Area musician pursues new course as solo act
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

Don Lee has gone from boogying in bars to singing solo at coffeehouses.

Following the breakup of a 10-year run with his pop funk band Red-Headed Boogie Child, Lee, 40, of Freehold Township, is continuing to pursue his musical career.

According to Lee, the members of RHBC were on different pages regarding the future of their careers. Lee was the lead singer of the band that played cover versions of songs by other artists as well as its own original material.

Lee said that as a songwriter he naturally wanted to pursue the original music scene more exclusively. However, he said he understands that in order to play gigs on a regular basis he has to continue playing cover songs as well.

As a member of RHBC, Lee was used to entertaining a bar crowd with dance music; as a solo artist his new tunes include a more artistic style as he switches gears from the party scene to playing local coffeehouses.

"People [who frequent coffeehouses] are more receptive to your artistic vision than a bar crowd would be," he explained.

With regular performances scheduled at Cornerstone Caffé, Freehold Borough, and Green Planet Coffee House, Point Pleasant, Lee said he has the opportunity to play the funky pop songs he sang with RHBC, as well as slower classic rock music.

Using his knowledge of songs from the 1960's to today's hit list, Lee said he can play almost anything, including on-the-spot requests.

"The [song] sets are pretty loose. I just go with the flow now," Lee said of the advantages to his new solo act.

Lee said other benefits of not performing with a band include being able to play more original music, which he said was the goal of the band in the first place.

Lee said he is playing a lot of free original music gigs in order to get his name out to the public. He said playing in the coffeehouse scene gives him a better idea of what other musicians are doing, which he said is inspiring him to be more creative.

"I have to appear fresh every time I [play] at Cornerstone Caffé, which is good because it keeps me on my toes," Lee said.

As for the possibility of success, Lee believes it is more feasible as a solo act than with a band. Management and recording companies prefer to deal with one person rather than with an entire band's opinions, he said.

Lee will play on Sept. 15, 23 and 30 and on Oct. 6, 14, 20 and 28 at the Cornerstone Caffé, Freehold Borough, from 7:30-11 p.m. He will play at Green Planet Coffee House, Point Pleasant, on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. and at Espresso Joes, Keyport, on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.