Michael Lee

You've never truly understood the phrase larger than life until you've met Michael Lee. The San Antonio-born actor, Emmy-nominated television producer, singer, songwriter, director, ghost hunter and alleged vampire walks the walk in a whirl of outrageous clothes, chutzpah and a mischievous mirth not seen since the heyday of hair metal. Enamored with the glamour of big-time rock n roll, Lee lives the dream by staying true to himself, a throwback to the days when people made rock n roll music that they themselves liked instead of writing for a myopic commercial niche.

Michael Lee fell in love with music early on, picking up a guitar at the age of eleven in imitation of the teen idols of the day. Initially finding the guitar challenging, Lee switched temporarily to the bass guitar until the flash of the six-string drew him back. By the age of 14 Lee was in the studio recording his first song. At the same time, Lee was bitten by the acting bug, appearing in his first movie – an independent western – at the age of eleven. Lee went on to study acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Lee lost touch with his guitar through his college years, in the process turning his prodigious artistic tendencies toward television production. Lee’s television credits include E! True Hollywood Story, NASCAR interviews, Super Bowl post-game wrap ups and in the process... two EMMY nominations.

Somewhere in the process of becoming a behind-the-scenes staple in television, Lee picked up his guitar again and began honing his performance skills at the head of one of Texas’ premier cover bands, The Lost Boys. Lee electrified crowds with a persona that channeled the energy and intensity of a young Billy Idol and a pop/rock sensibility that draws from such disparate influences as Judas Priest, the Goo Goo Dolls, Styx, The Cure, Van Halen, The Foo Fighters and Muse. In listening to Lee’s music it becomes clear that his song-writing style is frenetic. Not one to stand of ceremony, Lee strives to make each song he writes thoroughly distinct from anything he’s written before. It is this passion and drive, combined with the willingness to say and do almost anything that make Lee such an engaging presence both on stage and off.

Listen to Michael Lee’s lyrics and in turns you’ll be moved, amazed and amused. Lee’s tongue-in-cheek approach may remind you of the Barenaked Ladies, but as he’s moved away from singing others’ songs to playing his own, Lee’s musical style has developed into an art-pop blend that takes the driving energy of the Foo Fighters and the post-pop sensibilities of Muse. Lee also maintains a distinctive back story for nearly every song he’s written, the ephemera from a television career where creative ideas flow from a structure development process that’s equal parts planning, inspiration and a little bit of luck.

Michael Lee’s debut EP Hold On Till Heaven is Lee’s first foray into original music, and he has a great supporting cast: John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keyboards (The Who, Pete Townsend, Roger Waters, Mick Jagger, The Rocky Horror Picture Show); Steve Bundrick handled production and added drum tracks and producer/engineer Kirt Shearer (Cake) handled the mastering. Lee plays guitar, bass and sings on the album, while exploring issues such as faith (“Believe”), vampires (“Lost In A Touch”) and the evil stench of Paparazzi (“Mind Your Own Business”) in wonderfully post-pop rock arrangements. Hold On Till Heaven is just an appetizer for what’s to come however, as the project took on a life of its own while Lee develops a yet-to-be-released full length album entitled No More Fairytales.

When you see Michael Lee on stage he looks like a throwback to another era of rock n roll. Part rebel; part glam rock demigod, Lee swaggers onto the stage with his Flying-V guitar and takes it for his own in the name of rock n roll. Lee writes music that pleases him, and in the process he reminds us all what rock n roll was meant to be. Michael Lee hopes to inspire a new rock revolution, one fan at a time, infusing modern elements into classic rock forms to create not just songs but moments. Be a part of the moment with Michael Lee.
~Wildy Haskell