Lee Penn Sky: Press

review:

Lee Penn Sky,
Prelude to Hindsight
(Parker's Records, 2006)

Experiencing a life-changing event makes you look at everything
differently. After songwriter Lee Penchansky recovered from being hit by
a car during a Good Samaritan highway stop, he transformed himself into
Lee Penn Sky, songwriter and solo performer. Prelude to Hindsight
is his first album released with that identity. The disc includes
thirteen folk/rock songs that use simple chord progressions and obvious
rhymes to complete their stories. But hey, that technique worked pretty
well for Paul McCartney. It seems to be working for Lee Penn Sky as
well.

Lee supplies the vocals and plays acoustic guitar for each original song
here. His style is representative of the no-nonsense middle class. His
web site says that his voice is reminiscent of Van Morrison. Before I saw
that reference, I was thinking of a milder, slightly more melodic and less
manic version of Joe Cocker or Joe Walsh. He is accompanied by a few
musicians who put the icing on the musical cake, providing the services of
mandolin, accordion, occasional drums or percussion, guitars, and
keyboards on demand. The songs, all written by Lee, are "Do As I Say,"
"Valentine's Day," "I'm Spinning," "Roll On," "A Ticket Home," "Nebraska,"
"Michigan," "Daydreaming," "This Valley Will Burn," "One and the Same,"
"Carolina Sings Softly," "Best Will Show," "Willie and Poncho." Settings
are most often the American Midwest or Great Plains, since Lee grew up in
Michigan but now lives in Idaho. Even campfire guitar players will
recognize the chords in the first passing, but that doesn't mean the tunes
are trite. Why shouldn't contemporary music be both easy to play and
interesting to hear at the same time?

And yes, the rhymes are uncomplicated. Take for example the last verse of
"Roll On:" "I'll take comfort from the sound of my guitar / And the fact
we stare up at the same stars / And I know that someday you'll return /
Till then for you I yearn." Then there's "Michigan," which I find to have
the catchiest melody and lyrics. Just about each stanza ends with "But
one thing I know is true / My heart lies in Michigan with you." Those
lines swirl around me for hours after I hear them. And I don't even know
anyone who lives in the Wolverine State that I can direct the sentiment
to.

If there's a sound that comes directly from the plains and the prairie,
Lee Penn Sky's music may be the best example of it. Or maybe listeners
can simply connect emotionally to Lee as he so completely expresses the
anguish of living in one place while the people who mean the most to him
are in quite another. At the same time, he seems satisfied with his
Western fate –- except for a misguided trip down to Nebraska. The bottom
line is: these songs are in every aspect simple, but are definitely not
simplistic; and they grow on you the more you listen to them. The
composition style is folk with a Western brand on it. The tunes are
memorable enough to reverberate in your brain for the rest of the night,
if not the rest of the week. Kudos to Lee Penn Sky, and here's hoping we
hear even more from him soon.

Reviewed by Corinne H. Smith

CD Review: Lee Penn Sky - Prelude To Hindsight

The term Americana is applied to many variations on styles in music that is has become almost meaningless. That aside, Lee Penn Sky offers his own home-backed slice of Americana in Prelude To Hindsight. Featuring strong bluegrass/folk styling on the acoustic guitar, Lee Penn Sky adds his rootsy voice to primarily mellow songs. Solid songwriting and professional production values culminate in a highly listenable Prelude.

My favorite track here is One And The Same, which has a bit of southern rock flavor to it. Best Will Show is also a gem. The rest of the album for me is pleasant and well done, but just doesn't stand out to me as highly original or unique. Fans of mellow, country-tinged Roots music will find this quite enjoyable. I give it a positive recommendation.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Lee Penn Sky at www.leepennsky.com. You can purchase a copy of Prelude To Hindsight at www.cdbaby.com/leepennsky.

Junior’s Cave would like to introduce to our online readers our newest sensational interview with an artist who has been described as “Counting Crows meets Greg Brown meets a milder, slightly more melodic and less manic version of Joe Cocker" to give you "Acoustic Soul." Singer/Songwriter Lee Penn Sky is certainly making music that will have his fans believing in him. With a sound that is distinctly his, Lee Penn Sky is a gem amongst the many jewels in the music industry. Check out this recent interview with the artist.

Isaac-Joseph: Briefly describe how you entered into the music industry.

Lee Penn Sky: In the early 90’s, when I was a student at the University of Michigan, I started a band with a good friend which was called Mr. Picassohead. I was the primary songwriter and bass player. We had some local success but nothing too big. After the inevitable demise of Mr. Picassohead, I continued to write songs but never stepped in front of the microphone myself; perhaps I was afraid of what people would think. Fast forward to January of 2001, I had moved out to Idaho after completing my Masters degree. I was driving on a remote highway on the Idaho-Utah border when I came across a rolled vehicle in the median of the highway. I stopped to help and was standing in the median trying to assist them when…wham! I got hit by another car… My leg was crushed and several years of surgeries and healing followed. Writing songs and playing guitar was one of my only outlets. After that, I lost my fear of what people would think about my songs or voice or guitar playing, It just didn’t matter to me anymore…. From that day, I began to play in front of anyone I could.

