There is a whole group of professionals, tradespeople, elected officials, and even stay-at-home parents who transform themselves at night and on the weekends into…MUSICIANS! David Fair and Deb Polich meet one of them, Alan Harris, vice president and general counsel at Atwell, Inc. by day and drummer and vocalist for the bands Naked Ace, Four Roses, and the Harris Jazz Quartet by night, on this edition of "creative:impact."
Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, 89.1 WEMU's David Fair and co-host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of The Arts Alliance, explore the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
About Alan Harris
Alan is Vice President and General Counsel of Atwell, LLC. Atwell is a civil engineering and land development consulting company with more than 600 employees and offices across the country.
Before joining Atwell, Alan was a partner in a Detroit-based law firm for 20 years.
Alan is the past president of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor and currently serves on the Michigan Theater Foundation board of trustees.
Alan’s love of music is lifelong. He studied music at Emory University and has played in bands since childhood. Alan’s primary instrument is the drum set, but he also dabbles in other instruments, including piano and guitar.
Alan’s current musical ventures include:
- Naked Ace: Known as “Ann Arbor’s Rock and Soul” band, Naked Ace is a 12 piece band that plays local establishments, such as The Session Room (on August 30), Bel-Mark Lanes (on October 12 and November 27), UMMA Art Fair, Chelsea Sounds & Sights, among others. Naked Ace is on Facebook at Naked Ace Rocks.
- Annemarie Dolan (vocals)
- Alan Harris (drums, vocals)
- Denise Henderson (sound queen)
- Donnie Henderson (sound king)
- Tom Hollyer (guitar)
- Damien Hyde (sax, flute)
- Carol Konrad (vocals)
- Kirk Lignell (vocals, guitar)
- Jan Muhleman (vocals)
- Andy Nelson (trombone)
- Art Solomon (trumpet, flugelhorn)
- Peter Throm (bass)
- Warren Widmayer (saxes)
- Vince Young (keyboard)
- Four Roses: Four Roses, the newest venture, is a special blend of four voices, guitar, and hand percussion performing covers of pop and rock classics. Four Roses has performed at The Grotto and can be found on Instagram at Four Roses Rocks.
- Harris Jazz Quartet (HJQ): The “quartet” is a jazz improvisational group, which usually is 5 or 6 friends! HJQ performs regularly at The Grotto and various charity and private events, most recently at Ann Arbor Distillery.
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
