Reviewed by: Liv George
Birmingham native Lee Bains on music, community + his love for his home state
Southern rock. Punk. Garage band. Gospel.
There are plenty of words to describe the music played by Lee Bains throughout his career but there is not just one genre that fits the bill. The music is self-proclaimed as “deep-south wide-open liberation gospel.”
Lee Bains grew up in Birmingham and made a name for himself in the city’s DIY music scene. That has helped shape his career with a love for the South and a love for its local communities + people.
Keep reading to learn more about Bains + see where you can catch him perform during an upcoming tour that includes four shows here in Alabama.
‘It’s where I make sense’
If you have seen or heard Lee Bains perform before, you know how much he speaks about Birmingham and the state of Alabama as a whole.
Early on in his career, Bains said he didn’t realize just how much influence his home had on his music, all the way down to the simple things like his chord progression.
“There’s just a depth of connection to the place and culture that I feel in the state… I do try explore and illuminate our place and my own relationship with it. In talking to folks in and around Alabama that relate, I see that we’re in this together. That’s a really good feeling of connection.”
~ Lee Bains
Bains played in bands like the Dexateens and Arkadelphia, performing on several smaller stages throughout the state before becoming the front man for the Glory Fires. Their debut album was released in 2012.
During tours over the years, Bains has played in venues across the world but there will always be something special about performing in front of an audience here in Alabama.
“While I don’t think Alabama is better than anywhere else, it’s more special to me. It’s where I belong. It’s where I make sense.”
~ Lee Bains
Music for Alabama
Many of the songs Lee Bains has written for The Glory Fires band are about different communities around Alabama. Some of them include locations right in the title including:
- Opelika
- Roebuck Parkway
- Magic City Stomp
- Nail My Feet Down to the Southside of Town
But it goes well beyond the song titles. For those who grew up in Alabama, you can connect with many of the stories and experiences Bains sings about.
Both in the studio and on stage, Bains has taken stances for people in the community including minorities, people living in poverty, union workers + more. He does not shy away from speaking on a cause that he believes in, even if it may not align with the state’s government.
“I don’t see that as being in conflict with my love of Alabama, I actually see it as an outgrowth of it. Because I love our place and our people so much that, I see what we’re struggling with and I just want us all to have what we deserve as a state.”
~ Lee Bains
Upcoming solo tour
You can see the full tour schedule above but here’s a quick list of the five Alabama stops Lee Bains will be making over the next couple of months including:
- 9/15: Callaghan’s | Mobile | Tickets
- 10/10: Druid City Brewing | Tuscaloosa | Tickets
- 10/12: Standard Deluxe | Waverly | Tickets
- 10/25: The Nick | Birmingham | Tickets
All of the venues on the tour are independent venues, a decision Bains said he made over a decade ago when locally owned venues began to be overrun but event management corporations.
“That’s what makes up the beautiful diversity of music culture. I’m just concerned that the less autonomy and empowerment the local scenes have, the harder that’s going to be to foster.”
~ Lee Bains
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