Harper's Grove Represents Oak Forest Proudly in the Windy City

Once upon a time there were 4 guys who were in the Oak Forest Jazz Band. Fast forward 4 years and they are an up and coming Alternative Rock band playing venues like the Elbo Room and House of Blues in Chicago. They are humble about their success and quick to point to each other when it comes to their sound, a mix of pop, rock, hip hop, and alternative music. One thing is for sure, these four young men, who are proud to call Oak Forest their hometown, are on the road to success.

I arrive to the childhood home of Paul and Mark Burghard for the sole reason to interview them about their band and I am greeted by Mark at the door. He is blond and tall and greets me with his big smile that wins over audiences whereever he goes. Paul is behind him with the same warm smile, blonde hair but in a different style and friendly disposition. I ask them, who is who because they are twins and although I have met them before, I get them mixed up. They answer with a laugh that tells me they are used to this from people. These two young men are the creators and the vision behind their band, Harper's Grove.

Next I meet John Gleason who has a head of curly brown hair hidden partially with a baseball hat. He shakes my hand and introduces himself in a polite manner with a sheepish smile. Andy, with a trimmed beard and a quiet but collected disposition is the last one I meet. They tell me that Mark is the lead vocalist, plays guitar and writes the lyrics and music, Paul is on the drums. John plays the bass guitar and Andy plays the keyboards. We sit down to chit chat about the band in general and their new EP available on Spotify specifically, and I immediately am impressed with this group of young men's overall graciousness, humbleness and unassuming manner. You would never guess that these guys are members of a popular, crowd-pleasing band in Chicago.

It all started in 8th grade at Arbor Park Middle School with a talent show. Paul, who played the drums and Mark, who played the guitar, decided to enter the show. To their surprise and amazement, they rocked the house. Everybody loved their performance and you can say, that is where it all started. Of course, the idea of an organized band was still years off off since they were only about 13 years old. Their love of music kept them moving forward though.

Once they went to high school, they dabbled with their band in their free time going through a few names and a few band members. They had success playing concerts here and there and gained notoriety around their school and Oak Forest. It wasn't until their senior year when all 4 members of the Harper's Grove ended up playing for the Oak Forest High School's jazz band that it all really came together. They played in the jazz band all together that year and before they became a band, they became friends.

The band needed a keyboard player and Andy who was a percussionist, taught himself the keyboards. The band needed a bass player and John stepped up and taught himself the bass. The band needed a lead singer and Mark began to tinker with singing, ended up getting the lead in the school's musical, and kept honing his voice. You add in Mr. Rojek, the music director at Oak Forest, guiding, teaching, and inspiring them, and Mrs. Sasek, their chemistry teacher and their biggest cheerleader and presto, Harper's Grove was born.

The next years would bring big changes for all of these young men. Paul went to Loyola University to study politics and economics, Mark went to DePaul to study computers, John went on to pursue film work and Andy began working full time. With Paul and Mark in Chicago, and John and Andy in Oak Forest, you would think it would have fallen apart, but their tight friendship kept bringing them back to their music. They continued to play concerts and honed their sound which would get them gigs in great venues like the Elbow Room and House of Blues. It also gained them a loyal following.

This year they just made one of the biggest steps in their music career. They landed a chance to be produced by Chris Steinmetz who is a big time music producer and has worked with a plethora of talent including Limp Bizkit, Kanye West, Twista, and Black Eyed Peas to name just a few. They also recently released a self-titled EP (extended play record) which is available on a number of online stores and streaming services including iTunes, AppleMusic, Spotify. When I asked the group if this was their "big break" they said that they are cautiously optimistic. Paul explained that the idea of the "Big Break" really exists in movies and books. He explained that success in the music industry comes from hard work, dedication and a real love of creating music.

Their accomplishments can be explained easily because of their great sound but John really emphasized their relationship as the back bone to their success. They consider each other akin to brothers, more than band mates. "We are family first and then we are a band," John said with all the others nodding in agreement. They are also true Oak Foresters always giving a nod to their hometown in small easter eggs in many of their pictures (see if you recognize the Oak Forest locations in all the pictures), EP covers and songs.

Their families are all still in Oak Forest and are their biggest fans, giving all of them full support. Many of their most loyal fans grew up with them or also went to Oak Forest High School. Even the name Harper's Grove stems from Oak Forest. Before Oak Forest was a town it was called Cooper's Grove. John read this in the train station and thought it was a cool name but kept calling it Harper's Grove and the name just stuck. "No matter where we go, Oak Forest will always be part of us," Andy stated.

Their plans for the next year are to focus on branding their band, getting into the studio with Chris Steinmetz, and ramping up their concert schedule. Taking precedence over their music right now is school for Paul and Mark who are seniors at their respective colleges. As far as what happens after that for these four talented musicians, the sky is the limit.

You can go to here to listen to their new EP and download their music. You can find Harper's Grove Facebook page here.