Stevie Jane Lee may very well be one of the desert music scene’s secret weapons. While some may know her from a few shows with Nick Hales, she recently started a new band, Grins and Lies, which only played a few shows before the shutdown. In that handful of shows, the band proved that its brand of doomy rock with powerful belting vocals from Lee is here to stay. The group is currently recording its debut album. Watch www.facebook.com/grinsandliesband for more. Lee is the latest to take The Lucky 13; here are her answers.
What was the first concert you attended?
Besides sitting in on my dad’s shows growing up, I believe the Steve Miller Band was my first legit concert.
What was the first album you owned?
It’s hard to remember the very first one, but I think it was either Prince’s Purple Rain or Sade’s Love Deluxe.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Oceans of Slumber, The Great Discord, Evergrey, Dommin, Anathema, Twelve Foot Ninja, The Gathering, Leprous, Tesseract, Avatar, Red, Eths, and a bunch more—but I’ll stop there.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Well, I don’t know about everyone, but pop country … mumble rap … ’80s hair metal, ha ha.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I had some Lacuna Coil/Apocalyptica tickets before all this madness started. I really hope I still get to see that show at some point. Also, I never got to see David Bowie.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I really love Darren Hayes’ solo stuff (the singer from Savage Garden). Not my usual style, but if it sounds good to me, I listen to it.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Royal in Salt Lake City, Utah. I got to play Metal Fest there one year, and I got to see Psychostick. It has awesome inside and outside stages right next to a river.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Past all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when,’ no use resisting, abandon thought, and let the dream descend,” from “The Point of No Return” from Phantom of the Opera.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
There are a lot, but I would have to say Slipknot, Mudvayne, and Entwine were the first bands that really got me going down the rock/metal path that took over my whole life.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
That is a hard question. With my current favorites, I would ask Fia Kempe (The Great Discord) what her songwriting process looks like. Does she write songs and bring them to the band? Do they play, and she comes up with stuff on the spot? Some combination of the two?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Falling,” Lacuna Coil.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Probably Feathers and Flesh by Avatar. I just can’t think of anything that is a better combination of everything I love.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Eigengrau,” The Great Discord. (Scroll down to hear it!)