THE FOLK CLUB OF SOUTH FLORIDA, INC.
ACOUSTIC UNDERGROUND CONCERT SERIES
presents
PHIL LEE (ALSO APPEARING JIM WURSTER)
LUNA STAR CAFÉ, SATURDAY, November 5, 2011 – 8:00 P.M.
77 5 NE 125TH Street, North Miami, FL 33125 305-799-7123
Requested Contribution: $10, members of any folk club $7
When do country and rockabilly become folk? When Phil Lee brings them to The Folk Club Of South Florida at the Luna Star Café. We have never actually presented a gen-u-eyene over-the-road-trucker turned top notch song scribbler, but we got us one now, direct, well on tour direct, from Nashville, wherever that is. Phil Lee, we are told, is a roots rocker whose music is irreverent, ragged and beautiful in its simplicity and crafts songs that are home to a cast of social misfits, outcasts, petty criminals and people living on the fringe. We also hear that he has lived much of the colorful life about which he writes and sings. Sound like good credentials for the job. Jim Ridley, in the Nashville Scene said “If Nashville had a Mount Rushmore, with John Prine, Lucinda Williams and Guy Clark, Lee would be the fourth head. Could this man [Lee] be the best songwriter in Nashville?”
Lee has been described as combining the social consciousness of Woody Guthrie with the twisted fury of Jerry Lee Lewis. After seeing Lee perform at a music festival a few months ago, the music critic for Lexington Herald called Lee a “cross between Merle Haggard and Mark Twain.” Singing with no apologies, and certainly no regrets, Lee often shows hard-earned wisdom from his adventures and misadventures. He can easily catch you off guard, moving seamlessly blues to a Beatles-influenced tune. “I didn’t write ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ but I could have if I’d gotten here in time,” Lee said.
And if you read Phil’s lyrics on line you can see why he might merit such high praise. He does add a another dimension to his stories with deeper insights. Subtly and craftily, but they are there; more than you expected, more than you were looking for. Maybe something you have thought or felt but have not realized or did want to admit. Mark Twain, huh? My man.
Born in Durham, N.C, Phil lived in New York City and Los Angeles, where he was briefly a member of Flying Burrito Brothers and has been in Nashville for several years. He has lived on the road, not as a musician, but as a long-haul trucker. Lee’s musicianship includes mastering vocals, guitar, drums and an arsenal of harmonicas. Lee’s second CD, “You Should Have Known Me Then” (Shanachie) garnered a nomination as “2001 Americana Album of the Year,” along with CDs by Rodney Crowell and Delbert McClinton. Lee released his debut album, “The Mighty King of Love” (Shanachie), in 2000.
ALSO APPEARING:
JIM WURSTER AND BOB WLOS
Ten self-released CD’s, a series of awards, comparisons to everybody from John Prine to Peter Murphy, just what are we to make of local favorite Jim Wurster?
For those of you not fortunate enough to be familiar with Jim Wurster, a local favorite, here’s a link to his bio:
http://jimwurster.com/jim-wurster-bio.html