This week, WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt celebrated the New Year–and her 15th anniversary as the host of Kaleidoscope–by interviewing folk singer and songwriter Scott Lee. Lee released a new album, Junk Drawer Dimes, on January 6, 2024. As part of the interview, he performed songs from the album on acoustic guitar, and spoke with Juliet about revisiting pieces he originally wrote over a decade ago for the release. Lee also talked about working with producer Jesse Henry to record the album, and about his upcoming full-band performances with Scott Lee and the Wanderers.
Junk Drawer Dimes represents a return to recording for Scott Lee; it’s his first full-length release since his 2018 album, Self Reflections, and follows what he called a pandemic “lull” in writing. He said his inspiration to make the new album coincided with a major life event: his marriage. He told Juliet,
“At my bachelor party in 2022, I was jamming with my friends and was playing a bunch of old songs I hadn't played in a while. And somewhere out of my mind came, ‘Junk Drawer Dimes—I should make an album with some old songs that I never did anything with!’ And then I wrote the title track and a couple of other songs. That's kind of the idea—some old songs just mixed with some new.”
Lee’s plan was to record several new songs alongside a set of tracks he penned in 2012 and 2013, but never recorded. “They kind of just got tucked in the junk drawer and waited for a rainy day,” he said. Many of the songs were unfinished or unpolished. To complete the album, he enlisted the help of Columbus musician and producer Jesse Henry, who also performed at Lee’s wedding in 2022. “He’s a brilliant musician,” Lee said. “I saw his band, The Spike Drivers, at Miami Valley Music Fest in 2011, and I’ve been a fan ever since.”
Junk Drawer Dimes reflects upon Scott Lee’s place in the roots music tradition—both the national tradition created by icons like Hank Wiliams, and the personal tradition of being born into a family of folk musicians. Lee talked about how Henry helped him rework his unreleased 2013 song “Coming of Tomorrow Sun” into a duet, which he performs on the album with Columbus vocalist Margo Edge. He explained why the song’s lead guitar part has a special emotional significance for him:
“The lead guitar is [played by] my uncle Bob, and he's playing on my Papa's 1960 Gibson Country Western that he would never let anybody touch.... My papa just passed away in November, so it’s really special to have a piece of him in there. He was a bluegrass singer and he kind of got me into folk music and playing old time-y music.”
Scott Lee ended the interview by performing two songs from the new album, a Hank Williams-inspired cautionary tale called “Good Looks Can’t Hide Crazy for Long,” and the title track, “Junk Drawer Dimes.” The chorus of the latter song captures the album’s theme of redemption:
Junk drawer dimes shining like diamonds
Lord known why they’re tossed away
For when they’re discovered they’ll shine like no other
As they see the light of day
Scott Lee held an album release show for Junk Drawer Dimes on Saturday, January 6, at Natalie’s in Grandview. The show featured guests Jesse Henry and Kayla Powers, as well as Lee’s old band, The Whiskey River Boys. His next performance will take place on March 1st at the Park Street Tavern in Columbus. To learn more about Scott Lee’s upcoming shows and releases, follow him on Facebook. Junk Drawer Dimes is available on all major streaming platforms.
Text by Peter Day, adapted from a live interview recorded by Juliet Fromholt on January 3, 2024.
