Dustin Lee
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | INDIE
Music
Press
Dustin Lee is a familiar song that takes us home again, back to the place where it all began. He’s the sixties folk revival come to the Midwest half a century on. All those familiar voices: Ochs and Paxton, Von Schmidt and Van Ronk . . . and back in the shadows, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Cisco Houston, the Legendary Woody. And yes, I hear him, there's his harmonica, Bob Dylan himself. What a trip; what a treat! What a necessary reminder that someday the rain's gonna fall.
—David Pichaske
Author, Song of the North Country: A Midwest Framework to the Songs of Bob Dylan - David Pichaske - November 2011
Dustin Lee is a familiar song that takes us home again, back to the place where it all began. He’s the sixties folk revival come to the Midwest half a century on. All those familiar voices: Ochs and Paxton, Von Schmidt and Van Ronk . . . and back in the shadows, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Cisco Houston, the Legendary Woody. And yes, I hear him, there's his harmonica, Bob Dylan himself. What a trip; what a treat! What a necessary reminder that someday the rain's gonna fall.
—David Pichaske
Author, Song of the North Country: A Midwest Framework to the Songs of Bob Dylan - David Pichaske - November 2011
Former Milwaukee singer-songwriter Dustin Lee moved to Minneapolis two years ago when his wife accepted a new job, but he still wrote a song about our fair city for his second album, This Is How the Story Goes. “It took your city to believe/ You put your heart out there for me/ That's why I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to leave/ Oh, Milwaukee, you got the best of me,” Lee sings in “Milwaukee,” a thank-you note to the city for finally convincing him to pursue a music career.
Lee's mostly acoustic songs come straight from the heartland and are simple, honest and melodic, his warm and compelling voice sounding immediately familiar. With more songs about relationships and the blue-collar lifestyle, This Is How the Story Goes lives up to the promise of 2009's On My Way Back Home, whose title track was named Best Folk Song at Milwaukee's 2010 Indian Summer Music Awards.
-Michael Popke
Shepherd Express, Milwaukee, WI
- Shepherd Express - Milwaukee, WI - Tuesday November 15, 2011
By Michael Popke
You can hear the heartland in singer-songwriter Dustin Lee's clear, deep and comforting voice. The veteran of several bands in Iowa and Illinois, Lee moved to Milwaukee about two years ago and recently teamed up with other area musicians (including guitarist Peter Mulvey and keyboardist Rick Forkes) to record On My Way Back Home, his first commercial release.
With earnest, honest and often sparse songs about growing up where life moves slowly, a farmer losing his crops and childhood nostalgia, On My Way Back Home celebrates simplicity and effectively serves as the perfect soundtrack to the recession of 2009. Lee's warm delivery is laced with familiarity, and his brand of rootsy acoustic folk-some listeners might call this "Americana"-boasts broad appeal. Minimal electric instrumentation allows Lee's vibrant melodies, compelling voice and muscular acoustic guitar to carry these memorable songs.
- Shepherd Express - Milwaukee, WI - Tuesday May 19, 2009
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Dustin Lee is an American singer-songwriter hailing from Fort Madison, Iowa. From there he moved to Milwaukee where he began his recording career and started touring throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. Currently living in Minneapolis, he is in the process of writing and recording his fourth studio album. Dustins latest material draws from his experiences extensively touring across the Midwest.
After moving to the Twin Cities in 2009 Dustin began sharing his music in coffee shops, clubs and concert halls becoming a very familiar name on the local and regional scene. During this time he has met a number of talented musicians and has assembled a group of players who compliment and add layers to the stories and feelings of each song.
Life in the Hawkeye state inspired the 2010 Indian Summer Music Awards best Folk song, On My Way Back Home, from the album of the same name.
The Dakota Jazz Club reported about a recent live performance, "Dustin Lee is a true Midwesterner who sings with vivid honesty and heart".
"Lee's mostly acoustic songs come straight from the heartland and are simple, honest and melodic, his warm and compelling voice sounding immediately familiar," is what Michael Popke of Express Milwaukee wrote in his review of "This Is How The Story Goes".
Writer David Pichaske, the author of "Song of the North Country: A Midwest Framework to the Songs of Bob Dylan", said of Lee, "Dustin Lee is a familiar song that takes us home again, back to the place where it all began. Hes the sixties folk revival come to the Midwest half a century on."
While with the band or on the road as a solo performer, Dustin has learned much about the character and history that make the places and people of the heartland great. Dustins new material reflects these lessons and spirit with a passion and honesty that can be felt in every chord strummed and every note sung. Growing up along the Mississippi River as the son of a railroad conductor, there is no doubt that what you hear is genuine and from the heart. This music is in his blood, and when it comes to being a true singer-songwriter, thats where it starts.
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