(photo by Fred Hayes)

MONDAY, MAY 12th

I'm going on tour this week with Chris Difford, the lyrical architect of Squeeze. I'll be doing double duty playing a support set each night before Difford, then joining him on guitar and background vocals for his set. We'll be playing lots of Squeeze hits... "Tempted," "Black Coffee," "Cool for Cats," as well as hits-to-be from Diff's new release, The Last Temptation of Chris. If you're in the neighborhood, c'mon by!

May 12, 2008 Iron Horse Northhampton, MA
May 13, 2008 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
May 14, 2008 Watercolor Cafe Larchmont, NY
May 16, 2008 Stephen Talkhouse Amagansett, NY
May 17, 2008 Ocean County Library Toms River, NJ
May 18, 2008 Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry, NH

MONDAY, MAY 5th

I've posted a new video clip, from my recent UK tour. This "house concert" gig was in one of the lighthouse buildings at Dunnet Head -- the northernmost point in Scotland, the very tip of the UK. The song is "I Put a Spell on You," co-written by me and Larry John McNally. (Not the 1958 Screamin' Jay Hawkins hit -- you can watch that here.) The link to my clip is here.

Check out the songcraft feature on yours truly in the May '08 issue of Guitar Player magazine. It's not online yet but if you get your hands a hard copy the story begins on p. 56.

FRIDAY, MAY 2nd

I've just spent a week on the outskirts of Missoula, Montana, playing guitar on a kids record with bandmates Allison Miller, Julie Wolf, and Todd Sickafoose. The sessions were helmed by Montana-based songwriter Amy Martin, who is just brilliant. The songs she wrote for this project are all earth- postitive, helping kids understand that the planet needs care, that we can learn from nature, and also that turning off the TV and getting into the great outdoors can be a whole lot of fun. This project is connected to the Biomimicry Institute. What is Biomimicry? Read all about it here. It's founder, Janine Benyus, is a genius, if ever I've met one. Check her out here. Gig alerts: • 7 May, Adam Levy solo acoustic, opening for Dennis Brennan at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA. • 8 May, Adam Levy & the Snug at Rockwood Music Hall in New York, NY. • 9 May, Adam Levy acoustic, house concert (w/ Dan Gonzalez and Jud Caswell), Cambridge, MA.

Yeah!
~Adam

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16th

A few months ago, my band and I were invited down to Memphis to record a few songs at the legendary Sun Studio. If you know about Sun, you know how cool this is. If you don't know about Sun -- shame, shame, shame. (Get schooled here.) Check the video out here:
http://blip.tv/file/817489

FRIDAY, APRIL 11th

Saturday, 12 April - 10pm
on Nessmp3.com Live Radio Medicine Show Live special broadcast of Adam Levy @ The Riverside Tavern
The Medicine Show presents: Adam Levy Sings

If you can make the gig, the food at the Riverside is great. Best to book your table in advance.
venue tel: 013499660922
location: Riverside Tavern High St, Conon Bridge, Dingwall, Ross-Shire, Scotland IV7 8HD

If you can't make the gig, catch it on line -- http://www.nessmp3.com/music/radiohub for all NMP3LR Shows and how to tune in.

FRIDAY, APRIL 4th

I’ve been on my UK tour about a week now, if you include the Glaswegian wedding I attended last Saturday. (Fantastic! I wore a kilt, danced the céilidh, drank rare whiskeys.) I had my first proper gig on Monday at the Vale in Glasgow’s city center, with support by Paul Malcolm, Ragz, and my friend Oreste Gargaro. The Vale is actually the name of the pub on the ground level, with the upstairs space being called the Vox. The Vox has the love. From the audience p.o.v. and from the stage, it looks smart, sounds clear, and feels cozy. Next stop, Cambridge — not for a show but for an appearance on BBC radio with Sue Marchant. I was bleary eyed, barely five minutes off my long train ride from Glasgow, and went live on the air with Sue midway into her show. She was deep in her zone, throwing wise cracks wise and questions at me that I was in no condition to volley. She finally asked me to play a song, to my relief, and I obliged with “Washing Day.” Her next on-air guest was Max Milligan, a stellar acoustic guitarist. Max and I had so much fun jamming in the warm-up room that we decided to do a spontaneous jam on the air together with Django Reinhardt’s “Tears.” Another train ride the following morning brought me to London for a gig at the Half Moon in Putney. That room is more about lust than love, but I can go there too. I was sandwiched between Carmelite (three clever lads re-defining “power trio”) and the Martin Harley band (bad-ass acoustic soul, reminding me of my friends Porter Davis in Austin). Then back on the train again for my best gig yet, in Manchester, at the Fuel Bar. Like the Vox/Vale, Fuel Bar has a downstairs room (bar and vegetarian café) and an upper room (live music in a casually vibey space). The upstairs room was packed full, and the crowd was there for folk satisfaction. I gave them the very best I could, and was inspired by one particular fan who I noticed singing along to every line. Getting that kind of rapport so far from home just juiced me. I was supported by Picnic Area and Warren Gaskell. Man — I’m getting to see so many cool and unusual singer/songwriters on this this tour! It’s inspiring. I have a good job. I hope you do too.

TUESDAY, APRIL 1st

I've posted a new video on my channel. The song is "In the Morning." Like the "Breathe with Me" clip I posted last week, this was shot at Banjo Jim's in NYC on 19 March 2008. Andy Hess is on bass, Shawn Pelton on drums. It was a magic night, and some of it just happened to get captured on video.

I was recently featured on Danielle Gasparro's Second Sundays series at Rockwood Music Hall. If you want to listen to our interview -- which includes a few songs performed live, solo-acoustic -- go to the myspace page and follow the link "3/9/08 AUDIO ARCHIVE: Adam Levy."

