Lee Tesche

Lee Tesche is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, curator and sound designer from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the post-punk band Algiers, and has also been a member of Lyonnais, Nun Gun, and Dead Pioneers.

Tesche has also worked as a video director and graphic designer. He curated the Atlanta installment of Burn to Shine, the documentary film series created by filmmaker Christoph Green and Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, and has directed or co-directed music videos for Algiers, Lyonnais and Dead Pioneers. Through Nun Gun, he collaborated with Mark Stewart of The Pop Group.

Career

Algiers

Tesche is a founding member of Algiers, an Atlanta-rooted post-punk band whose music has been described as combining gospel, punk, post-punk, industrial music and political critique. According to AllMusic, the band formed in Atlanta when guitarist Tesche and bassist Ryan Mahan, both active in the city's underground rock and noise scenes, began working with vocalist and guitarist Franklin James Fisher.

Algiers released its self-titled debut album through Matador Records in 2015. Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Stuart Berman noted that Fisher, Tesche and Mahan assembled the record through transatlantic collaboration, with Tesche and Mahan then based in London. Coverage of the band has noted Tesche's role as guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with AllMusic listing his credits across Algiers releases as including guitar, prepared guitar, prepared piano, percussion, synthesizer, saxophone, electronics, programming, vocals, photography and design. WNYC's Soundcheck has described Algiers' instrumentation as including Tesche on guitar, prepared guitar, harmonium, saxophone and prepared piano.

Lyonnais

Tesche has also been a member of Lyonnais, an Atlanta experimental rock and post-punk group. AllMusic lists Tesche among Lyonnais' group members, alongside Farbod Kokabi, Farzad Moghaddam and TJ Blake.

Lyonnais released Want for Wish for Nowhere in 2011 and Anatomy of the Image in 2016. The video for Lyonnais' "A Sign From On High / Modern Calvary" was directed by Tesche and Sam Campbell. The project released Mondo Decay, a multimedia work pairing Feuerhelm's photography with an original soundtrack, in 2021. Deal told PopMatters that he met Tesche during an artist residency in Florida, where the two worked on the first iteration of the Dead Pioneers song "Bad Indian".

Film, video and design work

Tesche has worked as a filmmaker, video director, curator and visual collaborator. The Atlantic Center for the Arts described him as a multi-instrumentalist, sound designer and filmmaker whose work includes experimental tape-based music and contributions to television and film. Burn to Shine 6: Atlanta was filmed in 2007 and featured performances by artists including Shannon Wright, Deerhunter, Black Lips, Mastodon, The Coathangers, The Mighty Hannibal, and others. In a 2009 interview with Creative Loafing, Canty credited Tesche's local organizing role in making the Atlanta installment happen.

Selected discography

With Algiers

Algiers (2015, Matador Records) The Underside of Power (2017, Matador Records) There Is No Year (2020, Matador Records) Shook (2023, Matador Records)

With Lyonnais

Want for Wish for Nowhere (2011) Anatomy of the Image (2016)

With Nun Gun

Mondo Decay (2021) Stealth Empire (In Dub) (2021)

With Dead Pioneers

Po$t American (2025, Hassle Records) Wagon Burner (2026, Hassle Records)

Selected videography

Year Title Artist / project Credit 2012 "A Sign From On High / Modern Calvary" Lyonnais Director, with Sam Campbell 2012 "Blood" Algiers Director 2015 "Irony. Utility. Pretext." Algiers Director 2015 "Black Eunuch" Algiers Director 2016 Burn to Shine 6: Atlanta Burn to Shine Curator 2023 "Irreversible Damage" Algiers Director 2023 "I Can't Stand It!" Algiers Director 2025 "Mythical Cowboys" Dead Pioneers Director 2026 "Never Alone" Dead Pioneers featuring The Interrupters Director 2026 "The Worst Among Us" Dead Pioneers featuring Jason Williamson Director