Various willing geniuses with open minds and philanthropic personalities.
On Tour with TOM MASON or JAN KING accompanying!
Check out props here:
TOM MASON
http://www.myspace.com/tommasonmusic
character, lead guitarist, actor, writer, rover ... performance artist with an accordion / a bluesman with a silver resonator and a slide on his finger/ pirate hanging from the tavern rafters while bragging of his latest plunder/ chicken pickin guitarist on the side of a country singer or an r & b legend/ actor strutting the boards in a play / a whirling dervish mystic named Shams in Pouria Montazeris film about the great poet Rumi/ a jamming member of a pretty coed hippie band called the Big Happy/ actor in a film or music video, lately playing gypsies tramps and thieves / a guy playing the guitar in the corner of the bar, lost in the music, oblivious to who is listening/ a stratocaster slinging bandleader soloing on top of the bar/ always happy to be here. Some past and present adventures: The Tom Mason Band, Chicken Scratch, The Big Happy, Swampgrass, Last Train Home, The New Nashvillains, The Nashville All-Stars, The Kingpins, Dream Diesel, Tommy and The Dreamboats, Ruby Blair, The Harry Woods Band, Figures, Buck Jones, The Cathy Braaten Band, and all those other bands...
JAN KING
In 1978 Jan King wrote and sang the featured track “Chains” on the influential compilation album, Big hits of Mid-America, Volume III, from Minneapolis label, Twin Tone Records. The song was later covered by Soul Asylum and others.
In 1979 she re-located to L.A. To record a self-titled album on MCA with the Orchids, Kim Fowley's follow-up to the Runaways. Later she fronted her own bands and worked as a solo artist, contributing, as well, to many other artists' projects. It was around this time she met and sang for Phil Lee. She moved on to film music and scoring with partner, Steve Hunter. She also performed the song “Fading Away” for the movie, Pet Sematary II.
In '88 she formed Puss n' Boots, an all-girl band she fronted and played guitar for. After many personnel changes the band re-formed as a 3-piece, Crying Blue Sky.
In late '95 she moved to Chicago, forming a new band, Medicine ball and recording their CD, Super Karmic Sweepstakes Winner, for HTS Recordings out of Little Rock. After their break-up in 2000, she formed Cane Corso with Chicago native, Steve Gerlach, and recorded their CD, Loud At Any Volume. Since '05 she has continued to work with drummer, Tami Peden, in their band, Shrieking Violet. She holds a board position for Girls Rock! Chicago and teaches guitar.
Influences
Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, Hank Williams Sr. and Cab Callaway
Sounds Like
Something strangely familiar and nothing you've ever heard before.
Record Label
Shanachie then, now with Palookaville / SteadyBoy!
MORE ABOUT THE PHIL LEE
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Listening to some of Phil Lee's wild yarns you'd think he was the offspring of Calamity Jane and Rumplestiltskin. Born in Durham, NC, Lee made his way to NYC in 1971, lived in Los Angeles for a while and finally settled in Nashville a few years ago, collecting adventures enough to fill a dozen albums with "mostly true" tales. After all, he says, " the statute of limitations hasn't run out on some things".
This is country music with a rock and roll heart. When Lee sings about his past you can hear a tinge of, not exactly regret, or even shame, but hard-earned wisdom. True, some of it had to be knocked in, sometimes more than once. "The last fight I had, I was winning. I had the guy pinned to the ground and then he said 'I've had about enough ot this' and he ended up breaking my collarbone. He was real nice about it though. He drove me to the hospital".
Phil Lee is a hoot. So is his rollicking country roadhouse barrelhouse of a second album. With You Should Have Known Me Then (produced by Richard Bennett, also handling guitar chores) he treats the legendary sophomore jinx the way he probably treated the speed limit during his long haul trucking days; he don't pay it no never mind. Along for the ride this time are special guests Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Allison Moorer, members of Wilco, and Billy Joe Royal.
