LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: AMOS LEE

Confront: First of all welcome to Montreal, welcome back, you’ve been here before I know, big fan of yours by the way.

Amos Lee: Oh Thanks.

C: First, I wanted to explain what Confront Magazine is. Our motto is Dare, Defy, Provoke. Dare to listen, Defy stereotypes and Provoke change. We want to bring our readers to a new level of music listening and understanding. Bring them to redefine mainstream. 

A: That’s interesting.

C: Talking about mainstream, what would be your definition of mainstream in music today?

A: It’s hard to define because it’s really changing because of the internet.

C: Yeah.
A: A few years ago I might have said, you know mainstream is really what’s on the radio, you know what’s on commercial radio, which still to a large extent is, but there are a lot of bands and stuff that have made it because of the internet like the Gnarles Barkley sensation. A lot of indie bands and things that don’t have record labels things like that so. I guess I can’t really say what is mainstream. I think it’s changing right now. Generally speaking though, definitely mainstream radio plays a big part in creating the fuss of a band. It doesn’t hurt to have like a big record label behind you if you wanna get huge but you don’t need it.

C: Yeah for sure.

A: It’s pretty evident there are bands that are making it out there without huge support from record labels but yeah I don’t know it’s a complicated question.

C: For sure.

C: Now in the magazine we have a couple of different sections and one is called Daily Urges, which means that we want to let our readers know about something new, something you listen to everyday, something you want people to know about, so what would be a few of yours. What do you listen to that people might not know or that you want our readers to know about?

A: Eh, there is a lot of that stuff, cause like people sort of pave me as this singer/songwriter guy, who only listens to music from the early seventies, but it’s not very true. Yesterday I was listening to Keith Sweats and there is Randy Travis and the list goes on, but I’m gonna stop here cause you’re gonna think I’m a freak show, you’re gonna be like this guy listens to ridiculous stuff.

C: You’re not a freak show.

A: It’s very cool cause all the people I know, all the guys in my band listen to everything so…

C: Good open minded right.
A: Yeah very very. I mean it goes to like, like the bass player in my band is a really big jazz fan, and the fellow who is gonna open our show tomorrow night, his name is Christian Scott, he is a new name in jazz. You know I’m on Blue Note so, there are a lot of jazz musicians [on that label], it has become sort of a part of my life now because I’m part of that label, but yeah I mean, it’s all over the place, those are a few.

C: And we also have a section called World Kicks, so meaning, we try and let our readers know about places around the world and their music. You’ve travelled a lot, so what would be musically some of your favourite places to travel and why? Like is there one specific country, where you were impressed with the way the fans were or…

A: I’ll tell you what was really great, was Japan’s last trip because it was fascinating to me that it wasn’t even the fans as much as it was the journalists.

C: Ok.

A: The journalists in Japan were the most astute, articulate journalists that I had ever spoken with. It was crazy. Because they didn’t speak English for the most part, so they had translators asking me questions, and I was like Holy Sh**, these were crazy questions. The fans there are very cool too but it’s a little bit more sedate.

A: They’re very quiet.

C: Yeah it’s more quiet.

A: But the first time I went I wasn’t as aware of it as this time, but it’s such a respectful culture so I like it there.

C: Good.

C: So now your first and last album bought?
A: Wow the first tape I ever bought, I think, was “He’s the DJ I’m the Rapper” by Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Oh no… I maybe think even before that was the Beastie Boys, “Still Communication”, I think that was the first one I ever bought and then the most recent one I bought was… ehh… man what did I buy recently? Because I know I did…I just bought it the other day, I buy it out of iTune, because that’s where I do most of my shopping now, just give me a second, because I want to think about it…

C: Take your time.

A: Ahh man, this bugs me out because I know it.

C: We can come back to it if you want, it will pop out randomly later.

A: Yeah good idea.

C: First and last concert attended? 

A: I think the first one I ever went to was an Owen Brothers concert, yeah that’s the first concert I really remember going to. And the most recent one would probably be last night, we were playing next door to a group called “Hate Breed”, we just walked next door and watched. It was cool; they gave a really good show.

C: Good stuff.

C: OK, so this is your second album, “Supply and Demand” how do you feel? Of course this is your sophomore album, do you feel pressure? There is always this ‘oh my god what is he going come up with’? Is he going to top his first album? And what about the fans, their acceptation and all, is there a lot of pressure on you or?

A: You know, I didn’t really feel that with this album, I mean I felt it a little tiny bit, but I don’t think there was that much of a huge, like a, rumbling about, oh what is he going to do? I think it was more like, we liked his first album, let’s listen to this one.

C: Ok.

A: I think it was pretty much where it was coming from, but I mean I always feel pressure because I always want to put out good albums.

C: For sure.

A: For myself and for the guys of my band.

C: Of course and how do you feel you’ve evolved as an artist from the first one to this one?

A: I’m still trying to become a better songwriter and a better recording artist, I mean because, I still don’t feel like I really captured what I want to on a recording yet.

C: Ok.

