Revelstoke’s Al Lee releases new album, Revolution St.

We were flying in a helicopter over burning forest in Glacier National Park when the fellow sitting behind me said he might throw up. The pilot improvised, suggesting we touch down and pick up parks workers who’d been out hiking the hills, locating and disposing of unexploded artillery shells used for avalanche control. They needed a bump, so we landed and disembarked at a backcountry helipad so the airsick passenger could get a breath of smoky air to settle his rumbling guts.

That’s when I first met Al Lee, an avalanche technician and ski guide, who’d spent the day with a small team looking for artillery shells. With a climbing helmet on his head, skin reddened by the sun, and chunky hiking boots on his feet, he looked the part of a mountain guy who spends his spare time studying topo maps for hidden backcountry stashes. I’ve since learned he was spending a lot of that extra time song-writing and practicing the guitar.

Al Lee, his stage name, released his eponymous first album in 2018, and returns with the Feb. 8, 2021 release of his newest album, Revolution St.

Al Lee released his new album, Revolution St., on Feb. 8. Photo: Jeff Rogers/Next Level.

Lee is originally from Montreal, but left a career in computer science behind him many years ago and followed his dreams to the B.C. mountains, eventually settling in Revelstoke where he works in avalanche control, ski guiding and runs Oh My Guide!, a small backcountry guiding business.

With one life dream accomplished, Lee is working on his second: becoming a musician, a journey that has meant overcoming self-doubt, overcoming obstacles and “being true to yourself and what you want out of this life.”

Revolution St. is named after a women’s protest movement in Iran, where thousands took to the streets, including Tehran’s Revolution Street, to protest compulsory hijab laws, fighting for a future with respect, dignity and hope. “That symbolized the struggle of everyone in the world fighting for the cause,” he said. “These are things that just resonated with me.”

Lee was also inspired by activism like the #MeToo movement, and also out of concern over troubling world events, ranging from school shootings and despotic leadership.

The title track, ‘Revolution St’., explores the inspiration he found in the movement. ‘Evil Feels No Shame’ explores the psychology of leaders who are unconstrained by shame, committing terrible acts and lying blatantly. Lee said experiences of discrimination and oppression helped shape the direction of the album. In a mountain town that sometimes feels sealed off from the issues and activism elsewhere, Lee said he sought to strike a balance. “I think all have our different ways to be an activist if we choose to be. It’s a balancing act in a small town,” Lee said. “I am carefully not to alienate people, and not to alienate myself. My activism is through my songs.”

Lee grew up listening and drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and is influenced by contemporaries like Colter Wall, Ben Howard and the Barr Brothers. The tracks on Revelstoke St. are blues and rock based, with a heavy dash of contemporary folk and country.

Lee was inspired by a Muriel Buckley performance at Revelstoke Street Fest, which led him to connect with her producer, Leeroy Stagger, who recorded the album at Rebeltone Ranch in Lethbridge. Ryland Morantz plays banjo, mandolin, and electric slide, and Tyson Maiko on bass.

The result is an earnest and soulful exploration of challenging issues. “It’s an album that confronts many of the issues that face the world today and the struggles and experiences I have faced personally over the last few years,” he said.

Lee has played many small live shows, ranging from house parties, Revelstoke Street Fest, the Last Drop, and venues from the Okanagan to Calgary. The COVID-19 pandemic put an end to that, allowing him time to create the album and put work into the next phase of his career, including the album rollout. “My main goal is to get it out to as many people, and to just have as many ears hear it as possible,” he said.

For more, including links to buy Revolution St., live show dates and more, check out his website at www.al-lee.net.