Lee Bains is a songwriter and poet from Birmingham, Alabama, who has released four studio albums of what Rolling Stone calls “Southern gospel punk” since 2012. His most recent album, Old-Time Folks, released by Don Giovanni Records in 2022, explored stories of People’s movements in the Deep South to acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, and the Guardian. He has collaborated in live performance and on recordings with artists including Lonnie Holley, Moor Mother, Pussy Riot, and Algiers. After first having his poems published by The New Yorker in 2021, Lee will see his debut poetry collection, WORK LUNCH, published by Hub City Press in the fall of 2026. In addition to touring around the U.S. and Europe, Lee has lent his music to support striking coal miners, immigrants’ rights groups, abortion funds, and anti-racism organizations. He has performed and read at Emory University, the University of Mississippi, Tulane University, Auburn University, and The Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he works between tours as a handyman.

Photo Credit: Chad Cochran