|
They Love Us!
Lee Harris - Juvenile High
I never saw Lee Harris with Rosebud, his old Richmond-area band. I was lucky enough, however, to catch him with the Miserable
Space Cowboys, a two-concert-only amalgamation of Richmond musicians who played Smiths and Steve Miller covers one night (hence
the band name) and Joy Division and ELO covers the next. As Harris, wearing "sad clown" makeup and singing from typewritten
notecards, belted out "Sweet Talkin' Woman" that night in 1990, Richmond rock reached a kind of wacky, trashy nirvana. Juvenile
High, a 16-song compilation of Harris' (now a budding Nashville singer/songwriter) home recordings from the last 7 years,
has the same quality. After "Lee Lee Lee" kicks things off with a cartoonish giggle ("Lee Lee Lee! It's always Lee!" squeal
a chorus of sped-up voices), High moves in a bunch of unexpected but rewarding directions: funky white soul (the great "Can't
Stand Up"), countryish ballads ("With Your Memory"), and nimble new-wavish rockers ("What Do You Want Out of Life")--all topped
by Harris' soulful Boz-Scaggs-on-cough-syrup crooning. - Doyle Hull Throttle Magazine
SPUNN-Shine
This is Lee Harris, the very definition of prolific and the poster boy for the proposition: Does In-Home Recording
Create Too Much Bad Music?
This time his Oilville Musical Dynasty has put out a 16-minute CD. There are 6 numbered songs, but actually only
five. The first, "The Announcement," consists of, "I'm about to play a song better than Ryan Adams ever dreamed
he could do it." Chris Roberson and Barry Shumate are on guitars, Monty Jones on drums, and Lee Harris on bass,
and they proceed to track 2, rocking out on "Where the Rubber Meets the Road." Harris doesn't sing like Ryan Adams,
more like another alt-country guy, Neil Young.
They slow it down for the next song, sounding even more like Young on "Falling Forward," which includes the interesting
lyrics, "I was the tall hog at the trough, Now I know that I'm really green." After that, the lyrics get mushy,
but the laid back style stays the same, and I smiled during "Gonna Make You (Smile)." (sic)
I always liked Neil Young, Why aspire to be Ryan Adams?
Walter Boelt, Richmond Music Journal, 10/02
The Lee Harris Combo-Out of the Box
Have you ever insulted someone when you intended to compliment them? And then everything you say to make
up for it comes out as a bigger insult than the first?
That's the case with "Out of the Box" by the Lee Harris Combo. I have become a real fan of this album, yet
when I try to describe it, I sound like I'm hacking it apart with an ax. For example, I can't remember a single melody
from this all-instumental CD. All the songs run together.
How is that not an insult?
Well, remember the old adage, "a place for everything and everything in its place"? There are often days
when I'm too preoccupied to get into a song. All I want is backround noise. And this is perfect. It's better
than perfect. The songs feature a rich, full sound, excellent flow and movement, and upbeat melodies. By the time
it ends, you are filled with positive energy.
How is that not a compliment?
-Robert Stutler, Richmond Music Journal July 2002
Lee Harris-Five Score
My first reaction to the part of "Fivescore" I received was it must be a ton of filler material. Why would someone
do such a thing? But after listening to the first disc, I'm glad he did it. The filler must be on the other
three discs.
There are 25 songs on the first CD and after six listens, there isn't one I don't like. In fact, many are outstanding.
The musical styles vary from rock to country to post-punk alternative to electronica, and songwriting is a strong point.
Harris posted a diary of progress on this project on his website at www.leeharrisonline.com. He writes songs or works on song ideas constantly.
This hard work has created interesting and catchy melodies, creative arrangements and clever lyrics. there are
way too many lyrical lines to list, but one favorite is, "I feel like J. Edgar Hoover in his party dress" from "Read
My Mind." This old-style country song featuring piano is a perfect metaphor for a man longing for love, and creates
a vivid mental image.
