Judging a magazine by its cover
Silver Spring-based music mag celebrates five years
By IVY FARGUHESON
Remember when you were 19 or 20 and you listened to really cool music? Remember when you thought you would grow up and fight "the man" and live off the grid and change the world forever? Remember when you despised any trend, anything that looked popular, especially popular kids who wore popular clothes and listened to popular music? Well, chances are that while you do remember those days, right now, you are working the trendy job, living in the trendy neighborhood, and listening to trendy music. Not by choice, of course, but as a matter of circumstance. When you were in high school and college, you had access to good, eclectic music across all genres. Now you have bills to pay and a rent or mortgage you can barely afford. You may not be able to fight "the man" with any force nor move the wife and the kids to a rural, gridless homeland. While you may be retired from changing the world, you can still discover good music through HARP Magazine.
Founded five years ago by Scott Crawford in his basement in Takoma Park, HARP is a music magazine for those who feel that the current trends have left them behind. The magazine aims to discover good music, regardless of the genre. Crawford, who was born and raised in Silver Spring, always had a love for music and magazines. He has been a fan of newsstands and he realized that "there was a hole here and a whole segment of the population was not being served. I thought I could fill the gap."
Fill the gap he has. HARP has a growing domestic and international circulation of 50,000, Crawford plans to increase from 8 issues per year to 12 over the next two years. He moved its home base to Silver Spring where Crawford hopes to stay.
As the Editor-in-Chief and the Art Director, he is able to shape his magazine to reflect his own musical interests. He admits to liking "things that are organic, not processed" and acknowledges having a CD collection that has anything from hip-hop to indie rock to R&B to country to bluegrass. He wants his musical artists to "just be real." As such, he has created a magazine that tries to offer just that--real artists.
The November issue of HARP, commemorates its 5 th anniversary with a list of "the 50 Most Essential CDs since 2001". which contains an eclectic array of quality artists including Missy Elliot, Neko Case, White Stripes, and Kanye West. This list, as well as the articles and commentary inside of HARP, awaken the readers to what they may have been missing. HARP assumes that all music lovers want to listen to good artists do their thing, trendy or not. The magazine covers convey that the magazine's staff is not focused on genre but on quality. The October cover featured a hip-hop band, the Roots, while November has a rock band, Mars Volta, gracing its front. Variety is the spice of life at HARP.
| Photo: Julie Wiatt |  |
| Scott Crawford keeps readers tuned into the best of curent music from his Silver Spring office. |
But HARP competes in an industry that seems to be flooded with music magazine options. In an arena that is dominated by Rolling Stone, Spin, and Vibe , HARP holds its own because of its editorial strengths. From its cover artist whom Crawford hopes "represents the magazine well," to its feature stories and reviews, this magazine remains true to its founding and appeals beyond the young music fans who want to hear about their favorite bands. HARP is a magazine that, Crawford says, "wants to be irreverent and intelligent with a bit of a conscience." He believes that people, music fans especially, should pick up this magazine because "you'll find a deeper catalogue of music covered and we don't shy away from different artists."
So, the next time you find yourself in a trendy bookstore doing whatever it is trendy people do in bookstores, move on over to the music magazine section and pick up HARP. Although you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, take a look at HARP's. You will find out how to fill your urge for good music. Then spread the word. You don't have to be trendy forever.
For more information, visit www.harpmagazine.com
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