PHOTOGRAPHY: ONDINE GOLDSWAIN
WWW.ONDINEGOLDSWAIN.COM
Since the release of the Amos Lee album in 2005, the Philadelphia-born and –based former schoolteacher has been one of his generation's most celebrated songwriters. After being named one of Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Artists to Watch," Lee quickly went on to tour with such giants as Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Paul Simon, and Elvis Costello.
His next two albums—Supply and Demand (2006) and Last Days at the Lodge (2008)— continued to extend his audience and his reputation, and his songs appeared in numerous films and television shows. With a sound that's rooted in both folk and soul, Lee has often been compared to artists like James Taylor and Bill Withers, though he says that his own sensibility is shaped by an ever- widening range of influences.
"As a songwriter, you have to be singular, you have to listen to your own voice," he says. "But I listen to a lot of different music, and a lot of stuff really inspires me, and I want to do it all. There are fundamental records that I always go back, like Bonnie Raitt's Taking My Time. But I'm way more into Primus and Ween now. I'm open to everything—we just did a show where Hatebreed was playing in the other room, and the energy that was happening in there was amazing."
Mission Bell is a dramatic leap forward for Amos Lee's music, but it also feels like the first step in a new creative journey. The collaborations on the album have clearly opened up new horizons for the singer-songwriter. "The idea of playing and singing with other people is really interesting to me at this point in my career," he says. "I've spent a lot of time focused on just doing this thing with my guitar, and there's no reason not to open it up."
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