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Lisa "Peas" Withers It was by her parents that Lisa, a.k.a. "Peas", was given her strong musical roots, the kind of roots little veggies need to grow big and strong! In a household decorated by the vocal harmonies of the Beatles or the raw emotion of the Doors, it is easy to understand the direction her life went. Originally from Nutley, NJ, Lisa's musical background began in early grammar school by playing the recorder & singing in the school choir, but it wasn't until the age of 15 that she dusted off her mother's ancient acoustic guitar & began "strumming her 6-string". Two years later she taught music to children at Sankanac, a summer sleep-away camp, and then auditioned for, and was accepted into, the NJ All-State Choir (oh, our little "Peas" is growing up!). After a few years of working 9 to 5, Lisa ventured into the world of retail management. Many of the next 8 years were spent in the entertainment industry, a position that brought her closer to where she really wanted to be...in a stew of people & music. In 2008, her dream was beginning to become a reality when she helped to develop and took the position as the main instructor for "Peas & Carrots Music" a children's entertainment company providing educational music presentations in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. So the only thing that could take a great situation and make it perfect is to find a musical partner who loves living, breathing & playing music, someone who shares her same musical interests, someone who wants to sing the songs, play the songs & live the songs... |
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Billy
"Carrots" Harkowsky The man, the myth, the goofball who missed his barber appointment! Billy's musical background started at the age of 8 by playing the trumpet with the school band, but by the time he was 9, he was brave enough (and strong enough) to tackle (and hold) the alto saxophone, the horn of his choice. Now, it wasn't until the "ripe" old age of 12 that his Momma forced him to learn the guitar.....Thanks, Momma! Within a year he broke open his piggy-bank & bought his first "real" guitar, a 1970's Ibanez Iceman (Bang 'Yer Head, Dude!) & joined Jersey City's youngest rock band, "Desire". After many years, many guitars and through many bands, including "Invisible Poetry", "Dominion" & "Bananafish" he still longed for what got him playing in the first place, good 'ole acoustic music. In the midst of all this music & mayhem, Billy was keeping his daylight hours busy with his retail empire, B & E's Animal House, a pet shop in Bayonne, New Jersey. As if his music AND store weren't enough, in the mid 90's he began performing educational live animal presentations & birthday parties with lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs & bugs with a company simply called "The Lizard Guys". Now, we know that he found his niche to scratch the itch he always had to entertain, but what about the acoustic music? Where's the stuff with the great melodies, killer vocal harmonies and the ringing tones only a jumbo flattop could produce? Enter, Peas & Carrots Band! |
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Peas &
Carrots Band |
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It wasn't until April of 2000 that Billy found himself musically when he accidentally crossed paths with his partner-in-crime, Lisa Withers, and at the risk of sounding cheesy, it was a musical match from their very first "jam". There was an instant chemistry, from the blending of their voices to the choice of material they wanted to perform, and to quote Mr. Gump himself, "We was just like Peas & Carrots". It was a simple plan, really: play hit songs everyone knows and you have an instant party that's fun for all & all in fun! Many changes were made to the first Peas & Carrots recipe, including alternating male/female lead vocals, Billy playing a 12-string guitar exclusively and the extensive use of vocal harmony. After 9 years of playing to the spiders in the basement, it was Lisa who pushed the duo to take their noise to the public arena, the new frontier........ | |
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In a very short time, the
Peas & Carrots
Band went from open mics
and informal barbeques to another full-time venture for
both Lisa & Billy. Their "To Do" list
was short but sweet: build a serious sound system, build a
serious song list, then play, play, play! So they
did,...and they do. They are constantly learning new
material to reach a wider audience and broaden their
musical palate for your listening pleasure. What started out as a chance meeting has very much changed life's direction for two very happy individuals. THIS is where Billy & Lisa want to be, in the grooviest, goofiest botanical duo this side of Ocean County, New Jersey.....the Peas & Carrots Band. |
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