We kick off our 2024 Sunday Profiles with Jacob Harmon. Jacob is a young Lismore musician making a name for himself as a musician and a producer. Lilly Harmon sat down with Jacob to find out his short story and learn of his lofty ambitions.

I was born in 1993 and grew up around the Port Macquarie Area, but my dad lived here in the Lismore Area which led me to live here in my older years and currently.

I was always exposed to music growing up, with my dad and his brothers playing songs at family events and around the house, so it was pretty natural to just pick up the guitar like them.

Other people in my family around that time also played, my brother and my sister’s boyfriend at the time also played. It became a hobby when I was around 11 years old and it eventually morphed into a career over time when I moved here to Lismore. 

Going through High School I’d dabbled in the music scene, playing a few gigs with a band that me and my friends created. After finishing school, I initially wanted to be a high school music teacher, to expose other youth to the joys of being able to play an instrument and the creative form of music.

I’ve picked up an assortment of instruments over the years, such as the bass, keys, and even the violin, but it always comes back to the guitar and in recent years singing as well. I went on to study a Contemporary Music degree here at Southern Cross University after school, and about halfway through my first year, my interest shifted away from teaching.

(Jacob studying music at SCU)

In University I began to explore the production side of music rather than the teaching aspect and I became obsessed with the process of it. Experimenting in the studio, and working with artists felt like the best way I could connect with the art and the music. It allows you to be a part of the song, seeing the track progress from the bare bones to a fleshed-out piece ready for release, which is why I have been doing it ever since. 

After a few years at SCU, I decided to expand on my studies at JMC Academy in Brisbane, which is a university that specialises in music and the entertainment industry. I then graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Creative Technology in Audio Engineering and Sound Production. 

After University I started playing in bands, while also recording and doing live sound in any places I could. I primarily specialised in live sound early in my career, cause I found a rush in doing everything in real-time and being in the moment while actively problem solving. I was working in corporate AV doing functions and events for a company called Scene Change before I moved back to Lismore. 

During my time at Southern Cross University in 2013, we also started up a band called Ahiru. It basically sprouted from a group of us in the music course who all wanted to start experimenting in composing music.

It just started out with us writing stuff that felt pretty natural for us to come out with, and it evolved into our prog rock band Ahiru. We’ve had many changes and lineups over the years into what it is today. In recent years after the COVID lockdowns, we have started playing shows all throughout the area in Byron, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and here in Lismore.

We've released two EPs now, Waterfowl, and It Means Duck, with it all produced and recorded in-house by me. We're about to start working on a new single now as well, coming out in the new year which us and our fans are all looking forward to with a talented young local artist being able to feature in it. 

After university and when I moved back to Lismore with my family, and I took on a role at the Lismore Workers Club as their Audio Visual tech for live events. Starting out, it was a great opportunity to cut my teeth on the many touring acts, functions and events that would come through the venue. Every night was completely different for me.

Some of the highlights of that came from that, included the 3 day Rotary International conference, several comedy acts like friendlyjordies, as well as artists like Taylor Henderson and Timomatic. Not to mention the plethora of touring tribute shows that come through on a regular basis.

A personal achievement of mine or the organising of the Workers Club 2019 Battle of the Bands. We were lucky enough to have sponsorships from the Workers Club, Nedlands Studios, Southern Cross University and Living Entertainment and we had 16 bands battle it out. It was a great opportunity for local artists and bands to be exposed to our local community and show the talent we have here in Lismore. 

I also regularly work as a freelance live sound tech, mixing shows all over the Northern Rivers and southern QLD. I did the Ballina Cherry Street Bowlo’s flood recovery show in 2022 while Shannon Noll performed, and it was a very fun and enjoyable experience. 

(Jacob working on his production skills)

However, since the COVID lockdowns, I have navigated more from live producing to being in the studio working on the actual recording side of my career now. I currently have a small mix/recording space at home that I work out of, and this year alone I have worked on several large releases, and a few single releases for artists both in the Northern Rivers and around the country.

The good thing about a lot of my equipment is that it can be mobile, so if my space doesn’t quite cut it for a recording session, there are plenty of spaces in the area that I can turn into a temporary recording studio for the day. 

My most recent works include The Lovebomber’s new album “Decent Exposure”, and Vola Inertia’s recent single releases, with a just announced album “East Coast Low’ on the way as well. My own project, Ahiru, has also released our EP Waterfowl, this year.



With more projects lined up in the new year, 2024 should be just as lucrative.

As a producer, I want to be able to highlight the talent that we have here in our local Lismore music community and beyond. We have so many artists and so much potential, and now that the industry is coming back post COVID, venues are opening back up after the flood and gigs are becoming more common, I hope to be someone to help the local music scene thrive, both in a live, and studio setting.