2nd Annual Be Lee Festival Held At The Living Room 6/13

On Sunday June 13th, respected songwriters, talented singers and downtown denizens take the stage and step into Lee Feldman's shoes (metaphorically), playing their renditions of his oeuvre and engaging in other Feldmanesque activities (although no unlicensed dentistry will occur). Mr. Feldman will also be present and performing.

For more than 25 years, people have been beguiled, amused, provoked, and moved by Lee Feldman's songs, which he typically delivers himself from the piano bench. His sincere and unadorned vocal style has a great foil in his expressive, sometimes-meaty, sometimes-delicate playing. He rolls songs out, as one friend put it, like a "demented jingle mill," capturing the details of life and the dilemmas of existence in 3-minute songs that can include stride piano, waltzes, pop, rock, jazz and free improvisation.

With influences including Bartok and the Beatles, Miles, Monk and Morton Feldman (not related), Lee himself has inspired many artists. The BE LEE FESTIVAL presents some of the amazing musicians who love Lee and his work; they are all listed below.

A lifelong New Yorker, Lee has lived in Brooklyn for the past 23 years, and has released three albums: Living It All Wrong (Pure/Mercury); The Man in a Jupiter Hat (Mercury/Bonafide); and I've Forgotten Everything (Urban Myth), as well as a 30-minute animated musical STARBOY (www.starboy.us). A short documentary about Lee, called "Lee Feldman, Lee Feldman" can be viewed at Vimeo. Academy Award nominated director Bennett Miller ("Capote") says, "If you like Lee Feldman, you'll love ‘Lee Feldman, Lee Feldman'." See also www.leefeldman.com.

Artists in addition to Lee who will perform include:

Jim Allen, who is a member of the bands Lazy Lions (myspace.com/lazylions) and The Ramblin' Kind (myspace.com/theramblinkind), and has released three albums as a singer/songwriter. He also hosts a weekly online radio show Friday mornings on EastVillage.com.

"Amy Allison may be the daughter of jazz/blues legend Mose Allison, but the New York-based singer/songwriter is a pure country chanteuse known for her oddly distinctive voice (think Victoria Williams or Kate Jacobs) and gut-wrenching songs." (Allmusic.com) Amyallisonmusic.com.

Jim Duffy specializes in what he calls "moody and bouncy instrumental pop music." His concept is to combine deep and soulful grooves with the immediacy of a tightly arranged three-minute pop song. He has released two albums of original compositions, Side One and Mood Lit, on which he plays a 1960s Wurlitzer electric piano and leads a small combo. 3dotsmusic.com.

Acclaimed singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader Howard Fishman's exuberant, spontaneous, and unvarnished music has made him a favorite of audiences and critics alike. Fishman filters a deep passion for New Orleans jazz, gritty pop, fervent gospel and open-hearted country music through a completely original aesthetic to create a sound entirely his owN. Howardfishman.com.

Pete Galub is a native New Yorker who wrote his first song at 15 after seeing the Pogues on SNL. His debut CD "Boy Gone Wrong" is much admired by Lee. Petegalub.com.

"New York City's Daniel Harnett possesses quite an impressive voice that is comparable to the late Jeff Buckley. Born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Harnett's first love was acting... Harnett has also had several songs featured in independent movies." (Allmusic.com) myspace.com/danielharnett.
Carol Lipnik is a Coney Island-reared singer/songwriter who haunts the New York City club scene aspiring to be Lee Feldman. Mermaidalley.com.

An Idaho native, ex-circus musician, Lascivious Biddy and pianist/composer/singer, Deidre Rodman moved to New York in 1997 after receiving a Master's Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. She has played with everyone from Elvis Costello (who deemed her "a wonderful pianist and delicate composer with a truly unique voice") to Debbie Harry to Natalie Merchant-and of course, Lee Feldman. She has three jazz CDs out on the esteemed Sunnyside label, and recently released her first pop CD, Circle. deidrerodman.com.

Singer/composer Steven Swartz is best known as the leader of the pioneering "avant-folk" ukelele band Songs from a Random House (1986-2007), which issued a pair of critically-lauded CDs, Random Numbers and gListen, on the Bar/None and Sargasso labels during the 00's. Steven's new solo project, Bedroom Community, uses voice, ukulele, looping pedals, effects, and pre-recorded electronic tracks to create distinctive songs in a dub/folk/shoegaze vein. Myspace.com/bedcom.

SUNDAY, JUNE 13th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
The Living Room
Livingroomny.com
154 Ludlow Street, NYC
$10.00
Tickets: Available at Living Room or on TicketWeb.com