One of the shining stars of modern folk, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. Lee’s musical style encompasses folk, soul, and jazz. He has been on tour with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band, and most recently, Indigo Girls. Lee’s songs include “Sweet Pea,” “Colors,” “Windows Are Rolled Down,” “Arms of a Woman.”
On his 11th studio album, Transmissions, singer-songwriter Lee continues to expand his sonic range while sharpening his closely observed lyrics that squarely address death, aging, and love. The force behind such acclaimed albums as Mission Bell and Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song, ever since his gold-selling 2005 debut Lee has been known for his association with a long list of collaborators and touring partners, from Paul Simon to Zac Brown Band.
For the new project, he craved a return to an old-school style of recording, working with his longtime band in a studio in rural Marlboro, NY that was built by drummer Lee Falco and his dad out of reclaimed wood from an old church. Playing live on the floor for long hours, in close quarters, they were able to capture the album’s 12 songs in less than a week.
“I really wanted us to be all in the room, making music together, listening to each other and responding to each other,” says Lee. “In this age where you can do everything at home and fly it in, there’s something really beautiful about getting in a room and starting at the top, the drummer counting in the song and everybody just playing. I would call it vulnerability.”
The’ last few years have been wildly productive for Philadelphia native Lee. After 2022’s Dreamland album (which featured “Worry No More,” a Top 10 AAA hit and his biggest single in over a decade), he followed up with two full-length projects paying homage to musical heroes—My Ideal: A Tribute to ‘Chet Baker Sings’ and Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams. He expresses his awe for these two renegade artists; Williams for her incomparable language and Baker for his delivery. “I love songs that have the ability to expose a wide range of emotions in a short song,” he says. “That’s what my favorite songs always do.”
The Baker album in particular had a strong influence on Lee as a vocalist. “I didn’t grow up singing anything other than what was on the radio,” he says, “and when I started playing guitar, it was John Prine and Dylan and Bill Withers and this classic songwriter stuff, but also all this ‘90s R&B that I loved. I’d never approached what we’re calling jazz—the classics, the songbook—and listening to Chet singing and singing along with him was like, ‘Oh, my God, how is he doing this?’ It was like taking a master class in control and where to use your voice. That level of singing, that level of musicianship, was hugely inspirational—you don’t have to sing loud all the time. You can be really vulnerable, and soft, and really be at your best.”
Transmissions is Lee’s first release of original music on his own label, Hoagiemouth Records. “It’s just a sign of the times,” he says. “Things have really changed for someone like me, and I’m going to adapt. I always wanted to have some kind of small label, so it’s a cool opportunity.”
Julia Pratt is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia. Pratt’s music blends pop, jazz, R&B, and folk, with dashes of electronic production. Grounded in poignant lyricism inspired by songwriters such as Kevin Garrett, Amy Winehouse, and Hozier, Pratt writes about family, love, betrayal, and grappling with the concept of “the self.” She kicked off 2023 opening for artists such as Brandi Carlile, Hozier, The Head and The Heart, the Revivalists, and Adam Melchor, embarked on a national tour opening for Australian ambient pop artist Vancouver Sleep Clinic, and was runner up for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour in Philadelphia. Pratt recently released her brand new EP Two To Tango. It features “A Little Love,” her hit collaboration with Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy.