Lee Moretti

by Steve Mac
Published on 08-18-2010 06:58 PM

The last few years have seen 3eb in full touring mode, playing their songs all across the world. Along for the ride with the boys has been multi-instrumentalist Lee Moretti, playing Keyboards, Guitars and lending her vocals to the live cause. Mac of TVCY got to talk with her about life on the road with 3eb, recording in the 3eb studio and how good Brad actually is on drums. We also managed to talk about what she has planned for the future with band mate Sonya Rae Perricone with their own music and how recording it at the 3eb studio was a dream come true.

What was it like going up to San Francisco and recording in the 3eb Studio?

LEE: Definitely a dream come true. I’ve been to the studio a few times at this point, so it feels very familiar and comfortable. The first time I was there, Stephan was recording Vanessa Carlton’s third record, and they were working with the string quartet in the ballroom. That scene had a lasting impression on me, I was honestly in awe. There is so much that is magical about that place, and everyone involved with recording there. You’re working alongside incredibly talented musicians in a pretty much historical space with amazing gear and with the best engineer I’ve ever met (Sean). I couldn’t ask for anything more except to maybe do it again.

SONYA: It was really an incredible experience. All the guys from 3eb are amazing people and musicians, the studio is gorgeous and is equipped with a ton of dream gear, and working with Sean (engineer) was amazing. San Francisco is a beautiful place and I had never been before, so it was cool to get to go exploring during the time we weren't recording!

We hear Abe and Brad played on a few songs too, how was that? Did you have to keep them in check or did they do as they were told!

LEE: Our time in the studio was spent recording a song for The Furies called “Keep Away.” Stephan had a great arrangement for it and Brad and Abe were completely in sync with it. Yeaaaah, with musicians of that caliber you really don’t have to say anything. Haha

SONYA: Totally true, Abe and Brad were absolutely AMAZING. We didn't have to tell them a thing, they knew exactly what to play!!

The 3eb studio is an amazing place, was there any vintage gear or pedals you got to use that you wish you could of taken away with you?

LEE: ABSOLUTELY. There’s a 1970s ES335 that I’m addicted to, I now want one just like it. It has striking warmth to it, and the Silvertone amp I played through was killer. When we recorded my guitar parts, I was sitting in the same room as the amp. It was pretty crazy, you can feel it in your gut the whole time!

SONYA: Yeah, the answer to that would have to be. YES. DEFINITELY. I used a great 60's Les Paul on the track that I would have loved to take home with me! There were a few more vintage guitars (including a GORGEOUS telecaster) and a few amps I wouldn’t have minded taking with me either.

When you toured with 3eb last year, you were also studying at University for a degree, how difficult was it to juggle the two? We hear you passed too, congratulations!

LEE: Going to music school has its ups and downs. I’ve left and returned a few different times because of touring. There were a few times that I thought about leaving for good, but I ended up being so close to finishing I thought it would be a shame not to. For the most part my teachers were very supportive. While on the road I even thought I might do homework here and there but I should have known it would be impossible. I decided that I’d cram to get my work done right after the Spring tour and make up everything else over the summer. I am happy to say that this actually led to me graduating from college!

How did you touring with 3eb (after Upwelling) come about?

LEE: After The Upwelling and I parted ways I moved from NYC back to Boston. It was in the spring of that year (2008) that Stephan invited me to come out to a show when 3eb was in the area and I sat in on “Bonfire.” After that, whenever they came through the northeast Stephan and the guys were very generous about me playing with them, either parts on guitar or on keys, until it got to a point where I was playing on six or seven songs. It was decided that a fuller sound was something they were looking for on upcoming tours, and as a result I was invited out with them. It’s truly been the time of my life, an amazing and singular experience that I’m incredibly grateful for having.

Your new song "New York City" has been very well received here. Can you tell us a little bit about the song and recording it in the studio?

LEE: “New York City” is one of the older songs on the upcoming Lee Moretti EP. I wrote it while I was still living in New York. I was feeling very isolated at the time, and the song is a meditation on that isolation, and also about how we confront someone who has fundamentally betrayed us. It’s also about the lies hidden in the big city, and what we do when faced with two options: tell the truth, or hide from it. My band recorded this song and four others over the course of three days in a studio called Wooly Mammoth in Waltham, MA. It’s a great studio with a great vibe and I think we certainly captured the mood of the song there.

You have a new EP coming out soon, can you tell us a little bit more about it and what styles and sounds you were trying to achieve on it?

LEE: “Vanishing Acts” is a five song EP due out this fall. The title actually comes from my song “Hide and Seek,” and in a way captures the mood of the whole project. This quirky collection of songs has many identities and is part confessional songwriting (yes, my guts are in these songs, lots of guts), part hard rock, and part piano rock. I’d say the influences most present were Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley, and Matthew Good Band. Although there is definitely a heavier influence here that I can’t really articulate. I have a tendency to write darker, heavier songs that happen to be medium/up tempo and have some hooks in there somewhere. Go figure. But the EP would not have been half of what it was without the immense talent of my other half, Ms. Sonya Rae (lead guitar/background vocals), as well as the amazing Andrew Nault on drums and Jordan Alegant on bass.

