Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Lee and Renee Edd.
Michael and Renee , can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to Houston from Los Angeles, after Disney hired me to produce a local talk show in Houston. Since I had been a huge 80s fan in LA- and followed many notable 80s cover bands on the Strip and in Santa Monica, I had a strong passion to bring that wave of music to H-Town.
I teamed up with a drummer- Hash Patel- who was also a stand up comic- and his agent hooked us up with a great keyboard player, Andrew Richardson. As we looked to add more members, lead singer Renee Edd came to audition with us by performing “Photograph” by Def Leppard. It was a match made in 80s rock-n-roll heaven! However, Hash got an offer to move to LA, where I had just come from. We ended up trading places in a sense because today he is still in LA chasing parts, while I’m still in Houston rocking clubs! The Lost Boys found a new drummer and eventually a bass player…and we burst onto the scene with a blockbuster following in 2005. We helped open a popular club in Midtown called Pub Fiction, where we became the band in residence for the next four years. We played to jam-packed crowds….literally stretching blocks around the corner every Thursday night. Sports celebrities and touring stars all came out to celebrate the 80s with us every Thursday.
Even the Houston Astros, after losing their first World Series being swept by the Chicago White Sox, could not resist visiting our classic 80s night, with catcher Brad Ausmus coming out to party with us the very next night after the sweep. Since those early days, our band’s sound has evolved into covering just about every 80s song you can imagine- and much, much more, including tunes from the 90s and today. We’ve undergone different changes in personnel, but the core of Andrew, Renee, and myself remain a constant after 15 years and counting. These days we play large special events in all corners of the Houston community- and we are frequently found at the House of Blues -Houston as well as hip hangouts in H-Town’s The Heights district. We still love the 80s and show it every time we take the stage. I think that’s why Houston still loves us so much!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve had huge challenges just like any band….naturally, sometimes there are personalities that clash or creative differences. But our core group has lasted this long because we truly are like family and have been through so many things together. It seems like people go through relationships, breakups, and the works- but the band is the one thing that still stands today. We know what it’s like to play a packed arena and to open for national acts like A Flock of Seagulls, but we also know what it’s like to play in a creepy place in the middle of nowhere that some booking agent sent us to. We’ve always made the best of it no matter where we are- and it’s made for some fun, unforgettable wild experiences along the way. There was also the time our original bass player almost got in a fight with the bar manager at a joint, and that wasn’t too pretty. Being in a band is like becoming a creature of the night- and there’s a whole sordid underbelly of the nightlife scene some people never see. And believe me, they are lucky because you don’t want to see it all!
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
We are a five-piece cover band focusing on the hits of the 80s, but also we do a lot of hits from the 70s, 90s, and even today. We specialize in sounding as close to the original artists as we possibly can. Some of the great compliments we’ve gotten from audiences are that they believe we sound just like the hits on the radio. One time at the House of Blues, a stage manager commented Cindi Lauper had just played there three weeks earlier, and they felt Renee sounded even better than her on ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” We all take turns singing lead within our respective vocal ranges, and when Renee and I team up to do ‘Love Shack,’ we’ve had people believe we used to be in The B-52s. It’s very special to receive those kinds of compliments, but we work very hard to put on an incredible show just as the original artists did!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think our success comes from each show we perform- and the amount of passion we put into it. In rock-n-roll, you’re only as good as your next gig. We never forget that, and we never stop working to make each show the best it can be – regardless of any obstacles we may have to overcome at any given time. Our drummer- Steve Bundrick – was just a victim of a heinous robbery at a convenience store a few weeks ago. He received a proclamation from his city council member for his heroics in chasing the robbers out of the store. But he also was struck by the getaway car and suffered 17 staples in the back of his head, after it split open and knocked him unconscious in the parking lot. Still, the show must go on… and just weeks later, Steve is back in the drummer’s chair and ready to rock the world! That’s the kind of musicians we are!
Contact Info:
- Address: 10214 Georgibelle Dr
Houston, TX 77043 - Website: www.TheLostBoysBand.com
- Phone: 310-650-8775
- Email: bookings@thelostboysband.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lostboysbandhtx
- Facebook: facebook.com/lostboysband
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