Elizabeth

Though she was born and raised in sunny Southern California, Elizabeth Harper grew up listening to the sounds of rainy Manchester. For obvious reasons the two never seemed to fit. So when she had her first chance to escape, Elizabeth headed to New York City with the proverbial suitcase in hand . She had an invitation to perform with a theater company and spent the summer acting in a very downtown version of Macbeth. But after a few weeks of avant guard theater, and a little too much fake blood, she found herself as many fresh faced new comers do: homeless and hapless in New York City.

Elizabeth spent the autumn of 2001 crashing on the floor of an apartment directly above Carmine Street Guitars. She frequently wandered in to chat with the owner Rick Kelly, and he eventually gave her a job. Her title? "I was like the store cat," she confesses.
The late legendary guitarist Bob Quine (Lou Reed, Richard Hell and the Voidoids) was a regular there and the two would hang out in the back listening to Blind Willie McTell and scratchy Velvet Underground tapes. It was then she started writing songs. To help her learn guitar she turned to her favorite, Elliott Smith,
downloaded tablature to his songs, and spent hours everyday learning to finger pick. As her songwriting skills blossomed, Parker Kindred and Mick Grondahl (Jeff Buckley’s rhythm section) were among the first to play with her and work on arrangements.

One day NYU music student Scott Rosenthal, wandered in the store and heard her playing some original songs. The two soon learned they shared the same taste in music with favorite artists such as the Smiths and Elliott Smith – and began collaborating.
They recorded a few songs at Scott’s apartment and started performing live. As the recordings and performances generated a buzz, several major label producers approached Elizabeth about making a record. But it soon became clear that these slick
studio sessions failed to capture the spirit of the songs. So the band chose to finish the record themselves, highlighting her vocals and lyrics on a foundation of lush guitar layering, children’s keyboards, and a creaky old piano. Booking agents around New York were taking note, and Elizabeth was soon performing at prestigious New York venues such as the Bowery Ballroom and the Mercury Lounge
with such acts as Iron and Wine, Adam Green, and Paul Banks of Interpol, just to name a few.

Then the self-titled record started to take shape. Early crowd favorites, ‘Trouble In The Palace’, ‘Don Juan’ and ‘Charles Bridge’ earned their places on the record. Bigger opening slots were offered to Elizabeth and the crowds grew. Word reached the UK’s Angular Records founder who caught her set opening up for Johnny Marr at the Mercury lounge. Feeling that Elizabeth’s music would go over well in the UK, she was asked, along with previously unknown Bloc Party and Art Brut, to contribute music to the label’s first two compilations.

The UK’s taste making music magazines, NME, Dazed & Confused and Q Magazine, began championing Elizabeth’s music. Elizabeth’s first tour to the UK followed. Although they only played a few London clubs and colleges, everything clicked and it was love at first site for Elizabeth and the English audience. A subsequent return trip covered much of England, and included a performance at acclaimed music conference ‘In The City 04,’where Elizabeth was invited to perform at the conference’s keynote speech. Upon returning home, she was asked to contribute her track “Parlor Window” to the prestigious Jane Magazine new music compilation along with Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, and Duran Duran.

With her debut album swooning fans across the British Isles and set for release later this year in Japan; Elizabeth Harper, once the store cat, is now poised to tour to many more places.

Recently...in the Press ~

“We heartily recommend the self-titled Angular Records debut album from Elizabeth Harper, she's from NYC, but you'd never know it.” Rolling Stone.com

“This in-demand babe is definitely worth catching her before she hits the big time."
Daily Mirror, London

“A glimpse of the future”- NME

“A potential star in the waiting” – BBC

“Melancholy and delicate a la Chan Marshall and Elliott Smith, Harper has an enticing voice and great melodies…get in on the ground floor A.S.A.P” – Village Voice, NYC

“Elizabeth Harper’s gentle yawn will linger” - Q

“Effortlessly stylish, she’s easily as good as early Smiths. Is this songwriter the voice of 2005?“ - What’s on in London, cover story

”Elizabeth Harper is a beauty with a voice like a sleepy winter afternoon.”
- TIMEOUT, NY