American Idol - Lee DeWyze Appreciation Thread #4: B/c his new album is a "labor of love" and there will be lots of love for it from us!

***dancing in the rain*** · 07-20-2013, 04:12 AM

Welcome to the 4th Lee DeWyze Appreciation Thread

Biography
Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had also released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and Slumberland in 2010, both on WuLi Records. His post-Idol album will be released on October 26, 2010 through 19 Entertainment and RCA Records.

DeWyze was born in Mount Prospect, Illinois. His was raised by his father, Lee DeWyze, Sr., who worked as a postal carrier in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and his mother, Kathleen DeWyze (née Donahue). He has two older sisters, Sarah and Shannon, and a younger brother, Mike. His musical influences include, Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Simon & Garfunkel.

DeWyze attended Saint James Catholic Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois and Prospect High School up until his senior year. After leaving Prospect High, he attended Forest View Alternative School in Arlington Heights, having been inspired both by his teachers and his interest in music to return to his studies. While he never graduated from either high school, he eventually got his GED.

After leaving school, DeWyze worked as a paint salesman. At the time of applying to American Idol and until the Hollywood rounds of the show, he had been selling paint for six years at the "Mount Prospect Paint" store.

DeWyze stated on his blog that he owns a bulldog named Capone, is afraid of heights, and loves playing Scrabble.

Tattoos
DeWyze has some of the lyrics to "Father and Son", a classic Cat Stevens song, tattooed on his arm. He has three other tattoos, including a silhouette of the Chicago flag and tree of life on his right arm and a Shel Silverstein on his left arm.
Source: Wikipedia

WYZE Fans
01. infallible love
02. coutureadore
03. AshlynDenae
04. CookieMonster
05. BlairBass23
06. crazyshipper83
07. RickyandChucklover1
08. - Nina -
09. LoreDoherty
10. Talkative One
11. jules!
12. AmericanDirrty
13. KRL2008
14. hld12271982
15. ♥Demily
16. *MaryMgo*
17. ღmaybe this time
18. ~♥~CrazyInLove~♥~
19. chairFTW
20. dancing in the rain
21. colourtunes
22. aabf
23. now.it.all.begins

"This whole thing has been amazing, from the very beginning to right now ...
I want to be doing this for a long time ...
I will be doing this for the rest of my life, one way or another."

"When I'm up there playing, I don't care about anything. I'm there and it's me and it's them and my music, and it's just perfect."
"It felt amazing man, seeing the crowd, the fans cheering us on, just being up there on stage ... It's what I love to do."
"I just get up there and let my emotions flow and I just start singing my ass off."
"To perform in front of crowds of people, ya know, that's what I wanna do, that's what I've always wanted to do."
"A lot of what I do is just emotion, getting into the music with the band, feeding off the audience."
"I'll do this for the rest of my life -- this is what it's about for me."

American Idol Performances

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

Get Ready - The Temptations

You Found Me - The Fray

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Lips of an Angel - Hinder

Fireflies - Owl City

Beast of Burden - Rolling Stones
Studio Version

The Letter - Box Tops
Studio Version

Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers
Studio Version

Hey Jude - Lennon/McCartney Song Book
Studio Version

A Little Less Conversation - Elvis
Studio Version

The Boxer - Simon And Garfunkel
Studio Version

You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Studio Version

That's Life - Frank Sinatra
Studio Version

Kiss From a Rose - Seal
Studio Version

Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
{Duet with Crystal}
Studio Version

Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Studio Version

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
Studio Version

The Boxer - Simon And Garfunkel
{Contestant's Favourite}

Everybody Hurts
{Creator's Choice}
Studio Version

Beautiful Day - U2
{Winner's Single}
Studio Version

Lee's Winning moment

"I'm not trying to make the next big hit. Essentially I just want to make music that I love and that people will love."
"My goal isn't to throw a bunch of things against the wall and hope something sticks ... It's about, I know what I like, I know what kind of music I wanna do ... So I'm happy with it."
"We're all in this together and I couldn't be more ready to put in everything I got."
"Winning ‘Idol’ is great, but at the same time people think, ‘Now you’ve made it,’ ... I think, ‘No, now it’s time for me to make it.’ There’s always something better to strive for."

