Lee Tyler Post
By Belinda Humphries - IndustryMag.net (Jun 10, 2008)
A Vagabond Returns: The Adventures of Lee Tyler Post by Simeon Flick
The music industry isn't what it once was: comely-yet-statuesque "heritage" artists like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Van Morrison - who were allowed to be themselves and who were actively encouraged to develop long-term careers - have given way to mass-marketable, disposable faces like Ryan Cabrera, John Mayer, and Ashlee Simpson. The resulting music has likewise gone from warts-and-all soulful to shiny and Ritalin-shallow, and most major label artists now seem as disposable as a toy's batteries. Pop culture's priorities - and our increasingly attention-deficient culture's needs - have undoubtedly changed. It would seem now as though contemporary artists who embody those former standards of artistic authenticity and depth so abundant in the sixties and seventies would be hard-pressed to find a place in the modern scheme of things. Lee Tyler Post, however, is proof positive that one can still emulate the old school in one's own postmodern way, that it can be built upon for the future, and that it can be conducive to positive change.
The youngest of four children, Post grew up as a shy, laconic boy in a blue-colllar household in Poway. He listened to soulful music that struck an internal chord and that became an oasis during his difficult formative years. Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Van Morrison, The Doors, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, and Janis Joplin were just a few of the artists that became his spiritual guides through a rough but honest blue collar life. It wasn't until his early twenties, however, that he would be motivated to learn how to make this kind of music by and for himself.
"I was on my way to work one day and Bob Dylan's 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' came on the radio," he recalls. "That moment literally changed my life. I went out the very next day and bought a 12-string acoustic guitar and began teaching myself how to play and sing. To this day I've never taken a lesson and I've never played a single cover tune."
The music this Poway's son makes is channeled from that austere spirit of the aforementioned "golden age" of music. It's rooted in the formative hardships of poverty and shaped by the way society tends to selectively reward or punish its loners. Post's sound is as much "the Boss" (Springsteen) and Van Morrison as it is Otis Redding and Al Green: blue-collar heartland grit mixed with Motor City soul.
Over time, and through unfulfilling seminal experiences singing his own words over other people's music, Post has slowly coalesced into his current, self-sufficient form.
"It didn't take long to figure out that I liked being solo as much as or more than fronting a band, so I decided to do both." Since that time he has progressively focused more energy on solo performing, booking and playing his own shows, and using the sheer power of his voice to deliver the stories and messages of his own songs. Although he disparages his guitar playing, the clever harmonic choices he makes on his jumbo acoustic guitar are a crucial ingredient of the soulful whole.
Post had spent most of his life here in San Diego until about two years ago. After ten relatively invisible years on the San Diego scene he began to wonder whether he really had been born in the wrong place and time, since his old-school musical style - and even he as a person - seemed incongruous with the general proclivities of his fellow San Diego denizens. And so it happened that in the autumn of 2003 he put his life into storage, packed up the van, and headed to Austin, Texas with his supportive wife Jackie.
After less than a year in Austin he returned to Nashville, where he'd spent a previous year during the late nineties, in an attempt to hone his craft and learn what he could about himself and the music industry.
"During my first stint in Nashville I found out pretty quickly that there's a lot more to singing and playing than just singing and playing," says Post. "I met and played alongside people who lived the life of a songwriter - the kind of folks who came straight from work with pipe glue still on their jeans and lyrics written on crumpled-up paper. I was also shocked at how many really good songwriters there were who had come from all across the country for the exact same reason: to find out where they stand."
"It was during my time there that I decided my approach would not be to seek fame or accolades, but that the craft or art of it would be the reward. Finally, after roughly five years of live performing, I felt like I belonged. Playing late in smoke-filled rooms, with soul sufferers at every table awaiting their chance to tell their tale, really formed a true, supportive blue-collar atmosphere for me."
Through his travels Post has learned that times are tough everywhere for solo artists who reflect the erstwhile paradigm that he lives, that the potential fans who are looking to connect with music from an artist on a deep and soulful level are now seemingly as rare as he is.
This self-professed vagabond will soon be returning to his native land for a short while to explore the heretofore uncharted regions of the West Coast, to be close to his parents, and to record a new album up at his self-constructed Poway studio, Miracle Somethings.
Post's goals are modest. He just wants to make a living with his art by touring and recording. He wouldn't mind - but isn't dead-set on - signing with a label that would give him the freedom of a long, loose tether to do things his way (no small feat!), and also to give something back to the community.
One of his main priorities is to continue funding his Marshall Saint Mission Foundation, which provides assistance for homeless, abused children and recovering addicts, and to establish a Rock the Soul Foundation, which will bring aid to cancer-stricken children and their families.
For Lee Tyler Post, not being philanthropic through his life and art is, he says, " kind of like seeing an accident on the highway and not stopping to help. You hear that voice inside saying 'Stop! See if anyone's hurt' but most of the time you keep on driving because you have your own agenda. You ease your conscience by calling on your cell phone and reporting it. I'm the kind of guy that listens to that voice saying, 'you have to stop.'"
Perhaps one of Post's favorite quotes, from Rene Ricard's The Radiant Child, works best to sum up his approach to the intertwining of his life and art:
"What is it about art anyway, that we give it so much importance? Art is so respected by the poor because what they do is an honest way to get out of the slums. Using one's sheer self as the medium. The money earned is proof, pure and simple, of the value of that individual, the artist. The picture a mother's son does in jail that hangs on her wall is proof that beauty is possible even in the most wretched circumstances. And this is a much different idea than the fancier notion that art is a scam or a rip off. But you could never explain to someone who uses God's gift to enslave, that you have used God's gift to be free."
