AJ LEE and BLUE SUMMIT
Hotel Congress Plaza Stage
Friday, May 17, Doors at 7, show at 7:30
Tickets $17 adv, $23 at door
Find Tickets HERE
“Could This Kid Be the Next Allison Krauss?” Mother Jones magazine asked about AJ Lee — and for good reason. She has won the Northern California Bluegrass Society’s (NCBS) Best Female Vocalist award nine times by age 21! Popular Webzine Californiality called AJ “California’s Hottest Singer” because of her jaw-droppingly beautiful voice. AJ began singing and performing on stage at the astonishing age of five. By twelve, she began writing her own songs and showcasing them nation-wide. She has traveled with many bands, including “The Tuttles with AJ Lee,” which was featured at numerous festivals across the U.S. and beyond. She is a fantastic mandolinist and songwriter with a gorgeous voice.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit was established in Santa Cruz, California in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the in-demand bluegrass/Americana band has performed all over the world but finds home in California’s Bay Area. In 2019, they released their debut album, Like I Used To. Their second full length project, I’ll Come Back, came out August 2021 followed be two breakout years touring at festivals and venues all over the USA. 2024 will see the release of their yet untitled third studio album supported by headlining shows and festivals around the country.
Unlike their first record, which featured experimentation with session musicians and electric instruments, the new project is a pure reflection of the live sound of the group, hearkening back to their acoustic roots. Each band member performs at their peak, and the variety of songs on the record caters to their broad fanbase. Certain tracks (“Put Your Head Down,” and “Faithful,”) fall more in the classic bluegrass realm of songwriting, while others (“Lemons and Tangerines,” and “I’ll Come Back,”) fall into that hard-to-define realm of acoustic Americana that blends mesmerizing lyricism and acoustic mastery.
Although falling loosely under the bluegrass label, AJLBS generally plays without banjo, with Sullivan Tuttle (Winfield Flatpicking National Champion) and Scott Gates on steel stringed acoustic guitars, AJ on mandolin, Jan Purat on fiddle, and Forrest Marowitz on upright bass – a configuration effectively used to create unique space and texture in the arrangements not commonly found in the music of their peers. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music.
Artist Website Here Youtube Channel HERE
Winners – 2019 FreshGrass Band competition
Winfield Natl. Flatpicking Contest Winner – Sully Tuttle
IBMA Momentum Vocalist Award – AJ Lee
Members:
AJ Lee, lead vocals, mandolin
Scott Gates, guitar
Sullivan Tuttle, guitar – Winfield Flatpicking Contest Winner
Forrest Marowitz, bass
Jan Purat, fiddle