Misc Links
The Official Lee DeWyze Community
Lee DeWyze's Official Twitter
Lee DeWyze Fansite | American Idol | Lee-DeWyze.com

Picture of the Moment

Animation of the Moment

American Idol 2010 Tour

American Idol Lee DeWyze toured the country with his fellow Top 10 Season 9 finalists.
"The best part of being on tour is getting to play live; really live! There are no judges and no cameras. It’s just me doing my thing and getting to play for the fans." ~Lee
"I get to open up and be myself. Not that I wasn't on the show. I am a quieter guy sometimes. When it comes to my music, I'm like that. At the same time, now we're performing. Now we're playing a concert. We're in an arena, playing for thousands of people. If anything, you'll see a little more energy, and a little more of me." ~Lee
AI Tour Stops and Dates

Latest Interviews

Favourite Interviews

Icons

Cereal Killer · 07-21-2013, 05:56 AM

TFTNT! Such a great OP.

***dancing in the rain*** · 07-21-2013, 06:39 AM

No problem and thanks! I tried to update a little with new interviews and pictures

Cereal Killer · 07-21-2013, 07:51 AM

I noticed that.

***dancing in the rain*** · 07-21-2013, 03:34 PM

There are a couple of threads that I want to update the OP for ... as usual RL sucks so it takes longer than I'd want

(Also the site I hosted all my OP artworks on for threads on several boards shut down so I had/have to move everything to a new site and update the gazillion links with the new ones xD)

Anyway... I don't think I posted this, a video for the studio version of a song off his new album (also used for a Children charity a while ago)

Yahoo!

And today is Lee and Jonna's 1 Year Anniversary so congrats to the most adorable couple!

Jonna tweeted their Official Wedding Video again for the occasion captioned "Best Day Ever"

Also, the StageIt performance are up! He performed a new song from his new album (The Ride) and it is such a good song. Getting so impatient for this album!

Cereal Killer · 08-27-2013, 09:01 PM

Sorry I didn't post here sooner...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancing in the rain (View Post)

There are a couple of threads that I want to update the OP for ... as usual RL sucks so it takes longer than I'd want

(Also the site I hosted all my OP artworks on for threads on several boards shut down so I had/have to move everything to a new site and update the gazillion links with the new ones xD)

Take your time.

And sorry about the hosting site shutting down, that sucks! (This actually reminds me, it must be the same site where you uploaded all the Janelle arts for the thread I totally forgot to start..?

)

Quote:

Anyway... I don't think I posted this, a video for the studio version of a song off his new album (also used for a Children charity a while ago)

Yahoo!

And today is Lee and Jonna's 1 Year Anniversary so congrats to the most adorable couple!

Jonna tweeted their Official Wedding Video again for the occasion captioned "Best Day Ever"

Thanks for these videos! I couldn't play the Yahoo one but it could be my computer, I'll try again later. And belated happy anniversary to him and Jonna!

Quote:

Also, the StageIt performance are up! He performed a new song from his new album (The Ride) and it is such a good song. Getting so impatient for this album!

Thanks for this video too! Since it's a little bit longer I'll check it out when I have more time.

So how are you liking his new album that just dropped?

***dancing in the rain*** · 08-28-2013, 04:02 AM

We can always blame RL for things like this

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cereal Killer (View Post)

Take your time.

And sorry about the hosting site shutting down, that sucks! (This actually reminds me, it must be the same site where you uploaded all the Janelle arts for the thread I totally forgot to start..?

)

Yeah hers and everyone else's .... and I just realized how much work I actually have

I totally forgot about the new batch of Idol threads I started. And for not starting, see above

Quote:

Thanks for these videos! I couldn't play the Yahoo one but it could be my computer, I'll try again later. And belated happy anniversary to him and Jonna!

