Vigilante Muse Records presents

Great Songs, Bitchin' Harmonies!!!
Those Girls are a Melodic, Rhythmic Unit,
anchored by Lee's rockin' piano!

THIS VOCAL TRIO
IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!!
>Read Current Review!<

Stephanie Lee has just finished recording her fourth CD release, "At The Edge Of The Rez," recorded at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles, CA and mixed at Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, CA. Her CD release concert and tour will launch from San Francisco – date TBA!

Socio-political commentary, story-songs, and comedy tunes are Stephanie's specialty. Her online independent artist record company, Vigilante Muse Records, vigilantemusesociety.com, is deep evidence of her serious commitment to political activism as well as her lifelong passions for writing, singing and performing her music.

She often is compared to the late, great Nina Simone in her vocal quality, but that's just her low voice. She is also compared to Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morrisette, Ellen Mclwaine. But, Lee says, she doesn't want to sound like anyone else and it's true, there is no one like her (not yet anyway), but she does have many beautiful voices; and with that multi-textured vocal style and finely crafted songwriting she gives voice to many peoples' stories, all kinds if stories from all kinds of folks.

She has been blending these two passions of music and socio political activism into her life and it is forming her career in a whole new way. She admits that her life has politicized her to the bone, being a runaway abuse survivor at age thirteen who practiced pianos in churches from Vermont to Oregon. Becoming a Mother as a teenager and then becoming a single mother in her early twenties, and being poor, deepened her socio-political awareness into an exquisitely absurd edge that burst out in hilarious tunes like "White Picket Fence."

Stephanie has been an anti-war and anti-Nuclear activist, active over the years in local groups in Taos, New Mexico and in the past did benefits for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (B.O.R.D.C, the Main Chapter out of Northhampton, Massachusetts). "I made a comitment to this organization after being surveiled and having my CD single release, "Get out the Bushes, Get out the Thieves" confiscated from my check-in luggage at JFK" and then being surveiled and having her business obstructed via the mail and email. That experience created an automatic focus on working to uphold the Bill of Rights.

"Yeah, You smarty pants Constitution mongers oughta get real and pay attention, quit whining 'bout your civilian rights and the Geneva convention..." A line from the satirical song "Why Should I Care," a song on her third album, "One Little Seed."

Her music – so says Sarah Meadows in the Santa Fe Reporter, Santa Fe, New Mexico – "...blends elements of folk, fragmented, honest folk, with luscious jazz and funk."

Stephanie Lee and The Modelles is a new vocal trio backed by Lee on piano. The three artists are vocal veterans of different styles.

Chrissie Pedler came to Taos, New Mexico from Delaware, where she did studio session work making commercials for television and radio. Pedler sang in a soul techno pop band known as "Thumper" in the 80's, "Fun with Joan" (techno pop in '85-'86 as well as long time popular working bands in Tucson, Arizona. The bands were "Top Banana" and another band, "Amnesia," a pop, rock and country band. Pedler has a strong, soulful, melodic voice and is a versatile and powerful musical force with mad vocal skills, songwriting and arranging abilities. Chrissie moved to Taos in 1989 and is a long time soloist/member of the Taos Gospel Choir.

Linda Stokas hails from New York and New Jersey and has always been singing since she was a teenager. Linda is a longtime soloist with the Taos Gospel Choir. It has been somewhat recent (in the last 10 years) that Linda has become a professional musician. She played in local Taos, NM bands like "Axel's Nighties" in which she sang and played harmonica (she is an awesome Blues harp player). She also played with Colin Brooks and Shannon Walker. Blues and Gospel are her natural musical genres and she brings these stylings to the trio with her gorgeous throaty pipes, along with arranging and songwriting talents.

Award winning singer/songwriter Stephanie Lee got to know "the girls" during her time singing with the Taos Gospel Choir. Lee joined because she wanted to enrich her vocal abilities and become a tighter ensemble singer and player. Mary Bruschini's Taos Gospel Choir will help you do just that! Lee had been wanting to form a vocal group for years and finally found her co-members.

The Modelles have a unique and beautiful vocal sound. The voices of Chrissie Pedler, Linda Stokas and Stephanie Lee blend tonally and melodically in fantastic harmonies. The Trio uses a variety of vocal styles like old style MoTown, mixed with R&B, jazz and Lee's own undefinable pop, folk, jazz and R&B style.

The trio's material is mostly Lee's, mixed with traditional Gospel, old ballads such as Gershwin's "Summertime," and a few other standards arranged by Lee.

Within the next few months the trio will perform new additions of Linda's and Chrissie's original songs.

The Modelles' next show will be at The Taos Inn, Taos New Mexico (575-758-2233) on June 30th, 2010, 7 to 10 pm.

Bookmark this site and stay tuned for The Modelles' show calendar!