Arthur Lee Land combines the eclectic influences of Folk Rock, World Beat, Bluegrass to create a clean, organic musical vibe he calls: Afrograss Folk Rock. During a tour of Nigeria and Ghana, West Africa in 2001, Arthur spawned the concept of Afrograss. Touring as a multi-instrumental solo act dubbed “A One-Man Afrograss Folk Rock Ensemble,” he utilizes the Art of Live-Looping to create a full band sound.
Arthur has perfected The Art of Live Looping during one-man performances that have dropped jaws at clubs and concerts across the country. With his exquisite artistry and multi-instrumental architecture, Arthur constructs songs before your very eyes. Setting up live looping masterpieces you will forget you are watching one man, hearing instead compositions rich and intricate enough for an 8 piece band. Weaving together djembe, talking drums, congas, bongos, shakers, beat boxing, bass, guitars, mandolin, talk box, organs, trumpets and more with his mastery of sophisticated technology, songwriting, and top level musicianship. “Lee Land is one of those guys with so much natural talent his jaw-dropping virtuosity seems effortless" said John Farmer of Frontier Airline's Wild Blue Yonder Magazine.
Inspired by the thriving Colorado music scene, Arthur uprooted from Chicago and moved to Boulder in January of 2004. Arthur Lee Land’s local legend is growing fast. Arthur was voted Best Singer/Songwriter by Colorado’s Marquee Magazine for their 2005 Front Row Awards. After Arthur’s first performances as a student at the 2002 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival & Song School in Lyons Colorado, he was invited to return as a guitar instructor and performer every year since then. Arthur’s teaching and SRO performances were a huge success. Steve Szymanski, VP of Planet Bluegrass, and the event’s producer, commenting on Arthur’s universal demand among patrons AND performers at the festival stated: “This guy exudes musical magic!”
On a tip from producer Wendy Waldman and a powerful spiritual dream of Carol Lee's a new chapter has begun. Relocating back to the midwest in 2007, Arthur has set down some deep roots in Fairfield Iowa which has become a fertile ground for new material, artistic growth and experimenting with new technology. Inspired by a forward thinking community Arthur refers to Fairfield as "the Boulder of Iowa" with it's focus on sustainability, health, consciousness, technology and 100MB broadband fiber laid for a town of almost 10,000. "The people in this town are amazing! I've even jammed with Donovan several times....how cool is that?!!"
Arthur Lee Land’s CD Dragonfly, was produced by Grammy Award Nominated songwriter and producer Wendy Waldman (Save The Best For Last, Fishin’ In The Dark, New Grass Revival). The CD consists of songs co-written with his wife and lyricist Carol Lee. Influenced by writers like Paul Simon, Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan, Carol’s lyrics use archetypal psychology, naturalism, spirituality, and evocative story lines to invite listeners to join in and create their own meanings. Dragonfly features a cast of world-renowned musicians including: Joe Craven (David Grisman Quintet, Garcia/Grisman) on mandolin, fiddle and percussion; Mark Diamond (Big Swing Trio) on acoustic bass; Scott Babcock (Karla Bonoff) on drums and percussion; Michael Travis (The String Cheese Incident) on djembe/congas; Herb Pederson (Old and In The Grey, Chris Hillman) on banjo; Greg Liesz (Joni Mitchell, K.D. Lang, Bill Frisell) on dobro; Kenny Edwards (Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks) and Wendy Waldman on background vocals; and Arthur Lee Land on lead vocals and all guitars.
In and around touring and recording Arthur devotes time to his educational outreach programs. Arthur's Musical Life Skills Character Education Assembly and Art of Live-Looping Programs are fun, engaging and inspirational. "Arthur truly engages kids to a high degree. He knows how to speak their language. Every student was absolutely fascinated” said Julie Pullium, Music Teacher at Birch Elementary School, Broomfield CO.
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