The man behind Ace Noface says the title of his debut album, Toxic Charm, refers to the lure others have to his sickness — or at least one of them.
You'll find yourself falling under its spell, with what is a compelling CD on many levels.
This 10-track CD, is part of the swath of music that seeks to deliver a message — with a great sound — above everything else. When a person's major life changes are put to music, there's no telling what might happen. Everyone has a different approach. And reasons for laying it on the line are as wide as the questions of beginning, middle, end. Lee, aka Ace, has a few reasons for wanting to do so.
"Toxic Charm refers to the intoxicating attractiveness bipolar people like me exude in the hypomanic states," Lee says. "Toxic charm has been the force behind many an interesting first date for me."
This album may not hit all emotional spots right away. It'll get to third base with you though, soon enough, as your appreciation for the music and its achievement grows.
The difference for creator and listener in these situations is that the person living it has no mortal choice at the time but to go on. You do have a choice to relive it all with them. Pick a time when you want to be reflective about the big picture, however, and you'll get more from this prickly but wonderful album.
The basic truth here is that the CD might never have happened if Lee hadn't had a lot of his choices taken away. In 2005 he learned he was living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It has no known cure.
"Gonna learn how to forget it, cause I gotta.' Gonna live with being desperate, 'cause I gotta," he sings on "Gotta."
A former bassist for a Michigan-based indie band, Lee had familiarity with music. He soon learned it wasn't nearly enough to reach the one significant goal of making a CD. So he went back to college to learn music theory, lyric writing, and even how to become a small businessman musician.
Article comments
1 - Janet
To Temple: This is an excellent review of "Toxic Charm" by Ace Noface. It includes details about Ace's life and work that even his family members didn't know. Ace is our hero! Thanks, J.
2 - Temple Stark
Thanks very much. There's so much going on here. Surprising, but I'm glad I could fill in some details. I like to dig deeply when the soil is rich.
T
3 - El Bicho
what the? I thought someone must have commented on an old article. welcome back
4 - Joanie
Five years after the diagnosis of ALS is surely a testimony not just to his doctors, but to this man's will. It's a slow, horrible way to go, unless you have a sense of humor. Then it's just a slow, horrible way to go while you're busy living and laughing. (You can thank my former ALS patient, James, for that one.)
I listened several times to the music on Lee's site and I've since passed the link on to 1) a new online guitar mag (figured they'd get it even though it's piano-based), 2) a punk rocker with a heart of gold, and 3) one of Santa's helpers.
I hope there's an interview to go with this, T. If not, wanna road trip this one? I'll go with you!
5 - margaret
your music and strength are inspiring!
my brother also suffers from this disease, but in the beginning, denied acknowledging it, until he was forced to see. he the then lashed out all all around him, but we did not leave. we stood together, our family unit, showing a united front of love. my brother now accepts our love and our help, and i believe cherishes it. his body has failed him, but his mind is as sharp as a tack! we know he is on the road to another place, but he allows us to hold his hand, and that is enough...
best wishes to you and your family!