HAARD’s enigmatic and original vocalist/guitarist Patrick Benti hails from Boston, and spent years touring the world with Bostonian natives Big Wreck as a guitar technician and guest guitarist, which led him to join lead singer Ian Thornley’s solo project Thornley as a guitar player from 2007 to 2009. After leaving Thornley, Benti recruited musical stalwarts Ed Mortenson on drums and Jeff Eager on bass, chosen for their impeccable groove, feel and reputation, to create Benti’s brainchild, HAARD.
The trio then spent 9 months rehearsing songs and playing shows that Benti had crafted, which captured the attention of producer John Whynot (Big Wreck, Dave Mathews Band, Blue Rodeo). Recording in Boston, Toronto and LA, “Savour The Flavour” was born, melding progressive sensibilities, huge rock riffs and vocal arrangements in a modern rock format. The Album also had guest performances from Boston’s Mike Mangini (Extreme,Dream Theater,Steve Via) on the song “Harvard Yard”, Ian Thronley, (Big Wreck, Thornley) on “Moody” and Dave Henning (Big Wreck). HAARD also created a video for their first single “Confidential”, opting for a performance based video capturing the intensity and live feel of the band. A video was also released in 2010 for the Track “Harvard Yard” which is an anthem for the city of Boston featuring all Boston accent and guest appearance from Mike Mangini.
In 2010, the trio hit the road in support of “Savour The Flavour”, recruiting reknowned guitar player Dave Thompson, who had toured internationally with a rock band signed to Roadrunner/Universal and was the obvious choice to emulate the dual guitar chaos Benti created on the record. HAARD’s 2010 tour stretched from Vancouver to Toronto and also Boston.
Haard is currently writing a new album shooting to be released 2015.