Simeon Flick - San Diego Troubadour (Jun 1, 2005)
DCAU (D.C. Acoustic Underground) Review by Michael Yugo
I don't know Lee Tyler Post personally. I first met him in San Diego at the Acoustic Alliance XI where he performed with 11 other performers in a round robin rotation. Four players would go up on stage at once and each take turns singing three songs each. Each rotation of performers increased the experience and level of talent so when Lee went up with the last batch he was in good company. Sitting last, he sat quietly as the other three performers each did one song each. The crowd of 200 was all milling about between the music; the bar and the back of the room where the artists merchandise tables were set up. When Lee started his first of three songs, the whole room stopped, turned and listened. His voice was masked by his kind and quiet demeanor but only until he sang. And that is Lee Tyler Post. An amazing performer and king and gentle soul who is on a journey many of us wish we could experience.
So when Lee contacted me out of the blue saying he was passing through D.C. on is national tour and asked if I could help him with a gig (we were introduced that night by our mutual brother in music, Hot Rod Harris), I jumped at the chance to set something up. By the time he arrived in D.C. in July, I had the D.C. Acoustic Underground (DCAU) up and running so I took the opportunity to steal a performance with him and decided to open up his show myself. What happened next was really amazing and a true testimony to Lee's music. His wife, Jackie, was setting up his CDs for sale when he was starting his first song and by the time he finished his first song, she had sold three of them. Looking at her I knew she was used to it. That night, Lee sold 14 CDs to people who had never heard of him before that performance. One local singer/songwriter actually came up to him later that night and told him she cried during one of his songs. She told him she was changed and reinvigorated after hearing him. Another regular told me just recently she emailed him a thank you for recommending a movie and everyone wants to know when he's coming back. I am wondering too.
Lee's music is a powerful blend of soul and heart delivered in haunting melodies on an incredible voice. The lyrics hold your attention as you wait to see where he is taking you. Every song is different. Some have happy endings and some sad and you feel all of it. This is what the DCAU was made for; to bring this experience to D.C. Recently I got a short email from Lee asking how I was doing. Sitting here, typing this and listening to one of your six records, I can tell you Lee; I'm doing just fine. Thank you brother.
Review by Michael Yugo - DCAU (D.C. Acoustic Underground) (Oct 1, 2006)
The Gypsy Troubadour By James Smith
Encore Magazine / Cape Fear Coast
North Carolina, July 2006
It seems nowadays the music industry is full of manufactured artists with dollar signs in their eyes, feeding their huge egos. Whatever happened to the home-grown, humble artist who created music just for the love of it? During this day and age, it’s extremely difficult to find someone who measures up to those attributes, especially when considering how cut-throat the industry is. Fortunately not all is lost. One unique soul that freely expresses his love for the art form is singer-songwriter Lee Tyler Post.
With this in mind, Post hasn’t been an overnight success. He’s been strumming on his acoustic guitar while crooning to open ears since the mid-‘90s. Starting out as a San Diego-based artist during that time, he opened for bands such as Missing Persons and Blink 182. These talents would later lead him to appear on the KUSI and KNSD morning shows. All the while, Lee has been spreading what some would call “blue collar music” (or rock ‘n’ soul as he calls it) to everyone within earshot.
This “blue collar music” is what separates Lee from most other artists. His songs are mostly about working-class concerns, which is why Lee considers himself a working-class musician. He has performed in over half the states in America, while driving all the miles to and from the venues without having a record label, a manager or a booking agent. This explains where his “blue collar” attitude comes from.
“I like to connect with others through music, maybe share a moment while I’m onstage,” he says. “In a way, I envy the days of Woody Guthrie, traveling by boxcars, playing for food.”
That, my friends, is what you call down-to-earth. Don’t think that the self-proclaimed “Gypsy Troubadour” stops there. He has also spent his time and talents for charitable causes. He has performed for benefits such as M.A.D.D., the M.S. Society and The Ramona Cancer Resource Center. His most recent visit was The Heartland Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center in San Diego—he is a very busy man.
From the mid-‘90s through today, Lee has released six albums. His latest release, Emancipate, takes you on a journey through his emotions and his thoughts on love. He is one artist that is not afraid to show his humility to others. With an impressive combination of a husky voice and earthy lyrics, it becomes surprisingly easy to relate to what he has to say. Even in the midst of its gloomy mood, Emancipate always offers something enlightening. “Vacant” is an example—a depressing song about lost love. The calm rumbling of the guitars and the husky crooning straps you in for an emotional rollercoaster ride, but proves more memorable than fearful. While “Revisited” (a slow ballad that sounds like it could have been a hit during the ‘50s) may lift your spirits about being in love, things take another twist on “When It’s Over.”
Judging by his music, it’s understandable why some have tagged his live performances (some of which last two to three hours without a pause) “intense and straight from the heart.” The music speaks for itself.
Having recorded this album on a 16 track, two-inch analog machine, with zero digital corrections, Post obviously has grass roots at the heart of everything. His old school vibe and process of making music makes his sound authentic—not deceiving by modern technologies. An artist of such talent and love for music comes one in a million. Be at his show at the Juggling Gypsy on Thursday, August 3rd at 8 pm.
James Smith - Encore Magazine in Cape Fear NC (Aug 4, 2006)
