Harley Di Nardo
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Harley Di Nardo is an American singer-songwriter and filmmaker. He was born and raised in Westchester, New York. Belonging to a family of Italian folk singers, he was destined to make a career in the performing arts. He wrote a film script at the age of 10, and by the time he turned 14, he joined a band. He had begun writing and singing his own songs at the age of 18 when he met Derrek Hawkins (Ace Frehley, Spacehog, Stabbing Westward) the biggest influence in his musical life while he was learning the ropes. He and Derrek moved to New York City and started to play gigs. They formed a band called CLOSER. They emerged, as HITS magazine called them, the biggest buzz band on the east coast at the time. They signed to Irving Azoff's Revolution Records/Warner Bros., The debut album was produced by Ed Buller, formerly of Psychedelic Furs, Ed had produced hit albums ranging from The London Suede to Pulp, to White Lies. Closer's debut album was well-reviewed and they toured with Peter Hook of Joy Division, Supergrass, Chumbawumba, Edwyn Collins, and Love Spit Love. Harley would then later go on to make another album with his band White Light Motorcade, who signed to Maroon 5's Octone/A&M. White Light Motorcade's critically-acclaimed first album "Thank You, Goodnight" led to tours with bands including The Donna's, Alice Cooper, Ok Go, Ash, The Killers, Rooney. They shared the stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival with the band Keane and Har Mar Superstar. They also appeared on the MTV2/CMJ Advanced Warning Tour alongside The Moony Suzuki, Longwave, and The Raveonettes.
Today Harley continues to make music and films. Although he will usually write and record the music in his films, he aims towards releasing one album and one film per year, alternating by year. His most recent film Wild Roads is a road trip movie about two friends trying to re-discover their friendship as drama ensues. The film is set under the wide-open big skies of Montana.
Prior to that, a musical thriller set in a hair salon titled DEAD ENVY, which took home Best Thriller at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Harley wrote and recorded the songs for the soundtrack, playing most of the instruments on it as well. The lead-off single is a song and video titled “Hello Rock n’ Roll”.
Last year he took and old tune he had laying around, dusted it off, and released it... Hello, Rock and Roll is a song that Harley had been sitting on for quite some time, so when the film Dead Envy was made, Harley found the perfect reason to use the track. At the urging of his Fiancé, family, and friends, he will release the song as the lead-off single. Harley remembers “I would be walking around the house and I would constantly hear someone humming the song or singing the lyrics, or asking for it to be played in the car. I thought… hmmm… this is interesting. The song has been around unreleased, for a while, but it holds up. Maybe this is something I should see through. so that’s how it came about”
Dead Envy is distributed by Random Media and can be seen here and the Soundtrack can be heard here. Cine-Muse Productions is the banner that Harley Di Nardo Creates music and films under.
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Di Nardo's filmmaking style incorporates his rock n' roll aesthetic as well as the sophisticated use of music and sound in storytelling.
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