t’s pouring out, which makes you wonder how bad this would be if it were snowing. People come in off the streets, drenched clothing and all, and on impulse duck their heads as they enter the basement. The Lizard Lounge is ripe tonight, kind of like a wet sponge wrung out and ready for use again. The band is about to go on. Jesse Dee is leaning against the back corner of the bar, patiently working his way through a pint of beer. The soul singer scans the crowd as more people file in. The band takes the stage. Dee stays put. He orders another beer. This one isn’t his show.

“There’s so much great music around town,” Dee says. On this night he’s out to support his friend Johnny Trama, who recently joined the Nate Wilson Group as a guitarist. Trama, who plays with everyone, also plays in Dee’s solo group.

“I’ve been starting work on the next record, so I’ve had some down time as far as touring goes. I’m trying to take advantage of it because a lot of times I’m not able to see my friends perform,” says Dee, who could also be spotted in the crowd on Tuesday at Atwood’s Tavern, where Christian McNeill played a revealing stripped-down set that featured Kevin Barry on lap steel and Duke Levine on guitar.

But Dee still performs. A lot. You can see him at Precinct most Sundays, alongside McNeill in Sea Monsters, a clash between soul and roots music that has remained strictly underground (you won’t see these shows listed in Dee’s tour dates). On Saturday (March 6), Dee’s solo act will headline an impressive local bill at the Paradise that features Tim Gearan and Hey Mama.

“Tim is, simply put, one of my heroes, not just locally, but one of my favorite ones period,” says Dee. Gearan often sits in with the Sea Monsters, so it’s safe to expect him and Dee to play together at some point Saturday. Dee even admitted to the possibility. “Tim embodies a lot of what I’d inspire to do as a musician from a songwriting perspective as well as a performance perspective.”

As a performer Dee pours himself into the music, letting raw emotion and energy carry the tunes. It’s like he was schooled in the classic soul artists—Al Green, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, to name a few.

“I feel like I’m getting schooled every day and I’ll continue to get schooled for the rest of my life,” the Mass College of Art grad says. (Dee is probably just as good at painting as he is at singing.)

But how did a kid from Arlington get into soul music?

“In second and third grade I’d listen to the oldies station every day,” he says. “Back then they were playing more doo-wop and Motown. I gradually moved toward the soul side of things, and geographically my tastes moved more toward southern soul."

Dee brings youthful hands to the genre, creating soul music that can appeal to a generation less likely to go to church. “I listen to all kinds of music but there’s something about soul that catches me,” he says. Last year he opened for soul legends Al Green and Etta James. Asked to describe it, he’s still at a loss for words.

“I was driving when I got the Etta James call, and I almost drove off the road. There’s no one else in the world alive today that I’d rather open for.”

About halfway through Nate Wilson Group’s first set, Dee is called to the stage. He grabs the microphone, still wearing his long coat and hat, and leads the band, as if it were his own, through a version of “I’m a Man,” by the Spencer Davis Group. Like any good soul singer, Dee uses lots of body language. His arms are always working, whether tied to the mic or raised to the heavens. He’s constantly on the move, and when he isn’t, he’ll strut in place. Dee follows the rule that the soul singer should always be the hardest working man on stage.

It’ll be a busy year for Dee. He hopes to have a followup to his latest album, Bittersweet Batch, done by year’s end. He’ll also play shows in Europe in May and again in July. He’s been over there five times in the past year.

“The fans are amazing,” he says. “It seems as though they are there for the music, and the music first. When you go halfway across the world and you’re playing to an audience that’s singing along to your songs, it’s almost weird, but still very cool, just in a weird, unexpected way.”

But for Dee it starts and ends in Boston. Actually, Cambridge or Somerville, mostly.

People like Dee and Gearan are a big reason the Cambridge/Somerville music scene is so strong and tightly knit. They’ll play with anyone on any night and have no problem making friends. The love of live music and respect for peers is always present, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re playing the Paradise in front of 600 people or are among 10 people watching a friend play in a Somerville bar.

“The level of talent has a lot to do with it. It’s endless. But most importantly, there’s good people in this area.”

Jesse Dee, Tim Gearan, and Hey Mama play the Paradise on Saturday, March 6. Tickets are $13 and are available at the Paradise box office or online.