Hot Rod Harris was a mostly-acoustic singer/guitarist who also hosted the Thursday open mic night at the Hot Java Cafe for a lengthy stretch.
"After getting turned on to Mikey's in Poway in '99," Harris once told the Reader, "and listening to the likes of D.R. Auten, KEV, Berkley Hart, Dave Howard, Lee Tyler Post, Frank Williamson, Peter Bolland, and way too many to mention, I took up the guitar again in 2000!! A friend of mine, Tim Hendrick, talked me into joining him on some stuff, we collaborated, and started nervously playing out at Hot Java Cafe. Tim was in and out of music, and during one of his outs, I decided to forge ahead and play mostly solo, doing ballads, covers, etc., on acoustic/electric guitar."
Harris favored Martin Acoustics (DC-17E and HD-28) and used Martin SPs-13 gauge, LR Baggs i-beam pickups, and LR Baggs para DI preamp. He passed away January 6, 2013, at the age of 63.