Isaac-Joseph: Truly inspirational story Lee. How do I go to my next question with an awesome response like that one? But, he is the next question anyways.

Isaac-Joseph: What is the most rewarding aspect to making music currently for you?

Lee Penn Sky: When a person is moved by a song of mine, I try to convey an emotion or mood in my music so when someone connects with that it is very rewarding.

Isaac-Joseph: What has discouraged you the most about making music?

Lee Penn Sky: I have run into plenty of “hypesters” who want to take advantage of your dream to make a buck…as the music industry changes people seem more desperate to sell the dream back to you.

Isaac-Joseph: Do you have a personal philosophy about music? If so, what is it?

Lee Penn Sky: To me, songwriting is a visual art as well as auditory. I am conveying imagery though words and music to create the picture in people’s heads. If you can do that, then they connect with the song and attach their pictures from their life to your words…your song become part of their lives.

Isaac-Joseph: When you are performing live in front of an audience, what are the thoughts that are running through you head?

Lee Penn Sky: When I’m really in the moment, I kind of wrap myself around my guitar and feel more then I think…when I’m only part way there, I am usually noticing things around me about the audience. It depends on the gig and the crowd… I tend to play solo a lot so it can be very lonely when the crowd is distracted - or feel very connected when the people are really attached to what you are doing.

Isaac-Joseph: Why is being an independent musician important to you?

Lee Penn Sky: I like to express myself my way. I write how I want to write. I have had “music insiders” tell me all kinds of crazy things from “we love your songs but hate your voice, so we want another person to sing them” to “ we love your voice but hate your songs, so sing our songs.” I have no problem “selling” my songs but I am who I am, I do what I do and like it that way.

Isaac-Joseph: Do you think the Internet has altered the path of music as an industry? If so, how?

Lee Penn Sky: Absolutely, anyone can sell to a worldwide market now. It is both great in that those who don’t fit the old industry mold can get out there but on the other hand there is so much music out there that it is hard to cut through.

Isaac-Joseph: Any advice for other musicians out there when it comes to using the Internet as a medium for getting their music heard to the masses?

Lee Penn Sky: Not really other then put it out there, everywhere…I’m still trying to figure it out myself…anyone have any advice for me? Really, the one thing I would caution is if you can do something yourself, then do it, it gives you more control. That is what being an independent artist is all about.

Isaac-Joseph: What kind of recording software do you use?

Lee Penn Sky: In the studio I have used Protools, Sonar, and some others…Really I use whatever is in the studio I am working in. I don’t really have a home studio, I probably should.

Isaac-Joseph: I know that everybody has his or her idea of a dream artist, someone who for whatever reasons that person would just love to listen to and admire. As an entertainer yourself, if you could play with one of your "dream" musicians, anyone at all, who would it be and why?

Lee Penn Sky: Out of all my musical heroes, if I had to choose just one it would probably be Steve Earle. First of all, he is a phenomenal musician - powerful, raw, just great stuff musically. More than anything though, I admire the positions he takes in his music. He doesn’t separate his politics from his music, he’s not afraid to say what he believes; now that is an independent artist. That is free expression.

Isaac-Joseph: What are you hoping to gain from your experience of being a musician and making music?

Lee Penn Sky: Just like everyone, I’d love to make a living doing what makes me happy, but I’d write music whether I made money or not so I guess I’ll go with world peace…yep that’s it, world peace.

Isaac-Joseph: Sounds good to me!

Isaac-Joseph: What are you hopes for your music in the year 2008?

Lee Penn Sky: Bigger and better gigs, playing and collaborating more often with people I love, for instance my best friend Alex Johnson, who was a finalist in last year’s national Guitar Center King of the Blues competition, and I have agreed to try to play some festivals this year. I’d like to go back in the studio and record another CD this year. (Any donors out there?) I intend to keep writing, playing and growing.

Isaac-Joseph: This is our Shout Out time. Please give props to anyone and everyone that matters the most to you.

Lee Penn Sky: My wife Kallie and daughter Parker of course are first on that list. Kallie has always been willing to make this trip with me. My parents and family have been a great source of inspiration. Thanks to Pete and Kathy, my in laws, who are great supporters of my dreams. John Cazan at Zaney Recording in Boise who produced my CD, Alex Johnson whom I earlier mentioned who owns and runs the Ann Arbor Music center. All the crew in Boise and anyone who has given my music a second listen…let alone the first.

Isaac-Joseph: This is Shameless Plug time: Give us some updates on new releases and other projects in the works.

Lee Penn Sky: Well, you should check out some recent recording I did in Nashville at www.myspace.com/leepennsky, and stop by my website www.leepennsky.com for updates. Plus, I would like for everyone out there reading this to check out my cd "Prelude to Hindsight" which is availible at cdbaby.com/leepennsky.

Isaac-Joseph: Final Thoughts:

Lee Penn Sky: This one goes to 11.

