Wunderkind

“Henry?”

“Yeah?”

“Dad said you know how to play guitar really good- is that true?”

A wince of a smile spread across Henry's face as he looked down at his nephew Terry.

“Well, I mean- I'm- I was OK at it.”

Terry gave a puzzled look.

“OK? Dad said you were awesome! He said you could play anything just by listening to it. And you were in a band and made an album and everything!”

“I- uh, heh, yeah, that all did happen.”

“Well, can you show me how to play?”

Terry held up their guitar to Henry- it was a very basic electric guitar, with nylon strings that were gentle & forgiving on a starting player's hands.

It's lightweight, ergonomic design felt 10,000 tons in their hands.

REVIEW FROM SPUN MAGAZINE

Henry Lee

Album Title: Bite Sized

Label: Incensed Records

“My head is just getting… tighter.”

“You- you clench your teeth.”

This is how the album starts- with snippets from a commercial for Tylenol.

Specifically, extra strength Tylenol.

Which is appropriate if you made the same mistake as this reviewer & started with your headphones turned up.

In short: it is a LOUD record.

But what else can be expected from the 16 year old music phenom out of Georgia?

For those unawares:

Lee came to prominence after winning a Disney Channel sponsored contest, “Mickey's Superstars,” wherein Lee got to perform on a televised special with other winners from the contest.

The performance from Lee was the standout with a staggering performance of “Green Grass & High Tides” by The Outlaws which Lee & the backing band transitioned beautifully out of into “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers.

Disney then terminated the contract that was supposedly part of his contest winnings & sent out an apologetic press release to all major outlets, apologetic over the “uncouth” musical selections Lee had made.

In short, you can't buy that sort of publicity.

Beloved Athens, Georgia independent label scooped Lee up & gave the little madman a record deal & the result is Bite Sized.

The record itself is packaged to resemble a to-go order from a fast food restaurant, with a winking chef cartoon under the neon colored title, and track listings & their running times presented like a menu & the cost of the items, respectively.

The ten songs contained on this nervy piece of plastic are not unlike the surprisingly good, limited time offer from your favorite grease soaked franchise: filling, easy to get a hold of, and far more delicious than it has any business being.

The creative control Incensed made a point of mentioning in the press packet that came with my review copy is quite evident here- the humor & light hearted nature of the music contained therein is a multicolored breath of fresh air, especially compared to the very good but usually droll & gloomy releases Incensed is known for across the country. While nothing one might consider a “concept” record, per say, there is a general framework of some unseen force flipping thru channels (thus the constant influx of commercial snippets & TV static between songs, which adds for an amusing break in the songs.)

The themes on the album are exactly what one might expect from music written by a teenager:

First love pangs, confusion, boredom, angst, and escaping suburban ennui.

Also, the music (which both the Incensed press release & liner notes make great mention of being written completely by Lee) is beyond stellar. It does leave a little to be desired at times- in particular, “Pinch Hitter” sounds like a demo that never really gets going, and the ballad “I've Seen This Before” is a middling take on “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks, down to even using the same guitar effects as that timeless classic. However, there are some true gems on this bad boy.

I've actually played this one around the office for various staffers, and the group consensus is that snotty, crunchy punk love song “Sparks” & “Friday's Child,” with its jazzy, lounge act on a cruise ship doing a Beatles tune vibe, are destined to be big radio hits, be it college or Top 40.

A standout debut offering from someone sure to make a lot of waves in the not too distant future.

RATING:**** out of *****

RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF: Squeeze, James Gang, They Might Be Giants

EXCERPT FROM ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, NOVEMBER 27, 1999- REVIEW OF THE 1999 CREATIVE LOAFING SLACKER MUSIC FESTIVAL

… the most talked about event was the performance of local young prodigy Henry Lee, who in the midst of his performance, casually announced he was retiring from music & that there would never be another album from him. The dismayed crowd let out a chorus of murmurs & questions of “Why?” to the young man were met with a teary eyed response:

“I miss my family.”

Lee & his backing band played one more song, took a bow, and left the stage.

Lee responded to a request for comment via his record label, who only sent over a part the lyrics to, seemingly, the last song Lee will ever play: “Better Things,” by The Kinks.

Printed below is the excerpt in its entirety:

It's really good to see you rocking out

And having fun

Living like you've just begun

Accept your life and what it brings

I hope tomorrow you'll find better things

I know tomorrow you'll find better things

“Henry? Uncle Henry?”

“Huh?”

Terry squinted his eyes.

“Can you really play guitar? Or is this like that time Dad said cows lay down before it rains?”

“”What? No, I- wait, did your Dad really tell you that?”

Terry nodded.

Henry sighed.

“We grew up on a dairy farm, for God's sake. He should-”

Henry shook his head.

“Not important. Be a pal & grab us a couple of chairs.”

“Why?”

“Want to learn guitar, right?”

Terry rushed over to the dining room table & pulled two chairs over to the living room for the two of them.

Henry smiled as he sat across from his nephew.

“You're really going to show me?”

“Sure. I mean, your Dad is fixing my car- it's the least I can do.”

“Cool!”

“Fair warning- you're going to have to do a lot of work on your own if you really want to get good at this. Like, a lot of practice”

“OK.”

“I used to drive your Dad crazy- I kept trying to play 'Stairway to Heaven' over and over.”

“Yeah, Dad said that's why he got me the headphones to go with my guitar.”

Henry laughed.

“Your Dad is smart.”

“Come on- show me!”

“OK, OK, take it easy. Now, first thing first- this is a C chord...”