Lee Quick

(for 3rd Western Kentucky University appearance) Described as “Straight-shooting, smart-sexy, and occasionally funny as hell,” New Orleans native and Katrina survivor Lee Quick has performed in Java City before to rave reviews. Lee, who now lives in Nashville, always delivers a thoughtful and powerful set that often stops students passing through the café in their tracks. I recently had a chance to chat with Lee who is now working on her Master's Degree in Music at Belmont University. Lee will be back in Java city on February 11th at noon.

Quick was armed with a six-string electric/acoustic guitar. A character stuck in routine, the beauty in nature, and love lost made up some of the subjects in her tight ditties. Quick also did an admirable job of conveying the spunk in two Elvis Costello covers. Quick's voice had a country twang, but most of her songs had a bluesy feel, either on the surface or as an undertone. Her cynical outlook permeated the material. Her voice was pleasant when she tested her lungs and took it to the limit; that's when she was most likely to hit some beautiful notes.

Quick's smart charm and sweet demeanor made her songs more than just another bunch of overly earnest folkies.

... Interviewer: I personally have never sucked the head off a crayfish. I get the feeling you may have this down to an art. And what’s with the bassoon?

Lee: Yes, I was an orchestral bassoonist, as well as a bassoon player in the US Army (Fort Hood, 1st Cavalry Division). Makes perfect sense for a smart-ass country folkie, doesn't it? Plus I played oboe... I used to have the strongest cheek muscles south of the Mason-Dixon line.
And speaking of sucking, you have the wrong idea here. You don't suck the head OFF, you suck all the good juicy stuff OUT. Don't you know any better?

An intelligent blend of folk, blues, bluegrass and country with occasional flashes of lyrical insight...
I think the word for it is 'sassy'... these lyrics sum it all up: 'Yeah, you tore out my heart, showed it to me, threw it on the floor, stepped on it, turned around - showed your best side - and walked out the door'. Her voice caresses words at times and at others pushes them away; the backing is generic which doesn't really matter as it's all in the delivery and the lyrics. The sincere 'If I Apologise' and 'Tell Me' show that she can do heartfelt too. 6 out of 10

Ik krijg regelmatig het gevoel dat ik naar een jongere versie van Ria Valk aan het luisteren ben die hoognodig een cowboy wil als man. Het heeft allemaal weinig te maken met het door ons zo geliefde Americana / Alt-country / Roots Rock gebeuren en kan Lee Quick dan ook maar alleen de raad geven om met een hamburgerzaakje of karaokebar te beginnen Bij het overschouwen van haar, en dat mag ook gezegd worden, verzorgde website zag ik dat het leuke dametje regelmatig optreedt in het Bluebird Cafe (Nashville). Het zal wel laat op de avond zijn denk ik...

Lee Quick's music is refreshingly smart, sexy and evocative: think Paul McCartney meets Lucinda Williams. She's a featured artist on the AmericanPress.com Virtual Jukebox.

Louisiana's Lee Quick creates a CD that certainly has the down home flavor you would expect from an artist from the deep south. ... The instrumentation is perfect, never getting in the way of what Lee is trying to convey through her well-thought-out vocal lines. ... Lee shows a dark sense of humor on "Bored To Hell," creating a love lost song in a unique and interesting fashion. "If I Apologize" is a beautiful torch song guaranteed to have plenty of people crying into their beer. ... Lee seems to have a gift for writing thoughtful lyrics for these types of songs. ...

Lee is a musician who I am sure would be a joy to see perform live and I certainly would not be surprised to see any of these songs in your local honky-tonk jukebox, and for that fact, receiving a good deal of plays.