Aw that sucks, it's a really sweet video of their wedding ceremony

I'll check if there's a YT version of that one.

Quote:

Thanks for this video too! Since it's a little bit longer I'll check it out when I have more time.

Take your time xD The video actually has 3 songs hence the length, "Fight", "The Ride" and the title track "Frames". Here's a shorter video of another one of the songs off the new album, it's called "Stay Away" and it features Katie Stevens, it's a gorgeous song (one of my favourites so far) and they sound so good together

Quote:

So how are you liking his new album that just dropped?

I wanted to post about last night but it was so late, I just went to bed

It's such an awesome and well-rounded album, it has a really cool sound with the heartfelt lyrics and the music coupled with Lee's raspy voice. It reminds me a lot of his pre-Idol albums but goes beyond them, and that goes to show that this is really his sound and when he said this is the album he's wanted to make from the start, he meant it

I already have a couple of favourites but I can listen to the whole album without skipping any song which is really cool. It has the fun fast-paced songs and the raw stripped down emotional ones but they all have a story behind them and they go together in a great way

There's also a deluxe version that has all the songs in acoustic versions! Which is so cool.

Cereal Killer · 09-01-2013, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancing in the rain (View Post)

We can always blame RL for things like this

True. xD

Quote:

Yeah hers and everyone else's .... and I just realized how much work I actually have

I totally forgot about the new batch of Idol threads I started. And for not starting, see above

I'm sorry it happened.

But take your time with it and if you get them uploaded, I will start the Janelle thread finally.

Quote:

Aw that sucks, it's a really sweet video of their wedding ceremony

I'll check if there's a YT version of that one.

No that one works, I meant the charity song.

Quote:

Take your time xD The video actually has 3 songs hence the length, "Fight", "The Ride" and the title track "Frames". Here's a shorter video of another one of the songs off the new album, it's called "Stay Away" and it features Katie Stevens, it's a gorgeous song (one of my favourites so far) and they sound so good together

Thanks for this! It's a very good song and Lee and Katie sound great together.

Quote:

I wanted to post about last night but it was so late, I just went to bed

It's such an awesome and well-rounded album, it has a really cool sound with the heartfelt lyrics and the music coupled with Lee's raspy voice. It reminds me a lot of his pre-Idol albums but goes beyond them, and that goes to show that this is really his sound and when he said this is the album he's wanted to make from the start, he meant it

I already have a couple of favourites but I can listen to the whole album without skipping any song which is really cool. It has the fun fast-paced songs and the raw stripped down emotional ones but they all have a story behind them and they go together in a great way

There's also a deluxe version that has all the songs in acoustic versions! Which is so cool.

Aw, that's great! So awesome that it's the kind of album he really wanted to make and is true to his own sound and style. And not having to skip any tracks is always a sign of a good album.

Sounds like the album has a good balance of uptempo and slower songs and I love it when the songs tell a story too.

A deluxe version with acoustic versions of the songs is cool! Did you get it?

***dancing in the rain*** · 09-04-2013, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cereal Killer (View Post)

I'm sorry it happened.

But take your time with it and if you get them uploaded, I will start the Janelle thread finally.

Ok sounds good

Though now I have another problem with PB bandwidth draining fast because I'm using it for OP's (which was the reason I switched to that other site in the first place)

I think I'll try to work with ImageShack or something for that.

Quote:

No that one works, I meant the charity song.

Oh okay. There are several versions of it out there since he's played it long before even the album tracklisting came out..

Quote:

Thanks for this! It's a very good song and Lee and Katie sound great together.

No problem and yeah they do

I've listened to it so many times, it's still from my top favourites. "Fight" (the one above) is another one.

Quote:

Aw, that's great! So awesome that it's the kind of album he really wanted to make and is true to his own sound and style. And not having to skip any tracks is always a sign of a good album.

Sounds like the album has a good balance of uptempo and slower songs and I love it when the songs tell a story too.

