Leo James Conroy Debut EP PLASTIC CHAIRS & CIGARETTE FUMES Out Tomorrow

Los Angeles-based, England-bred musician Leo James Conroy will release his debut EP, Plastic Chairs & Cigarette Fumes, tomorrow on Alternative Fidelity, with a West Hollywood celebratory performance tonight at the Peppermint Club, 9pm.

Plastic Chairs... is the result of a harrowing year spent in and out of hospital fighting kidney failure. Conroy would hit the studio whenever he was out, with artist/producer Lyell Evans Roeder, mustering the energy to lay down performances with an indefatigable spirit. The collection is a stunning showcase of powerhouse vocals, inventive arrangements, and supreme musicianship, equally driven by spontaneous, ecstatic performances and deliberate, precise craftsmanship. Plastic Chairs is an intoxicating blend of bluesy soul and jazz-tinged folk, all filtered through the sensitive heart of a deeply emotional songwriter. It's the work of someone who's put their entire life in the hands of their art.

Leo's first exposure to music came from his classically trained grandfather. Conroy took up the trumpet and joined brass bands before attending music school. An introduction to Jeff Buckley's Grace as a teenager changed all that. Conroy hung up his horn and decided to sing. Busking on the streets of York, an American tourist found herself so taken with his music that she offered to fly him to the U.S. to tour for the very first time, and it was on that fateful trip that Conroy met the love of his life. A long-distance courtship ensued, and he soon found himself married and living full-time in Los Angeles.

An introduction to Roeder led to an instant musical connection. Little did the pair know that they were about to embark on a yearlong odyssey that would push Conroy to the brink and back. But with his health finally on the mend, Conroy has already begun gleefully returning to the stage, where he feels most like himself and shines the brightest. Every day out of the hospital is a gift, and music makes it all the sweeter. After all, it was the promise of completing these songs and sharing them with the world that got Conroy through the darkest stretch of his life, and he hopes they just might do the same for you.