We recently connected with Linda & Jason Lee and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Linda & Jason thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Linda from the Cyclones band here, I’ll be sharing the Cyclones story, through my point of view. We are blessed to be able to live in Volusia County. It is very live-music friendly. We are able to play four to five nights a week and make a living here. How did we make it happen? Jason and I were both independent musicians when we met in 2017 We just really clicked and started working together. I asked him to join me for duo shows and I joined his band. We each did well on our own, but are so much better together.
As far as “our music” goes, you can look up, “The Legendary Cyclones” on your favorite streaming platforms and hear our EPs. We have songs about cars and cruising in the Rockabilly style, and others that are about looking forward to better days and never giving up.
We tailor each show to the event and audience. We are a very versatile group. We can provide ambient music in a restaurant environment, with our laid back acoustic solo or duo; or bring up to a 7 piece band and keep a dance floor filled the whole night through. It really just depends the needs of the client. And because of that, we are able to keep a full schedule.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
So how we got started: I have played guitar and sang for many years, but never professionally. Everything changed when I was waiting tables and cooking at Peanuts in New Smyrna Beach. I would always be singing along with the bands or the radio and the owners heard me, and gave me a chance to start an open jam on Sunday Nights. That was way back in 2013, and the “Nuthouse Jam” is still going strong.
It took me a while to get established in music full-time. I started out by hosting a weekly open jam, a couple open mics and performed in other projects, mostly solo and duo shows. Through hosting the open mics, I met and learned from many talented musicians along the way. It happened organically. In the beginning I kept my regular job, but as I scheduled more gigs, I eventually got down to cooking one day a week. And in the beginning of 2015, I was able to become fully self-employed. By the time that I met Jason Lee, I was well established in the area and working with him brought even more new venues and opportunities.
Jason has been in the music business since the 1990s. He started in Pittsburgh, PA and spent seven years on the road with a touring band. After that he moved to Georgia and opened his first music store. He stayed in Georgia around 20 years, ran 3 stores in total. He continued to performed as a solo artist or with his band. When he decided to get out of the retail side of music, he sold everything and moved to Florida in 2017, he traveled around for quite a while, performing all over the state until he decided to settle in New Smyrna Beach. He too, started out by hosting an open jam in Daytona Beach and performed around the area with his three piece rockabilly band, Jason Lee and the Cyclones. In the beginning of 2018, Jason came in to perform at my jam, when I heard him sing, I immediately joined him on stage. We’ve been making music together ever since. (That’s the short story.) Our voices blend well and I was able to effortlessly harmonize with him. Playing together just made sense.
So I guess to answer the question about how it began. It was through the open jams. If someone wants to get started out in the music industry. Jams and open mics are a great place to meet and fellowship with other musicians. That is the best place to get tips on who is hiring where. It’s what started it all for this chapter of the Cyclones.
Our show now, verses when we started six years ago, has really evolved. In the beginning we were primarily focused on our original music and the rockabilly/oldies theme. We still love to dress up and play that style of music, and still offer that show for sock hops and events. Over time, we have gone beyond just that genre, we play many different styles of music, from many different eras. Most places we play are in a relaxed restaurant environment, often we are right on the water or other cool outdoor spaces. So far we have played at at marinas, beachside, riverside, pool side, hotels, resorts, camp grounds, cruise-ships, corporate events, private homes, patios, beer gardens, even up in a treehouse. We encourage people to make requests; often we know their songs, but if we don’t, we try to find something close. If a song or artist keeps getting requested, we go home and learn. We are constantly expanding our song list. We are flexible and tailor our show to the audience. We never want to play the exact same show twice. It’s always unscripted, free-flowing and fun.
And yes, we have had challenges, the biggest being working through a global pandemic, then surviving a hurricane with a flood and now various medical challenges for both of us. I don’t know that we could have sped up the process. We do the best that we can. We show up. Life just flows and we navigate through it. We’re always moving forward. We are always learning. We practice and consistently hone our craft to come up with new songs and ideas.
