Harper Blynn was a New York-based American rock band composed of singer-songwriters Pete Harper (guitar and vocals) and J. Blynn (guitar and vocals) with Whynot Jansveld on bass and Sarab Singh on drums.

Career

Harper, a native of Chicago, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-born Blynn met at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

and began playing together in 2001. In 2005, they relocated to New York City, along with drummer Sarab Singh, a high school friend of Blynn's. In 2008, Jansveld joined the group, and in 2010, the band was renamed Harper Blynn. After performing at sold-out shows at venues including the

Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in Manhattan's Bowery neighborhood. The venue has enjoyed a fabled reputation among musicians as well as audiences. In 2013, industry insiders polled by ''Roll ...

, Harper Blynn released a self-titled EP; following the release of the record, they toured extensively, performing more than 150 concert dates prior to releasing their full-length debut, ''Loneliest Generation'', in 2010. Produced by

David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and ne ...

, the record garnered positive critical reception, with ''Last FM'' describing it as "classic pop reimagined" and ''

Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...

'' stating "If pop hooks were Monopoly money, this foursome would be buying hotels on Park Place by now." Recorded in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, Harper Blynn's second full-length album was released in 2012 to similar critical acclaim. Titled ''Busy Hands,'' the 13-song album was co-produced by John O'Mahoney (

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

). In addition to performing headlining shows in support of the album, Harper Blynn toured with

Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson song), The Way I Am" and her 2014 single "Girls Chase Boys", both of which achieved success ...

, and

Greg Laswell Greg Laswell (born April 26, 1974) is an American musician, recording engineer, and record producer from San Diego, California. He attended Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, California. He has released 7 studio albums: ''Good Movie (Gre ...

, as well as

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...

, who joined the band on stage and said that "Harper Blynn blows my mind." Harper Blynn additionally performed on Bareilles' 2013 release, '' The Blessed Unrest'', which was nominated for a 2013 Album of the Year

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

. Harper Blynn performed their last show February 18, 2014 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, where they announced they would be changing their name to Mosco Rosco.

Discography

*''Get It Out'' 2015 (LP) *''Busy Hands'' 2012 (LP) *''Harper Blynn'' 2010 (EP) *''Loneliest Generation'' (2010) (LP)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper Blynn Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from New York City