Back in the mid-1970s, a Prog group came out of Harrisonburg, Virginia of all places. It was not a YES or Genesis or ELP knockoff. It had its own very unique sound, one that blended free-form jazz along with classical and some other sounds that were hard to pigeon-hole.
The band was Happy the Man (more later on where the name came from). They quickly built a cult following, which included the likes of Peter Gabriel. But for a variety of reasons, the group never took off. It splintered in the late ‘70s. It’s come back together at various points, mostly for some live gigs in small venues. In the meantime, some of Happy the Man’s members have continued to make music.
Frank Wyatt is one of them. Back in the day, he was the main songwriter for Happy the Man as well as a keyboardist. In the meantime, he has helmed a variety of other bands and done work outside of music in order to make a living. Late in 2019, he presented Zeitgeist, an album of new music that featured many of his Happy the Man cohorts and others. It harkens back to that ‘70s sound but maintains a modern feel.
Sonic Perspective’s Mark Boardman sat down with Frank to talk about the new music, Happy the Man, fighting a deadly disease and much more in a wide ranging discussion. Listen to their interesting conversation below and remember to stalk us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on a daily basis.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 42:53 — 98.4MB)
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