Lee Casement: more guests in the Guestroom

Nov 15, 2012

Photo: Photos- Lee Casement will release his new CD "In The Guest Room: Part 2 - By Design or By Desire" in Kingston at The Mansion on Saturday December 1 at 9pm

With a plethora of musicians lining up at his door following the release in May 2010 of his first CD titled "In The Guestroom", the writing was on the wall for a follow up. Verona musician Lee Casement, who gained notoriety as the bass and guitar player in the band Telephoto, is set to release the brand new second installment of that first effort. The new CD is aptly named "In the Guestroom Part 2: By Design or By Desire".

Lee, who currently plays bass with the band Ianspotting, began work on Part 2 almost immediately after the first Guestroom CD was released. “I had so many people wanting to play on the first that I decided pretty quickly to do the second,“ he said. “The formula for this one is pretty much the same, with me co-writing with the guests, but this time there were over 15 musicians taking part so logistically it took a lot more effort to coordinate the whole thing.”

The new CD was recorded mainly in Jeff Babcock's studio in Hartington and includes a line up of musicians with whom Lee has wanted to collaborate and record for years. Featured on the CD are Shaun Weima, Gerald and Samantha McGrath, Brad Smith, Annette McCaffrey and a host of others whose unique sounds and stylings give this CD a very broad scope. Chris Murphy of Crooked Wood was a classmate of Lee's at Sydenham High School and both have waited years for this chance to collaborate together. The two collaborated on track number four, titled "Fernwah, The Wanderlust" which combines Chris' folksy east coast roots with Lee's alternative rock influence. “That tune I think represents a great blend of our two very different styles and demonstrates the middle ground where two musicians like us can meet.”

Another stand out tune on the CD, which Lee said was a thrill to record, is the tune "Nostalgia", which features Jonathon Tyrell of the Ketch Harbour Wolves on vocals key and synthesizer. The tune represents more of the current kind of sound that Lee said that he has begun to explore- “more minor keyed, mid-tempo flavourings but still with a kind of groove to it.” Lee said Nostalgia represents what both musicians feel about their rural upbringings and the feeling of missing those surroundings when you leave them.

As far as challenging himself, Lee said the album posed opportunities to raise his personal musical bar. An example can be heard on the track "Eyes On Me", sung to perfection by Hartington's Bellfonix crooner Heather Bell. Lee said the song challenged him in that he wrote the instrumental parts in different time signatures and played most of them himself. As far as the CD's title “By Design or By Desire”, Lee said that that both D-words applied to the making of this CD. “The desire to make a second installment was really a no-brainer. When musician friends you really admire come calling to record with you, the answer has to be yes.”

As far as “By Design” goes, Lee added that some of the musical design came from an intention to replicate some of the sounds he was weaned on as a young musician. In "Save the Humans", which features Shaun Weima on vocals, the goal from the outset was to recreate that typical '80s-sounding keyboard and guitar, typical of bands like the Police. “That song is an example of how we collaborated together knowing beforehand the kind of sound that we wanted to put out there.”

All of the guests featured on the new CD will be performing with Lee at the CD's official release party, which will take place at The Mansion, 506 Princess St. in Kingston on Saturday Dec. 1 at 9pm. Tickets are $5 and fans should know that it will be one of very few opportunities to see Lee and all of his new guests perform together.