Avery Lee & the Sweeties

Avery Lee (they/them) is a dynamic singer-songwriter from Fayetteville, AR, known for their sharp lyricism and commanding stage presence. As the lead vocalist of The Phlegms, a beloved Northwest Arkansas post-punk band with five EPs, a new single and full length album coming out in July. Lee has shared stages with Shame, Protomartyr, Mannequin Pussy, Hawthorne Heights, and Calvin Johnson. Their songwriting challenges societal norms, urging audiences to rethink gender roles, expectations, and the quiet pressures of conformity.

Now fronting Avery Lee and the Sweeties, Lee channels the psychological weight of these themes through a fusion of folk storytelling and the infectious energy of '90s pop-country. Their music is an outright rejection of gendered expectations and the disenfranchisement of the working class. Through raw, unflinching lyricism, Lee dismantles the culture of politeness, smallness, and shame ingrained in the Midsouth—inviting listeners to do the same.

Fayetteville, AR

Onstage, their presence is both stern and inquisitive, verging on confrontational. The band's sound is a delicate dance between softness and intensity, blending gentle folk melodies with punk-inspired grit. Guitar riffs echo the soulful twang of a pedal steel, creating a sonic landscape that is as emotionally resonant as it is dynamic.

With a voice that moves between vulnerability and defiance, Avery Lee continues to carve out a space where music becomes both a protest and a call to action.