| Blue Horizon is
Shining at Quincy Market
By Chris Orchard /
Correspondent
Friday, June 4, 2004
This
Memorial Day weekend brought good weather and hordes of tourists to
Faneuil Hall. Many gazed eastwards (where the elevated highway once stood)
at the blue sky over Boston Harbor. But others stopped to see Blue Horizon
right there in Quincy Market. The Brighton band is one of 35 street acts
selected to perform all summer in Quincy Market.
Blue Horizon, which is
based in Packard's Corner, has been performing on the streets of Boston
for about four years. "We started doing this seriously in 2000,"
said Elizabeth Stephen, one of the band members. The other member is Jason
Imbesi. Blue Horizon plays rock and folk, with some bluegrass mixed in." There
are older sort of influences" on our music, said Imbesi. They named
Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and local artist Winterboy as a few influential
musicians. "We do a couple [of] covers, but 90 percent of our music
is original," said Stephen. Stephen writes for the violin, which she
plays, and Imbesi writes mostly for the guitar, which he plays. They both
sing, but "I write most of the words," said Stephen. Melody is
the main force behind their music. "I always try to have a great
melody," said Imbesi.
Blue Horizon is a new
addition to the Faneuil Hall lineup this summer (they had to audition in
April), but Stephen and Imbesi have spent years developing their
street-performing skills. Harvard Square is where bands go to hone their
acts; they said [there are no auditions], but finding a spot in Harvard
Square can be tough. "We used to get there at 6 a.m." to save
the spot, said Imbesi. They wouldn't start playing until noon.
Music is an art, but so is
performing on the street. "I like the street because you meet tons
and tons of people," said Stephen. You learn to "stay focused on
what you're doing." "You
just deal with whatever," said Imbesi. For
one thing, the audience is always changing. A group of people will gather,
stay for a song or two, and then move on. A few songs will pass as people
walk by, and soon an entire new crowd has gathered. This
doesn't bother the street performer, said Imbesi. Playing at bars and
clubs is similar, he said, where the music is secondary to the drinking
and socializing. "It's a little strange, but you get used to
it," he said. Warming
up and doing sound checks in public is worse. "That I wish [people]
didn't have to see," said Stephen. It feels "like you're getting
dressed in front of them."
Strange things
occasionally happen to street performers.
"I've been given food," said Stephen.
Once "I had a lady put a bar of soap in our thing and take
money." People
assumed they were homeless, especially when they played in the subway. In
fact, Stephen and Imbesi work hard on their musical career, but they also
work part-time jobs.
One time when they were
performing, a slightly obese man in extremely short shorts stopped in
front of them and took off his shirt. He began dancing to the music, and
ultimately got on his knees and raised his arms to the heavens. The sight,
not surprisingly, attracted a crowd. When Blue Horizon stopped performing,
the half-naked man demanded money for his performance; he deserved it for
attracting such crowds, he said.
Attracting crowds can
sometimes be hard when other street performers are nearby, too. "It's
hard to compete with someone juggling shopping carts," said Stephen. Tips
bring in the money for street performers, and CD sales help, too. Blue
Horizon currently has two CDs, and on Memorial Day weekend a handful of
people bought them.
One woman, visiting Boston
from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, bought both CDs. "I like her
voice," she said in reference to Stephen, "she has a very lovely
voice. She reminds me of Mary Hopkins in the '60s. I'm going to play
her music on Stratford," she said. She liked Imbesi's voice, too, and
enjoys seeing young people doing their best.
Blue Horizon is planning
on producing a third album soon. It could be released in August, but that
might be overly ambitious, they say.
Blue Horizon plays other
venues as well, and when they do, they sometimes bring in other musicians.
"I, personally, like the full band gigs the best," said Imbesi.
Two
of the regular additions to the band are Jeff Harrington, on drums, and
Peter Fernandez on bass and piano.
Blue Horizon lists its
gigs on its Web site, bluehorizonmusic.com, where the band will post the
Faneuil Hall performance schedule. In the meantime, Blue Horizon can be
heard at PA's Lounge, in Union Square, Somerville, on Friday June 4, and
at The Burren, in Davis Square, on June 6.
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