Pete Harper and Jason Blynn first met whilst studying at Amherst college; in fact sophomore J was leading Pete and a bunch of other freshmen into the White Mountains of New Hampshire for an orientation trip. Discovering little more than a smelly old lady, a dog, a pot of beans and a banjo for entertainment at their camp site Pete proceeded to entertain everyone with campfire banjo sessions. J’s love for dogs prevented him from enjoying even one minute of Pete’s music, but he was told later by his trip co-leader that Pete “was pretty good” and thus it began.

J convinced Pete to audition for the world renowned Amherst College “Zumbyes” acapella group he was directing that year; Pete was quite uncomfortable with the idea but somehow ended up joining even though it was and still is well understood that college acapella is super lame. Finding themselves in the group together, they had to be friends; again, Pete was quite uncomfortable with the idea.

Failing to find the rest of a band the duo began performing at coffee house open mic events and local venues whilst working on writing a range of material that would eventually evolve into the album Without a Band, recorded over several years in Philadelphia and Brazil and released independently in 2005 simply as Pete and J.

Good word spread fast and come 2006 the duo were getting regular comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel, appearing on compilations alongside Emmy Lou Harris and Blues Traveler and were on their way to tour the UK on the back of an invite from a major record label. They've sinced toured twice more gigging at London’s Spice of Life, Acoustic Lounge, Borderline, Ginglik and a number of BBC Radio stations and recorded a second album, Dressed for Conversation.

Feeling the need for a full band sound and a little more rock with the finger picking folk Pete and J changed their name from Pete and J to Harper Blynn, picked up a bassist called Whynot and a drummer called Sarab and moved to New York City, traditionally a magnet for ambitious musicians where they spend most of their year not being there but performing over 150 gigs coast to coast across the USA at just about every live venue you ever heard of.

In 2009, the Brooklyn quartet caught the ear of producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes) who signed on to produce their debut full-length album Loneliest Generation, which emerged an unsurprisingly rich and inspiring record that Harper Blynn still effortlessly transcend live. Delivering three-part harmonies over a smartly-arranged blend of guitar, keyboards, bass and drums that is at once minimalistically modern and timelessly organic, the band’s musical proficiency and on-stage chemistry has put them on just about every "about to break" list at SXSW several years running.

Constantly touring the US for the past couple of years we're hoping to get them back to the UK in the near future.



Press

“If pop hooks were Monopoly money, this foursome would be buying hotels on Park Place by now.”
Time Out NY

“Their New York City roots and club presence give them street cred, but the production, polish and poise of their tunes suggest a larger story arc is in the works.”
Baeble

“On their debut record Loneliest Generation, Harper Blynn takes a giant step beyond their contemporaries, and moves into a category all their own... In a crowded Brooklyn indie scene hell-bent on placing vanity above content and substance, Harper Blynn offer up simple, no-frills songcraft with an unassuming modesty and a self-confidence that is refreshing, invigorating and downright hypnotic.”
Absolutepunk