Harrison Moore Miree[1] (Born 1988)[2] is an American drummer originally from Birmingham, Alabama, currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been the drummer for LoCash, Nashville's Clare Bowen,[3] Ryan Follese of Hot Chelle Rae,[4] Hardy, Levi Hummon, and others.[5][6] Miree is known for his open-handed playing style, earning popularity in the drumming community through millions of views of his original videos on the streaming platform YouTube.[7]
Harry Miree | |
|---|---|
 Miree in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harrison Moore Miree |
| Born | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation | Drummer |
| Website | harrymiree |
Career
editMiree was a founding member of the rock band Boom City,[8] which used the internet as a platform for music and videos. Boom City signed with T.H.E. (an imprint of Atlantic Records Group), toured with pop-punk mentors Panic! at the Disco and Paramore, and eventually disbanded in 2012 over an unresolved dispute which ended in a settlement to redact all previous commercial recordings, resulting in the folding of the T.H.E. imprint.[9] Miree graduated Berklee College of Music[10] and moved to Nashville, securing the spot as touring drummer for recording artist Whitney Wolanin.[11]
In 2014, Miree used his prior experience with internet video as a platform for creativity to begin posting weekly drumming videos to YouTube from his Nashville home. In the years that followed, his videos, which chronicled his rise through the ranks of professional drumming, amassed millions of views, earning him YouTube's Silver Creator Award in 2019 for surpassing 100,000 subscribers on the platform.[12] His videos also demonstrated his expertise in the history and open-handed drumming techniques of Dave Matthews Band drummer Carter Beauford, popularizing his own remote hi-hat based approach to the style along the way, which eventually led to the two drummers meeting in a 2020 interview.[13][14][15]
In 2015 he toured with then-Capitol Records artist Joey Hyde,[16] and in 2016 toured with Big Machine artist Levi Hummon.[17] In 2017, Miree toured with LoCash (known for hit songs I Love This Life and I Know Somebody), and Clare Bowen, singer/actress known for her role as Scarlett O'Connor on the television show Nashville.[18] Miree has subsequently continued to perform with LoCash on headlining tours in support of their albums The Fighters and Brothers, as well as in a support act capacity for Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, and Chris Young.
Drumming techniques
editMiree's popularity among drummers stems from his unorthodox use of remote hi-hats (instead of traditional hi-hats) as his primary hats. Miree's drums are configured left-handed but right-footed, allowing him to approach the kit right-handed to create an open-handed effect, which in a February 2020 interview with Modern Drummer he dubbed "open-handed drumming for the lazy".[19] Though Miree pioneered the so-called "lazy" style of open-handed drumming, he credits Dave Matthews Band drummer Carter Beauford for the original inspiration to play open-handed, and has paid tribute to Beauford throughout his YouTube videos, magazine interviews, and promotional appearances on shows such as Drumeo.[20]
He has also spoken out against the traditional practice of teaching rudiments to developing students, stating that the needed elements to learn drumming exist organically in music, and that the use of robotic elements like rudiments early in development threaten what should otherwise be a joyful process of learning a musical instrument.[21]
Equipment
editMiree uses Pearl Drums, Meinl cymbals, Evans drumheads, and Vic Firth drumsticks,[22] with whom he developed and uses a signature drumstick model called "Harry Miree's DudeStick".
Personal life
editWhile Miree was in college, his only brother Kyser was murdered at home in Mobile, Alabama.[23] During the public outrage that followed, Miree urged the press to "love and forgive" Kyser's killers.[24][25]
Miree has also occasionally spoken publicly and to suicide grief support groups on his experiences with suicidal ideation.[26]
References
edit- ^ "Christopher Miree Obituary (2010) - Mobile, AL - AL.com (Mobile)". Legacy.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Journal of a fame addict". TEDxNashville. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "Harry Miree". Vic Firth. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ "Harry Miree". www.harrymiree.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Promark Drumsticks : Artist Details : Harry Miree". www.daddario.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Harry Miree | Pearl Drums". pearldrum.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Harry Miree YouTube Channel Statistics | YouTube". youtube.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Notes - Harry Miree". Berklee Today. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
- ^ "The True Financial Life of a Pro Drummer | Drumeo". www.drumeo.com. February 18, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Harry Miree: Building a Successful YouTube Channel, Speaking Your Truth, Separating One's Self-Worth from the Gig You Have | Working Drummer Podcast". www.workingdrummer.net. June 14, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Nicole Bass, October 2014. "A Life More Upbeat With Harry Miree, Professional Drummer". A Life Less Beige
- ^ "Harry Miree Official YouTube Channel". YouTube. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
- ^ "5 Tips for Drumming Like Carter Beauford". YouTube. April 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
- ^ "DudeThoughts: 5 Tips for Drumming Open Handed". YouTube. May 31, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Carter Beauford Shares His Dudely Drumming Wisdom". YouTube. January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Harry Miree | Pearl Drums". pearldrum.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Promark Drumsticks : Artist Details : Harry Miree". www.daddario.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor | Nashville". ABC. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "In the Studio with Nashville Performer and YouTube Success Story Harry Miree | Modern Drummer Magazine". www.moderndrummer.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Harry Miree's Quick Tips | Drumeo". www.drumeo.com. June 21, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Meinl Radio Interviews Harry Miree | iHeart Radio". www.iheart.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "In the Studio with Nashville Performer and YouTube Success Story Harry Miree | Modern Drummer Magazine". www.moderndrummer.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Kyser Miree Update: Four Arrested for Fatal Shooting of Vanderbilt Grad". CBS News. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ "Kyser Miree, 2009 Vanderbilt Grad, Mourned, Praised by Father After Apparent Murder". CBS News. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ "Regarding the Men Who Killed Kyser". Harry Miree's Official Blog. July 26, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ "'Aware' Mountain Brook group to host suicide prevention talk this week". AL.com. September 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2020.