Tim Lee

Tim Lee's musical journey can be traced back to the early 1980s when he and Bobby Sutliff captured the attention of critics with the formation of the Windbreakers. Tim furnished the Windbreakers with the edgy songwriting, Petty-like vocals, and gritty guitar work that made them the envy of numerous bands on the independent music scene. The band released six records over their20-year history, and most recently released the retrospective Time Machine: 1982-2002(Paisley Pop Records).

Although Tim and his band mates never recorded for a major label, their influence on American music is undeniable, and they deserve the recognition one would give R.E.M., the Replacements, or the dB's.

And while the Windbreakers weren't recording, Tim kept himself more than busy, stretching his musical legs as a sideman with the Swimming Pool Q's, Let's Active and Marti Jones, as well as recording side projects with Matt Piucci (Rain Parade) and Howard Weulfing (Nurses).

In 1988 Tim Lee released his first solo venture, What Time Will Tell, and was met with enormous critical acclaim for his efforts. Jon Young of Music/Sound Output praised the record as ?...a stunning album, the kind of unexpected triumph that restores your faith in the power of art.? Tim followed up his solo debut with an equally impressive piece of work entitled The New Thrill Parade in 1989 and 1991's Crawdad. Of Crawdad, Options aid, ?If Leonard Cohen were 20 years younger, bored, and a native Southerner who felt compelled to stay there, he might concoct something like Crawdad.?

In the mid-'90s Tim Lee took a brief respite from the music business, but a double-CD retrospective, All That Stuff, was released by Fundamental Records in 1997. The compilation showcased material from every aspect of Tim's career, and once again, proved his ability to paint with broader strokes than most. In addition, the retrospective contained songs recorded with Neilson Hubbard and members of Wilco and Blue Mountain.

In 2002, Tim Lee, armed to the teeth with a new band featuring his wife, Susan, on bass, roared back into the music scene with Under the House. Eric Mertz of Cosmik Debris called it ?a charming country rocker with more than a little of the shot-and-beer flair that makes Wilco so great.? And Bruce Brodeen of notlame.com said it was ?a gorgeous rootsy trail of dusty backrooms, warm summer nights on the porch and distinctively Southern jangle.? Need lessto say, Tim Lee had returned with a twanged-out vengeance and a renewed sense of self-confidence.

So, it's no surprise that the initial responses to Tim Lee's new record No Discretion have been more than favorable. Tim labored for nearly a year and a half to create what could be his crowning achievement, and enlisted a number of friends to help him along the way. Don Coffey Jr. (Superdrag, Mic Harrison),Bruce Watson (R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough), and the legendary indie-Moses, Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement),all lent a hand on the production.

No Discretion is a lavish affair that Magnet's Fred Mills refers to as ?no-holds-barred rock'n'roll ... full of garagey, neopsychedelic flourishes,? as well as an artistic renewal. The music on No Discretion can be heard in the ring of beer bottles at last call, the wild abandon of a late night hookup, and the afternoon confession of a blurry-eyed, bloodthirsty hangover. It's present in the comfortable James Dean-like stride of work boots, jeans, and a beat-up t-shirt or the snarl of a muscle car pushing every gauge into the red. It pulsates with all the bare-knuckle fervor of a street corner rumble, yet still captures the quiet solace of two lovers that have risen above it all. Tim Lee's music is poetic, textured, and complex, but it doesn't fall prey to all that coffee house intellectual bullshit. It's therewith you, along for the ride, willing to share its smokes, and one way or another, it'll get you home.

It's safe to say that Tim Lee's work has progressed with each step he's taken. He's managed to make great music over the last two decades and hold onto what most people lose early on in the music business: integrity.

In 2007, Tim along with his wife, Susan Bauer Lee, formed the Tim Lee 3 with drummer Rodney Cash. They released "In the Meantime", a live album on Paisley Pop in December. In 2008, Paisley Pop released the trio's studio debut, "good2B3".

- Kurt Meyer