"AM & Shawn Lee"
"AM & Shawn Lee"
Shawn Lee is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist from Wichita, Kansas but now lives in London, England. He is currently working on a new touring band project with AM creatively entitled "AM & Shawn Lee". AM & Shawn Lee's debut album Celestial Electric was released around the world in 2012 and their new second album La Musique Numerique will be released in 2013.
Shawn Lee was born to a mother of Lebanese and American Indian ancestry and his father of Irish-American ancestry. Lee has relocated twice in pursuit of his career. He moved to Los Angeles in 1988 where he worked with The Dust Brothers and Jeff Buckley. After being in various bands, performing on The Tonight Show, a publishing deal with EMI and touring on Lollapolooza, Lee moved to London, England. There he signed a solo record deal with influential DJ Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud.
This resulted in an album Discomfort which was only promo released in France 1996. In 2000, Lee released Monkey Boy on Wall of Sound Records. The album included Lee's song "Happiness", which was later recorded by million selling British artist Will Young.
The year of 2004 saw the release the album Soul Visa, in Japan only, on Rush Production!. Soul Visa was later released in 2006 worldwide under the BBE label. The album Harmonium was released in 2005 in Japan, again under Rush Production!.
As Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra, Lee has released 10 albums on US label Ubiquity Records : Music and Rhythm, Moods and Grooves, Strings and Things, Voices and Choices, Hits the Hits, A Very Ping Pong Xmas, Miles of Styles" , "Under The Sun" film soundtrack, Clutch of the Tiger with Clutchy Hopkins and Shawn Lee presents Soul in the Hole.
Lee's music has appeared in many films such as Ocean's Thirteen, The Break-Up, and Confessions of a Shopaholic, as well as on television series, such as CSI: Miami, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Nip Tuck, Ugly Betty, and Eastbound and Down, and the Mack Dawg Productions snowboard movie Picture This. Shawn Lee also scored the Rockstar Games video game Bully in 2006. He was twice nominated for best score what award?, winning once. He composed some pieces for The Getaway before working on Bully's score.
Lee also scored UK/Swiss feature film Save Angel Hope, which is yet to be released. The 2008 surf documentary film Under The Sun also features an original Shawn Lee soundtrack released on Ubiquity Records. In 2009, his song "Kiss the Sky" with Nino Moschella was featured on the second season finale of Life, as well as in the first season finale of the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down and the penultimate episode of the fifth season of Nip/Tuck.
Lee continues to live in London working on an array of new albums in his studio "Trans-Yank". These include collaborations with Clutchy Hopkins, Tony Joe White, Darondo, Money Mark and Tommy Guerrero. He also frequently performs with London-based electronica band Psapp, both on record and at live engagements.
In 2011 Shawn Lee collaborated on an art exhibition with French visual artist, Gerald Petit in Lyon titled, "A Conversation Piece". Exposition du 26 février au 2 avril 2011 – Maison du livre, de l’image et du son – vernissage le vendredi 25 février à 19h en présence des artistes
Lee's latest collaboration is with indie artist AM (musician) who he showcased with at the 2011 South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. After AM heard Lee's "Music and Rhythm" album on the radio in Los Angeles he decided to reach out to Lee on a now defunct social networking site. The two became quick friends sharing a common love for 60's psychedelia and 70's Italian soundtracks. AM & Shawn Lee released their album to critical acclaim in September 2011 on ESL Records. The first single from the album "Dark Into Light" was released on limited edition 12" vinyl on the Ubiquity label April 16, 2011 in honor of Record Store Day.
Shawn Lee has also collaborated with many artists such as Princess Superstar, Natacha Atlas, Money Mark, Bei Bei and Georgia Anne Muldrow.