The Old Sycamore is the second single from Arthur C. Lee’s 3rd full length to be released in 2024.  It’s a wistful track about getting lost in a head of full of questions when sometimes answers are the simplest ones that are right under our nose.  

Written and performed by Lee, the track was recorded at Bocce Studios in Vancouver WA, with Lee on vocals and guitar, Arcellus Sykes on upright bass and Casey Tuck on drums, with additional help from Paul Brainard (pedal steel) and Rose Gerber (background vocals).  Adam Selzer (M. Ward, Decemberists, Norfolk and Western) produced, engineered and mixed.   

Not your typical artist from the Pacific Northwest, Arthur C. Lee was born in the tropical island of Guam to a Korean father and a native mother who met on a farm that grew melons, mangos and avocados. Moving their family of five from the coconut trees and beaches of Guam to the tall Douglas-firs and cherry blossoms of Portland OR in the summer of 1989, his parents looked for ‘better opportunities for their family and to experience the four seasons’. It was a significant change for Lee that would forever shape him as he learned to adapt and assimilate in foreign land, all while his parents made sure he did not forget his cultural roots.  Writing and performing since he was 13, his music is not unlike his move to the US. It’s an exploration of different styles and genres he’s encountered all while trying to make it his own. From blues to folk, and from jazz to rock, you can still hear the coconut trees and sandy beaches from his island roots; a vibe that permeates and runs deep in his songs.

Credits:
Written by Arthur C. Lee
Produced, Recorded and Mixed and Mastered by Adam Selzer
Artwork by Jeff Munger

Arthur C. Lee: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Arcellus Sykes: Upright Bass
Casey Tuck: Drums and Percussion
Paul Brainard: Pedal Steel
Rose Gerber: Background Vocals

The Old Sycamore

Rain-gaze surf rock from the PNW, echoing the experimental noise pop of Yo La Tengo, raw energy of Wilco, and the introspective soundscapes of Brian Eno.

Arthur C. Lee is a man out of time. Stepping out of the shadow as a side-man that he has been so known for, the jack of all trades that every band needs, it was time his songs saw the light of day. No stranger to bigger venues as the multi-instrumentalist with Sean Flinn and the Royal We, Ezza Rose, et al, Lee worked out new songs for his 2nd full length at smaller shows and open-mics, giving him the freedom to ease into completing them in an intimate setting. He brought on-board Latin Grammy Award winner Be Hussey as co-producer (Radar Bros, Haunted Summer, Morsel) and their relationship has been fruitful as a building block to a deeper sound. I sit back and marvel at the meticulousness Lee puts into his songs, and the effortlessness and ease of delivery. Listening to these gives me a technicolor experience next to the black and white movie that was his first record, ‘History Of’. Finally out of the side-man’s shadow, he is fully himself on these new songs, and it’s magic. // His band: Anders Bergstrom (Climber, Pacific Mean Time) on drums, Matthew Casebeer (Derby, The Loved) on keys, and Peter Rodocker (Yellow Room Recording) on bass. Scott Magee (Ural Thomas and the Pain, Y La Bamba) also filled in on drums to fit.

The Old Sycamore

Arthur C. Lee

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