Jesse Lee
of Lawrence, KS

Description

Growing up, my friends and I would mostly listen to music that was dangerous and exciting…Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Kwame and the New Beginning, Wu-tang Clan, and Outkast. I recall the first rock band that I really connected with was The Counting Crows, and the album August and Everything After. That album introduced me to songwriting and got me started writing poems. It wasn’t until college that I realized how important music was to be in my life and the shaping of my character. I remember staying up late in my dorm room writing all the lyrics to Alice in Chains Unplugged, being intrigued by Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 Maniacs, and rocking out to Pearl Jam.

My first instrument I bought at age 18 and it was a 80s model Abilene bass. I got it and a practice amp for 150 bucks and took a few lessons, but never got into it until moving out of the dormitories and into a house with some musically talented guys. At this point, I was big into bands like Sublime, Beck, Soundgarden, Blind Melon, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Dave Matthews Band. It was in this college house on Delmar St. in Springfield, Missouri that music became a priority and a goal. I began taking my bass playing more seriously, finding I had a knack for improv, during late night rowdy jam sessions. I played bass for one band in college…The Dharma Bums. We rehearsed for a couple of months for our one and only gig in Neosho, Missouri for a New Year’s Eve bash at the Neosho Inn. We did a lot of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Towns Van Zandt, and we played one hell of a show. That was my first time performing in front of an audience, and what a rush! I later played bass for band called Big Afro Mutha.

My college roommates and friends were quickly becoming great guitar players and their acoustic sing-alongs were inspiring me to start strumming as well. I bought my first guitar, a Fender acoustic, when I turned 21.  After college, I hit the road and did seasonal field biology work in places like Washington State, Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii. Because it didn’t make sense to haul around an electric bass and amp, I brought my acoustic guitar. It was on the road, in the quiet places that I learned to sing, play and write songs. After moving from Hawaii, I settled in Frisco, a small Rocky Mountain town in Summit County, Colorado, and began playing open mic nights at a dark pub called The Moose Jaw. On cold snowy nights, I’d walk, with guitar in hand, to “The Jaw” and play crazy sessions in front of crowds and it was then that I knew I must perform and try to make music my life.

I met my wife in Summit County, and since we couldn't afford to buy a house up there we moved to the hip little college town of Lawrence, KS. Here, I've met a lot of great people, many of who are musicians themselves. Many nights are spent jamming with friends or playing open mic nights and the occasional gig. I started an acoustic band here, called Possum Overcoat that is currently on hiatus. Now, I am keeping busy perfecting songs that I hope to share with a lot of people some day.