Tears, Roads, & Years is about 40 years of living & a couple of years of writing about that life. John Harris separated himself from music for 20 years. He laid down the guitar & seldom listened to the radio. One day he pulled his trusty old Gibson out of the closet to see if he could jam with some friends. Before long he was hearing songs in the night and seeing things in the daylight that he felt he should write about. John Harris attempts to take the listener on a semi chronological journey interwoven with fact & fiction. The album plays like a 12 act play, with a one-song intermission in the middle written & performed by the album’s producer, Jim Mayer. Midwestern roots run deep throughout the work. The sometimes subtle & sometimes abrupt smelting of Folk, Rock, Country & Americana compel John to label his primary genre “Midwestern Americana Rock”. It is defiantly not a” hear one song & you have heard it all” album. The guitar work by John Harris & Jim Mayer is solid & competent. The musical scores are fresh yet uncomplicated & familiar. The vocals are a strange combination of strong & weak; melodic yet monotone with an underlying feeling that someone is crying out to be understood, but generously sprinkled with a fair amount of sarcasm. John’s vocals have been likened to John Mellencamp or Steve Earle, yet with their own unique & often abrasive twist. The vocal performance invite you to listen to the lyrics. The lyrics are about loving, dying, crying, laughing, winning, & loosing. And besides this, it’s about all these elements & the so many others not listed that paint the picture called living. The songwriting is powerful & provoking. John admits to being in awe of great songwriters, and draws a lot of inspiration from Bob Dylan & James McMurtry. Copyright 2007, 10th Street Publishing. All songs written by J Harris except Whiskey And Pearls, written by Jim Mayer.