The blow torch power and passion contained in the LIVE version of 2023's "Dead and Over" by Okanagan Valley, British Columbia's Down The Lees, the three piece alt rock / post-noise-rock project lead by singer-songwriter / guitarist Laura Lee Schultz, pounds on socio-political doors before kicking them in. A treatise on the pressures that women, especial aging women face in the music industry and written during the pandemic. The pandemic which pretty much bear trapped any promotional gigs for Down The Lees' 2019 album "Bury The Sun" recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. This song as an exorcism against battles caused by unforeseen circumstances and in your face prejudices, misogynistic and otherwise, on this LIVE version from the band's upcoming concert film "This Is What It Feels Like", feels even more exquisitely brash and emotionally wrought / potent. Maybe the potency not only relates to the band's 'stronger and bigger' presence (to me) but also how this track cuts against the increased attacks on women within the walls of many State sanctioned policies, the continued onslaught of bro and rape culture and how these prevailing views continue to marginalize women, LGBTQ+, POC (& doubled down by ageism) and how these views always trickle down to how art is viewed not by us, really, but by the gatekeepers.
{On past reviews} I have likened Down The Lees's sheer heaviness expressed in pummeling drums, throttling bass and massive guitar chord strikes to an amalgam of artists like Tropical Fuck Storm, Black Sabbath, Metz, A Place to Bury Strangers and I still stand by those descriptor because they feel so right to me, you may hear other such similar touchstones. AND I have also likened Laura Lee Schultz's dramatically passionate vocal countenance / attitudinal artistry to front women like PJ Harvey, Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano and Diamanda Galás. In terms of the Napolitano adjacency, Laura Lee's voice feel similar because of her kind of bottom vocal registers and full throated power that amps up the passion and power for me.
Down The Lees' progressive alt rock sound feels bolstered by sludge metal cadences, at times, that make the storm feel even more doom laden. As I watch this live performance over and over again, I am reminded of how much I love three piece bands. There is something beautiful about the sparse nature and kind of artistic streamlining of it all. I am reminded of the amazing (now defunct) Screaming Females from New Jersey with pint sized shredding Marissa Paternoster on guitar and vocals who, coincidentally also had a lower register to her vocal wail but I digress. Always appreciate, love 3 piece rock bands because their natural tendency is to strip away anything that is not necessary in building their sound. This is the absolute case here with Chris Carlson's plucky massive bass notes and Andy Ashley's heavy drumming that always serves the song, in question, perfectly. Schultz's guitar work is always emotionally drawn. On this LIVE performance, she plays to her own tension riddled electric guitar picking that psychically seems to run away from the beat as she punches through with massive heavy metal, noise rock chordage and a powerful narrative worth that means something.
So killer. I would love to see Down The Lees on SNL someday.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[About the Film : This Is What It Feels Like, releasing March 5, 2026, is a live album and concert film recorded at the Mary Irwin Theatre in Kelowna, BC. Supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia, the project was filmed by Irisphere Entertainment and mixed by Jesse Gander (ANCIIENTS, Brutus). The first single from the project, Midi Doric, was released in fall 2025 and received strong early press. Dead and Over follows as the second single. The film captures the band’s live performance alongside visuals created specifically for the project.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://downthelees.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/downthelees/
https://www.facebook.com/downthelees
https://offwhitehouserecords.com/artists/downthelees/
Down The Lees is a formidable post-noise-rock trio rooted in Vancouver and Belgium and now based in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Led by guitarist/vocalist Laura Lee Schultz, with Andy Ashley on drums and Chris Carlson on bass, the band is known for raw intensity, emotional depth, and unrelenting live shows that fuse distorted soundscapes with haunting melodies.
What began as Schultz’s solo project has evolved into a powerful lineup with a growing international reputation. Their discography includes the critically acclaimed Bury The Sun (recorded by Steve Albini) and the OSIF Award-winning single Douse. In 2024 they released Dirt, produced by Jesse Gander (Japandroids, ANCIIENTS), and have shared stages with Brutus, Pile, Sparta, Chastity, KEN mode, and Dead Bob (NoMeansNo).
In 2026, Down The Lees will release a high-concept live concert film and album, funded by Creative BC. Captured at the Mary Irwin Theatre by Irisphere Entertainment and mixed by Jesse Gander, the project combines cinematic visuals with an emotionally charged performance, cementing their reputation as a must-see act on the festival circuit.
Down The Lees, British Columbia, alt rock, sludge metal, throttling guitars, pummeling drums, Laura Lee Schultz's big voice, "Dead and Over" (Live) (Live), upcoming film "This Is What It Feels Like, by Down The Lees",
No comments:
Post a Comment