Lee Rogers
This week we're featuring an incredibly talented artist from Belfast.
His name is Lee Rogers and his music is incredibly touching.
With musical influences including Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and James Taylor, Lee Rogers' brand of blues-laced rock/pop has the distinctive charm of fellow countrymen Van Morrison and Paul Brady while remaining uniquely his own. His live set, either solo acoustic or with the musicians he works with regularly, combines heart stopping vocals, super slick acoustic guitar work and an incredible penchant for story telling.
Lee cut his teeth locally in Belfast where he picked up residencies most nights of the week. Within days of his son being born he signed to the Zenith Cafe label and this forged what has become an amazing relationship.
His debut album Drawing Clocks was recorded in Italy with Marco Canepa at the production helm. 2006 saw the much anticipated but limited official release of what has already been called an "instant classic". Drawing Clocks is now gathering momentum in both North America and Europe.
Lee was very happy to donate one of his best songs: Ida.
You can find more of his songs on Amie Street and iTunes. Make sure you stop by his website.
Below is a short interview we had with Lee.
How long have you been singing? when did you decide you wanted to become an artist?
I first discovered the feeling that music could give you at a pretty young age. It was a bright day, the sort that vague memories always seem to be, and I was in a car with my Da going to the shops when Don't stand so close by The Police came on. I remember that being the first time that I heard something that was colourful and confusing and all those other things that keep me hooked, even now. I was very young then, but by the time I hit High School I had already gotten an earful of blues and folk and everything in between. My parents where music lovers, and so was I. But I was the sort of kid who never wanted to be a bystander in anything that I was into, so I started playing. I drifted in and out of bands from about the age of 16, then at 19 I decided to just be my own guy...fly solo. I threw myself into clawhammer and fingerstyle acoustic guitar and worked on it till it started to sound OK and til my fingers where numb. Up until that point I pretty much played electric. I am 29 now, so its been a fantastic and interesting road. I play live locally 5 nights, and without even thinking about the label I am with or being signed, music has payed a hell of a lot of bills for me........and bought me more than a couple of drinks!
Do you write both lyrics and music for your songs?
Its something I take great pleasure in. The song becomes this kind of entity. I said this somewhere before and I will say it now, because it's a great picture....a song just kind of lands on you! It finds the right guy for the job and it appears. I swear sometimes I have written things that I have played back to myself and thought "wow! who wrote this?". I start the process usually on guitar first, and build melody and lyrics round that initial feel and vibe. I was recording, and had this great groove and chord turn that my band and me put down in the studio. I called it Brand New on its file, because I had no name for it. When I sung its chorus, it just came that the phrase "Brand New" worked perfectly in the structure and vibe of the song......thats what triggered the rest of the lyrics. Sometimes its easy and I can put down a good track or what I consider to be a great track in 10 minutes......sometimes its not so easy, and I will keep revisiting a song over and over, maybe 2 years. Then think its just OK, or not very good at all!
What does inspire you? what artists did influence you the most?
Life inspires me. Cop out? Maybe. Its such a wide brimmed question that one. I write about myself, how I feel, other people, stories, near misses, direct hits, death, life, love..... Faith plays a huge part in my songs and music. The "is there/isn't there a God" thing has long fascinated me. I have been in a place where I believed I was a follower, and I have been in a place where I couldn't put enough distance between myself and the church for love nor money! So in a way, in this neutral "who cares" ground that I am on now, I guess I am still asking questions and keeping the eye to the sky in what I write. My inspiration reaches far and wide, artist-wise. Tom Waits just kills me. If I could have any ability, it would be to word a song how he does. James Taylor inspired a lot of my guitar playing, as did Keb Mo' and John Martyn. Stings living legend status and craftsmanship never fails to impress me. There are so many around.
Thanks to the Internet, things are starting to change in the music industry, it seems like there's a lot more space for artists to get out and build their own success. How do you feel about it?
I love that artists can just record something and have it online for sale or download moments after. The internet has taken the mystery out of promotion and the sting out of financing so many of the things that are associated with that. Major labels are in a bit of a pickle really aren't they? In the 60's there where relatively few players around compared to now. Guys like John Lennon and Paul McCartney used to have to drive for miles on buses as teenagers because they heard some guy 3 towns over knew a D7th chord, which they needed to know. Clapton sat with records of his blues heros and played and played til he had every note copied and en-grained in his fingers and his head....then onto the next one......But my point is, if there is one, is that the gap was a lot wider with fewer people back then. If you wanted it you put the miles in and if you where good you got that special place in music history. It was easier to get noticed, and A&R guys loved music! Today there are alot more of us and the gap is very, very small, and a lot of A&R are people wont commit because one or two bad decisions then they have just lost the job, the money and the top range BMW. It doesn't matter how good you are, in that aspect its a challenge. You need to jump pretty high these days. Today we have the luxury of both music resource and music business at our fingertips, but in a way we lose a little too.
What do you think about Music Milker?
I just got switched onto it very recently, and I gotta say......the simplicity of the site and the flow is much nicer than the usual gaudy music sites out there. Its the artist in me that sees these things, as someone who wants to design stuff and wants to be a painter etc etc. It appeals to me in that way. I am sure I will be involved a lot more in it, and I wish you guys all the best with it. Thanks for having me on board for a bit.
Thanks to Lee for taking part in Music Milker!
