,” Harrison explained. “I’m a very privileged person, and I’ve had a great life and every opportunity, and I didn’t always make the most or sometimes anything of the opportunities I had; I had to go through a learning experience on that. But I like making fun of guys who take themselves too seriously, and I think currently in this country we have a problem with that […].”

Harrison was born in Nashville, but he was raised mostly in Fayetteville, Ark. His father was William Harrison, the late novelist/screenwriter best known for “Rollerball” (2002). Harrison said his father had a major role in introducing him to music.

“My dad played the guitar and sang a few songs when I was a little kid,” Harrison said.

Of course I liked that, and I wanted to be like my dad, so he taught me a few chords and as early as five years old I played my first song, a simple two chord song, and took it from there and started making up my own songs, which weren’t any good of course,” he quipped

Harrison was a part of a couple bands in junior high and high school, but he didn’t pursue music as a career right away. Instead, he looked towards careers in journalism and public relations.

It wasn’t until another musician, Milton Patton, approached him, that he started to consider pursuing music full time. Patton asked him if he would manage him, and Harrison said he would help him write music instead.

The pair ended up writing an album that made it on to the Top 50 Billboard country chart, according to Harrison. But the two men split ways when Patton decided to go off to Nashville, and Harrison made the decision to write and sing his own songs.

“I decided ‘well, I don’t think anybody else is gonna sing my songs because they’re not very commercial, but I sure do like them; I guess I’ll just sing them myself,’” Harrison said.

Flash forward to late 2020, and Harrison had an album, titled “Halfway from Nashville.” The pandemic prevented him from going on tour, but now he’s finally getting that chance.

Harrison will be in Gallup on June 19 at 4 pm at the Gallup Masonic Center, 106 Aztec Ave., performing a house concert.

This is the Masons of Gallup’s second house concert of the year. Space is limited, and available on a first come, first serve basis; reservations are required. Tickets cost $25 and Harrison will also be selling CDs at the end of the show.

Harrison said he really enjoys the intimate setting a house concert provides.

“I love playing house concerts,” Harrison said. “They’re small, they’re private, they’re up close, sometimes they’re completely unplugged […] I love those because I can connect with people in that intimate way.”

He also said that one of his favorite parts about performing live is getting to connect with people.

“Live performance is all about the new great people I get to meet and connect with,” Harrison said.  “They often have questions in the middle of a show about a song I just completed because it might have affected them and they say, ‘I can’t believe you knew that and that you’ve felt something that I’ve felt,’ so that’s the really cool experience, to connect with people through the stories and the songs.”

Harrison’s tour is a two-week, 12 stop endeavor. He’s performing in cities across New Mexico and Colorado, and he said he’s excited to come to Gallup.

“I’m just so grateful that I get to come there and play my songs for the people in Gallup,” he said.

To reserve tickets for the June 19 concert, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By Molly Ann Howell
Sun Correspondent