Eli Lev (Photo courtesy Rebel Coast Media)
Singer/songwriter Eli Lev announces the release of his highly anticipated final installment to the Four Directions project — True North on June 25. Listen to the first single “I Wanna Tell You” now.
Prior to becoming a full time musician, the Silver Spring, MD native spent three years as an 8th grade English teacher on the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. The indigenous traditions he learned during this time are the inspiration for his Four Directions project. Just as each cardinal direction holds unique characteristics in the Navajo tradition, so do each of the albums in Eli’s Four Directions Project. Together, the series imaginatively and intrepidly connects spheres and generations within a body of work that is irresistibly uplifting, emotionally resonant, and down-to-earth authentic.
Eli said, “We are surrounded by four directions, and each has distinctive attributes, powers, and teachings according to Navajo traditions. For example, because the sun rises in the east, it is the first direction and source of new ideas and inspiration. With that in mind, I started my EP series in 2017 with All Roads East, echoing the sounds of my youth and upbringing (Alt-Country/Americana). I released Way Out West the following year, where I experimented with the frontiers of folk tropes and melodies (Indie Folk). For 2019’s Deep South, I went back to my southern roots with a truly modern and powerful sound (Folk Rock/Pop). The final piece in 2021 is the more introspective True North (Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter).”
Stream “I Wanna Tell You” by Eli Lev on YouTube:
The northern direction in Navajo belief is that of the black night, of reflection, of quietude, of completion, and the stage where we get the highest amount of understanding from events and actions.Therefore, True North, is composed of a series of songs that were written throughout Eli’s musical career. The EP was recorded during sessions with producer Taylor Rigg in a cabin in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Rigg’s ability to create sonic landscapes rooted in instrumentation were brought to life and elevated by the riverside setting nestled among the picturesque rolling mountains.