Canadian rock icon Lee Aaron - born Karen Greening - is featured in a career-spanning interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. She talks about her formative years, discusses why she never broke in the US, and reveals the origin of the name "Lee Aaron".
Lee: "Bodyrock (released in 1989) was my most successful record in Canada - it went double platinum - and at that time I was wrestling back control of my image, my musical direction, and everything that I wanted to do. 'Watcha Do To my Body' was the first single, and I suggested to the video director (Don Allen) that we flip that (rampant '80s sexism) on its head and hire a bunch of attractive young men to come in and be beefcake in the video. But, to do it with a nudge and a wink and a sense of humour so that it's not interpreted as oversexualising men. We've got guys holding puppies and babies in the video, so come on.... It was extremely well received, and it accomplished exactly what I'd hoped to accomplish, which was flipping the whole sexuality thing on its head."
Lee Aaron has released the official video for "Elevate". The song is the third single from her latest studio album, Elevate, released in North America last month via Metalville Records. Watch the clip below:
Elevate: transitive verb
1: To lift up or make higher
2: to raise in rank or status
3: to improve morally, intellectually or culturally
4: to raise the spirits of
Lee Aaron is on a roll. The award-winning, songwriter, producer, and Canadian vocalist blazed back onto the rock scene in 2016 (after a ten-year hiatus to raise her family) with a wealth of original material and more firecracker energy than artists half her age. She’s since produced six new releases, including a live CD/DVD, with Elevate being the latest and possibly coolest addition to this renewed chapter in her illustrious career.
Elevate was written during the Covid lockdown, but rather than allowing that isolation to push the band into a negative place, Lee booked a studio lockout for the fall of 2021.
Elevate contains ten original tracks steeped in what has become Aaron’s signature sound: big guitar hooks, powerful, bluesy vocals, rich melodies and harmonies, and just enough sassy attitude to tip the scales. Aaron has always been known for digging a little deeper with her lyric content, and Elevate is no exception.
Elevate was recorded in Aaron’s traditional fashion: live off the floor with her crack band - Sean Kelly (guitar), Dave Reimer (bass), and John Cody (drums) - at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver with the finishing touches recorded at the band’s home studios. After forging a strong friendship and working relationship with Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams) on the last album, he once again teams up with Lee and the band for Elevate as recording and mix engineer.
About Elevate, Aaron explains, "I think it’s a shame how social media can divide good people. Analytics guarantee everyone has their own special ‘feed’ and you’re never hearing a different perspective – it polarizes people. Elevate is about not buying into that trap; it’s about choosing to lift each other up."
As the title track inspires, "It’s not too late to re-create, let’s celebrate, let’s Elevate - LET’S ELEVATE!"
Tracklisting:
"Rock Bottom Revolution"
"Trouble Maker"
"The Devil U Know"
"Freak Show"
"Heaven's Where We Are"
"Still Alive"
"Highway Romeo"
"Red Dress"
"Spitfire Woman"
"Elevate"
"Rock Bottom Revolution" video:
"Trouble Maker"
Lee Aaron's 2023 tour schedule is as follows:
June
15 - Newfoundland - tba
16 - Burlington, Ontario - tba
July
6 - Surrey, British Columbia - tba
August
12 - Cranbrook, British Columbia - Rock The Kootenays
13 - Prince George, British Columbia - Cariboo Rocks The North
19 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Rock The Harbour
Go to this location for tour information. Stay tuned for updates.
Lineup:
Lee Aaron - lead vocals
Sean Kelly - guitars
Dave Reimer - bass
John Cody - drums
(Photos - Theresa Mitchell)
