Leeno Dee is an Australian-born bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for his major label acts Jerk,

Candy Harlots Candy Harlots were an Australian band from Sydney, active between 1987 and 1995. They also released material as Helter Skelter and The Harlots. According to rock music historian Ian McFarlane they were, "an unashamedly macho, decadent lot, with ...

and his current band Dept. of Gloom.

Early life

Dee was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and was bitten by the music bug at the age of 8, "I heard The Sweet and was totally floored-then came Slade, Alice Cooper, Bowie and that whole landslide of British glam". At 12, he began playing guitar and at 16 switched to bass, which became his main instrument." I had always gravitated to the bassist in bands-even when I didn't know what a bss was-they just seemed the coolest, or wackiest- like Steve Priest, from Sweet-then when I saw Gene Simmons on the cover of KISS Alive-I was done for" (BassBusters POD 2020)

Career

Dept. of Gloom

Dee formed Dept. of Gloom in June 2016 with longtime cohort guitarist Phil Bowley and drummer AJ. In August 2016, the lineup was completed with former

Genitorturers The Genitorturers are an American industrial metal band with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band". History Originating in Orlando, Florida, the ...

guitarist

Bizz Bizz (born Bryce Bernius) is an American rock guitarist, best known for his work with industrial/shock rock band Genitorturers, horror punk band The Undead (also featuring ex members of The Misfits; Bobby Steele and Joey Image), and Sydney metal ...

Tronix. Following a string of shows, the band entered the studio in March/April 2018 to record their debut EP set for release in the second half of 2018. That EP was postponed, and following COVID-19 the band began recording a full-length debut album, set for a mid/late 2022 release. Dept. of Gloom also opened for American hard rockers

Skid Row A skid row, also called skid road, is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to people who are poor or homeless, considered disre ...

Hardcore Superstar Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish Rock music, rock band from Gothenburg, formed in 1997. They have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in ...

and others, and also headlined their own shows.

Melody Black

In 2010, Dee formed Melody Black who released an album - ''Love Your Demons'' - on the RIOT label through

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

. The album featured nine songs all composed by Dee. In 2012, their cover of

The Sweet Sweet (known as the Sweet until the early 1970s) are a British glam rock band who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer ...

's classic glam anthem

Ballroom Blitz "The Ballroom Blitz" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The song reached number one in Canada, number two in the UK Singles Chart and the Australian Chart, and number five on the US ''Billboa ...

reached the number 1 position on iTunes Chart in Australia. Melody Black also toured with various acts, including

Rose Tattoo Rose Tattoo are an Australian Pub rock (Australia), rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, which formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' R ...

and

Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...

INK

In 2006, Dee became part of INK along with former Jerk members Charles Cilia and Jonathan Devoy. They released two CDs: ''Lead...Or Follow'' and ''Black Water Reign'', and toured extensively, including runs with

Deathstars Deathstars is a Swedish Industrial metal music, industrial metal band from Strömstad. Formed in 2000, the group are noted for their dark Horror fiction, horror-themed lyrics, pessimistic and misanthropic social commentary, distinctive trademark ...

, 69 Eyes and

Jerk

In 2000, Dee was asked to join

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band Jerk, recording and releasing their debut self-titled EP in 2001. This led to the band being signed to a worldwide deal with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

. In June, Dee visited Los Angeles where in addition to meeting with several music industry types he attended the Summer Party at

Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...

Holmby Hills Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood was developed in the early 20th century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood, Los Angeles as well as oth ...

. Jerk then recorded their debut major label album ''When Pure Is Defiled'', which reached No. 31 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

and spawned two number 1

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

singles, ''I Hate People Like That'' and ''Just What You Need''. The album was produced in Sydney and Los Angeles with both

Mark Opitz Mark Opitz (born 1952) is an Australian record producer and audio engineer. He started his career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1971. He has produced AC/DC, the Angels, Australian Crawl, Cold Chisel, Divinyls and INXS. He h ...

(

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

Steelheart Steelheart is an American glam metal band from Norwalk, Connecticut, that formed in 1989. At the time that their debut was recorded, the band's members consisted of vocalist Miljenko Matijevic, lead guitarist Chris Risola, rhythm guitarist Fra ...

) and

Sean Beavan Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated ...

(

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

) at Beavan's Blue Room Studios in L.A. Jerk toured with

Disturbed Disturbed may refer to: Books * ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author) Film and TV * ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell * "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs'' * "The Disturbed", a 20 ...

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...

P.O.D. P.O.D. (an initialism for Payable on Death) is an American nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitarist Mar ...

and

Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...

, amongst others. The band also made many TV appearances including

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

Channel V Channel '' ("V" as in the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong (now Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific). It was part of the unit of Disney In ...

and others, in addition to a crowd stopping appearance at the

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

in 2003.

Candy Harlots

Dee's first professional band saw him become the third and final bassist in

. Following a string of shows including tours with

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school un ...

, The Angels and

, and releasing two No. 1 and No. 2 alternative chart singles ''Red Hot Rocket'' and ''Danger'', the band signed a deal with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

. Their album ''Five Wicked Ways'' was produced by Peter Blyton ( Choirboys). Dee then flew to L.A. for three weeks to oversee the mix sessions with Jeff Hendrickson (

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#J, Godmother of Punk", she is regarded as a Pop icon, rock icon and ...

Vain Vain may refer to: * Vain (band), an American glam metal band formed in 1986 * Vain (horse) (1966–1991), an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse * Vain Stakes, an Australian Thoroughbred horse race * Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, a medical dis ...

). The album spawned two charting singles: ''The Lady Shakes'' (No. 17 ARIA) and ''Sister's Crazy'' (No. 20 ARIA).

Equipment/Endorsement

Dee currently plays

Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...

4003S/4000 basses,

Tech 21 Tech 21 is a New York based manufacturer of guitar and bass effect pedals, amps, and DI boxes which allow the user to emulate the tone of many popular guitar amps and record those sounds directly into a mixer. Products Tech 21's core produc ...

VTB 1969 amplifiers, Markbass CL410 CABS,

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electr ...

Pitch-black Rack Tuner Pro, Line 6 Relay G50 Wireless System, and GHS strings. Previous endorsements include Ashdown amps UK, Markbass amps Italy and RotoSound strings UK.

References

External links

*Official Dept. of Gloom Website (http://gloom.band) *Official Dept. of Gloom Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/deptofgloom/) *Leeno Dee SoundCloud Page (https://soundcloud.com/leeno-dee-164438296) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Leeno Living people Australian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters Australian bass guitarists Australian gothic rock musicians Musicians from Sydney Australian rock bass guitarists Year of birth missing (living people)