“When it comes to music it’s so easy to let your ego take the wheel and have it be my way or the highway,” says Jack Harrington, a junior studying sound recording technology at Syracuse University.  “But I think it’s one of my biggest strengths to listen to someone and not just have my opinion in mind.”

Harrington is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and mix engineer from Middletown, New Jersey.  He has received recognition across campus as one of the most talented musicians on campus, playing bass and piano in numerous bands including NONEWFRIENDS., Shallow Alcove and WinterBeach.

It has only been recently that Harrington has stepped into his new role as a producer for many up-and-coming artists in Syracuse.

“As a producer I basically take someone’s creative idea and serve as an assistant to help artists see their vision through.”

Harrington is producing for four different groups right now, including his two bands NONEWFRIENDS and Shallow Alcove.  He is also producing for solo artist Peter Groppe and for Katphunk, a funk fusion group from his hometown.

Additionally, he is also engineering for these groups which means he is not only producing the sound, but he is mixing and recording the actual songs as well. Harrington does this primarily from the comfort of his own room. He uses sound covers and mattresses to soundproof the walls and he can run up to 16 tracks into his own computer. 

“There are so many things that go into it how you record, and the process of producing gives the most life to a song other than the actually writing of it.  It’s tough though because the more that I believe in myself the less I believe in myself, as I get better at what I do the spectrum of how I feel about what I am making broadens, the bar is consistently being raised.”

This quote speaks to Jack’s drive and will to make the music the best he can make it. As far as where this will take him, Harrington is trying to take it one day at a time.

“I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t have a plan of how I am going to live on this, but I know I am going to figure it out.  Over the past couple years with producing and mixing I have become much more than just pianist or bassist.”

Follow Jack on Instagram and Soundcloud @jackharringtonworld

Story by Jackson Siporin ‘22, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photo supplied

“I had never been in that position you know, it’s not a choir. It’s loud, it’s sweaty, it’s hot. While it’s happening, you’re blacked out. Before, you think so much about it and as soon as the set starts, I am put in a trance and in a different universe for 30 minutes.”  This is what a show feels like to vocalist Elizabeth Stuart ‘22. For most people, the closest they get to this experience is singing into a hairbrush or belting out a ballad in the shower. Elizabeth Stuart on the other hand is accustomed to a different life and is the perfect example of a modern rock star.

Elizabeth, or “Liz” as her friends and fans commonly call her, is multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and vocalist for the band NONEWFRIENDS. She plans to graduate from Syracuse with a degree in music industry from VPA and she has been singing since she was in 4th grade.

“I did a lot of classical stuff in the beginning. I didn’t do commercial singing until much later.” She admits that there were pros and cons to being brought up in a classical background. “It made me a better musician in a lot of ways, but my greatest downfall is that it’s hard to unlearn those things when I am trying to just be more free, you can get caught up in things sounding perfect but there gets a point when being technically perfect is not enough. If it doesn’t make you feel any type of way it doesn’t even matter.”   

Stuart is one of five members in NONEWFRIENDS, and the four are men. Being a female in a male dominated work space is sadly still far too common for many women. For Stuart it is even more of a challenge considering she is also the leader and vocalist.

“It’s tough because sometimes you feel discredited, but you have this obligation to still be the leader,” said Stuart. “It honestly can feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place sometimes.

When asked what advice she had for other female artist in the industry she said, “Trust your fucking instincts and don’t be afraid to say what you’re thinking.  You don’t have to justify everything.  If you feel some type of way about something just say it. All the guys around me just say whatever the fuck they want, and honestly its empowering. If they can do it so can I.”

NONEWFRIENDS already has three singles out on Spotify amassing over 140,000 total streams, which for an indie band that formed only 2 years ago is a very solid start. They have been recording a project in their house this semester that is supposed to drop sometime over the summer.

“My ultimate goal for this band and the project is that after we graduate to gain a big enough following to go on tour, go on the road, maybe to Europe. Just keep playing, making content, making videos and feeling the love from other people.”  

NONEWFRIENDS just released a live recording of a cover of “It’s a Man’s World,” by James Brown. You can see it on their Instagram and/or YouTube page.

Band YouTube Page

Band’s Spotify

Band’s Instagram

Story by Jackson Siporin ‘22, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photo by Jackson Siporin