THE BAND
BIO
The members of Harmonious Wail are purveyors of Americana-infused Gypsy Jazz, who continue to take their listeners on a ride via the music of the Hot Club sounds of Parisian cafes, to the deepest blues of the Memphis Delta, to the heartfelt folk scenes across every-town-America. This harmonious clique are sublime entertainers, great educators, and lifters of spirits.
Harmonious Wail is a trio of multi-award winning musicians. The heart of the Wail is Sims Delaney-Potthoff, a mandolin virtuoso, and vocalist, Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, vocalist extraordinaire, whose percussive instrument of choice is a cardboard box (but who can also rock almost any household object), and they round out the trio with a world-class bassist.
These illustrious, yet humble artists vow that every performance is played from the heart and infused with a perfect balance of inspiration, emotion, wit and storytelling. The Wail celebrates 10 recordings in its 30+ years of existence and is currently kicking off its 4th decade releasing two new CDs simultaneously! One project showcases Harmonious Wail’s original compositions, and the other is a collection of Gypsy Jazz standards recorded in collaboration with some the world’s leading Gypsy Jazz All Stars.
As stewards of the Gypsy Jazz genre, they have established the Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, held twice a year in Madison, Wisconsin. They also offer to take the fest on the road as a special concert package. They have mastered a plan on how to bring amazing Gypsy Jazz All Stars from around the world, and place them in front of concert audiences throughout the United States.
Their gracious approach to music and storytelling translates beautifully for any musical education outreach program. They are as illumined off stage as they are on. And their skills are tailored to fit groups of varying skill and age. Popular topics have included; ”The Instrumentation of Gypsy Jazz,” “How to Succeed in the Music Biz,” and “Maggie’s Method™: If You Can Speak You Can Sing.”
Never a dull moment, the philanthropic trio has also established The Henry Mac Fund. The fund was created in March of 2015 in memory of Sims’ and Maggie’s son, Henry. Henry was a superb musician who will not be forgotten, as funds are awarded annually to a young, upcoming musician who is looking for support to move her/his musical career forward. These young musicians will continue to help make the world a better place through music. The funds are awarded every June at the Madison Area Music Association awards ceremony. (The MAMA’s).
Not only a touring band, the ever-reaching Harmonious Wail has worked with National Public Radio, performing on multiple shows and even donating pertinent songs for NPR to use in annual fundraising campaigns. Their music has been placed in films, and they recently received the 2017 Musicnotes Outstanding Musical CareerAchievement Award.
For more information on upcoming releases, tour dates, and causes that are near and dear to the members, be sure to follow Harmonious Wail on Instagram, Twitter, Bandsintown and Facebook and add them to your playlists on Spotify.
BOOKING:
Sims Delaney-Potthoff
Mandolin, Vocals
Sims Delaney-Potthoff, Harmonious Wail’s founder, leader and mandolinist , credits Jethro Burns with the band’s unique, enticing style of mandolin-driven gypsy-jazz. Sims studied for seven years with Burns, the legendary jazz mandolinist, laying the foundation for Harmonious Wail’s acoustic string sound. He furthered his studies with Matt Glaser at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, honing his skills while immersing himself in the “gypsy” music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli (Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bireli Lagrene, Duane Allman, David Grisman, and Louis Armstrong are also on his list of musical heroes). Sims also plays a 1937 Gibson Tenor Guitar (tuned as an octave mandolin), sings, writes and arranges for the Wail. He founded the group in 1987.
Maggie Delaney-Potthoff
Vocals, Percussion
Vocalist Maggie Delaney-Potthoff is a captivating performer. Equally at home scatting over a bebop tune, soaring on a solo, or blending with the Wail’s tight vocal harmonies, she delivers both powerhouse tunes and ballads with confidence and ease. Her sensual, sinuous movements (a product of her background in dance and theatre) and her use of a cardboard box played with brushes as a drum add to the charm she exudes onstage.