Harris, as usual, plays almost all the instruments on "Five Score." The piano is prominent and he has a real talent
on it and the other keyboards he uses. As the bass player for Meanflower, he also lays down some cool bass lines.
My favorite tune, "Police & Fire Report," sounds like the Minutemen or Firehose with herky-jerky tempo changes and
excellent bass sounds. It's primarily an instrumental with Harris reading actual police and fire reports from the newspaper
over music played at different tape speeds. Very cool!
Vocals have been a sore point on some of his previous material, but here he has a real comfort level with singing.
"Somewhere" opens with beautiful harmonies and develops into a tremendous song.
Who knows how he'll follow this, but he posted a memo to himself on his website to "only do one 100-song album."
Harris should find plenty of work with other musicians as a songwriter or producer, but I hope he continues to put out CD's
like this one.
-Mortimer McWilliams Richmond Music Journal 6/02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first three Lee Harris CD's I listened to didn't impress me. I felt some freak with a bend toward music had
gotten his hands on a keyboard with effects and was grinding out work with no substance. I didn't think he could reproduce
these sounds in live performance. Only "Me & Monty's Guitar" was worthy of a review. [I never saw a review
of that-Lee]
Now he has released a 100-song CD set, and I've heard part of it. Harris is a studio musician, and in "Fivescore,"
there's at least one song almost anyone will like. Actually, there are a number of gems. Any band having trouble
coming up with original material could use Harris' stock for covers. Select some, put arrangements, instrumentation
and vocals to them, and the effort could prove lucrative.
Lee Harris may not be the king of the Richmond music scene, but he is the Duke of Oil(ville). Forgive the pun.
It's a compliment.
-Paul McGill, Richmond Music Journal 6/02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee Harris is one of the most prolific artists in the area, but I never expected a 100-song collection. An accomplished
musician, he switches styles the way a fashion model switches clothes. Most songs are mellow rock, but he easily goes
into high tempo, electronica or western swing.
What I find most appealing is he doesn't take himself seriously. The music is light-hearted and played with humor
and fun. The highlights of the 25 I listened to are "The Barbecue song" with it's vocal distortion, the doo wop bee
bop sound of "Secondhand News," and the country flavor of "Basically Strangers."
Harris does a mean Ben Folds imitation at the piano, but after hearing Fold's "Brick" 50 thousand times, it's not
particularly a sound I want to hear again from anyone.
Unless Harris saved the best for last and these last 25 are the best of his 100 songs, to quote Oliver Twist, "please
sir, can I have some more?"
Robert Stutler, Richmond Music Journal 9/02
Lee Harris, "Best Foot Forward," 25 sides,
The next time somebody asks where all the good writers have gone, I'll them about Lee Harris. 4 Stars-
The Sassy Astronauts-
Tailspin
This is funny stuff. Well, maybe not that funny, but after all the testosterone over the airwaves, Sassy Astronauts is a welcome
relief.
Best line: "She's never known the love that's grown out where the cows go shitty."
Okay, it's
not exactly Zappa, but it's better than singing Limp Bizkit like Elmer Fudd for laughs, which I do.
There's creative
writing in the liner notes as to who these people are, but the truth lies in their lyrics. "Oilville VA., y'all can't
funk with me, me and old Monty Jones. Got a song factory all our own."
And do they ever. These folks are like bunnies
when it comes to producing things for the RMJ to review. I thought they must be kooks, but then I saw them playing with Meanflower,
and they looked pretty normal.
But then again, there's a guy wearing a dress on the cover, and their song "Funk
Tryouts" pretends to give Walter Bell a tryout, but decides a flute's not funky. Pat McGee gets a tryout, but he only
knows "Rebecca." And last, they decide on the sexy guy in Carbon Leaf, saying he's sexy enough for the Sassy Astronauts.
Barry Privett, be afraid. Be very afraid.
