Plainfield resident Connor Lee to perform first solo show at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

Those who have attended open mic nights at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe in Plainfield on a regular basis knows that Plainfield resident Connor Lee writes songs with captivating melodies, such as his song "The Cardinal Song."

The 19-year-old college student will perform his first solo show at 3 p.m. March 23 at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe, located at 16108 Illinois Route 59, Plainfield.

I had the chance to talk to Lee about the upcoming show.

Q – So you must be pretty excited about your upcoming solo show at Black Dog Vinyl Cafe.

Yeah, it is awesome. There's a lot of camaraderie at the open mic nights. It's a really good vibe.

Q – So how long have you been a musician?

I started playing guitar about four years ago. I got really into music after seeing the Nirvana exhibit in Seattle.

I don't know why, but I just connected with Kurt Cobain immediately. But I really didn't sing or perform until recently.

My first open mic was last December. I kind of kept a lot to myself.

I would write stuff for fun and just kind of keep it in my phone for a couple of years. So now that I'm starting to perform my own music, I'm putting those lyrics to melodies.

Q – Are you inspired by any bands in particular?

I got into Bright Eyes this year and it really resonated with me with how Conor Oberst writes songs. And I listen to singer-songwriters like Elliot Smith and Phoebe Bridgers.

And that's kind of what sparked me to start performing, finding musicians that sounded like what I could do. My favorite artists are Nirvana, Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins, but I don't necessarily write music like that.

Q – So Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith and Phoebe Bridgers kind of inspire you.

Yeah, especially with the songs I've been writing lately. But I'm all over the board with what I listen to. 

Q – What inspires you to write a song?

I definitely will write in reaction to emotions. I'm not going to sit down for no reason and write something necessarily.

At least lyric wise. Sometimes if I'm just sitting in a room and my guitar is nearby, I just have that urge to pick it up and play something.

But as far as actually flushing out a song, it's definitely stuff I'm going through or thinking about at the time. Or even reminiscing about.

Q – What inspired you to write "The Cardinal Song"?

Honestly, it was just literally dreams that I had, which is why that's in the lyrics. It was kind of written in fragments. 

I remember waking up and having a dream that someone passed away and someone asked me to sing a song at their funeral. And that became a verse.

 

And then the part about seeing your breath in the freezing air, I was just walking home from the train and I saw my breath in the air. I thought that was a cool phrase and I just kind of typed that into my phone and used it.

It was just kind of like fragments of different dreams. And a cardinal is a symbol of a passed away loved one. So I wanted to use that.