Get to Know Grady Lee

Name: Grady Lee

Hometown: Santa Barbara

First album you ever purchased: The first album I actually bought was either Elephant by White Stripes, Nevermind by Nirvana, or Get Born by Jet. It’s hard to say which was bought first; they all were enjoyed for so long they get mixed up sometimes.

The strangest thing in your record collection is: Hiatus Kaiyote, a band out of Melbourne that perfectly combines soul, jazz, and funk into a completely original style.

If I could write a song with anyone, it would be: Paul McCartney. After seeing the guy live it totally opened my eyes up to a musician my eyes were already open to. He’s prolific. If he was unavailable, Lonny Breux (Frank Ocean) or John Mayer; it would be fun additionally to just mess around with those guys.

Most embarrassing onstage moment: I was recently playing a show at SOhO, and right before the chorus of a song, my guitar just stopped working. With only bass and drums behind me it was rather noticeable, even to those that didn’t know the song.

Most prized possession: The relationships I have with the people in my life. They’re more important than any “thing” that I own.

Beatles or Stones? Beatles by a long shot. Maybe The Stones has some B-sides that were unusual, but Beatles consistently made poetic, symphonic songs pop. There were subtle and a lot of the time not so subtle complexities that, as a lover of the odd, I am fascinated by.

Describe your band’s sound: Sidestream experimental pop. It’s still a work in progress trying to find the sound that will define the band, so it’s a lot of trying things out at this point.

Hear it online at reverbnation.com/gradyleemusic.