Hi friends! It's been some time since I have sent out an update. To be upfront, I love making music, but it is just one part of the more extensive garden of my life that I am tending to. I strive to make sure that when I send something out via email, it is worth your time, as time is such a precious commodity in our lives.
October 25, 2024, I'll be releasing a short EP of songs titled Next Life. That is an organic release that isn't the result of daily songwriting exercises but the result of spontaneous fruit from life's moments. I will only be releasing these songs digitally through Bandcamp and streaming platforms. I have many boxes of CDs in my storage unit from prior releases and hope to avoid adding to the pile. I'm curious to see how it lands without physical merchandise, and it will give me a good signal for how to release a more extended format in the future!
Marrying Life with Music
I've come to find that I'm a hippy at heart and have enjoyed exploring, expanding my boundaries, and trying new things. From 2019 to 2022, I went on some powerful self-reflective explorations, experimenting with psychedelics, traveling to India to stay in an ashram for a month in solitude, embarking on several silent meditation retreats, and becoming a breathwork facilitator.
In the last two years, I started attending a two-year Buddhist chaplaincy training program and am concentrating my studies and research around the intersection of psychedelics and caretaking. In August of this year, I traveled to Burning Man to volunteer with the Zendo Project—a non-profit organization providing harm reduction, safe sitting spaces, and assistance for those in altered states. I've learned a lot, been humbled in many ways, had my limits tested, and met some unique human beings doing incredible things with their lives.
All of that has, to some degree, either influenced my creative process or traveled alongside its development. I am grateful to be exploring these edge states and understanding more deeply, without bias or embedded and life-limiting beliefs, how we can relate to one another in the experiences we all share.
The songs on this upcoming project are emblematic of that free-spirited journey, and I look forward to revealing them to you soon.
Finding the Right Sound
One of the songs, mainly, was a challenge in finding the right sonic outcome and shaped the project's direction. I was hoping to find someone who was experimental and dabbled in unconventional instrumentation but could still hit the mark on the modern songwriter vein. In a discussion with songwriter Dan Bern, he told me of a young guy named Anthony da Costa worth looking up. His songwriting and production is unique and tasteful and unlike what others are putting out these days. I reached out when I saw he was looking for clients to record with.
My first day in Nashville with him was magic. We immediately jumped into scratch recording and explored take after take while he helped me find a feel for his vision for the song. I quickly found myself on his refreshing journey, which took away the mental overhead of figuring things out. By the end of the first day, I was energized and inspired by his spontaneous working method. I'm so impressed with how the outcome turned out, and I learned that I was too rigid in my way of thinking and writing.
What Lies Ahead
I'll be performing a couple of shows in Boulder and Denver in October to accompany the release of this project. After that, I will be stepping back for a bit while my wife and I welcome a new baby into the world! I'll also continue working through my studies and hands-on work in the chaplaincy space and trying to zero in on what I can do to step in and positively impact others; art may be a part of that.
For more information on upcoming local performances, visit my shows page. I'd love to see you and say hi if you're in town!
Be well,
James Lee
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