“…Simply knowing him, in addition to creating with him, somehow made me feel fulfilled.”
I didn’t know Lee Jackson, but many folks who’ve passed by have brought him up…glowingly. Always, without question. The way people have talked about Lee, his enthusiasm, his presence, his reach is infections to say the least. 90 bands are contributing mostly new or unreleased cuts to For Lee Jackson In Space, out June 4th…nearly 11 hours of celebration for Lee and support for the Texas chapter of the ALS Association. Windy & Carl, Six Organs of Admittance, Tadpoles, Abunai!, Evening Fires, ST 37…I got a feeling by the time it’s all taken in, I might know Lee a little myself. In a way that he would fully endorse…
‘On June 4, ninety bands and musicians, with approaches ranging from the mystic folk of Stone Breath and Sharron Kraus, the psych-pop of the Green Pajamas and the exploratory art-rock of Volcano the Bear and the Magic Carpathians Project to the avant-garde metal of Locrian and the improvisational inspirations of Helena Espvall, Roy Montgomery and Pelt, pay tribute to Texan writer and cultural enthusiast Lee Jackson, famed for his co-creation of the noted Broken Face fanzine with Swedish writer Mats Gustafsson, with For Lee Jackson in Space.
After Jackson’s tragic passing earlier this year due to the effects of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease), friends and associates rapidly conceived of a tribute album to celebrate his life and work, resulting in a nearly eleven hour-long collection of songs, nearly all of which are completely new or otherwise unreleased. For Lee Jackson in Space will be available for purchase via Bandcamp on June 4, with all profits going to the ALS Association, Texas Chapter at the request of his family.
“Lee and myself created [The Broken Face] together, that lasted for almost seven years,” says Gustafsson in his introductory liner notes. “I am proud to have published something unique together with a deeply-response, righteously earned friend. I was proud to have him as a friend, and I thought of him as much more than a casual friend. Simply knowing him, in addition to creating with him, somehow made me feel fulfilled.”
“I can’t even remember when I first started communication with Lee Jackson,” remembers Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance. “It seems he was always there, giving encouragement and getting stoked on music. His excitement about art was contagious, which made him the perfect person to write about music. Lee seemed to be lacking that sort of cynical view that seems to infest a lot of the music world. Whenever I would see an email from him in my inbox I knew it was going to be a happy letter, one of inspiration and a positive view. I’m going to miss those chats about music and Lee’s encouragement, which he was never shy about handing out.”
Matt Valentine of MV/EE recalls: “Lee was a presence who seemed to grasp what we were all about without having to rely on anything but spirit and ears. It was his appreciation of the music that made me totally realize he is an oasis for musicians of all sorts and sounds. What i remember most is something he proposed after a particularly wild gig down in Dallas. The venue didn’t seem to be a “usual” gathering place for psychedelic music fans, but somewhere between the podium of where Lee was at and my amp we located some sorta sound that went beyond. I’ll never forget coming off the stage, or selling merch right from the stage at that one, hearing Lee blast outward with some verbiage like, “Whoah brother you went all PSF on my ass!” It was a prominent riff of wide open speech as sonic appreciation and “getting it” as I have ever witnessed in response to being grateful for the music.”
Cover art for For Lee Jackson in Space is courtesy of Nevada Hill, artist and member of Zanzibar Snails, yet another of the bands giving a little back in Jackson’s memory. The liner notes for the collection include pieces by Gustafsson and the other two album compilers, Travis Johnson and Ned Raggett, Jackson’s sister Layne, ALS Texas representative Elizabeth Macasadia and a complete listing of all bands and tracks, with liner notes from Jackson himself, taken from his descriptions of participating acts from earlier appearances or releases.’
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