Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters profile picture

Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters

Not so easily defined...

About Me

Lee came fairly late in life to music, starting with guitar and bass guitar when he was 20, but didn't really get serious until he went to Africa 5 years later. There he ended up living with some Rastafarians for several months, and in this time learned to sing. Viajero had his first gig in Cotonou, Benin on Fete de la Musique (June 21).After returning to the States, Lee played in a few bands (including a traditional Haitian drumming group). But it wasn't until coming to Berlin that he really began in earnest, musically speaking. He began a regimen of busking in the subway for hours each day, and which forced him to write and perfect songs in about the most difficult setting imaginable- you have to catch and keep someone's attention in seconds, and there is no stage to seperate the musician from the audience...After a few months he started playing in other people's bands as well as numerous solo shows, slowly and surely learning the craft. Lee played bass in two bands (Weed, L.S. Daisy) and guitar/voice in others (Glasgow Kiss, Los Super Coolos, Beautiful Losers).Some of the music is straight-ahead country blues, some is rock, and some is a bit more difficult to categorize. But it is always music, always raw and live. Enjoy.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/5/2006
Band Members: Me- Guitar/Voice Kevin- Drums
Influences: Of course, songwriters like (in no particular order): Bob Dylan (I think almost any folkish singer who has ever tried to write a song in the last 40 years has been either positively or negatively influenced by Mr. Zimmerman) JJ Cale, Willie Nelson, Warren Zevon, Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Dixon, Woody Guthrie, Lou Reed, Bob Marley, Hank Williams, Chris Whitley, Julian Cope, Tom Waits, Fela Kuti, The Mountain Goats, Beck, Nick Cave... and probably a thousand more...Bands: Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators, Public Enemy, Mick Farren and the Social Deviants, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Pogues, Black Sabbath, De la Soul, The Smiths, more as I think of them...Writers: Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Harlan Ellison, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Roald Dahl, William Gibson, Nelson Algren, Louis de Bernieres, Roger Zelazney, S. V. Benet, T. C. Boyle, Henry Miller, and many others.Everyone is influenced by almost anything they experience- for good or for ill.
Sounds Like:
Shane MacGowan... unconsciously brilliant. You
can intelligently debate any topic from
theology, history, literature and
philosphy... though only while you're out of
your skull on booze.

Which fucked-up genius composer are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Record Label: The sticky kind- leads to less confusion...
Type of Label: None

My Blog

The next, in a (rather irregular, apparently) series of gig reports

I suppose that my resolve to keep a log of every gig I play is going to be foiled by a number of factors- sheer laziness being one of the most prominent ones. There is also the fact that the "high" of...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:48:00 PST

15 March- Cafe Dadaz

I’m goint to start chronicling the gigs I play- both from vanity and as a way to remember (and possibly learn from) my mistakes, and also the things I occasionally do correctly. I played last ni...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:41:00 PST

Guitars made in Africa?

About the Chinese model for business in Africa( specifically Togo, in West Africa),and then some observations about US Peace Corps projects, also in Togo. I actually saw a few Chinese in West Africa (...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 06:49:00 PST

Musings on the topic of beer...

One of the big problems with American microbrews was the rigour is not there, for the most part. I tasted a few while I was back, and some of the ones I have heard praised very highly were bloated and...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Wed, 09 May 2007 03:35:00 PST

Dealing with an audience that wants to hear cover tunes

This was my answer to a question on the myspace acoustic music forum:Jonathan wrote: Hey guys....just discovered the forum and thought I'd dive right in to my main problem. I am a signed singer/songwr...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 06:22:00 PST

Interested in the Berlin music scene?

Feel free to join my group: http://groups.myspace.com/berlinmusicszene
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Wed, 10 May 2006 08:11:00 PST

Busking (and passing the hat)

Bottling the punters depends on a lot of factors. 1. Did the people have to pay to get in and hear you? If they did they are probably going to feel you are pushing it- even if you don't get the entry...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Thu, 23 Feb 2006 06:45:00 PST

For The Birds

For the Birds   Nature, which that alway had an ere To murmour of the lewednes behinde, With facound voys seide, 'hold your tonges there! And I shal sone, I hope, a counseyl finde ...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Sat, 21 Jan 2006 08:24:00 PST

How To Be A Singer/Songwriter

How To Be A Singer/Songwriter   Considering the number of chancers who believe that they have something to say, and the ability to set those high (or low) sentiments to music in such a way th...
Posted by Lee Viajero and the Edgy Drifters on Sat, 21 Jan 2006 08:16:00 PST