Harlequin Mass

Formed in Portland, Oregon in the mid-seventies, Harlequin Mass was part of a brief and modest wave of bands coming from American Northwest in that decade (Heart, Nu Shooz, Quarterflash, The Wipers). Unlike most of their contemporaries though, Harlequin Mass were largely influenced by progressive bands such as the Moody Blues, Yes, and Genesis. The band has pointed to the release of 'Close to the Edge' as the pivotal moment in the maturation of their sound, and their sound has been compared to a folk-influenced version of Yes and ELP.

Touring mostly in the upper Northwest, the band failed to gain much of a following, but did manage to release a single album, which unfortunately was released in late 1978 just in time to be swept under the carpet in light of the burgeoning punk and new-wave movements of the late seventies. The band disbanded a year later after a failed attempt to replant themselves in the Seattle area, but reformed with a more mainstream sound as Stubborn Puppet a year later. Several songs from that band appear on the reissued CD version of the lone Harlequin Mass album.

Most of the members of the original band remain in the music industry, including drummer John Reagan who owns the progressive label Big Balloon Music and is a sometimes member of AUTOPHOBIA; guitarist Jeff Pike continues to perform as a solo artist and session musician on the West Coast; singer Nancy Kaye has performed with the prog folk band Talamasca (not to be confused with the French trance band of the same name); and bass player/keyboardist Lyle Hodahl has appeared as a member of the neo-progressive group Fire Monkey and the ambient Art & Science Projekt. Harlequin Mass deserve inclusion in the Archives for their brief but clearly progressive touring career, and for their subsequent carrying of the progressive torch in the Big Balloon label and spin-off projects.