Lucas Lee's Press Kit and Biography
Lucas Lee : Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitars, Piano / Keyboards, Violins, Compositions, Production, Engineering Locations : Seattle, Washington / Orange County, California - USA Vancouver, British Columbia - Canada Musical Genre : Instrumental Rock Fusion, Progressive Rock, Experimental
Influences (Partial list): Rush, King Crimson, The Aristocrats, Pink Floyd, Mike Keneally, Radiohead, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani Common Drawn King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Rush, Primus, Joe Satriani, Comparisons/ Style: Emerson Lake & Palmer
Discography: 2021 - Síndrome de Estocolmo Catalog: LLEEMQ-06 UPC: 019213108359 Guest drummer: Marco Minnemann
2018 - Lowered Expectations Catalog: LLEEMQ-05 UPC: 638361883958 Guest drummer: Marco Minnemann
2017 - Acceptances of Gravitational Collapsing Manifestations Catalog: LLEEMQ-04 UPC: 845121016659 Guest drummer: Marco Minnemann
2015 - Business Brunch Specials: Uranium Omelet (with GMO-Free Brown Sauce) Catalog: LLEEMQ-03 UPC: 888295310161 Guest drummer: Tobias Ralph
2013 - Normalcy Bias Catalog: LLEEMQ-02 UPC: 700261701783 Guest drummer: Pat Mastelotto
2011 - Clear in Andrew's Mind Catalog: LLEEMQ-01 UPC: 844553049112
Contact Information: www.lucasleemusic.com Lucas Lee Music Press Kit www.LucasLeeMusic.com
Quotes from Various Reviews
"Although his instrumental prowess is evident on "Lucas Lee delivers a remarkable, high energy every track, it’s his compositions that shine the combination of progressive rock, jazz-rock strongest in this setting, lengthy, convoluted and fusion and quirky avant-garde influences on complex, this is prog-rock of the highest order, Lowered Expectations . As the title indicates, the influenced somewhat by jazz elements and fusion, as album revolves around lowered expectations, well as angular harder rock bits with wacky track titles making references to celebrity culture, poor like “ A Jester’s Gesture ”, “ Grateful to Entitled to parenting, exclusion, ethnic stereotypes, etc. Disrespectful ” and the amazing album closer “ Please Do Not Squat on the Toilet Seat ”. There are zany references to the music and humor of the great Frank Zappa plus Wherever you drop the needle you can be assured that Canterbury connections as well, primarily whatever is happening right now is certain to totally National Health." change directions within the next few measures. As an album of twisted, hypercreative compositions, - Angel Romero Lowered Expectations is hard to beat, though (as with Progressive Rock Central (2019) any great instrumentally driven progressive rock) it’s not going to reach out and grab you by the jugular on the first listen, but instead reel the listener in slowly over many repeated spins. And that’s what gives Lee’s music its staying power."
- Peter Thelen
Exposé (2019) "The basic foundation of “Acceptances of Gravitational Collapsing Manifestations” is prog rock and jazz fusion. It’s very much a hybrid that reminds me of Keith Emerson, Derek Sherinian "As you listen through these thirteen selections you’ll and my good friend Jason Rubenstein. discover influences raging from Ambient to Progressive Metal. There’s a little bit of everything [Lee and Minnemann] make a very good team here. It’s worth mentioning again that this is complex and sound like they’ve been playing together for music that is ever changing and full of dynamic a long time. The arrangements are solid and even contrasts, busy and intense one minute and pastoral though there might be a few too many shorter and floating the next. All that space that would moments, the album is sequenced well and the normally be filled with vocals, here is filled with mix is excellent. instrumental performance. It goes without saying that if you are a fan of But rather than simply fill that space with an intricate Minnemann, you need to add this album to your number of notes, Lee has filled it with lots of collection. But the real man behind the music performance ideas and not all of it is fast and furious. here is Lucas Lee and he is more than All of which makes for some attentive listening. It’s Minnemann’s musical equal." intriguing stuff and I’d certainly recommend fans of the Avant Prog genre check it out, but you know I - Progmanrob think there something here for fans of band’s like Progressive Music Planet (2017) Rush too so…by all means…check it out."