Lee released his debut The Mighty King Of Love in 2000 when he was 49. That's about when other rockers start to lose their grip and think about retirement. In the title cut on the new release he sings "You should have known me when I had all my teeth," but Lee consistently proves that while the old dog may be getting gray, he's still got plenty of bite. More than a few times you'll think, "Did he really say that? Well yeah, he did. That might be why he can shock both the country establishment on one hand and supposedly iconoclastic rockers, on the other.
Songs like "Carl's Got Louise" and "You Should Have Known Me Then" (in which he mentions some shady activities he undertook in his errant past) aren't going to please the uptight, but they'll sure put a smile in the heart of anybody who will unclench long enough to enjoy them.
A masterful songwriter, Lee's work reflects impressions made on him by everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Howlin' Wolf to Arthur Alexander and the Mersey Beat sound of the British Invasion of the 1960's. His road-worn voice, clever wordplay and skilled harmonica work will rightfully bring Bob Dylan (a major influence) to mind but even though, as Phil says, "if it sounds like something, that's on purpose" he is his own man. His unique, uncompromising and sometimes surprisingly moving tunes are 100% Phil Lee.
Welch and Rawlings lend vocal support to "Three Faces In The Window," a sympathetic but decidedly un-maudlin social tale, and Moorer sings with Lee on the spectacular "It's Crying" which, along with "Babylon" ("my kinda town") could have come from any of the best of the British groups if they'd recorded in Nashville.
You Should Have Known Me Then also features the highly compatible teaming of Lee with Wilco's Jay Bennett and John Stirratt for "Babylon". Bandmate Ken Commer joins the mix on "Just Some Girl" and the Pride of Marrietta, GA, Billy Joe Royal, (best known for his '60s hit "Down in the Boondocks") lends back-up vocal to the starkly honest "Don't Make It Any harder Than It Is".
Phil Lee's an inspriration to every picker who had to or still is working a straight gig and maybe supporting a family while trying to live out their dreams as the calendar pages go flipping by. He's one of a kind and maybe that's a good thing. Civilization as we know it may not be able to handle two Phil Lees, but real music lovers and lovers of real music will know the one we've got for the rip-snortin" gem that he is. Put away the good china (and the cutlery) and get ready for a hoot. Phil Lee's in the house.
When??? That is close enough...give me the date, time, etc. and let me see if I can make it. By the way, one of my college pals who also lived in Hollywood back in the day is talking about meeting up in Nashville later on maybe in the spring. So, hopefully, you'll be back home then? So glad you are doin' your music-you know I've always been a fan!
The world serves us what it considers important, urgent, vital It prefers speed Effectiveness Results Ostentation Noise The illusion of certainty I wish for you to celebrate what serves no purpose I wish you beauty I wish for you to string pearls I wish for you to dream with your feet dangling in a pretty brook I wish for you to listen to birdsong I wish for you to lie down in a broad, poppy-strewn meadow I wish for you to have a small bike in your head I wish for you to experience love at first sight I wish for you " to carry coals to Newcastle" I wish for you to seek beauty Within yourself For yourself I wish for you only what is free Gracious Grace
I couldn't find your new cd locally in the Sacramento, California area so I went to San Francisco to Amoeba Records and got my hot little hands on the very last copy. So now I have all 3 cds. Keep on keeping on, Mister Lee.
Thanks for the add sir. I was told by a few people ( a couple I think you know personally ) to check out your music, so I did, and then purchased the CD's you have available. I feel very fortunate to have come across your music and I owe Denise and Jay big time for leading me your way. Hope to see you live somewhere down the road, take care, Noah.
Being the consummate slacker, I just now purchased your fine CD... last one available at Grimey's, I might add. Totally solid and an excellent complement to your other listener-friendly releases. Still enjoying those videos from your Norm's show and we'll see you back there later this month; until then... safe travels.
Online Now!
hope all is well,
geezer