Down the Lees interview: On Belgium, Steve Albini, and a Thursday gig with Gadfly at Green Auto

...and so it happens: in my previous post, I announced my state of burnout and my intention to take a wee break from gigs and writing about gigs, then notice that Gadfly -- who I would very much like to see again, having interviewed them a few weeks ago and fallen in love with their stoner metal song "Spine Stabber" are opening for Down the Lees this Thursday at Green Auto. I kind of want to see Gadfly again, but who are Down the Lees? And what exactly are lees, again? I go to their bandcamp and discover that Down the Lees' 2019 album, Bury The Sun, and a subsequent single, "Cells," were recorded and mixed by...

...Steve Albini? That's, uh, timely...

Emergency action required: listen to enough of Down the Lees that I don't feel like a complete idiot with my questions and fire off some interview questions! Who or what is this band? (And, like, do they have a Steve Albini story?). Laura Lee Schultz, the guitarist/ vocalist and main songwriter, got back to me within the day, with a link to their label and answers to my primitive questions. Thanks, Laura! 

Down the Lees by Ryan Wagner

Allan: Explain the band name to me? Why "Down the Lees?" What lees?

Laura: Down The Lees originally started as a solo recording project for myself. Since my middle name is Lee, I wanted to incorporate that into the band name somehow. The Division of Laura Lee was already taken—a band name that actually captures my genre-defying sound quite well—so I began to think about what my music really means to me and what emotions it evokes in others.

Then I stumbled upon a folklore legend about drinking the sediment of wine, called lees. It’s said that if you drink the lees, you become reflective of your past actions. That deeply emotive feeling of reflection resonated with me and seemed to perfectly describe my music.

Allan: And here I thought it was a nautical reference -- I had been imagining scaling the side of a ship or something. So where is everyone from? I gather you're from the Okanagan Valley, but you spent some time in Belgium? How did that happen and what was that like? Do you have a permanent band base now?

Laura: I am originally from Vancouver, where I played in bands like Queazy, Skinjobs, and New Years Resolution. In 2015, I moved to Belgium with my girlfriend to live and work. Discovering the incredible rock scene in Ghent made me want to play live again. It's unlike any scene I know, truly inspiring. This led to starting the live Belgian version of Down The Lees with Kwinten on bass and Jonathan on drums. We played festivals, numerous shows, and were even invited to tour with Sisters of Mercy. Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed.

I had to move to the Interior to take care of my family and regain my footing. After returning to Canada, I connected with Chris Carlson (bass) and Andy Ashley (drums). Coincidentally, we all originated from Vancouver and ended up in the Okanagan Valley. Chris had played in bands like Kinnie Starr, Big Gulp, and Tegan and Sara, while Andy was part of Deadsure and Damages. Despite being in similar scenes, we had never met until mutual friends introduced us.

Allan: How did you connect with Steve Albini? Did you travel physically to Chicago? Do you have stories about that experience, thoughts about Albini, his work, or his craft...?

You know what one great thing about Steve Albini was? I can’t believe I’m saying that in a past tense (RIP Steve). He was quite accessible. I have been a fan of his work for decades and wanted to record with him. We recorded Bury The Sun with him at Electrical Audio in Chicago in 2019. I admired his aesthetic, his respect for the craft of analog recording and no bullshit attitude. And the insistence to capture a band as the band is. Which was exactly what I wanted to do. We had to have our songs down. Recording to tape is difficult and requires that you know your craft. It challenged me to be a better musician and be confident in my abilities at the same time. It was such an amazing experience. Quite shocking to hear of his untimely passing. A very big loss. He leaves a massive legacy of influential albums behind him.

Allan: I have no sense of what you are like live. There seems like a wide range of artful post-punk on Bury The Sun, and it coheres nicely, but it doesn't seem like it is "all one thing." So to give people a sense of what you do, tell me about three songs in your set on Thursday? What will your opening song be? What can people expect?

Yeah, it's tough to pin us down to one specific sound. I love experimenting with different genres and not limiting myself creatively, so I understand the confusion in describing our music. We've been labeled as alternative rock with shards of metal, but also as noise rock, indie rock, grunge, shoegaze, slowcore, post-hardcore, and no wave. The list goes on.

For the show on Thursday, May 23, at Green Auto, we're celebrating the release of our latest album, DIRT, which we recorded with Jesse Gander. We'll be playing the songs from this album, starting with the title track "Dirt," and including a few tracks from Bury The Sun. Plus, we might have a surprise in store. What you can expect is for it to be loud and heart pounding.

Anything else to say about the bill on Thursday? History with the bands sharing it, interesting merch, special occasions, etc...?

As I mentioned, we are celebrating the release of our album DIRT, our first release since Bury The Sun came out in September 2019. On this night, we’re offering a dirt cheap deal of the DIRT CD and limited edition poster, commissioned by Kelowna artist Norah Bowman, with partial proceeds going to the BC Wildfire Recovery Fund.

We’re also thrilled to have our friends Gadfly and new friends Muppet Boys on the bill! Gadfly is an absolute powerhouse, and we’re excited to finally share the stage with them. Muppet Boys are new on the scene and already making waves. It’s going to be a fantastic show!

Facebook event page here. Tickets here! You may just see me there...