'I live my life doing exactly what I love' says eclectic Toronto musician and artist Harkness
Harkness | CBC Gem | Posted: April 14, 2025 1:16 PM | Last Updated: April 14
Harkness sings, plays guitar, keyboards, and drums, and mixes his music in a studio in his parents' basement
Having been born into a musical family, I have been a musician for as long as I can remember. My mother played French horn and was a beautiful pianist. My father played piano, sax, clarinet, trumpet and trombone and had his own group, the Al Harkness Orchestra.
My brothers and sisters and I would sit at my father's feet as he effortlessly riffed away, the sound and energy of his music reaching far beyond my skin. I remember him shirtless, with a big fan blowing on him as he scribbled band arrangements with a pencil and paper at the family piano. My dad took my brother Rich and me to concerts; we saw everything from Miles Davis to Beethoven to ELO. Sharing these experiences was the greatest gift he has ever given me.
My life's journey making music is profiled in the new documentary film Harkness, now available on CBC Gem.
I started playing piano at age four, but it wasn't until I turned 12 and was shown my first guitar chords by a friend that the passion to pursue music with all that I had was awakened. I began writing songs and learned how to play the bass and drums.
These days when I write music, it comes fast and furious. The instrumentation never feels like a choice. Sounds from low-range bassoons, tubas, marimbas and flutes appear automatically in my ears and I dutifully score the song as it comes.
I never refer to other songs, periods or even a word like "psychedelic." I do not intend to keep within any framework or genre and do not use machines or music samples. I believe in the collaborative spirit of making music and only work with real musicians.
Anything can inspire a song, from intimate relationships to worldly events or musical dreams I've had. I strongly believe that the changes people seek in the world should begin within themselves. We need a revolution in our hearts and minds, not on the streets. My music can be interpreted in many ways and I want people to take whatever trip they feel like when they listen to it.
The infinity found in every new moment is the rocket fuel behind all I create, including my drawings.
I have drawn since I was a child but when I was 18 or so something different began to happen. I would look at a blank piece of paper and suddenly an image would appear as if it was projected on. I traced what I saw in front of me. I've created drawings with the same process hundreds if not thousands of times.
This activity creates a state of mind so open and free that I feel like the old me is gone and something entirely new is present in the image I have just created.
And it's why I wear the gown and visor when I perform. I wanted to find a way to perform the music without presenting myself, just like the drawings which have never felt like they were mine. During my youth, I saw the advantages of leading an imageless life and learned that when the self dissolves completely, a whole new dimension of the mind opens; a realm of no separation, oneness and total peace. Putting on the gown and visor is liberating, a shedding of all prior skins that allows for a completely new energy to come forth.
On a more practical note, it's also more comfortable and convenient to get ready for a performance!
When I met Maria (the director of the Harkness documentary which is now available on CBC Gem) the last thing I wanted to do was share my thoughts and feelings with the world. I wanted them to be kept secret like Bob Dylan and some of my other favourite artists.
But she has a contagious, persuasive energy and before I knew it, she made me feel safe enough to share my life with blind faith over four years of making this film.
If there is anything I would like people to take away from my music and the Harkness film it is "if I can do it, you can do it."
I live my life doing exactly what I love with no restrictions, always have, and always will. There is nothing stopping you from focusing on what means the very most to you and putting your whole life behind it. Just like any path you choose, there will be constant challenges and obstacles, but at least this way, your heart and soul are at peace with the choices you make every single day.
Watch Harkness now streaming free on CBC Gem.