Lee Koch carries a worldly, well-worn humbleness that is both captivating and refreshing, alluding to an era when pop music was used to express the depths of an artist’s soul. Lee’s newest album Whole Heart bears the gift of a voice brimming with honesty, full of youthful hopefulness and ambition. Growing up in the Inland Empire of Southern California, Lee Koch came of age with the radio dialed into the Golden Oldies. He soaked in the great music of Motown and the gritty voices of 60’s Rock, humbly crafting his own honest songs while developing his rootsy croon. After finishing high school Lee cut his teeth playing harmonica and singing at blues clubs along the coast of Southern California. He moved to Ventura and released his first record, Same As Blood, in 2009. A debut that moved Surfer Magazine senior writer Gabe Sullivan to declare “It’s a rare treat to discover music that gives you goose bumps and inspire you to be a better person. The first musician who made me feel this way was Ben Harper. Now it’s Lee Koch.” Koch became a fixture at Ventura venues where locals began to gravitate to his alluring live performances and gave him reason to call it his musical home. After an invite from a mutual friend in the music industry, he found his way onto the second season of NBC’s The Voice with a rendition of “Like A Rolling Stone”. Koch walked away with encouraging words from all coaches, including Adam Levine describing his voice as “Otherworldly”. Marching on towards a newfound audience, Lee began touring and crowd funding, pouring himself into the recordings for Whole Heart; a record that proves his worth as both a strong new voice in the current folk revival and a craftsmen-like troubadour in the vein of Ray LaMontagne. Same As Blood producer Jesse Siebenberg provides a clean and unobtrusive space for Lee’s dynamics, holding everything down with sparse arrangements and power point drumming. “Shining On Me,” echoes the country gospel of Ben Harper while the inflections of “Trusty Branch” conjure up the endearing simplicity of Amos Lee. Whether he is professing his passionate faith or barreling into a barn stomper with machine gun lyrics, Lee’s performances are imbued with artistry and integrity. Taking inspiration from his true love and marriage, to his brush with fame, the extensive traveling to rediscovering his love of performing, his new collection of songs is a poignant and encompassing work that is intended to move your Whole Heart. www.leekochmusic.com www.instagram.com/freefrommisery www.twitter.com/LEEKOCHMUSIC