Ben Lee

:This article is about the Australian born musician and actor, Ben Lee. There is an article about the managing director of Honolulu, Benjamin Lee, popularly known as Ben Lee.

History

Ben Lee's musical career began in 1993 with the band Noise Addict, who were signed to Steve Pavlovic's independent label Fellaheen Records, on the strength of a self-produced and distributed four-track demo recorded in Lee's bedroom. Pavlovic's connections brought the band to the attention of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and The Beastie Boys' Mike Diamond, both of whom released the band's material in the US. The group put out several releases, including its one and only album in 1995, but broke up not long after its releases. He was also briefly a member of the alternative act Gerling.

Related Topics:
1993 - Noise Addict - Steve Pavlovic - Fellaheen Records - Demo - Sonic Youth - Thurston Moore - The Beastie Boys - Mike Diamond - US - 1995 - Gerling

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Lee's solo career started at the age of 16, while he was still in Noise Addict, when he began recording his first solo album, Grandpaw Would, in both Sydney and Chicago with producer Brad Wood. This was followed by the 1997 album, Something To Remember Me By, also produced by Wood.

Related Topics:
Sydney - Chicago - Brad Wood - 1997

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1999's Breathing Tornados marked a new direction for Lee as he introduced synths and increased instrumentation into his sound. The album was a huge success, with the first single, "Cigarettes Will Kill You", finishing second in that year's Triple J Hottest 100. Lee also enjoyed success with the single "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" - from the album Hey You, Yes You - reaching no 22 in 2002's Triple J Hottest 100.

Related Topics:
1999 - Synth - Triple J Hottest 100 - 2002's Triple J Hottest 100

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During 2003 he teamed up with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds for a side projected entitled The Bens. They recorded four songs together in Nashville, resulting in a self-titled EP.

Related Topics:
2003 - Ben Kweller - Ben Folds - The Bens - Nashville - EP

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In late 2004, he left Steve Pavlovic's Modular Recordings and started up his own record label, Ten Fingers. The first release on the label is the single, "Gamble Everything For Love", followed by the new album, Awake Is The New Sleep, in February 2005. In April he released the second single "Catch My Disease", which became his most successful yet, by peaking in the top 30.

Related Topics:
2004 - Modular Recordings - Ten Fingers - 2005

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