“… graceful indie rock… that blends serene guitar melodies, crisp piano notes and dreamy falsetto vocals.” – Oregon Public Broadcasting

'HISTORY OF' IS OUT NOW

Arthur C. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist in Portland, OR with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest's indie and alternative music scene.

Album 'history of' out july 14th

Balancing expression with precision, articulating a feeling in a song without sounding trite or corny, capturing a picture of a moment embedded in your subconscious. Arthur C. Lee is a soulful perfectionist. Someone so concerned with capturing balance and clarity rarely achieves magic in a recording studio.  Lee manages to take his songs meticulously to the point where they are a pure representation of his intention while retaining the heart with which they beat.

‘History Of’… sounds like a record that took a long time to write and produce without sacrificing the alchemy that happens in between thought. It's the expression of a person who is looking back to find reasons why they are who they are.  Lee's clearly influenced by the music and culture of the Pacific Northwest, without sounding derivative or contrived. This is a record that could only be made by the man who created it.

About

Arthur C. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist in Portland, OR, heavily influenced by the Pacific Northwest alternative and indie rock bands of late 90s to early 00s.  He has played with the Portland bands Ezza Rose, Sean Flinn and the Royal We, Bryn Loosely and Peter Rodocker, as well as with the Los Angeles bands Star Maps and Hail Citizen.

Arthur has vivid memories of being a young teen catching local jazz musicians at the old Jimmy Mac’s, soaking in the sun and the blues at the Waterfront Park Blues Festival, and sharing guitar licks with musicians around town.  But his life changed when he popped in a cassette tape of U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’ in his mom’s tape deck and was introduced to the world of rock n’ roll.  He soon picked up the dusty guitar lying around and urged his mom for lessons.  He joined bands and played at high school dances, friend’s parties, the large stages at the Rose Festivals, and all the underage venues in downtown Portland.  He went on to study music at UCLA and was immersed in the local jazz, folk, rock, and punk scenes in Los Angeles, again joining bands and playing at venues all around town.  He started teaching piano and guitar, showing his students the ropes of music, as well as holding student recitals twice a year.  At the same time he worked as a web-video producer for ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’, at the world-renowned public radio station, KCRW.  There, he worked and met with some of the most respected musicians in the world, including Adele, KD Lang, Flaming Lips, Scarlett Johansson, Jack White, Pink Martini, M. Ward, Death Cab For Cutie, and much more.  

Arthur has since moved back to Portland, OR, teaching, performing and recording music.  You can hear his hand-picked selection of music as an opbmusic DJ, on-air Fridays, 9 - 12pm, and rebroadcasted at 6 - 9pm.