AJ Harbison Music

AJ Harbison is 24 years old and lives with his lovely wife in Costa Mesa, California. He is a May 2007 graduate (summa cum laude) of Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. His professors, who mostly teach classical music, were largely unaware of his other musical pursuits in playing guitar and writing rock music. Although the classical music he writes rocks, too.

AJ grew up in a small suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and also in Colorado Springs, Colorado and also in Redlands, California. He started playing piano at 8 years old, started composing at 10 and started playing guitar somewhere around 16. Reading and discussing philosophy and theology are his other favorite pursuits. Correcting the spelling and grammar of his friends, acquaintances and enemies also ranks highly, although sometimes this leads to a proliferation of enemies.

Musically, AJ draws influences from artists such as Coldplay, Caedmon’s Call, Matchbox 20, U2 and Derek Webb, whom he considers one of the rock-awesomest musicians ever. Classical-musically, his influences lie more along the lines of Frederic Chopin, Olivier Messiaen and Morten Lauridsen, although he incorporates a lot of pop-style music into his art music and is still in the so-called process of “finding his voice.” Reading-ly, his influences (also known as “favorite authors”) include Harper Lee, Oscar Wilde, Charles Williams, Edgar Allen Poe, and pretty much any author who wrote anything currently considered a “classic novel” (except for Herman Melville, because AJ never appreciated Moby Dick). Philosophically and theologically, his influences (also sometimes known as “favorite authors”) include John Calvin, R.C. Sproul, and John Piper. And The Matrix.

AJ’s previous band experience includes playing in a youth-group-worship-band-turned-rock-awesome-original-band called alternately “the praise band,” Shekinah, At Any Cost and Skipping August. He is currently between bands for his own music, although he often plays guitar for the Jeff Mercer Band. Band name suggestions, as well as incendiary or provocative comments concerning philosophy or theology, are always encouraged. Note: all suggestions, submissions or comments are at suggester’s/submitter’s/commenter’s own risk.