Cactus Lee is an Austin-based musician named Kevin Dehan. He has a tireless devotion to songcraft, his sound featuring melancholy, ornate arrangements akin to the likes of Gene Clark or Townes Van Zandt. Caravan is the new Cactus Lee album on Org Music and Aquarium Drunkard; its influences are culled from generation-spanning sounds of quintessentially Texas music, but it is the most sonically expansive version of the project yet.
The record marks a clear evolution from Dehan’s homespun beginnings, showcasing the payoff of months of persistent and passionate weekly performances and time spent lovingly in the studio. ”I used to listen to Cactus Pryor on KLBJ on the morning drive to school with my Dad. I thought he was interesting and always funny. I read that his Dad owned a theater called the Cactus Theater someplace in Texas, and once he started getting into show business, people called him Cactus.
I wanted a moniker for this group; that way, it looked more shiny. So I thought if I am calling it something, I may as well call it something I think is very cool. It’s memorable and fits the bill.
Singer songwriter Ryan Sambol was born in New Jersey and raised in Texas. He’s been writing and performing music for the past 20 years, beginning with the early success of his high school band ‘Strange Boys’ and continuing on to a prolific solo career. While performing across America and Europe Ryan has cultivated a uniquely
intimate and poetic songwriting style. Often spontaneous on stage and understated on record he continues to explore what can be expressed within the confines of a simple song.