We don’t know where Harry Manx is when he’s called for an interview with the Georgia Straight. The area code indicates that it is in B.C., but not much else. He has lived on Salt Spring Island for the last 20 years or so. There’s a music scene there, and as luck would have it, Harry is there.
The self-proclaimed “Mysticssippi” bluesman said there was a local scene. The first time I played in Canada would have been at the Treehouse Cafe. There are live acts at the cafe every night during the summer. You can pass the hat if they pay you 40 or 50 bucks. People put on their shows in some of the halls that we have.
He says that he put on a lot of shows during the Pandemic. I played with the Yaletown Strings that I brought over. Dave and Steve were with me on the blues night. I hope the locals don’t get tired of me at this point because I’ve exposed them to a lot of music.
There’s no chance of that, as the rootsy music Manx makes–slide guitar-laden blues blended with Indian folk melodies–is far from the tiring kind. He discovered the old-fashioned way to listen to music by looking at vinyl records.
The 67-year-old tunesmith recalls that he was attracted to the album covers without really having heard the music. You are aware of those days.” I bought Johnny Winter’s first album because I liked his look and his guitar, and I saw a cover of him. Something clicked in me immediately when I fell into that, and I just sort of got lucky. Though I might not have understood what that was, it seemed like a good honest music.
Manx’s journey to becoming a true bluesman began when he was 15 years old, when he became the sound man at the El Mocambo nightclub.
He says he got his education in the scene. They all came through there, so that was neat. I didn’t try to pick their brains about how to play, but I think some of the feeling of what they were doing was really what I was interested in.
Manx didn’t want to stay in the Big Smoke because he wanted to see the world, and at the age of 20 he left for Europe.
He found out that the only way he could keep going was to play his guitar on the streets. I did that in Europe for a dozen years and in Japan for almost a dozen. I was a mediocre guitar player for a long time, because I wasn’t focused on practicing anything until I was making a living on the street with my guitar, and I only knew a few songs.
I wasn’t interested in becoming a virtuoso or anything like that, but later in life when I discovered Indian music, that’s when I started to take the idea of studying and bettering myself with the music, so I practiced like five years, four hours a day, and that
Manx’s passion for Indian music led to him studying ragas with the inventor of the 20- stringed Mohan veena indian slide guitar. That’s when he began to find a musical connection between the East and the West.
He said that he didn’t see the bridge between the two genres of music. As you get more familiar with both styles of music, you begin to see that there are similarities. The notes of a particular western scale are the notes of a particular raga, and you start to see that. It wouldn’t be a big deal for me to start playing a blues scale if I was playing this raga. Maybe I was forcing the relationship but there were places where they could come together, Indian and blues.
Manx has been honing his slide guitar skills for many years. He started playing slide in Japan when he was a busker.
I was already on the slide when I met the master of the Indian slide, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. He liked how I played. I switched to the Mohan veena because I didn’t get far on the sitar, but it was a great inspiration. I would be excited to play, I would play myself into a state of relaxation because of the notes. I often did that because the sounds draw you in. Sometimes, I had to stop and have a coffee. It was close to me, the music.
He gave Manx one of his own because he was so impressed by his devotion.
Manx says he was touched by the dedication he had for practice and learning. I wanted to learn the music, not just learn it to impress people. They have a great system with a teacher and a student where you don’t pay money, but you have to find a way to sort or repay them. I always brought stuff from Japan to him. They never had a Walkman before I gave one to them. And things that have cameras. I could find something to improve their life. In Rajasthan, they were living a simple life. I became part of the family for about five years after I moved down the street, because Vishwa was supporting a house of 20 people.
Manx’s most prized instrument is the Mohan veena that he was given. He almost lost it for good when it was stolen in Chicago.
He says he’s not ashamed to say he wept. The police got it back for me after it was stolen for a while. It became a big phenomenon in Chicago, because it tied into the larger story of the airport security. There’s still information online about the story of Harry Manx losing his guitar.
Manx is in good company when it comes to musicians who have been gifted with Mohan veena’s. George Harrison also scored a single. The only other magician to have mastered the complex Mohan veena was Beatle George Harrison, according to Manx’s bio. The claim gets a laugh out of Manx.
He says that it’s funny what you can read on the platform. During the time that I was around, George came to see Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at his home, but occasionally I went south to Puna, so when I wasn’t there, George came twice, once when I wasn’t there, and again when I was. On one occasion, Vishwa gave him a Mohan veena, but I don’t know how well he did on it. It’s difficult to say if he was a great slide player or if he played the sitar. The veena is a difficult instrument to play. You also need to know the music if you want to play slide. I’m pretty sure George was aware of that, having studied with him.
Manx began his recording career with the 2001 release of his debut album, Dog My Cat, because of his skill on the Mohan veena and his love for blues. He released over ten albums.
“I was making an album for a long time,” he said. In the 23 years since I came back to Canada, I’ve put out 20 recordings. I’m slower now. If I’m going to start, I’ll stop doing it. If you want to keep moving forward, you have to find new ways to keep your ambition alive. Way Out East is going to be a collection of songs that are Indian inspired, and it’s going to be out soon. It’s a collection of albums. The songs in Way Out East are based on ragas that I learned in India.
Manx has recorded three albums with Kevin Breit: 2003’s Jubilee, 2007’s In Good We Trust, and2011’s Strictly Whatever. Manx claims that Breit may be the greatest guitarist you have never heard of.
He’s a phenomenon in Canada, you know. He’s the most undiscovered and unknown musician I’ve met. He’s the guy that plays on records with some of the biggest names in music. You don’t know much about him because he is a behind-the-scenes guy. I have always had a great relationship with Kev. We vibe well together and the music reflects that. Whatever crazy idea I have, I just look over and he is right there with me. He plays magic guitar.
There should be some magic in the air when Marx plays at the Centennial Theatre in North Van this Friday. Manx tries to be a people-pleaser when it comes to the setlist, and his prized Mohan veena will be featured.
“I try to play some of the favorites people know from my previous recordings, and I know very clearly what they are because they always yell them out.” I will introduce a couple of new ones to them. I catch up with a lot of tunes that they’re familiar with, but I don’t want to torture them.
“Don’t Forget to Miss Me” and “Coat of Mail” are both from Manx’s second album, “Wise and Otherwise”.
“‘Coat of Mail’ is interesting because when I arrived in Canada in 2000 I lived in a shitty hotel downtown and met a homeless man who lived in the Yale.” 25 years prior, I had known him and he was a successful artist. I wrote a song about him
Manx will be going to Down Under for an extensive tour that includes over 30 dates. He believes that Australia is the place where he’s best known, next to Canada.
“I really enjoy it there,” he says. I enjoy the landscape and people. It’s okay. I like to go there when it gets cooler up here.
On September 16th, Harry Manx plays the Centennial Theatre.
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