Khalid Malik
Lee Cleaveland, (21), sets up for his first headlining performance at The Loft in Downtown Lansing.
Khalid Malik
Inspired by blues and folk music, Cleaveland incorporates both acoustic and electric guitars into his performance. Various guitar pedals allow him to achieve his desired sound.
Khalid Malik
Cleaveland has been writing music since he was in high school. His musical ideas didn’t match bands he was playing in, so he pursued his solo career under his own name.
Khalid Malik
Cleaveland’s first headlining show brings in a sizeable crowd of friends, family, and fans.
Khalid Malik
Cleaveland’s guitar technique is known has “Hendrix Style,” named after left-handed guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Essentially, he plays a right-handed guitar as a lefty. Cleaveland cites Hendrix as the main influence on his playing style and technique.
Khalid Malik
Cleaveland enjoys wowing people with spectacular skills and unique technique. “I don’t care what people think or how they see me, because I know I can do whatever I want to do.”
Lee Cleaveland is a singularity.
He is an emerging artist in the Lansing music scene, already a household name in the East Lansing co-op movement and has played venues throughout Lansing.
Born in the Detroit metro area, Cleaveland started playing trumpet in the third grade. Thanks to his mother’s love for music, he played throughout middle school and high school, jumping from band to band as his sound evolved.
Cleaveland, found himself in a difficult situation when he wanted to learn guitar during his high school years. He was born without much of his left arm, so a standard guitar grip didn’t work. So he used a left-handed grip to play his mother’s right handed ’74 Stella Harmony. He strums so hard with his left limb that it sometimes bleeds.
Now he is looking to take the next big step. After recently headlining his first concert, he is ready to become a regular of the Lansing music scene in the hope to expand his brand even further.