Harry Carey

1994–1997

originally published February 14, 2007

Harry Carey circa 1996 (L to R) Ed Livengood, John Crowe and his flaming cymbals, Jim Willingham

When singer-guitarist Jim Willingham first moved to Athens in 1994, he couldn’t find anyone to play with until John Crowe, a local sculptor and “downtown semi-celebrity” who really liked Willingham’s songs, offered to play drums. Crowe convinced Willingham to try him out, telling him he'd been playing drums for years, when  in actuality, he'd just purchased drums and had only played them once.  However, Crowe made up for his lack of skill with enthusiasm, and was able to corral roommate and experienced bassist Brett Falcon of Servotron and Space Cookie into the band.

Former Athenian, Space Cookie alum and music fanatic Stephen Gersztoff remembers how Harry Carey got its name. “Combine a love of baseball, punk rock and alcohol, and you come up with a name like Harry Carey,” he says. The name, spelled differently from sports commentator Harry Caray's, was also intended to be a play on the Japanese suicide ritual hari-kiri. “[Star Room Boys vocalist] Dave Marr and I decided that Jim Willingham needed to be in a band called Harry Carey,” Gersztoff remembers. Later on, local artist Jeff Owens discovered an Oscar-nominated actor who began his film career in 1909 (and acted as pallbearer at Lon Chaney’s funeral) named Harry Carey, spelled the same way as the band; Willingham credits Owens’ interest in silent and monster movies as a catalyst for much of the band’s work.

Harry Carey made its debut at local musician Jeff Hannon’s Bad Band Expo in a lineup that included Jucifer and Le Guano. John Crowe fell off his stool during the band's first gig. The band’s sound was an amalgamation of hard rock, punk, pop, country and garage. Some of Harry Carey's songs were hilarious; "23," for instance, was a counting song, and "Dishwasher" drew on the experiences of every member of the band and several of their fans. They experimented with primitive rock instrumentals punctuated by yells. Other instrumentals delved into popular culture, such as one whose break was the "Jeopardy" theme, and "Graduation," which riffed on "The Pomp and Circumstance Marches." The song "Jackie Coogan" - the chorus consisted simply of "Jackie Coogan! Uncle Fester!" - was a tribute to the one-time child actor who became the Addams Family stalwart.

However, Harry Carey wasn’t just about laughs. "Grandma’s Got a Shaky Wrist," with its heart-wrenching chorus “turn… me… off… please,” wrestled with euthanasia. "Big Folks Don’t Fly Rockets" was based on a sculpture by Nashville artist John Watts, "Bar and Grill" was about a guy with a pill habit and "Shiftless Dogs" was an exploration of doomed relationships.

When bassist Brett Falcon flew to New York in '95 to specialize in preservation carpentry, Jucifer drummer Ed Livengood filled in on bass, and the unthinkable happened: Harry Carey became even more chaotic live. For starters, Livengood only played the top two strings of his bass; he felt the bottom two were unnecessary, and refused to string them. Costumes became de rigueur for the band. One memorable performance during AthFest '97 saw the band dressed as cops rocking out on Athens' own courthouse steps, and the night of the '70s-era, one-piece polyester pantsuits, Livengood’s sporting a flower appliqué, comes a close second. Their reputation for over-the-top shows intensified, “sometimes overshadowing the music,” says Willingham. Fans relished watching Crowe set his cymbals on fire, laughed at Livengood humping his bass and cringed when Willingham attempted backflips and somersaults.

At the Time

Harry Carey practiced in a space that was across the street and down the hill from Buckhead Beach, behind what used to be an old glass factory (it burned down in the late '90s). Crowe chained one of his huge rock sculptures to the ceiling, and Rock World (later known as Rock World 2, when they moved to the space next-door) was born, serving as the setting for many an impromptu rock festival, and establishing Harry Carey as a focal point in a scene whose players included Frycook, Le Guano, Space Cookie, Orange Pussycat, Hayride, The Martians, Hall of Fame, Jucifer and Servotron. The Star Room Boys, the Possibilities and Elf Power also hung around.

When not holding court at Rock World, Harry Carey usually played the Atomic Music Hall. The band notably opened for Man… or Astroman? at the 40 Watt, though “Man… or Astroman?’s fans hated us” Willingham ruefully remembers.

Why the Split?

Harry Carey broke up for good in 1997 when all three of its members left town. John Crowe moved to Baltimore to pursue his master's degree in painting (he already had his master's degree in sculpture from UGA). Ed Livengood’s main gig Jucifer wanted to tour more extensively, which they did, eventually leaving Athens for a permanent life on the road. Jim Willingham moved to Florida in 1997 to spend time with his father, who was suffering from Pick’s Disease.

These Days

Willingham moved back to Athens in 1998 after his father passed away, making him the only member of Harry Carey to succumb to Athens' siren song. He didn’t begin playing again until 2000, when he and bassist-trombonist Chris Sugiuchi formed instrumental “spaghetti western” outfit Prince Rondavel with John Neff and Matt Lane. Currently, he and Sugiuchi play with Jacob Morris and Olivia Tremor Control alum Eric Harris in the band Ham 1, whose second album The Captain’s Table will be out later this year.

Brett Falcon is still in New York, where he does high-end restorative carpentry. He is currently working on a Space Cookie album with Chief Nunez and former Athens drummer Scott Sosebee (LRR, Space Cookie, Japancakes, Math, etc.). John Crowe is somewhere in Baltimore, perhaps still creating art; he was un-track-downable as of press-time. Ed Livengood tours full-time with Jucifer.

Deirdre Sayre

That Beat in Time is a biweekly feature examining dearly departed local acts worth digging up.