Walter Boelt, Richmond Music Journal, September 2001
SPUNN-Bail
Lee Harris, Monty Jones, and the others at the Oilville Musical Dynasty are excellent musicians. And this four-song CD released
under the name SPUNN reinforces that belief.
The opening track, "Everything's Wrong," begins as a great
instrumental with a good, relaxing beat and a nice build-up of sound and intensity. The piece held together well until the
vocals began. The same thing happens on the third track, which also had an excellent musical intro.
I like the bouncy
polka rock beat of the second song, too, but Harris' vocals are high and nasal and send shivers down my back like fingernails
on a blackboard. When he keeps his vocals tighter and restrained, as he does on the three other tracks, the results are more
pleasant. This is the most prolific organization in local music. Their MP3's are all over the internet.-Robert Stutler, Richmond
Music Journal.
COUNTDOWN-A Benefit to End Homelessness
"Lee Harris may be an unfamiliar name, but the Lou Reed-meets-Tim Buckley tune Dog in a Cage is a project highlight"
- Ames Arnold, STYLE Magazine
Read the full review here
Chicken-Scratch
"The catchword here is variety, for variety there is, in the tempo,the style, the atmosphere, and the vocals. If variety
is the spice of life, this album is a seasoning rack.
Every song is different. They run from cute, to serious, to silly,
to weird. They cover the entire emotional spectrum. And the vocals change, too. They cruise along like an on-key Neil Young,
or rev up into an irritating Adam Sandler high gear, or down shift into a stoned Lou Reed.
"Scrabble" equates
the games we play in relationships with those we play for fun. "Swim," sung in the Adam Sandler voice, is a child
who wants to go swimming. "Save Me," is more serious, as is "Don't Drink the Water," with its bizarre
syncopation.
Individually, these songs are intriguing and stand up well, but together there's not enough time to chew
on one before the next one hits. As a result, the CD becomes a wad of confusion without continuity or direction.
Next
time they should take more time setting up the order of the songs, then I'll be saying they're like "an Egg McMuffin
with an extra slice of cheese."
--Robert Stutler
Richmond Music Journal
"Jack Benny did it with a violin, Adam Sandler with a guitar. Lee Harris and Chicken Scratch (sic) do it with garage
band rock and roll. It's musical stand-up that combines strip club beats with soft drink innuendo, comparing tasty women to
an "Egg McMuffin with extra cheese," and come-ons like "I love the way you make your biscuits."
There's
human wah-wah, woo-ho's, hee-hee-hoo's, and feedback - which I didn't know was humanly possible. But anything's possible on
this CD. A southern Lou Reed contemplates how wasted am I? Let me count the ways.
There are a couple of attempts at serious
music, but not enough serious lyrics. After repeating, "You didn't want it after all," for the 10th time, I had
to agree. No, I didn't. But seriousness aside, the funny business shines, especially on their water trilogy which traces our
collective aqua memories of time-outs from the lifeguard ("I really want to swim, but they won't let me.") to "Don't
drink the water, it'll make you sick," and the universal cry, "Remember when we were dumb-er?"
Some memories
are more recent than others."
--Walter Boelt Richmond Music Journal
Surf Like Rednecks-Surfin' Holiday
John Travolta in bib overalls and Uma Thurman in a beehive, dancing to a hoe-down. Yee-ha, wipe out! This is house music for
an Oregon Hill luau, Lynyrd Skynyrd on boards.
Actually, there's no Southern accent musically, and no vocals, period.
But how can something recorded in a garage in Oilville on Tractor Pull Records in Glen Allen not be Southern? Check out their
MP3 site: www.mp3.com/surflikerednecks for a sample of their self-described "modern lo-fi surf rock." As you listen,
picture yourself cruising on a seedy Southern ocean front in a Quentin Tarrantino movie. And when Harvey Keitel asks, "Are
you cool?" reply with a drawl, "Yessiree dude, I am cool!"-Walter Boelt, Richmond Music Journal, 8/99
|
