Evan Lee is a Fine Arts graduate whose outlets for artistic expression include
painting, drawing, photography, and playing in a band called Orphan.
“We have parents,” Lee says, “but the name comes from our cultural situation
and the music we play, which is a hybrid of many different musical forms.”
While acknowledging their cultural roots — Lee is Chinese-Canadian and fellow
Arts student and band member Mohamed Somani was born in Sweden to Indo-African
parents — Orphan freely mixes any number of cultural influences.
This can include incorporating Latin text read by a computer-synthesized voice
to the influence of today’s experimental music from Japan.
“We may have multicultural backgrounds, but we see no reason to flaunt it
or refer to a specific heritage. As artists, our cultural viewpoint is very
broad. Look at Mohamed. His background is so diverse you can’t pinpoint it at
all.”
Lee isn’t interested in pursuing a musical career. The band has limited itself
to playing at parties, art exhibit openings and recording cassettes for friends.
So what is their music like?
“It’s obnoxious, that’s what everybody says,” admits Lee, who adds that the
nearest description of their sound is experimental or improvisational. “There’s
a lot of yelling and screaming. Sometimes we sing.”
Now that he’s completed his bachelor’s degree, graduating at the top of his
class, Lee plans to go to graduate school and further his study of art.
