Thursday night found me at Lee’s Palace to check out Lee DeWyze. Now that name might seem a little familiar to some of you. Can’t quite put your finger on it? I’ll give you a hint. He may have won one of those tv show music competitions.
Yep, that’s right, American Idol Season 9 in 2010. I’ve been following Lee since his American Idol appearances and I definitely thought the best man won that year. I was super excited when I saw he’d be playing in Toronto, it’s been four years. I have to mention that I was chatting with some other fans and he has some hardcore fans. One of the lovely ladies that I spoke to said it was her 22nd time seeing Lee live. That’s commitment!
Lee has a brand new album, Oil & Water and he’s currently touring with the very talented Leslie DiNicola and Wakey Wakey!
Leslie DiNicola opened the show, playing songs from her Wake Up EP. Accompanied by Billy Libby her voice was strong and sweet, and she won the crowd over quickly. The pop/rock/folk sound was exactly what I needed.
Wake Up is Leslie’s fourth album and this NYC singer/songwriter has definitely has a new fan in me.
Next up was Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Wakey Wakey. I have nothing but amazing things to say about this guy. I may have tweeted halfway through his set that I thought I was in love. Funny, talented, engaging. A great voice, touching thoughtful lyrics did I say he was funny. He’s really funny. He’s got a brand new album coming out on the 26th of February titled, Overreactivist. You can pre-order here!
If you’re thinking he looks familiar too, you might know him from One Tree Hill. Between 2009 and 2010 Michael Grubbs had a role as a musician on the very popular tv series and I might just be in the process of watching the entire series. Thanks for the inspiration Michael.
Our headliner took the stage just after 10:00pm and it was everything I hoped for. If I had to pick one word to describe Lee, I’d choose “real”. He shared with us how he’d been joking with his tour mates about how cool it was to be playing a venue called Lee’s Palace.
He sings with heart, conviction and soul. Lee finished up his set with the song Stone and let us know there’s a new video coming out next month. I’ll be watching for it. Passing me in the venue, he spoke to me. Asking me how I was. Nice, really nice. Heading back to the merch table Lee joined Michael and Leslie. They all took the time to chat, sign and be awesome with everyone.
I’m not sure why his music isn’t all over our radio but, it should be. I may need to start traveling to see more Lee DeWyze.
More photos of Lee DeWyze
More photos of Leslie DiNicola & Billy Libby
More photos of Wakey Wakey!