Looking back, I wish that I would have started sooner and had the confidence and the knowhow to begin my music career at a younger age. I also wish that Jason and I had crossed paths sooner. But our story is just as it is meant to be, and we are happy to have found each other. We’re Gen X, Jason was born in 67 and me, 71. We are watching the world change around us, as we constantly adapt. Jason says that he never thought that he would need to set up a router and use a tablet/computer as a PA to play music. We choose to remain joyful as we navigate this life and often muse about what is coming next. We choose to keep a positive focus in this crazy world and do our best to lift the spirits of others through our craft.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
What is most rewarding? We don’t have to punch a clock. We make our own schedule and only book events that reflect our vibe. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into entertaining. It’s definitely not all about the stage, but that part is glorious.
We play at a lot of amazing venues and events. For example, being on stage at a place like JB’s Fish Camp, we are in nature, we get to watch dolphins jump, and see people rocking out on the deck and from their boats. There are American flags flying, and the sunsets are magical. It’s easy to count ones blessings.
What is the saying? “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” It’s just like that. We always joke that the singing part is free, it’s the setting up and tearing down, of the gear, that we charge money for. We work on our terms. It is worth every bit of hard work that we have to do behind the scenes.
We keep our instruments in reach at home, so there is a lot of impromptu jamming. Our Livingroom doesn’t have a couch or entertainment center. It’s a place for music.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Life as a whole has been one long lesson in being resilient. We got married in 2019 and immediately after, turmoil started in our government. Then 2020, I know that I don’t have to explain that. After the initial 40 days of quarantining at home, we went right back to work. People would often come to Florida over the next couple years with the need to breathe deep the salt air and relax and have a break from the stress that comes with all things “global pandemic”. We would do our best to lift people up and help them to unwind and enjoy their time here.
Once everything was almost back to normal, we had hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022. The bay across the street came into our house and we flooded. It took quite some time to rebuild our home. But we did, and we kept playing music, every step of the way. All of this time I was struggling with health issues. I was severely anemic and had a hysterectomy in late spring 2023. I was down for a couple months, Jason stepped up and did all of our duo shows as a solo, or with other band members sitting in. The guys totally covered for me and I was able to heal well and fully recover. I am happy to report that as of January 2024, I am no-longer anemic!! It’s a big deal, as I have my strength back.
In January 2024, Jason Lee had carpal-tunnel surgery on his left hand. He had lost feeling in his fingers, and that was making guitar playing really difficult for him. It was scary, but the surgery turned out to be a great success. I was able to step up and play our duo shows as a solo. It’s a beautiful thing because we are able to have each other’s back. So mid February, he was back full time and his hand is great, and we exhaled. We had a very busy bike week schedule that March, and then life turned again.
Jason had a heart attack at our weekly Sunday evening jam. He ended up getting two stents as he was only getting 20% flow to his main pulmonary artery. It was a difficult and scary time, but our community rallied around us and we made it through, yet again. It’s been one long journey these past five years. We have a song, “Giving Up Ain’t In Me”. It’s the truth. We don’t know how to give up, we just keep showing up. We are always in forward motion, counting our blessings as we go.
We have spent a lot of time and resources on helping our community. We love to help and take part and help organize a lot of benefits. It is quite the lesson, when the script flips and you become the recipient of help. It is humbling and beautiful and hard to take, but amazing at the same time.
I will say that people in our community are so kind. If you look for good, you will find it. We are super thankful for our friends who gave donations, Craig and Jana from Classic Cars on Canal, our Mayor Fred and his wife Amy, and Susan, Penny and everyone from Smyrna Cares, “Thank you for all of your help!”
We are still getting things in order with Jason’s teeth. It turns out that his heart attack was caused by infection in his mouth. He had a root canal that went bad and was infected for a very long time, and even after seeing an endodontist and having it opened up and treated, it failed and became infected again. Having that infection in his body for so long was the cause of his heart problems. He had that tooth pulled last month. He still needs a few more teeth treated and we are actively raising money for that. We have been donated a guitar, and Jason has fixed it and made it look and play beautifully. We will be raffling it off and hopefully that will bring in enough.
We don’t know what the future holds, but I know that together we can face it. It sounds cliche but it’s the truth.
I know that much of this last bit was deeply personal. And even thought it might be over-sharing, but it’s the truth. It’s life in the raw. We want to be real and open. Hopefully us sharing our story will be an encouragement for others to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cyclonesnsb.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclonesnsb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CyclonesNSB/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyaW9Pd2x-i0xDM_bvcE-SA?view_as=subscriber
- Other: spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IbrrhWuVppcxo2nlA3xTt
