| PRESS RELEASEFebruary 24th, 2015 – (Burbank, CA.) – Warner Bros. Records is pleased to announce that it has signed singer, songwriter, and recording artist Ben Lee to its roster. The Sydney, Australia, native formed his first band, Noise Addict, at age 14, and after it disbanded, went on to release 10 solo albums over the course of nearly two decades. Warner Bros. Records will release Lee’s latest studio effort; Love is the Great Rebellion, later this year.
Lee’s first project of 2015 is the self-release of A Mix Tape From Ben Lee, which is available for download beginning today here:https://amixtapefrombenlee.bandcamp.com/
Click here to have a sneak peek.
“The album began as an exploration of songwriting,” Lee says. “I decided to write songs for different voices and invite these singers to perform them. My dear friend Sam Spiegel (Squeak E Clean) offered to produce the record, and we began working on the collaboration in earnest in 1998. Over the next seven years we continued to record intermittently. All kinds of wonderful musicians came by and offered their help.” The mixtape features vocal contributions from Zooey Deschanel, Ben Folds, Azure Ray, Sean Lennon, Neil Finn, and others. “For some years these recording just sat on my hard drive,” Lee says. “I have always loved them, but life moved me in other directions and distractions, and the release of the ‘Mixtape’ recordings was temporarily shelved until now.”
The Mixtape recordings are available on a “donate what you want” basis, beginning at $1, with all proceeds going to the Q’Ero Project, which supports the basic needs and development of the Q’ero people of Peru. The last living vestige of the ancestral Inca culture, the Q’ero people made themselves known to the world in 1949 and up until that point had remained “in hiding” in an almost inaccessible area of the Andean mountains under difficult conditions. Since 2013, Lee has worked with the non-profit Inkarri Cultural Organization, which supports the conservation and development of the Q’ero People and their spiritual tradition.
“This is a very exciting time for me artistically and professionally,” Lee says. “After almost 23 years in the music business I never presume to know what is around the next corner, and I certainly didn’t see signing to Warner Bros. Records coming. The release of the mixtape project is a great milestone for me, as it has been in the works for over a decade. I’m looking forward to sharing the music with my loyal fans, as well as supporting one of my favorite charities, Inkarri, for their wonderful Q’ero Project. Above all my plan is what it has always been: to sing about love and the search for human compassion, connection, and dignity, and with a little luck, to inspire courage and hope in the listener.”
The track-listing for A Mix Tape From Ben Lee is as follows:
1. You’re The Reason (feat. Zooey Deschanel)
2. Life As Unusual (feat. Ben Folds)
3. Turn Back Now (feat. Azure Ray)
4. Hello Tomorrow (feat. Luke Steele)
5. You Confuse Me (feat. Ian Ball)
6. Static (feat. Nina Persson)
7. Underground (feat. Angie Hart)
8. Just Like Jerusalem (feat. e)
9. Protect Me (feat. Sean Lennon and Neil Finn)
10. Sense (feat Gelbison)
11. Love Won’t Let You Down (feat. Sally Seltmann)
On April 18th, in honor of Record Store Day, Lee will release “Big Love,” Lee’s first new single from his upcoming Warner Bros. Records album debut LOVE IS THE GREAT REBELLION set for release later this year.
“Big Love,” was produced by Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Veruca Salt). Wood also produced several of Lee’s solo albums, including 1995’s Grandpaw Would, 1997’s Something to Remember Me By, 2005’s Awake is the New Sleep, and 2009’s The Rebirth of Venus. The B-Side is “Follow That Feeling,” produced by Lee and Sally Seltmann.
For more about Ben Lee:
http://ben-lee.com/
https://twitter.com/benleemusic
https://www.facebook.com/benleemusic
For more about Q’ero Project
http://www.inkarri.us/solidarity/the-q-ro-project
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