CD REVIEW: Lee Penn Sky - Prelude to Hindsight
By Chip Withrow - 03/02/2008 - 01:46 PM EST
Artist: Lee Penn Sky
Album: Prelude to Hindsight
Website: http://www.leepennsky.com
Genre: Folk/Rock
Sounds Like: Acoustic soul/country
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Commercial Value: 9/10
Overall Talent Level: 9/10
Songwriting Skills: 9/10
Performance Skill: 10/10
Best Songs: I'm Spinning, Nebraska, Michigan, One and the Same
CD Review: I started listening to Lee Penn Sky’s fine new album at a very serendipitous time. I had just finished writing a song for my daughter, and the lovely first track of this disc, “Do As I Say,” is in the voice of a parent to a child. It’s simple and striking, just Penn Sky’s guitar and Jon Jon Stravers’ mandolin.


Then comes the bittersweet, love-that-could-have-been number, “Valentine’s Day.” Again, I had just penned my first-ever Valentine’s Day song for my wife. Penn Sky’s has a clever lyrical twist to his song, and John Cazan’s accordion lends a wistful touch.

On Prelude to Hindsight, Lee Penn Sky’s songwriting is direct and emotional. He is an accomplished rhythm acoustic guitar strummer, and his voice is smoky and rich, low and resonant.

“I’m Spinning” is a mid-tempo, full band number with a Van Morrison-meets-Counting Crows vibe. Great words too, in which the hapless narrator stumbles across Jesus, Buddha, and Moses. The yearning, searching “Roll On” is in a similar soulful vein, but it’s just acoustic guitar and Cazan’s eerie, echoing electric guitar. Its big finish has a hint of gospel. Then comes “A Ticket Home,” which also has a gospel-like intensity in its organ swoops and backup vocals.

I just went back and replayed “Nebraska” and “Michigan” because they are so cool, yet so different from each other. “Nebraska” is like nothing else on the disc, a stripped-down, desperate minor-key lament. Brent King’s mandolin soars, and the lyrical images are haunting and poetic. “Michigan,” an ode to a lover back home, is countrified, mellow, and loping. My wife and I have had some less-than-ideal Michigan vacation excursions, yet she digs this jangly tune.

“This Valley Will Burn” is notable because this is the way I picture Penn Sky in a live setting, just him and his guitar delivering a plaintive performance. On the other hand, the driving “One and the Same” is given a full-on ensemble treatment. It’s a train song with a great sing-along chorus.

I could hear one of my favorites, the Allman Brothers Band, doing stirring versions of the sweet ballads “Carolina Sings Softly” and “Best Will Show.” Cazan’s guitar is vibrant on “Carolina,” and Gayle Chapman adds powerful piano chords to “Show.”

The live recording of “Willie and Poncho” is a nice touch to close the album, a saloon-friendly tribute to both Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt. A fitting close to a superb record that mines America and Americana for its magic.

Prelude to Hindsight
CD Reviews
by Todd Smith

My mailbox is often stuffed with artists whose names don’t exactly roll off the tongue. Almost tripping over one another, the litany of unknowns continues to disappoint. Either they don’t know the style of music we cover here or the music simply doesn’t inspire me to say anything positive.

Lee Penn Sky of Boise is the latest contestant with his disc Prelude to Hindsight. While I must admit that the album art and homebrew website convinced me to open the disc, I wasn’t immediately grabbed by the songs. The process of review includes several listens however and the work grew on me the way anything green grows in my barren backyard–slowly.

Sky (or Penn Sky?) is an Idaho-based songwriter whose roots lie in Michigan. I’m unsure what drew him to Boise (was it the famous music scene?) but it was a first for me to receive work from the land of potatoes. With a wild mane beneath his chin and the usual songwriter gruff look, he figured to at least have some form of competency. And he has an affection for Texan songwriters as evidenced by his reference to REK, Townes, Willie and Steve Earle in the credits. With appropriate alt-country cred, I figured it worth another listen.

As with the first listens, not every song really cut me. And Sky’s voice isn’t interesting, but it is smooth and capable–almost steady and clean. The musicians playing on the disc are quite good although I don’t know any of their other work. The production is solid and the arrangements are just crowded enough–kind of like cramming that extra person on the couch.

But there are some really worthy bits of songwriting on the disc and to me, that’s where the gravy is found. The middle passages are quite good from “Roll On” which remarkably doesn’t cover territory already breached by Keen and Lovett as I had expected. Likewise, “Nebraska” immediately summoned the words “The Boss” but it bears no resemblance to that classic Springsteen recording. In fact, “Nebraska” sounds more like Townes Van Zandt than anything else on the album. “Michigan” seems to be the spot that you notice that he’s not simply riffing on his favorites, but rather finding his own voice. “This Valley Will Burn” really stands out as a terrific midwestern yarn that really shows the kind of performance that could put Sky on the map. In fact, if you take the time you’ll find that most of the work will indeed grow on you.

Prelude to Hindsight isn’t going to show up on many year-end lists but it should show up on a few iPods. Lee Penn Sky isn’t going to win any Grammy awards, but if you head over to his site and listen to the songs he might earn a second listen as he did with me.