Biography

Click here to view the Blue Horizon one-sheet.

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

 

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