Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Interview with Bassist, Derek Lester

By: Lucy Hall

Derek Lester Recording in the Studio
     Bluesy, southern, hard rocking and humanitarian that's Blind Peace. The group's brand of gritty, blues infused southern rock is full of high energy boogie sounds that are reminiscent of 70's and 80's rock radio hits. However, the group never seemed to intentionally follow any particular trends but they definitely appeared to have been making their own.                                                                         
     Blind Peace songs such as “Lonesome”, “Walkin Shoes”, and “999” are good mixes of a new 80’s sound and classic rock. The lyrics eulogize values, ambition, family ties, and life-long struggles of the southern working class. The group’s efforts to generate awareness to cancer are commendable. Blind Peace has donated a percentage of their income to cancer research in dedication to frontman Tony Sell's wife who passed away from the disease. 
     Blind Peace appeared to be such a hard working group who made tremendous efforts to engage their audience and connect with them. You could find them after performing in the lobby meeting and greeting their fans. It was evident that they loved to see their audience jump and scream, and look like they are having a good time. When I meet bass player, Derek Lester, Blind Peace was playing alongside solo artist Tom Keifer formerly of Cinderella. Derek was professional, open and friendly. 

Derek Lester in the Studio
     Derek started playing music at the young age of thirteen. He has been heavily influenced by an array of 70's and 80's rock genres which include AOR, southern rock, hard rock, and NWOBHM. He joined his first band Kandi at fourteen and it was around this time that he was in a near fatal car accident. He suffered numerous serious injuries. In particular the crash nearly destroyed his left hand, and medical professionals even considered amputating his arm up to the elbow. Yet, Derek would persevere taking rehab to eventually be able to use his left hand to play music again. Most people would become discouraged by such a setback but not Derek who only became more dedicated to his music. He went on to play in heavier bands such as Street Legal and Crystal Witch. He later joined a southern rock band called Off Road and began to write originals. 
     Derek moved to Nashville and played professionally for a few years but eventually come back to Kentucky. He joined Borrowed Blue a then rock group who went on to find success in country music. In 2013 he joined Blind Peace remaining with the group for five years until deciding to leave the group to concentrate on solo efforts. 

Derek Lester Performs On-Stage
          During Derek's time with the group he wrote several original songs which included the award winning song, "Rebel Son" which won the Best Hard Rock Ballad for April 2015 from the Akedemia in Los Angeles. The track's narrative is told from the perspective of a Civil War Solider. It was Derek's way of telling his dearly loved grandparents that he was leaving home. 

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Derek Lester:

HEAVY MAKEUP: Tell us a little bit about Blind Peace. How did you guys meet and how did the group form?

Derek Lester: Tony formed Blind Peace and had a couple of different lineups. Tony and I were put in touch through a mutual friend and that combination just clicked. After a few more lineup changes, the lineup became pretty solid and in place with Tony Sell-guitar, Derek Lester-bass, Eric Manos-drums, JW Gregory-guitar, and Jazz Sell-vocals. This was a solid kick-ass lineup. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: What are your musical influences?

Derek Lester: My Musical influences are from everywhere! They range from southern gospel to NWOBHM.  I am a rock guy at heart though. I love classic music of all genres. The 70's and 80's produced the best music ever in my opinion. Regardless of what genre you like, that time period produced the best of it. Country, r&b, rock, pop, and all of it was better. My music is a range of what I love and I actually write several styles. Rock, metal to classic country and I try to write what I hear and hopefully someone else will enjoy it as well. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: How would you describe Blind Peace's music, image and overall concept? How does that compare to your individual style?

Derek Lester: Blind Peace's music certainly pulls from all the influences but the common theme is good time rock and roll. The image is the same. We want to have a good time and we want the crowd to have a good time as well. Blind Peace was a band that wanted to make folks feel good. We wanted to celebrate life because, as we all know, it's way too short. Let's celebrate and enjoy! I am a rock and roll guy. That's where my heart is and I never think about being categorized. Sometimes I write stuff that's a lot different than most folks would associate with me. Music that is real and from the soul is great music regardless of genre. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you object to being grouped with specific musical genres?

Derek Lester: I am all about rock and roll. I don't think that my music fits into any subcategories other than rock and roll, but if folks feel like they need to categorize then so be it. It's not something that I really think about or worry about. '

HEAVY MAKEUP: Concerning your lyrics are there any major themes expressed?

Derek Lester: The lyrics are pretty straightforward. I don't really think about lyrics other than I want to tell a story and be pretty clear. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: You have been pretty busy lately writing and recording music, what can you tell us about the material?

Derek Lester: Blind Peace had recently finished recording four songs at Groovehouse Studios in Friendsville Tennessee with Steve Rutledge of Groovehouse Music Group, who is also producing the record along with Bryan Wayne Perry of Perry Management Group. If you like good ole fashioned kick-ass rock and roll then these tunes will be something you enjoy. Straight ahead rock and roll with a touch of dirty blues! Before I left Blind Peace, we had started recording and, of course, now some things will have to be changed but those songs are gonna be released sometime in the future. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: What could fans have expected to see at a Blind Peace show when you were a member?

Derek Lester: At the Blind Peace shows you could have expected to get a generation spanning wide array of music. We were a rock and roll tribute band. We played original music mixed with classic rock and roll cover songs. We wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy the ride. Just come and hang out. We want to meet everyone at the shows and make new friends. That's the truth and we want to meet everyone we can. If you come to a Blind Peace show or any of my performances, please come say hello and chat with me. 

HEAVY MAKEUP: What does the future look like for Derek Lester? 

Derek Lester: I have decided to kind of be a "free agent". I am looking to play as much as possible and hopefully record and perform as much as I can. I plan on getting a project together in the future but right now I just want to play and create music with whomever will have me. I have been blessed to have played with some great musicians and performers and hopefully can continue to do so.  If anyone needs a bass player for a live show or recording, I come with lots of experience and a pro attitude and pro gear. I want to make the song better and play for the song. I hope that folks will give me a shout when they need a bass player and I look forward to working with everyone that I can. I also plan on writing and recording more Derek Lester stuff and I hope that people will dig it. I have some different stuff on my YouTube channel not a lot of content right now but hopefully that will change soon. I am blessed to be endorsed by Apex Strings, Gamma Custom Basses, Fireplant Guitars, GMF Music, Galaxy Audio, and Dirtbag Clothing. These companies have been a huge boost for my playing and my social media presence. These are great companies with great products and staff. 

Derek Lester Promo Photo
     Derek Lester's signature bare knuckled voice, rowdy stage antics, and hard hammering bass make him a perennial bad-ass. He is currently working on solo projects and often sits in sessions with the group Raised on Dirt. 

Derek Lester Performing Live

Be sure to check out Derek on Social Media:

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Snapchat:

rocknbassist

Hashtag: 

#KyRockNRoll

Lucy