A: I feel that the power of what we do is really more available when it’s live.

C: Yeah for sure, I totally agree with you on that.

A: There is not as much thinking about it, you know, which isn’t always the best thing for me.

C: For sure.

C: Ok, on your first album you have a song called “Arms of a Woman”; right now it’s on The Last Kiss soundtrack.

A: Oh ok.

C: Did you know about it?

A: Somebody told me about it.

C: Oh ok.

A: I haven’t really had time to figure out what’s going on with that.

C: So have you ever thought of going for something like acting or…

A: I’d love to do that, hell yeah, who doesn’t want to be in a movie you know. At some point I’d love to. We’ll see, I know people who could probably figure that out for me, but I want to figure out how to do go music first.

C: One thing at the time right?

A: Exactly

C: On your past tours you’ve shared the stage with amazing musicians like, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, John Prime, this must be an amazing experience, how was it?
A: It’s great, I mean especially John Prime because he is like my idol you know. He bought me up on stage to play guitar and sing with him… it was surreal, I mean meeting your hero, whoever that is, and doing what they do with them. Just crazy.

C: Have you ever thought about, if ever you had to do a duet album, like one of those Amos Lee and friends album, who would be one of the first one on your list, like a person you’d really want to work with, you’ve mentioned John Prime, would there be anyone else?

A: I think I’d like to work with Andre 3000.

C: Really, any specific reasons?

A: I like the music that he creates, it’s very interesting.

C: This album is said to have an organic feel, that the process of making this album brought it to its organic feel. Could you try to explain to our readers your recording process?

A: I think the reason for this is the way we record, in other words, people record individual tracks for each instruments, but for us it was like for the most part we went in and said, what can we do today that is going to feel like we want to play, what’s going to feel natural. So we moved forward to the first couple of weeks like that, cutting a bunch of songs, trying to get good performances of them, until we felt comfortable with the recording, and then once we had this process down, then we went forward with putting other parts to it. Maybe new visions for an arrangement and stuff like that. But I think the main reason why people feel like it’s organic or it’s portrayed as organic is because of the fact that we were trying to music in a room together, which is probably the most organic way to record.

C: Exactly.

A: Mentioning the people you worked with, you have a close bond with these people in the studio and on stage, you’ve been working with the same musicians for a really long time is this important to you to stay close to the ones that were there in the beginning?

A: Yeah, I mean they are dedicated to their music and they really put their hearts in what they’re doing, so I can’t really ask for more or better. People out there who care about the music.

C: And you work well with them to so…

A: Yeah, they’re a good gang.

C: Now let’s go with the fan questions, we’ve asked them to send us some questions for you so, there is Sarah from Laval, which is on the North Shore here in Montreal who first wants to say that “Arms of a Woman” is one of her favourite songs, it’s wonderful and she wants to know how did the song come about? Is it a love story? Is it heart break? Or is it just a feeling?

A: I don’t think it has any specific meaning, I think it’s just a song that men and women can relate to, like a…let me think about it… I don’t know I guess it’s a song about a lot of different things really, like you know loneliness, redemption, loss, everything…

C: Is this how you write a song, so you start with a feeling or a thought and go from there or do you come up with a story?

A: It’s all about ideas, kind of brainstorming I’d say.

C: Nice. We have George from the South Shore of Montreal who would like to know, you’re originally from Philadelphia, how do you feel that the city or the area that you’re from has influenced your song writing, your music. Has it played a big role or is it more the culture that you have that played a role?

A: I think with any city it’s really more about what you take from it then what it is…you know I did not start writing songs until I was in South Carolina so, there is a big South Carolina feel to it. The friends I have from there and all. Specially now with the second album there has been so much travelling so… it’s hard to say I was influence by only one thing.

C: It’s more the experiences.

A: Exactly, this is why I write from everywhere. Because you’ll find that some music is very generalized in specific areas, it can be really good but can also be not that good so, and I don’t necessarily feel like my music is like that. I just kinda come from where I’m at. Sometimes it’s Philly, sometimes it’s other places.

C: Depends the city you’re in that day.

A: Exactly.

C: Last fan question, we have Mike from Montreal, he loves your new song “Shout Out Loud” and he wants to know what inspired the lyrics, because they speak to him a lot.

A: Well it was kind of like this you know, I was in a hotel, in Stockholm, and there was a lot of windows and it was dawn, cold and I wanted to be a part of that was going on around me that’s pretty much it.

C: My last question is about your MySpace page, since we are all about the internet here, how do you feel about the whole internet connection to your fans? Do you have a good relationship with them? Do you think it’s too much or is this a good way for you to connect with them?

A: Like with any type of new technology and new methods of communication, it’s always going to have good and bad parts. It’s like cell phones, some days I’m like wow I love having a cell phone and other days I’m like I want this to be banned from the world you know. My internet thing is totally new, and for me it’s all about managing my time about it all. It’s all about being able to keep it all balanced.

C: Well thank you very much for this interview, it’s very appreciated.

A: Well you’re welcome it was a pleasure.