ARI LEHMAN is the
actor/singer who has the unique honor of having played therole
of the First Jason Voorhees in the Paramount Classic Horror
Film"Friday the 13th" (1980). The original "Boy In The Lake"
himself, Ari playeda crucial role in the film's famous final
scene, in which he suddenlyemerges from the icy waters of
Crystal Lake. Working with Special EffectsMaster Tom Savini at
an early age gave Ari a deep appreciation for theHorror Greats
including Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and
VincentPrice.
A native New Yorker,
Ari grew up in Westport, CT, where he trained inClassical music
and Jazz Piano. Recognized at an early age for his
musicalabilities, Ari was presented with an All-State Award for
Excellence in JazzPiano and a generous scholarship to Berklee
School of Music by the famousjazz educator, Dr. Billy Taylor.
Also actively engaged in performance and theatre, Ari heard
about anaudition being held in Westport, for a new movie,
"Manny's Orphan's", abouta group of inner-city orphans who play
Soccer, directed by Sean S.Cunnngham. Ari snuck into the
audition and landed the 80-line role of"Roger", a pre-pubecent
comic character who is obsessed with girls. Thisrole led to Ari
getting the call to play Jason Voorhees in "Friday the 13th"from
Sean S. Cunningham himself, who famously asked him "Can you
swim?", Arireplied "Yes!" and the rest is Horror History. After
the release of "Friday the 13th", Ari returned to New York City
wherehe studied Jazz Piano in its breeding ground with the great
Joanne Brackeenand enrolled in NYU studying Big Band
Orchestration and Jazz Piano withrecognized Masters Jim McNeely
and Vladmir Shafranov.Interestingly, Ari's career led him to
become a prominent touringKeyboardist for some of the top names
in Reggae and African music, with whomhe toured throught the US,
Europe and West Africa, working for Bob Marley'sown Tuff Gong
Records and Interscope Records.
As a seasoned recording
artist and professional musician, Ari went on toreceive acclaim
with his own World Rock and Reggae band, when, upon movingto
Chicago in late 2002, he was contacted by Horror fans who
eagerly invitedhim to attend an East Coast Horror Convention. In
response to theirenthusiasm, Ari became a regular on the Horror
Convention Circuit, andimmediately saw a great opportunity to
give Jason Voorhees a musical voiceon the Punk and Metal scene.
Ari proceeded to draw upon his 20 years'experience as a
professional musician and recording artist and createdFIRSTJASON
specifically for Horror Fans, especially the fans of
JasonVoorhees and "Friday the 13th". FIRSTJASON has performed in
Punk/Metal clubs, Film Festivals, and HorrorConventions
throughout the United States. The engaging showmanship
andsuperior musicianship have consistently received enthusiastic
response andhave developed a strong following. Here is an exerpt
from a recent review ofa show on their 11-city Midwest tour in
the Early Spring of 2009: "Like young Jason rising from the deep
to take his prey, First Jason caughtme by surprise. Lehman
didn't just play the keytar, he melted that thing! Hedidn't just
sing songs about Jason, he sang them with a passion and a
powerthat was above and beyond what the subject matter called
for.When, toward the end of the set, he threw a Jason mask my
way, I put it onand started banging my head, smiling like a
maniac. I was glad I stuckaround." (MP Johnson - FREAK TENSION
MAGAZINE)
FIRSTJASON has
performed at HORRORHOUND WEEKEND, FANGORIA WEEKEND OFHORRORS,
ROCK AND SHOCK, TEXAS FEAR FEST, and FLASHBACK WEEKEND
HorrorConventions, as well as THE MILWAUKEE METAL MASSACRE and
many of the topPunk/Metal venues throughout the MidWest. ARI
LEHMAN has appeared in E!,Entertainment Weekly, Blender
Magazine, Chicago Reader, The Chicago-SunTimes, Illinois
Entertainer, Denver CBS4-TV News, and Fangoria Radio. He hasalso
appeared at Horror events in Germany, Holland and the United
Kingdom. Ari has also composed, performed and recorded a number
of soundtracks forindependent films, including Alexia
Anastasio's critically acclaimedall-female "SALOME", and VAMP
FILMS "VAMPIRA THE MOVIE" which received theRondo Hatton Classic
Horror Award for the Best Independent Film of 2007.
