@ Bar, Palm Springs, Friday, October 17th
by Lisa Morgan
Lee Gallagher and his band The Hallelujah provide a “teaser” on their website for their debut album, due out January 2015. It is one minute and 30 seconds long, and it is aggravating as hell. It is way too short, incredibly enticing, igniting a hunger that dwells in many of us; that longing for something real, fresh, and exciting, like music used to be.
Que the play button staring at you from the center of the home page, and the music will gently build as the screen transforms from city night lights to the band walking toward you in slow motion, at early dawn, coming over the crest of a hilltop, the city behind them background. With a gentle psychedelic feel, wind chimes and percussion give way to the breathy, alluring vocal of Lee Gallagher over the top of subdued but powerful instrumental. He sings, “Hallelujah.” In that one moment, you know that this is going to be an album that could solidly impact your own musical soul.
With vocals that maintain their own refreshingly unique delivery, this voice and this music not only reflect the obvious influences, they are channeled! The list of timeless influences one inhales from this music in its first few measures is long and rich: artists like Led Zeppelin, Black Crows, The Faces, and The Allman Brothers (to name a few). Gallagher opens his mouth, the band plays, and you know you are in the presence of some real rock and roll integrity. “Hallelujah” cries your heart, and then it’s over. They have opened up the pit of your appetite, given you a taste of something you forgot you were hungry for, and then left you there…starving for more.
The only way you will get “more”, is by being at Bar in Palm Springs this Friday Night. Lee Gallagher and The Hallelujah, a four piece band (guitars, keys and bass), will be there, performing live with their new album, in hand. The music and the venue are a perfect pairing, as this family owned establishment has a menu that will have a similar effect on your tastebuds.
Hailing from the midwest and rooted in San Francisco, here’s what their local press has to say about them:
“When music fans think of great singer-songwriters, they might think of Neil Young and when they think of powerful voices they might think of Robert Plant. Perhaps the generation of today and tomorrow, they might think of Lee Gallagher as both.” Bay Area Examiner
“An obvious walking, talking lead singer, someone about to grab the nearest mic and wail. And wail he does.” City Beat Magazine
“Hazy folk rock – Americana” that “gives a serious nod to the musical aesthetics of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young but Gallagher’s voice upholds a particularly recognizable nod to Neil Young.” The Deli
Hallelujah! Truly great music is on the horizon! It has made its way “through the mountain pass” that is saturated with bedroom technology, auto tune and ProTool enhanced recordings from artists who cannot perform their music live. It has found its way to our desert’s own fertile soil, rich with musical talents of its own, and I am confident that it will be well received. Let’s just hope the music industry gets it right, and perhaps we can be part of Lee Gallagher and The Hallelujah’s rise to forefront of today’s music.
See the teaser and other music for yourself at www.leegallaghermusic.com
