The evolution of Amos Lee
Amos Lee, Photographer: Marina Chavez, 2008. Copyright Blue Note Label Group
To listen to him, you would never guess that Amos Lee pursued a career as a school teacher, not a musician, upon graduating from the University of South Carolina. With his third release, Last Days at the Lodge (Blue Note), the Philadelphian has grown into a smooth, full sound that defies genre classification. Jazz? Blues? Soul? Folk? Who cares, as long as he keeps playing. Lee will perform a sold-out show at WorkPlay on Nov. 17. It’s too late to buy tickets now, but read on for a taste of what you’ll be missing.
Birmingham magazine: I think it’s safe to say that Last Days at the Lodge is something of a departure from your earlier work. Would you describe the sound on the new album as a change of direction or more of an evolution?
Amos Lee: I suppose it would be an evolution just basically because it was more of an organic change than something that was based in something of an essential ideal. Because mainly, it’s just part and parcel … the musicians that I worked with or just getting into the different songs, making for different sort of sonic ideas.
Birmingham: What influenced the sound on this album?
Amos: I think the drumming was the first thing. James Gadson was the drummer and he’s just got such a vibe and a style with everything he does that it influences everything he does. [Guitarist Doyle Bramhall Jr., Alabama native and keyboard player Spooner Oldham and bass player Pino Palladino round out the album’s personnel.] They are some of the most accomplished musicians that are around today, and they had nothing but goodness to give to the project.
Birmingham: You also cover a lot of ground lyrically. What inspires your songwriting?
Amos: I guess most things, (laughs) most things do I hope. I like to tell stories about myself or the people that inspire me. I guess that would be the easiest way to say it. It’s not always just one thing but it’s a group of things, from the world around me to the world that’s within me.
Birmingham: Has the evolution of your sound affected your live show?
Amos: I don’t know. It’s hard to say, really. The first album was really mellow. At that point, I’d been on the road for about four months, just by myself and my guitar. With the new album, I’ve been touring with the band for about two or three years. I feel just as comfortable doing both now. For this record I really wanted to explore what it was like to play with these sort of really hard-hitting studio musicians. It ended up being a really good time. [With the touring musicians] we play almost everything as a band. There’s a couple solo songs. I think we cover a really nice landscape of sound. I think we cover a lot of ground and a lot of movement in the show.
Birmingham: Do you have a favorite type of venue to play in?
Amos: For me, it’s really more about the people and less about the place. It’s always nice to have a place that’s adequate and has proper sound and is comfortable for people to be in. We’ve been doing anything from really beautiful theatres to roadhouses on this last tour. The contrast is fun for us—it keeps us on our toes a little.
Birmingham: Has touring affected your writing?
Amos: I’m sure it has. I think at once travel kind of limits your perspective and broadens it. It definitely narrows your scope of your personal identity a tiny bit. But with the amount of people you come across and the experience you come across, it also broadens the scope. So in other words I’m writing a little less about personal relationships and more about people that I know.
Birmingham: What are you listening to now?
Amos: I listen to so many different things all the time. I’ve been listening to a lot of the new Paul Simon record, Surprise it’s called. I’ve been listening to that a lot.
For more on Amos Lee, visit his website at amoslee.com or his MySpace site at myspace.com/amoslee.
