Born and raised in south Louisiana, Lee is in no hurry to say what he has to say. His unwinding delivery hangs and pulls, nearly falling off the back of a wagon that groans with sweet distortion, within smelling distance of the Mississippi. A storm threatens in the hills. The singer leans into a worried guitar. He’s got kerosene on his hands.
Lee is a seasoned songwriter who has released three albums of original songs (two with former band, The Barbers). He has performed in festivals, clubs, oyster bars and homes... mostly in the South. 2009’s Thief and Rescue was listed as number one in the Austin Chronicle’s list of “Top Nine Austin Albums of 2009”. The album garnered feature stories in the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, and on KUT radio.
His band, The Broken Cup, is made up of old friends who are among the most creative music makers in Austin... or anywhere. Bass player, Brian Beattie, cofounded Glass Eye with Kathy McCarty. He has produced a slew of fine records for folks like Okkervil River, Daniel Johnston and Shearwater, to name a few. Jon Greene has played drums with Lee for 15 years. Known by many as ‘the green machine’, he also plays with Matt the Electrician, Seela, and Torch. Scrappy Jud Newcomb is well loved around town, as a guitar player, songwriter and producer. He co-founded The Resentments with Stephen Bruton and Jon Dee Graham, and currently plays with Ian McLagan’s Bump Band and other fine organizations.
Press for Thief and Rescue:
“a grand reverb soaked celebration of music and life.” - JFelton, Record Dept.
"The most delightful surprise of 2009. Affecting, intensely personal songs enhanced by sparse arrangements and brittle, memorable imagery." - Texas Music Matters, KUT Radio
“…an excellent solo album … poetic and stormy and quite personal.” - Austin Chronicle
"The imagery throughout is stunning..." - Side One: Track One
“Thief and Rescue sounds like a lost Lou Reed album recorded in Austin between Rock
and Roll Heart and Street Hassle ... a courageous document.” - There Stands The Glass
“I’d give an eye-tooth for a voice like Lee’s. The man can write too.” - James McMurtry
"It's a brooding album that questions the validity of music during troubled times, then comes to the conclusion that even when a good song is all you have, it can be enough … one of the best Austin albums of 2009.” - Austin American-Statesman
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