By Amanda Helfrich

At first listen, you would assume the heavy beat and smooth sounds of an Arthur Lee Land track were crafted by a group of creative instrumentalists. But the source of the music is actually a one-man-band genius, who is scheduled to return to Cape for an upcoming show.


Arthur's musical interest began when he was only 5 years old. He would tap out beats on his first drum set, and went on to pick up the guitar in his early teenage years. His talents first landed him in various country bands before his vision pushed him toward a recording career. “Lessons of the Heart,” his first official, major album, was released by Arthur Lee & The Next Step.

Years later, Arthur’s diverse musical talent continued to flourish. Today he is known for his unique “on-the-fly” live looping-the art of recording and repeating a short section of sound to create a seamless performance. Forms of looping were first used in recording tracks in the early 1960’s. Today, musicians use digital devices to achieve the popular effect that is well known among many famous artists. Arthur says he combines the gift of looping with eclectic influences of Folk Rock, World Beat and Bluegrass to create a new genre he calls ‘Afrograss Folk Rock’.

“I do mostly original music, with a couple of my unique Afrograss Folktronica arrangements of classic cover songs,” said Land. “People can expect to be thoroughly entertained, engaged and hopefully feeling the joy.”

Fans can catch a sneak peek of his upcoming album “Cracked Open” at Rude Dog Pub in Cape Girardeau on Thursday, September 29th, 2011. The album is expected to be released in early 2012 and will feature original tracks written by Land and his co-writer and wife, Carol Lee.

“This is the album I’ve been wanting to make for years,” said Arthur. “I’ve been able to loop in the studio and play all the instruments and collaborate on arrangements.”

For more information about Arthur Lee Land visit the official website at www.arthurleeland.com