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Unpretentious. To the point.
“My life as an artist comes from my life as a
human being,” says Stephanie Lee. And this
is a woman who takes her humanity
seriously. She credits her experiences as a
young runaway and a survivor, the people
she met on the streets, in the woods, in the
music business, all for shaping her music
and artistry.
Not without risks, not without struggle,
not without controversy, Lee has over 500
songs to her credit, many of them about the
people on the invisible side of the political spectrum. As a woman artist and a poor,
single mother in the 1990s, Lee observed
racism, misogyny and poverty thriving in
the USA. She said, “Raising my children
grew my soul and the soul of my music. It also
politicized me immensely.” Lee emotes
compassion in songs like “The Old Man’s
Stories” about a man she met on a bus to
Oregon and “What Did He Know” about a
Vietnam vet’s effort to find peace in his life.
Lee cut her singer-songwriter teeth in
Taos, New Mexico, which is, as she says, “an
incredibly artistically nurturing town.” Falling
in love with the land and the people, she
stayed to raise her kids. In New Mexico, Lee
worked with fine musicians and engineers,
did demos and studio work for fellow
musicians and developed a regional
following in spite of spinning around
between genres for awhile. In the Santa Fe
Reporter, Sarah Meadows said, “(Lee) is
unapologetically a feminist, but above all,
she’s assertively human. Her music blends
elements of folk – fragmented, honest folk –
with luscious jazz and funk.” Lee’s latest
release, “One Little Seed and Songs from the
Psycho-Political Cabaret,” is described on
her website as “sung with a twist of wicked
glee.” Deonne Kahler of The Taos News says
“there’s definitely a lot of that on this jazzy,
dramatic, funky politico-folk album.”
Her 1999 debut album was titled “Bliss is the
Aftermath.” Aftermath of what? Of a small but
life-changing grant from the Sumacil
Foundation, moving to a funky old desert trailer
with no running water or electricity, and working
and fundraising tirelessly to finish and record the
album, which received great reviews and airplay.
One of her political risks taught more than she
wanted to know about the Bush administration’s
“Patriot Act.” Living in Toronto, Canada in 2002
to record “The Old Man’s Stories” with Juno
Award winning producer, Norman Barker, she
had a relentless urge “to get something off my
chest.” She recorded the CD single, “Get Out the
Bushes, Get Out the Thieves,” and later had a
stack of the CDs confiscated at JFK International
Airport by airport security, had website and
phone bugged and ‘lost’ mail and e-mail.
A short stint in post 9/11 New York
provided more social-political insight for
the New York native as well as business
training to set up her independent music
and publishing businesses and build the
website, vigilantemusesociety.com.
Vigilante Muse Records and Spread the
Bread Publishing were soon relocated back
to her adopted home of Taos, New Mexico.
In 2003, Lee joined the Taos Gospel Choir,
trained with vocal coaches, and continued
to write and record her original music. Still
reeling from homeland insecurity, she
joined the BORDC (Bill of Rights Defense
Committee) performing benefits for them
and speaking up about drafting resolutions
against the "Patriot Act."
Never one to be silenced, Lee’s 2006 album, “One Little Seed…” recorded “all the tunes that
got me in trouble and then some.” For the
former 13-year-old runaway, who learned to
play piano by sneaking into empty churches, for
the former single mom who bought a new piano
even though her car door closed with a bungee
cord, it must be tremendously gratifying to see
four of those songs nominated for New Mexico
Music Awards. One of them, “Rachel Corrie” won
for Best Vocal Performance. Several theater
companies approached Lee for the theatrical
rights. The poignant opening song for “Messages
from Rachel” by Teatro Paraguas at the Santa Fe
Museo de Cultural convinced Lee to offer the use
of the song as her gift to any theater company
that contacts her for a release form.
Stephanie Lee is currently working on songs for publishing and the material for her upcoming 4th album, "Red Moon Over Tres Orejas."
Please contact her at:
575-770-4004 or
Discography
/ Videos
1990 / "Catman and Dogwoman" / "Cradle It"
demo recorded, Moondance Studios, Taos, New Mexico
1990 / "Taos Jazz Festival" - Opened for
Ronnie Mathews and Roy Hargrove
1992 / "Daughters of the Mother" - Taos
Community Auditorium, musical composition/performance
1994 / "Eternal Flight" - Backup vox and
piano for Earthlight Records / Jenny Bird, Taos New Mexico
1995 / "Fear no Art" - Piano for Kim Trieber
and Burning Joan / Taos, New Mexico
1996 / "Angel's Gift" - Piano for Jenny Bird
/ Earthlight Records
1997 / Educational Video - Piano and vocals
/ composition for Joel Kimmel / TVC / Taos, New Mexico
1998 / "The Great Spiral Dance" - Vocals for
Michael Mandrell / Ageless Music / Taos, New Mexico
1999 / Was crowded the "F---ing Demo Queen
of Northern New Mexico" by Earthlight Recording Artist Jenny Bird and
told to get over myself and put out that album! (10 demos)
1999 / "Bliss is the Aftermath" - Debut CD
release / Stephanie Lee / Taos, New Mexico
2001 / "Oasis Accoustic" / "Be Grateful for
Your Chains" - CD sampler compilation
2002 / Recorded second CD release - "The Old
Man's Stories" / Studio 92 / Toronto, Canada
2002 / "Get Out the Bushes, Get out the
Thieves" - CD single, confiscated at JFK International Airport by
airport security (Jet Blue) thanks to the "Patriot Act"
2003 / Recorded single, "Bye Bye Papa Bear"
at Chris Julian Studio / Malibu, CA
2004 / Recorded "Dark Lullaby" / Colorado
Sound / Westminster, CO
2005 / Recorded "Work in Progress" /
Publishing Catalogue / Jeff Karsin / Studio Taos, NM
2005 / Recorded 3rd CD-album, "One Little
Seed" / Dead Horse Studio / Taos, NM with Jon Gold and Andy Byrd
2006 /
"One Little Seed" - Released 4 songs nominated by the
New Mexico Industry Awards: "Why Should I Care" - Jazz / "Can't
Sanctify It" - Blues / "Mrs. President" - Novelty / and
WON "BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE" for the song "Rachel Corrie"
2006/2007 / CD Single
"Summertime" & "Sometimes the Darkness Falls". 4th album in progress. Due out Summer 2007
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