As well as the Lee Moretti Band, you and Sonya also have The Furies. Can you tell us how they came about and what we can hope to hear from you guys soon?

LEE: The Lee Moretti Band was formed in the summer of 2009. I always knew I wanted a full band in all my musical endeavors but when I found the right people for this more singer-songwriter based group I really jumped on it. There’s great chemistry with everyone involved and we’ve really put our all into the arrangement of these songs. Also, it was through creating this band that I met Sonya, and since that time she and I discovered an amazing bond between us friendship wise as well as musically, which led to the beginning of The Furies! The Furies is a fledgling band influenced by Led Zeppelin, The Dead Weather, and Paramore, among many others. Sonya and I are still in search of a drummer and bassist but we are very excited about this project. We’re hoping to take our chemistry and collaboration to a whole new level and really play with our dynamics, intensity, and overall genre. Our song “Keep Away” was what we recorded in San Francisco with Stephan and 3eb. We’ll be releasing it as soon as we can!

SONYA: Lee asked me to join her group (the Lee Moretti Band) about a year ago and since then our musical chemistry and friendship has grown into something amazingly special--when Lee told me about her idea for The Furies I jumped on board! You'll be hearing some new material from us soon. The first single (recorded with 3eb) will hopefully be released within the next couple of months!

Any plans after the EP for a full length album from yourself or the furies in the near future?

LEE: The Furies will probably release an EP before a full length, but I think both of these bands have will have the material in the coming year. However, we’re going to be focusing on the current EP and the upcoming EP for The Furies before we start work on any full length, for sure.

Whats it like playing live in a small bar or club with your own music compared to a 5000 capacity theatre with 3eb?

LEE: The funny thing about this is I was afraid the excitement and awesomeness of the 3eb experience ran the risk of making me jaded over time. I tried my best to be super vigilant about it. The last thing I wanted was for small crowds to lose their magic, and I’m happy to say that they haven’t. Playing to 5,000 people is an ultimately life changing, INCREDIBLY exciting and AMAZING experience, but I still get super excited to play in front of 100 people or 10 people! If there’s an audience to built a rapport with and communicate with, then I don’t care how many they are.

If you could pick one member of 3eb to be in your band, who would it be & why?

SONYA: Okay thats WAY too difficult of a question to answer!! Can't we just have them all?

LEE: I’m with Sonya on this one guys!!

What was your favorite 3eb track to play live?

LEE: It changed a lot. Ultimately “Wounded” holds a pretty high spot for me cause I’ve always loved that song, and I love the feeling of everyone singing the group vocals together. But on this past tour “Monotov’s Private Opera” was a favorite and so was “Camouflage.” But really it’s hard to pick one, it changes a lot because I love playing those songs!

What is your favorite furies/Lee song to play live now?

LEE: New songs always feel amazing. Right now for the Lee Moretti Band I’m really into a song that we haven’t recorded yet called “Venom.” It’s got a really fun bluesy quality and Sonya rips an amazing solo before the second verse. For The Furies though I think “Song for the Fated” is my favorite. Sonya and I have an amazing vocal blend on this song and it’s super melancholy. And don’t we all love sad songs? ?

SONYA: My current favorite is play live is The Furies newest, "Song for the Fated"--it feels fresh to me and I get to fool around with some cool effects and vocal harmonies which is always fun

Is Brad really that good on Drums?!

LEE: There’s no denying it. Brad’s pretty much my favorite drummer, he’s AMAZINGLY talented and has so much confidence and finesse, it all seems effortless for him. He also laid down the drum track for our song in ten minutes. It BLEW my mind.

SONYA: YES. He is REALLY that good. Kind of mind-blowingly good. I think he may have come up with the drum part and laid it down in no more than two takes...

Finally, the ultimate question... Your top 5, all time favorite records?

LEE: Okayyyy I reserve the right to change my answer later haha. But right now what I’m thinking is:
Led Zeppelin – I – IV
The Jimmy Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
Tori Amos - Under the Pink
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Donny Hathaway – Donny Hathaway
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Yes I know it’s 6. I had to. haha

SONYA: Ah yes, this is a hard for me as they seem to change every few months. But i'll give it a shot:

Zeppelin IV...er, Zepp I through IV plus Physical Graffiti and Houses of the Holy. I'm allowed to do that right?
Hendrix Live at Monterey
In Session - Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan
Voodoo - D'Angelo
2 Drink Minimum - Wayne Krantz.

A huge thanks to the girls for taking the time to answer questions.

- The Village Church Yard