Harmony Punks is a catchy and emotive alternative rock trio from Tucson, Arizona. With sounds reminiscent of 90's rock, strong melodies, and distinct harmonies, featuring: Jason Kelly on vocals and guitar, Marshall Prescott on vocals and bass, and Matt Wineinger on Drums.
In 2024, they made their debut with "Local Love" in Tucson both at 191 Toole and The Rialto Theatre.
Harmony Punks continues to play shows all over the Tucson area including popular venues like Hotel Congress and The Rock.
We asked Harmony Punks 5 questions about their experiences as musicians in Tucson. Here's what they said:
What's your favorite venue to play in Tucson?
Marshall - The Rock, they've been really good to us. And we just had a great show at Black Iris. That place is super cool!
……………..
Jason - The Rock, I’ll second, they’ve been great, and shoutout to Scott for running great sound! 191 Toole was fun, we had a mosh pit at one point and that had never happened before!
……………..
Matt - Encore.
What's the funniest thing that's happened during a performance?
Marshall - Someone once tossed me a $20 bill, but the wind caught hold of it! A whole bunch of us were in suspense as its flying around. It landed on the roof, and we never saw it again.
……………
Jason - Just this last weekend, on Saturday March 15th we were at Chicago Bar, and Marshall said, "Hey, this is our last song, and we dedicate this one to Tony and Nicki, cause this is Nicki’s favorite song," and then immediately a large feedback sound happened on stage, and he said, "No, not that one," and the whole crowd laughed at that moment.
…………….
Matt - I remember one time playing to the bartender and one other person. This man was a one man mosh pit, knocking down tables and chairs. The bartender kept picking them up, and this happened for a whole set, and then they kicked him out.
What's your first memory as a musician?
Marshall - Me and a friend played a high school talent show. I'm wearing a big, goofy fedora hat, and slapping the bass... and we won! We had no expectation of that at all. That performance is when the dots connected, that I was an artist.
……………….
Jason - I have so many memories as a musician, but my very first band I joined, we were all wearing different hats, and that’s what we ended up calling ourselves "The Hats" which was an Americana/Latin acoustic style band. I was just a backup singer and played percussion, but it was my first band.
………………
Matt - Piano lessons in first grade.
What's your favorite song to perform?
Marshall - "Witch", "Touching Fire", and our cover of "I'm Afraid of Americans" by David Bowie.
…………….
Jason - "Touching Fire" has the coolest riff and is so much fun to play. The funny thing is that Marshall wrote the riff and taught it to me, and then I found my own flavor. The result in the recording especially is amazing. We can’t wait to fully release this song!
………………..
Matt - I don’t have one, it’s all the same to me.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Marshall - Pause when agitated.
……………..
Jason - In a previous band I was in, I got to participate in a songwriters expo where we got feedback in listening rooms with esteemed musicians in the scene and A&R reps for studios, radio and television. In one listening session, the singer for "Toad The Wet Sprocket" looked at me after they played a 30 second clip and he said, "Jason this is catchy and the production is cool, but before you add the bells and whistles, ask yourself, how well does this song stand on its own barebones with acoustic guitar and vocals?" To this day, I don’t attempt to record and release something unless I feel it’s solid first in its skeleton form, and I know that this mentality has made me a stronger writer in general.
Also I had a friend tell me, it’s important to know when to introduce a melodic turn up or down to a phrase already established. In other words, don’t repeat the same melodic phrase the exact same way too many times. That makes the music boring and too predictable and fall flat. That right there is golden!
………………
Matt - Focus on your actions not the goal.
Know a Tucson musician you'd like us to choose for our Local Spotlight?
Curious about local shows? Browse upcoming events with our Tucson Music Calendar