Peters Harvey is the new collaborative effort from
James Harvey
(www.jamesharveyband.com)
and
Eddie Arjun Peters
(www.arjunmusic.com)
Their debut album will be released this summer.
Eddie Peters and James Harvey - lead artists of ’Arjun’ and ’The James Harvey Band’ have joined their powerful, exotic musical forces to form Peters-Harvey. The result is a raw elegance that is enjoying broad-based fan support and attracting international interest.
A friendship that took root in the debris and despair of New York City , 2001 – the two artists formed a collaboration of soul and spirit that led to the eventual musical dynamic that exists between them. It is a dynamic that steals chords from shadows and brings crescendo from chaos…it is a musical magic that is darkness full of hope, lyrical and lilting without the sticking glaze… profound and affecting….magnificent.
Harvey, a singer/songwriter and a classically trained guitarist, was playing in clubs and coffeehouses with legends such as Jimmy Ponder and the Ellis Marsalis Band by his mid-teens and was a featured artist multiple times in regional coffee houses and live radio broadcasts. With influences that range from the folk-rock of the 60’s to music beyond the present – Harvey has developed a unique guitar style but his prime instrument is his rich, pure multi-octave tenor. His first CD, intended as a demo, became a collaboration between himself and producer Rick Witkowski of the legendary West Virginia, "Studio L", resulting in a complete work that garnered numerous bids from a variety of major and independent labels.
Harvey’s four-octave vocal range has been compared to Jeff Buckley and his guitar style, highlighted by a "tapping" method that allows him to play bass and melody at the same time, has been compared to Michael Hedges. As in all comparisons, the beauty is in the melding and personal gift that creates a unique style and sound. The lyrics are complex, poetic, disturbing and exhilarating – reflecting Harvey ’s well-spent youth immersed in listening, learning and creating a world within his words.
Music has always been an integral part of Eddie Peter’s life. Born in Canada and raised in Queens , he was influenced by the music of his environment: R&B, Jazz, Rock and Funk. Given the times, it was probably unusual for a young West Indian boy of Guyanese descent to want to pursue a career as a musician in any of those genres – but by twelve years old, Eddie was attached to his first guitar and on the first part of his musical journey.
A passionate belief in the beauty and potentiality of instrumental music, he tested the waters by mixing Hip-Hop with Rock and Funk and eventually adding improvisational Jazz in his first band, The Soul Dogs.
A thirst for developing his musicality and technical proficiency led him to the study of classical guitar which deeply influenced his musical path. Eddie played with the Jimmibeetles Rock Theatre and in 2003 he formed the instrumental group Arjun. The group landed a residence at the Alphabet Lounge in the East Village and attracted fans as diverse and flavorful as the band itself. During this time Eddie became even more committed to preserving the mainstream-challenged art of instrumental music that was not exactly rock and not exactly jazz.
It was during this time that he met James. Coming to the music from very different places, the two discovered a synergy that – (as the best of synergies should) - requires a new category and more than that – (as all art aspires to) - demands a definition unique to each listener. ….Perfect music for an intimate coffee house and just as perfect in a music hall, the two deliver the best of both worlds….incredible acoustic guitar virtuosity and lyrical poetry sung in a way that lets the listener hear the soul while becoming a part of the heart itself. This is music that brings the sensibilities of the sixties and the timeless purity of acoustic guitar to fill the void that is the world’s stage this day. And really, isn’t that what we have all been waiting for?
