Lee Presson and the Nails
Lee Presson and the Nails | |
|---|---|
 Lee Presson performs in California in 2007. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Swing |
| Years active | 1994–2004; 2006–present |
| Website | leepresson |
Lee Presson and the Nails is a swing band that formed in San Francisco in October 1994 during the late 1990s swing revival.
Formation and awards[]
With a five-piece horn section, the band differentiated itself from other bands of the late '90s swing revival by their high-energy performances and sinister appearance of band leader Lee Presson. The San Francisco Chronicle described the band in 1996 by coining the term "goth swing."[citation needed] The band won a California Music Award (Bammie) in 1998 for Best Swing/Cabaret Act and an SF Weekly Award for Best Swing Band later that year.[1] Presson's (now ex) wife Leslie Presley often sang in the band.
The band temporarily disbanded in 2004 Lee Presson moved to Hollywood, where he played keyboard for the Oingo Boingo tribute band Dead Man's Party.[2]
Reunion[]
 | This section does not cite any sources. (January 2011) |
After a two-year hiatus, Lee Presson and the Nails performed a reunion show in San Francisco on 16 September 2006 at the DNA Lounge as part of the inaugural launching of The Hubba Hubba Revue, a San Francisco Burlesque and Variety show.[3] After more shows, Presson moved back to the Bay Area and soon LPN was back in full swing, so to speak.
In 2010, the band released Balls in Your Face, a download-only album of ballroom dance music.
In recent years, the band has found a new audience in the steampunk/dieselpunk community, headlining in 2012 at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in Santa Clara, CA in 2011, at Her Royal Majesty's Steampunk Symposium at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA from 2012 to 2015, and at Clockwork Alchemy in San Jose, CA from 2013 to 2018. They were also a headlining act at the first Steamstock music festival in Richmond, CA in 2013.
In 2019, they released a Halloween-themed album entitled Last Request.
Discography[]
- Jump-Swing from Hell: Live at the Hi-Ball Lounge (Hep Cat, 1998)
- Swing is Dead (Hep Cat, 1999)
- Playing Dirty: LPN Live at the Derby (LPN Enterprises, 2000)
- El Bando En Fuego! (LPN, 2002)
- Balls in Your Face (LPN, 2010)
- Last Request (LPN, 2019)
References[]
- ^ "SF Weekly's Wammies '98". sfweekly.com.
- ^ "Lee Presson". Dead Man's Party. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ "Flyer for Sat, 16 Sep 2006". DNA Lounge. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- Vale, V. (1998). Swing! The New Retro Renaissance. San Francisco, California: V/Search Publications. p. 224. ISBN 1-889307-02-5.
- Yanow, Scott (2000). Swing. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. p. 473. ISBN 0-87930-600-9.
External links[]
 | This article on a United States jazz band is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Swing revival ensembles
- American swing musical groups
- Musical groups established in 1994
- Musical groups disestablished in 2004
- Musical groups reestablished in 2006
- Musical groups from San Francisco
- 1994 establishments in California
- Jazz musicians from San Francisco
- United States jazz musical group stubs