Annabel Lee – Cooking Some Music

Rock artist Annabel Lee recently performed at Los Angeles’ The Moroccan Lounge, alongside her band members of 5 years. Lee, and musicians Zac Pannell, Sherome Petty, and Dylan Cooper Hayden, all came together to deliver a head-bobbing show, one where she commanded the room with ease. The venue was filled with a receptive audience, who shook the building with their cheers. Not only was the bond between Lee and her band transparent, but those present for her performance were given an unforgettable night.

Lee was born and raised in Massachusetts. For a majority of her childhood, she played classical piano, and learned guitar. She was writing songs as early as 14 years old, and spent upwards of four nights each week performing at open mics. After turning 18, she left home for Boston to attend art school and put bands together. She would often be the acoustic opener for shows at blues bars and hardcore shows.

Lee would tour throughout the years, even with the likes of singer Amanda Palmer. Regardless of its short time-frame, that tour proved a great deal to Lee. She explains how it felt like an introduction to the type of life she had wanted. She would continue recording music and writing songs until moving to Los Angeles. Lee loves cooking for the same reason she loves music. Through trusting her intuition, and selecting the right attributes for each song, something gradually comes together. She loves and enjoys her craft deeply.

She credits visual artists, films, and personal relationships for being her primary sources of inspiration. Some of these artists include photographer Irving Penn, painter Frida Kalo, and songwriter St. Vincent. Lee expresses she’s spontaneously inspired by everything, while also being a generally observant person.

“Mother’s Hammer,” Lee’s most recent album, which debuted earlier this year in March, has eleven tracks, and is a culmination of songs she wrote across her mid to late twenties. At the time, she didn’t realize that she was writing an album. Many of the pieces were conceptualized during 2020, which she admits was the hardest time she’s ever had, but one she thankfully got out of. But following that period, she’s developed relationships, and the album has been influenced by her social and political experiences.

She elaborates on how there’s a lot of introspective content on the album. In essence, it tells the story of her rock bottom, how she got out of it, and became the healthy, happy, and in-love person she is today. But it still possesses the artistic qualities that define who she is as a musician, and a creative individual.

According to Lee, the album feels like growing pains when she listens back to it, that as it stands, it’s a mixture of heavy grief, love, and learning. Lee shares that she is grateful to have gotten through it all. Soon, she and her team will be releasing a music video for one of her songs, “Sarah, Sarah!” She’s quick to convey her love for video editing, as one of her favorite parts of the process is coming up with concepts.

Lee works extensively on the music videos that accompany her songs, all alongside Iván Ovalle, Gabriel Ovalle, and an entire team of creative masterminds. Folks who are dear friends of hers. Inspiration for her music video “Alas, I’m a Lady” struck her the morning before her session to work on the song itself. She recalls sharing the concept with her producer, Justin Glasco, and filmmakers, who agreed with her idea to make the video weird and wild. The finished product depicts Lee conducting a room full of musicians, her band members included, and as the song progresses, the atmosphere gets more chaotic and hyperactive.

For six years, Lee has been unable to tour, following her move to Los Angeles. But now she’s currently opening for rock band Moon Walker. Lee expressed her excitement in getting to leave the city, travel the country, and play music for new people who won’t critique the lighting or sound, and simply love music.

“The live show is the best part of all the things that I do. Growing up in the hardcore scene, I was always really enamored with how scary it can feel to be in a room with that much energy. I try to bring that to my shows, I try to make people feel like anything can happen at any moment. It’s a little crazy. Obviously, I’m not hurting anybody, but there’s a lot of potential energy. I like people to feel like I could grab them by the collar at any moment. People have a great time,” she says.

Commonly after her shows, Lee will be approached by audience members who tell her that the palpable energy her performance produced helped them indulge in the chaos. In other words, they each felt safe enough to yell it out and get angry. For Lee, nothing feels greater than knowing she can do that for others. To learn more about Lee’s albums, shows, and much more, visit https://www.annabelleemusic.com/