|
Vocalist/guitarist Jason Imbesi and
vocalist/violinist Elizabeth Stephen make up Blue Horizon. With
infectious and solidly-written original songs, the duo shows its
roots in the tradition of acoustic-rock while stretching the
boundaries of the genre.
Jason and Elizabeth met in high school, but it wasn’t until
they coincidentally ended up at the same upstate New York
college that they first collaborated musically. Soon after, they
headed for Boston and began playing open mics all over the city
under the name More. On weekends, they woke up early to stake
out a spot in Harvard Square for the opportunity to test out
their original material. Eventually, they changed their name to
Blue Horizon and began to perform regularly in local and
regional clubs.
In
2001 Blue Horizon recorded their highly-acclaimed, self-titled
debut album. "(Jason's) voice is in the classic rock mold,
but with a slightly softer, more innocent side." wrote
Gregory Cooper of The Patriot Ledger in a review. The album
garnered a lot of positive press and expanded Blue Horizon’s
fan base. "(Elizabeth) owns one of the most
mellifluous voices to hit Harvard Square in years," wrote
Daniel Gewertz of the Boston Herald after catching Blue Horizon
playing outdoors.
Energized by the
positive response from their first album, Blue Horizon headed
into the studio to record its follow-up, Locust
Years. Released in May of 2003, the album draws on themes
of limitation and freedom, of alienation and friendship. It is
an album detailing the personal growth and benefit that come
from hardship; an album about harvest after famine. "Locust
Years is an eclectic combination of folk, country and rock
music ripe with melodic refrains and catchy lyrics," wrote
Jennifer Lawinski of the Cambridge Chronicle in a
feature.
"Blue Horizon could be an easy pick for top emerging artist
in 2003," added Gregg Saur of WYCE.
Recently, Blue Horizon finished recording the EP
Shapeshifter, which includes the often-requested songs
"I Don't Want To Be There" and "Sleeping With
You." Also included on the EP is the unsentimental-parting
song "Fly Away" and a hauntingly beautiful tribute to
Richard Manuel entitled "Last Moving Shadow." Shapeshifter
is about perspective and the fact that looking at things through
different lenses - the music industry, lingering relationships
and suicide - can create different impressions, emotions and
conclusions. In Native American legend, a shapeshifter is a
shaman who takes on animal and other spirits for healing and
hunting energy. In contemporary culture, perhaps the ability to
shapeshift helps people to take on the multiple roles and ideas
that we are confronted with every day. As we look for meaning,
perhaps it is also helpful to remember that meaning can change
as we change, and grow as we grow, and events in our past and
present may take on different shapes as we change and thus
change perspective.
In 2004 and
2005, Blue Horizon auditioned for and was
accepted into the competitive musicians' program at Faneuil
Hall. Through the summer and autumn, they will be performing
outside in the marketplace. Playing to an ever-changing
audience is yet another form of shapeshifting - for a
performance truly is an interaction between audience and
performer on equal ground. As the audience changes, so must the
performer. The best moments of this sort of show is when the
moment is captured and the energy is synergistic.
With their strong melodies and lyrics from the heart, Blue
Horizon’s songs are timeless. These are the songs that you
don’t mind getting stuck in your head. These songs are the
reason you go to the record store. Shapeshifter
is the latest in a line of CDs that have delighted listeners,
and it will also introduce an entirely new audience to Blue
Horizon's music - listeners who will be charmed by the skill and
care that Elizabeth and Jason apply to their art as well as
their commitment to solid, honest songwriting.
|

Photo by
Christian Wikane
|
|