Gabe Lee may not be able to move mountains or live forever, but that doesn’t mean he feels helpless. On his album Drink The River, he argues for an empathetic values system and urges listeners to act locally.
“Grasp what you can control and take care of the things within your own community and life that are within reach,” Lee said. “If you have things that you’d like to change about the world, that’s great, but occasionally we have to respect nature, government, and things that are going to sweep us off our feet from time to time.”
“Merigold,” the stormiest song on the album, reminds us of those forces. Lee based it on a touring acquaintance’s death and the way her young husband reacted to it. There are desperate prayers and death wishes that make his pain palpable. Lee sees this as just one more reason we should treat each other with kindness.
“There are a lot of folks out there just like you who are dealing with life and the things that life brings along,” Lee explained. “I don’t know if there’s anything you can do but remember that you can never know what a person has been through and to give folks the opportunity for your empathy.”
Lee often explains his songwriting as if it’s more of a science than an art, though that’s not to say the results are anything but pure-hearted and gorgeous. “Even Jesus Got The Blues” tells the story of a woman who doesn’t exactly have her life together walking into a church. The song focuses on her joy and redemption in the back pews, but it’s aimed squarely at the regular church goers up front.
“It’s more a message for the folks who choose to lay judgement when they have no basis,” Lee said. “We watch the news, we read the paper, we think ‘my goodness isn’t that terrible, thank God it’s not me.’ I don’t think it’s worth congratulating yourself that you’re better off that somebody. I think there’s a certain switch that might need to turn for folks to consider the world as more of a community.”
Lee has in the past performed as more of an alternative country act, though “Drink The River” is dominated by a grassy folk sound that seems to fit perfectly with his voice and these lyrics. It’s by far his best album to date and the new sound has a lot to do with it.
“We just wanted to keep it, I don’t want to say simple, but very roots based,” Lee said. “I think cutting the fat and getting to the point of what the lyrics meant; the process was making the stories the point of listening to this record.”
The lyrics all build to a meaningful message.
“Not to try to solve any world problems with a simple record, whatever you’re going through you’re not alone, Lee said. “Whatever anger you may harbor in your own situation, remember that other folks survived this and that means that you can too.”
Above is the full episode as aired on WUSB’s Country Pocket, including both my interview with Gabe Lee and the songs we discussed, starting with Drink The River, which recognizes limits to what we can do for the ones we love. The interview begins with the second video in the playlist. You can hear the show live every Monday at 11am on WUSB 90.1 FM or check the blog to watch it as a YouTube playlist. Visit http://www.WUSB.fm and https://www.gabeleetn.com for more.
Country Pocket 