Kodac’s moments

Musician and spoken-word artist Kodac Harrison is internationally known for his vibrant character studies and clever wordplay. His seventh album, the Portraits and Passages, captures him at his best, spinning tales of travel, both real and imagined. During his Cool Corner variety show at the Defoor Center last month, CL joined Harrison on stage, suggesting one-word topics. Guitarist Lance Haugan provided atmospheric strumming during the impromptu word-association jam.

Night?
?”I got lost in the night. The darkness swallowed me up. But, for some reason, there was light there, a ray of hope. There’s gotta be just a glimpse of light, to give a little bit of hope so you can escape. But I like to wallow in the night because it’s dark and people can’t see you as much.”

Portrait?
?”I always wanted to be an artist, but I could never draw. When all the kids in school were drawing cars, I drew maps. When you make up your own maps, you don’t have to draw a straight line.”

Travel?
?”I lived in the same house for the first 18 years of my life. After I got out, I tried to make up for lost time. I don’t travel because I have a big billfold, I travel wherever the music takes me.”

Leave?
?”I’ve always been a leaver. I left Georgia, went west to California, then north to New York, then I came back. I’ve been trying to leave for 20 years now. You have to know where you’re from before you can leave.”

Return?
?”When I’m lost in the darkness, I return to where it all starts: the soul, the heart of the soul.”

Kodac’s Cool Corner is in the Forum at the Defoor Center Sat., July 12. 9 p.m. $10. More information available at www.kodacharrison.com.