Singer-songwriter Amos Lee in concert July 6 at the Southern Theatre

CAPA welcomes Amos Lee, an American singer-songwriter blending folk, rock, and soul in his music, to the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.) stage on Saturday, July 6. Hailing from Philadelphia, Lee is touring in support of his 11th studio album, Transmissions, on which Lee continues to expand his sonic range while sharpening his closely observed lyrics that squarely address death, aging, and love.

Tickets start at $39 and may be purchased beginning at 10 am Friday, March 15, at the CBUSArts Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.), online at www.capa.com or www.CBUSArts.com, and by phone at (614) 469-0939.

“There's a lot of existential stuff in these songs,” Lee says of Transmissions. “If you really listen to what's in between the lines, there's a lot of grappling with your place in the world, grappling with loss. There's a lot of grappling with the balance between bailing out the boat and rowing at the same time — the experience of writing music and playing songs while trying, as we all are right now, to make sense of a world that feels like it's changing really quickly.”

For the new project, he craved a return to an old-school style of recording, working with his longtime band in a studio in rural Marlboro, New York that was built by drummer Lee Falco and his dad out of reclaimed wood from an old church. Playing live on the floor for long hours, in close quarters, they were able to capture the album’s 12 songs in less than a week.

“I really wanted us to be all in the room, making music together, listening to each other and responding to each other,” says Lee. “In this age where you can do everything at home and fly it in, there’s something really beautiful about getting in a room and starting at the top, the drummer counting in the song and everybody just playing. I would call it vulnerability.”

Graduating with a degree in English from the University of South Carolina, Lee initially worked as a schoolteacher and bartender before embarking on his music career. Over the years, he has released eight albums and toured extensively, sharing the stage with renowned artists like Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon, among others. Lee's music has also graced the soundtracks of various TV shows and movies, and he has been featured on the PBS series Bluegrass Underground.

The last few years have been wildly productive for Philadelphia native Lee. After 2022’s Dreamland album (which featured “Worry No More,” a Top Ten AAA hit and his biggest single in over a decade), he followed up with two full-length projects paying homage to musical heroes—My Ideal: A Tribute to ‘Chet Baker Sings’ and Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams. Fresh off of some dates with Willie Nelson and heading into a co-headlining tour with the Indigo Girls, Amos Lee notes that his attitude about being embraced by his peers and his idols has transformed over the years, and that his gratitude deeply informs the emotions throughout Transmissions.

“I just appreciate everything a lot more now,” he says. “When you're younger, you get it, but you don't really get it… I was just sort of clueless, honestly. Not out of malice, but you have no context.

“So now I'm just grateful to have a career,” he continues. “I’m making sure to really enjoy and appreciate all these opportunities.”