Yeah I just love the throwback to his pre-Idol albums with some of the songs because he did his own thing back then so it shows he was able to do it again for this album. And live performances are always good for knowing a little background about the songs which we already got and we'll probably have more with his future shows

Quote:

A deluxe version with acoustic versions of the songs is cool! Did you get it?

Unfortunately I'll only be able to get the regular version since my store doesn't usually get deluxe versions but I did listen to them online and I loved every one

I also love that he did that because they had some additional sound effects on one of the original songs for example so it was great that we had the acoustic version where we can also enjoy Lee's pure voice without those effects.

Cereal Killer · 09-08-2013, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancing in the rain (View Post)

Ok sounds good

Though now I have another problem with PB bandwidth draining fast because I'm using it for OP's (which was the reason I switched to that other site in the first place)

I think I'll try to work with ImageShack or something for that.

PB sucks with the bandwidth things.

Hope you can find a site that works.

(Also, it occurred to me that of course I can start the Janelle thread anyway and add the arts later if needed. xD)

Quote:

Oh okay. There are several versions of it out there since he's played it long before even the album tracklisting came out..

Thanks for the other video! The song sounds really good.

Quote:

No problem and yeah they do

I've listened to it so many times, it's still from my top favourites. "Fight" (the one above) is another one.

I can see why these tracks are your favorites, I really liked them too.

Quote:

Yeah I just love the throwback to his pre-Idol albums with some of the songs because he did his own thing back then so it shows he was able to do it again for this album. And live performances are always good for knowing a little background about the songs which we already got and we'll probably have more with his future shows

I love it when artists talk about the songs when they perform them live, it's really interesting to learn more about their background.

Quote:

Unfortunately I'll only be able to get the regular version since my store doesn't usually get deluxe versions but I did listen to them online and I loved every one

I also love that he did that because they had some additional sound effects on one of the original songs for example so it was great that we had the acoustic version where we can also enjoy Lee's pure voice without those effects.

Sorry you didn't get the deluxe version but that's good you were able to listen to them online! Acoustic versions are great because the voice of the artist is more in the focus so you really get to enjoy it.

***dancing in the rain*** · 09-09-2013, 04:52 AM

It seems ImageShack is the best choice for now, though I prefer PB for better organization but IS is good too

And I have a hard time opening threads without an OP ready so I'm one to tell you to go ahead

Though feel free to do it if you want xD

Quote:

Thanks for the other video! The song sounds really good.

I can see why these tracks are your favorites, I really liked them too.

No problem and yeah they'll really good songs. Fight is so catchy especially at the chorus

I think I'll just post the songs from that long video each one on its own now because I know that's always easier with lack of time

I'll post another favourite later tonight, I really love the sound on this one.

Quote:

I love it when artists talk about the songs when they perform them live, it's really interesting to learn more about their background.

It helps connect to the song and appreciate it more

Quote:

Sorry you didn't get the deluxe version but that's good you were able to listen to them online! Acoustic versions are great because the voice of the artist is more in the focus so you really get to enjoy it.

I'm just glad I can get the CD since I don't do online shopping. And yeah exactly

***dancing in the rain*** · 10-03-2013, 03:32 AM

Just wanted to mention that Fight is Lee's new single!

Awesome choice for sure. He performed it on Ellen last weekend: Lee DeWyze Performs 'Fight' | EllenTV.com

Also he has several shows lined up as part of his tour throughout October and November

Only wish I could go to one

SHOWS - Lee DeWyze

With Aaron Paul .. had to Wikipedia him to find out he's on Breaking Bad

now.it.all.begins · 11-16-2013, 11:14 AM

My brother's been telling me to watch that show

.

May I be added to the list?

***dancing in the rain*** · 11-16-2013, 12:32 PM

I've had several recs to watch it too

Welcome Rach

now.it.all.begins · 11-16-2013, 03:06 PM

Thanks


Fan Forum > Archived Television Shows > American Idol > Lee DeWyze Appreciation Thread #4: B/c his new album is a "labor of love" and there will be lots of love for it from us!