Harlis Sweetwater – Won’t Be Satisfied

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

Q) How would you best describe your sound? 

A) Rock N’ Roll with a Bluesy Punk edge and energy.

Q) Who are your Top 3 influences? 

A) Chuck Berry, Freddie King and 70s/80s Punk

Q) Tell us the story behind your latest single “Won’t Be Satisfied.”

A) “Won’t Be Satisfied” was a song that I had written quite a while ago, but I wanted to record it with a heavier sound and energy. David Hidalgo was recording at the same studio as me. The studio owner/engineer called me one day and said that David was looking for projects to play on. So, we sent him the song and he liked it and agreed to play guitar on it. As it so happened, Lee Rock of the Stray Cats was also recording at the same studio as well and working on his album. I thought it would be really cool for him to play bass on the track. He heard the song and liked it. But at the time he was bouncing back and forth between L.A. and N.Y., so getting him to record on certain dates didn’t work out. So, I thought of John Doe and got in touch with him and he ended up rocking a mean badass bass line on the track.

Q) Since the release of “Won’t Be Satisfied,” what has been the reaction to the song from fans and listeners? 

A) People really seem to like it. I think it’s the vintage kind of Rock N’ Roll with a Punk Rock vibe that people seem to really connect with.

Q) You also had the chance to work on “Won’t Be Satisfied” with David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and John Doe (X). What was it like getting to work with them and how did their input on the song influence the sound and feel of it? 

A) The song was cool before, but once they added to the song, it REALLY came alive! They are both master players and what they laid down on the song really fit well and gave it an amazing feel! And working with them was really easy and cool. Both are very cool guys and amazing musicians.

Q) What message do you hope fans take away from listening to the song? 

A) No message, just a great feeling!

Q) With the release of “Won’t Be Satisfied” and “Down to the Delta” back in November, is there a potential full-length album in the works? 

A) I’m not feeling full length albums right now. I like EP’s a lot and as for me right now, it seems to work really well to release singles as opposed to full length albums. So, I will be doing that. I have a few singles that I’m working on and need to finish up. I do have plans for a couple EP’s, both with certain vibes and themes I’m running with for each EP’s. More like a collection of four to six songs that all are inspired by a certain theme or feel.

Q) You’re also set to play some shows on the West Coast and Canada. Are there any plans to bring your music to the East Coast in the near future?

A) The East Coast is somewhere I’ve yet to play and tour. I’ve been all around the U.S. but never the East Coast. I definitely would love to do some shows there! But, as of right now, no plans yet. But things are always moving and changing, so it definitely could happen this year.

Q) Which song(s) is still your favorite to perform live?  

A) I do a couple old school rockers by Chuck Berry and Ritchie Valens that I absolutely love to play. They’re so much fun! But I love playing NEW ones.  It feels good to keep it fresh!

Q) Who would you love to collaborate with on a song in the future? 

A) My buddy Chris Vos from The Record Company. That would be really rad! We seem to be cut from the same cloth and I know working on something together would be really cool!

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters? 

A) “Thank you so much” and “Let’s keep it rollin’!”