- Jerry Lucky Progressive Rock Files (2017)
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"Prog rock with an experimental edge. And really "To say that Lucas Lee has formidable chops is that’s why I find it so charming. It isn’t merely an understatement and does not fully do his impressively skilled instrumentation. It does indulge music justice. On his sophomore release, in impressive instrumentation but builds upon it to Normalcy Bias , Lee shows he’s the master of the transform it from being merely another prog rock Les Paul (and Stratocaster for that matter), album. If you are a fan of progressive rock but have ripping off leads and solos with the precision been fatigued by mindless noodling, pick this album and grace which recalls Robert Fripp or GTR- up." era Steve Howe. Amazingly enough, Lucas Lee’s guitar chops are just the tip of the - Joshua Ellis-Einhorn iceberg." The Underground Hong Kong (2016) ... "With Business Brunch Specials: Uranium Omelet [With GMO-Free Brown Sauce] , Lucas Lee delivers an even more diverse progressive "This is an amazing set. It covers a lot of musical rock offering than Normalcy Bias . Like that territory. When you consider that all the instruments 2013 release, Business Brunch Special is self- except the drums are handled by Lucas Lee, this is produced and expertly recorded." really impressive. He recruited Pat Mastelotto on drums. The music here is essentially instrumental, but - Preston Frazier there are some spoken things. It runs the gamut from Something Else Reviews (2017, 2015, 2013) heavy, Crimson like jamming, to more fusion like music and encompasses a lot of things in between. This is a great set that should please fans of adventurous instrumental progressive rock." "Featuring drum great Pat Mastelotto, Normalcy ... Bias (lucasleemusic.com) is the latest work from "Featuring Tobias Ralph (Adrian Belew Power Trio, mult-instrumentalist Lucas Lee. This one's about The Crimson ProjeKCt) on drums and Lucas Lee on a character's journey towards insanity, and it guitars, bass and keys, this lands thoroughly into makes for an absorbing trip. There are elements modern progressive rock territory. It’s often noisy and of rock and jazz here, with Lee's skilled certainly King Crimson like. It’s generally quite keysmanship notable throughout, and the 11- interesting, too. This isn’t totally removed from a lot minute Institutionalized makes for a powerful of contemporary prog, but it definitely expresses its closer." unique identity." - GRM - G. W. Hill Prog Magazine (2013) Music Street Journal (2015, 2013)
"With Lucas playing all the guitars, keys and bass, backed by Pat [Mastelotto], the sound of Normalcy "He’s as skilled on classically-tinged piano as he Bias is very futuristic instrumental jazz-rock that sort is on menacingly distorted prog-metal guitar. The of invents a new kind of prog-rock sound. There’s no melodies are strong here, and the vocals (from the shortage of innovative guitar-centric ideas here that, spoken news-chyron-esque “Justice Injustice” to while influenced by King Crimson, is not wholly the more conventional bits of singing on the derivative of their various sounds. In other words, remaining tracks) add a narrative element full of Lucas Lee’s Normalcy Bias is an original sounding fear and paranoia to this mostly instrumental sonic masterpiece of 21st century, progressive offering. It’s accessible without sacrificing instrumental art-rock that will find a good home with ambition." jazz-rockers, prog-rockers and art-rockers, young and old." - Bill Kopp Musoscribe (2013) - Robert Silverstein mwe3.com (2013)
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Biography
LUCAS LEE is a Canadian, Washington-State-based multi-instrumentalist (guitars, keyboards, violins and bass), composer and audio production engineer. Lee has released several instrumental rock fusion/ progressive rock albums featuring some of the best world-class drumming virtuosos in the genre. The music has often been described as dense, experimental and melodic.
("Lucas Lee's arranging chops are enchanting as he seamlessly integrates many elements but no point does he fall into prog rock cliché. Each of the six songs on 'Lowered Expectations' is aging in a melodic sense and musically intriguing. Lee's albums are as involving as instrumental rock can be. That's a testament to his skills as a writer, arranger and musician." - Preston Frazier, Something Else! Reviews).
In 2021, 2018 and 2017, Lee released solo albums featuring drumming icon Marco Minnemann (Joe Satriani, The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson) , who is widely seen by fans and peers as one of the most talented and creative drummers in the world. The albums were entitled "Síndrome de Estocolmo " (2021), "Lowered Expectations" (2018) and "Acceptances of Gravitational Collapsing Manifestations"(2017).
Lee’s release in 2015 "Business Brunch Specials: Uranium Omelet (with GMO-Free Brown Sauce)" , featured virtuoso Tobias Ralph (The Crimson ProjeKCt, Adrian Belew Power Trio) . Lee’s release in 2011 "Normalcy Bias" featured legendary King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, XTC, Mr. Mister) .
Lee grew up as a trained classical pianist and classical violinist. He also played the alto sax for several years in school as section lead. As a classical violinist, he was under the guidance of maestro and violinist Thomas Wang (International Who's Who) . Years after, Lucas began playing the electric guitar, which has since remained to be his primary instrument. After relocating to Southern California, Lucas attended numerous workshops taught by renowned producer/engineer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Steve Morse, Terry Bozzio) , on the craft of music production, studio recording and mixing. Lee has released several solo albums all of which featured himself writing, producing, playing all instruments (outside of drums), engineering and mixing. Starting from the second album, Lee started featuring drumming icons as guests in his music. Lee continues the lifelong quest of improving his skills on creating interesting challenging music. Information on him and his work can be found at www.LucasLeeMusic.com .
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