Sarah Sargent Pepper and Ian Lee — the indie rock duo behind The Cle Elum — return with new music and announce a new run of tour dates supporting indie rock mainstays Grandaddy. On March 18 the band released “Guided By Guided By Voices” the hook-packed new single and video from We Must Need It, their sophomore LP due out this fall.
Currently based in Chattanooga, Sarah Sargent Pepper (drums) and Ian Lee (vocals, guitars, keys) met in 2011. At that time, Lee had logged an extensive history with rock and punk acts including Bad Oskar, Woolworthy, Not Rebecca, Tom Daily, Electric Airlines (with Ed Roser from Urge Overkill), and Kevin Lee (with Jon Brant from Cheap Trick), among others. Sargent Pepper had also spent a good number of years behind the kit and behind the scenes as a tour manager and merchandising pro.
With the couple finding themselves “inseparable” and a “true force of nature team,” they devised a way to stay together on the road, together, they launched Affordable Tour Solutions, a boutique tour support company.
Their 2024 debut, It’s Ok If It Falls Apart (released August 16, 2024 via Winston Sounds), captured a decade of touring and partnership. The album delivered hook-driven, genre-fluid standouts like “Handclaps and Tambourines,” “Old Folks,” “I Am A Robot” (featuring Matthew Caws of Nada Surf), and “Goodbye Night Sky” (featuring Josh Caterer of The Smoking Popes), blending power pop energy with harmony-rich storytelling.
Following US and European tours last year supporting Nada Surf, The Cle Elum now take We Must Need It on the road. This run with Grandaddy marks the band’s biggest tour to date, bringing their stacked harmonies and high-energy live show to new audiences.
