Scrabbel [rank: 566] based on users subscribed

"Scrabbel was formed in 1999 by two old high school friends Dan Lee and Becky Barron. On the strength of their debut show in 2000 at a sold out event for the San Francisco Intl' Asian American Film Festival, they were approached by a label to record a record. They released their first full length in 2001 on Kittridge Records. The music was full of imagination and incorporated unconventional instruments such as a Speak n Spell. The self titled CD was rated 4 out of 5 stars in the All Music Guide and the SF Weekly's review called it 'a Sgt. Pepper's for the twee set'.

In 2002, the duo split up, but Dan Lee continued to work under the name Scrabbel. Highly influenced by all things '65 to '75, Dan drew upon his love for bands like the Beatles, Love, the Who, the Zombies, Bowie, and T Rex to create the follow up. He took time off in 2003 to become the keyboard player for The Aislers Set, and toured extensively around the US and Europe. In between tours, Dan worked hard writing new songs and building a new live band to perform as Scrabbel.

The new recordings sought the help of guest musicians: Alicia Vanden Heuval (Aislers Set), Pete Nguyen (Total Shutdown), and Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor). But the most important change was the addition of Hellen Jo, whose cello is featured throughout the CD. Released by Three Ring Records in 2005, the follow up CD, titled 1909, is leaps and bounds beyond the first record. The music embodies new arrangements to accompany the standard guitar, bass, and drums lineup. There are 808 beats, clarinet, and of course, cello and violin to add a unique layer of texture to these songs. Every song promises to be different from the last, but still manages to be a cohesive collection of songs that make up the new album, 1909."

[reproduced or excerpted from band website linked above]

Bandega Interview with Dan Lee of Scrabbel (October 2008)

Dan Lee's got some serious fingerskate skillz.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: The shows have gotten better and better as time goes on. The band has been the same group of friends for a while now, so the comfort level has been great. My personal perspective hasn't changed much. I'm really comfortable playing music in front of people. It's the singing and between song stuff that is hard. I wish that I could be more of a "front" guy, but I'm not one for between-song banter. I'm not opposed to it...I just suck at it.

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: Just the other night we played at Cafe du Nord for our friend's record release party. It was a sold-out event, and it was just amazing to be a part of. It was a family affair. Lots of friends in the audience, and we played a great show. Plus I got to sit in on Goh's set and play a few songs with him and his band.

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: I suppose the Rickshaw Stop and Cafe du Nord can be considered home, but we've had the pleasure of playing in alot of the SF venues like Bimbo's, the Independent, Bottom of the Hill, etc. I've played at the Great American Music Hall with The Aislers Set, but not yet with Scrabbel. I'm sure we'll play there sometime when the album comes out.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: That's hard to narrow down...memorable moments that pop into my head: Radiohead at the Civic Center, The Jesus and Mary Chain in San Diego, Blur for the Leisure Tour, The Stone Roses in LA (although that also sucked because the drummer had quit by that point). It seems like my version of a British Invasion. I love watching Deerhoof perform...The Shins in NYC...I just saw Ratatat last night at The Fillmore, that was a fun night.

Q: What's the latest on your upcoming album?
A: It's coming. Just a few more songs to finish up. It's starting to really take shape. My song writing comes in little batches of 3 or 4 songs at a time. There's no title or artwork yet though.

Q: Also, the video for the first single from it, "Emily, I" features some crazy dangerous fingerskate tricks. What kind of training was necessary for that and were there any injuries?
A: Funny that you ask about training, because I actually did do some research. I was a skater back in the day, so I had that going into it, but to transpose it to my fingers, I did a You Tube search for "finger skating" and "finger breakdancing" to get some ideas. If you check out those videos, then you will see who really has skillz. I actually built a little half-pipe, but those scenes never made it to the final cut.

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