2020 has been one heck of a year hasn’t it? We saw so many things this year it’s hard to even process all of it. I felt like the year started off strong. I had a lot of big dreams thought up for this year and had some big plans going into play. Then COVID-19 happened and everything went on the backburner. But I’m not going to let that bring me down.
Despite the hardships I experienced this year I am still optimistic about the next year to come. While I didn’t get to accomplish the goals, I set out for 2020, I am still proud of the things I was able to do.

Elon and the Hotrod Race

This year I released my first animated music video, Elon and the Hotrod Race. I had a lot of fun putting this together and it was the perfect project to squash the quarantine blues. The video is about a hotrod race between Stanford Lee and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The race was between Stanford’s American made muscle car and Musk’s technologically advanced electric car. There are a few twists as the race progresses and some interdimensional travel happens at some point. Production took about a month and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Songwriting and Album Development

While I was scheduled to release a full album this year, I decided to take this year long time out to delay the release and focus on the content. I have the songs to complete the album, however, I am taking my time to perfect and master the final tracks, and maybe even write a few more.

Stanford Lee Show

I launched my own YouTube series this year. The Stanford Lee Show first aired on Halloween night with a special performance of “Zombies of the Road” by Mark Simon of Kategory X. The show has released a new episode every week since and we have no intention of stopping. If you haven’t checked out the show yet, you definitely should because it’s a lot of fun and I do a special live performance at the end of each episode. Don’t forget to subscribe and turn on your notifications too so you can catch every episode.
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Next year will be a brand-new year and hopefully 2021 will be nicer than the last, but only time can tell. Regardless of what happens I don’t plan on giving up. Happy New Year folks!

Christmas is almost here! Are you ready? While you guys were marking off your Christmas shopping lists I’ve been busy putting together one of my own. The result culminated in an epic redneck fueled wish list that I conveniently put into song form. I showcased the song on my latest episode of the Stanford Lee Show and I couldn’t be happier with it. Make sure you check out the video, “Before Christmas Holiday Special – 12 Days of Hillbilly Bliss” and I’ll include the list below so you can sing along.

Stanford Lee’s Hillybilly Christmas List

1. Snakeskin boots
2. One nudie suit
3. A guitar swimming pool
4. One bowl of nachos
5. A twelve-pack of ale
6. One British amp
7. Six dancing girls
8. 2 shmeezy cats
9. A long Cadillac
10. 1 electric sitar
11. A golden guitar
12. And twelve days of hillbilly bliss
    

What else do you think belongs on this list? Leave your comments below and maybe I can use them for next year’s Christmas celebrations.

As for this Christmas, I still have one more holiday special under my belt. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube Channel and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss the final release, and trust me, you don’t want to miss this.
Christmas songs seem to be becoming a tradition for me. Last year I released “Awkward Christmas” and we had a blast filming the music video. We didn’t have the fancy-schmancy film crew like we did this year, but boy did we have fun. We recruited Ashcraft Studio’s Rebecca Lennex as a cameraman and her daughter was featured as our mischievous elf. It was weird buying so many Christmas decorations since we celebrate Hannukah, but it was fun festifying the house for the video.
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Thankfully we didn’t have an awkward Christmas this year, thanks 2020? So I guess I didn’t need that cruise after all, but there is always next year. Am I right? I wonder what we’ll do next year. Any recommendations?

This week my family and I have been celebrating Hanukkah. Here we have a tradition of seeing who’s candle will stay lit the longest. Usually, my son wins, but it was never about the competition. Being part of a Judeo-Christian home, the holidays were always about the family and the time we spent together. There’s usually a lot of good food involved, but our stories and shared memories are the treasures we store throughout the years.

In honor of the Festival of Lights, I released a Hanukkah Special on my YouTube channel, Stanford Lee Show. During the video, I talk about the history of Hanukkah and what it means to me and my family. I also bring out the flute and share some special songs, “Hava Nagila” and “Hatikvah.” If you haven’t seen it already, you should check it out. “Hanukkah Lights” is the first of a series of holiday specials, so make sure you stay tuned to watch all the episodes. Make sure you subscribe to the channel and turn on your notifications so you’ll know when a new episode comes out.
We did have to change the filming location from up in the studio to down in my living room thanks to my broken leg. But, it kind of worked out better because I was able to have that beautiful fire in the background. Who doesn’t love a warm and inviting fire? I think it added to the mood of the holiday special. What do you think?

We would have had a tree set up, although unfortunately, we had to rehome it. We have a cat. A beautiful oriental short hair who arrived all the way from Ukraine, who appears to be addicted to fake trees. The girl just couldn’t help herself from nibbling on the branches and then eventually would get sick in various places around the house. I am happy to report that the tree is now in a home safe from savage cat attacks, and our cat is no longer vomiting on our floor.
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What are some holiday traditions you share with your family during this time of year? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to read all about them!

​Have you ever felt like the only thing you need is to turn the music up real loud and listen? It’s a feeling I get a lot, but why? If you’ve been following the Ashcraft Studios blog, you’ve probably read about how music affects the brain and how different styles of music can help you achieve different results. But leaving science on the back burner for a while, I wanted to talk about why music means so much to me on a personal level.

Creativity has always been an important factor in my life. Whether it involves art or music, I have always had the drive to create. Even my professional choices have reflected my creative preferences. From creating beautiful front-end web designs to assisting in game development, creativity has always been at the core of everything I do.

Personally, I’ve always been on the odd side. I tend to be kind of out there with my ideas and my poor wife has a tough job of trying to keep me on track. I am definitely eccentric at times with my head wrapped up in a million different projects of past, present, and future. Maybe it’s more me being distracted rather than a character trait, but my mind is almost always thinking of the next greatest thing for me to do.

Speaking of the next greatest thing now would be a great time to talk about what’s been going on lately.

As you guys know, I broke my leg in a skateboarding accident involving a rogue pinecone. Since I’ve been limited in my mobility, my world basically exists within the confines of the downstairs area in my home. As a result, studio time has not been a possibility. Thankfully, due to some creative restructuring, filming for The Stanford Lee Show has not been halted and I am happy to announce the release of my next episode on Friday.
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Have you had a chance to watch the show yet? If not, you definitely should. It’s a great mix of talk, musicology, stories, and special performances by yours truly. The show is available on YouTube and you should totally check it out now.