--- bonus: This is your brain on jazz.

SATURDAY, MARCH 22nd

It's true, friends. Your action is required -- by me. See, I'm touring the UK in April and it's my first time. I'm asking for help, at the word-of-mouth level, to make my gigs into smash successes. If you know someone in the UK, please tell them I'll be in a city near them very soon and send them to my web site or my myspace page for gig details. I'll also have shows in France and Germany, so don't overlook 'vos amis' or 'Ihre Verwandten.'

In other news, I've posted a new video on my youtube channel. The clip was shot at Banjo Jim's in NYC on 19 March, 2008, and the song is "Breathe with Me." Relatively little action required on your part here. Just click and watch. (Repeat as desired.)

Thanks and praises,
~Adam

TUESDAY, MARCH 4th

Friends,
I'm taking this Wednesday off from my more-or-less regular series at Banjo Jim's. Instead, BJ's is hosting a Carter Family tribute. However, I *will* be at the club Friday night at midnight, doing a song-swapping set with AJ Roach, the Appalachian Sensation. Tears will be jerked!
~Adam

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29th

Today's New York Times has a feature on the local roots music scene. They interviewed me for the piece, and even called me "Mr. Levy" in print. Big time! You can read it here.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27th

A post. A News post. Yes -- a News post! A few great things have been happening, which I want to share with y'all. I'll start here: I recently recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis -- the very place where Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash got their start, as well as countless others. It's a temple of early rock-and-roll, and there I was with my band, rocking and rolling. The sessions will soon be released as video clips on the Sun Studio site, and as audio in a limited-pressing CD. That was one of two Memphis trips in the past month. The other was for Folk Alliance -- a five-day hoot that brings together performers, presenters and DJs interested in folk music. Yeah, I know my "folk" status is questionable, but lots of singer-songwriters attend. I met lots of cool like-minded musicians and had my ming blown nightly in late-night jams, hearing mighty fine songs by friends new and old. Now, visualize the same situation, but way over yonder across the pond. That's right! I'm going on a solo UK tour. Songs will be sung, pints will be imbibed, and many miles will be traveled by train. See the Gigs page for full disclosure. In the meantime, I've been holding down my more-or-less steady gig at Banjo Jim's in NYC. Come on down if you're in the neighborhood.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15th

Adam has been quite busy these last few months. Just released is a new instructional book and DVD called 'Adam Levy: Play the Right Stuff' which will add new dimensions to your own playing. Topics include time, tone, touch, and space; triads and dyads; slash chords and chord voicings; using a capo; rhythmic phrasing; comping over bass grooves; and practical tips for all guitarists. The DVD features Adam demonstrating everything in the book and more. The book features standard notation and TAB for all exercises and examples. The DVD includes multiple camera angles to isolate the details of Adam's guitar playing and performances of full-length songs. Bonus features include Adam's Music Room, candid interviews in Adam Levy's home studio, rare concert footage, practical playing tips, and two additional song performances (over 75 minutes of bonus footage!)

In addition, Adam hooked up with Australian artist Eran James to play guitar on his new album -- including a song called "Touched by Love" which is in the 'Shrek III' soundtrack. Adam also co-wrote a song entitled "Halo" with Tom Nichols, the albums producer. The album entitled 'Ten Songs About Love' and is currently out in Australia.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30th
I just found out that Amber Rubarth and I won 1st prize in the Lyrics Only category for that International Songwriting Competition. Judges included Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, and Rosanne Cash. It's a nice affirmation from the writing community.

MONDAY, MARCH 19th
I've got two stories to report. Item #1 is the recent release of Norah Jones' third CD, Not Too Late. I played on about a third of the songs. Fellow guitarists Robbie McIntosh, Kevin Breit, Jesse Harris, and Tony Scherr appear as well — all the usual suspects. Norah and the Handsomes have already been out on a few promotional tours, hitting TV, radio, and Web hotspots worldwide. (I'm writing this post from Tokyo, Japan.) We'll be launching a full-scale U.S. tour in mid April, with dates to follow in Europe and the UK. Australasian dates will follow, I suppose, though I don't have details on that yet.

The other big news is that I've finished recording and mixing my second vocal album, which will be called Washing Day. The recordings were produced in New York City by Marvin Etzioni. Marvin's credits are numerous. (Google him!) The band is me, bassist Andy Hess, and drummer Tony Mason, along with a couple of guests. Most of the songs on Washing Day were written in a short period of time — late summer and early fall of 2006 — when I had a burst of song-writing juice. I'll be doing a limited springtime release so there'll be copies available at Norah's U.S. shows, but the official release won't be until fall, when Norah's break-time will leave me free to launch my own tour. Stay tuned.

MONDAY, JULY 17th
Last night I subbed for Peter Mazza on his steady Sunday night gig at La Lanterna in Greenwich Village. Mazza's guitar shoes are very, very big, but I did my best to fill them, with help from vibist Tom Beckham and bassist Todd Sickafoose. The gig was a long one -- three full-length sets. It was a great opportunity to dig deep into the Adam Levy "fake book," which includes pieces from as early as '94 and as recent as last December. The gig brought to mind a conversation I had several years ago with guitarist Wayne Krantz. We were talking about playing gigs, and he stressed importance of playing original music rather than defaulting to simply playing familiar jazz standards. I can't remember his words exactly, but his idea stuck with me that, yes, if people are gonna come out and lend you their ears, you should do your part to have something special prepared for them. Back then, I didn't have all that much original music to draw from. I'd been writing plenty, but not every song is a keeper and some pieces I'd written only worked for particular kinds of ensembles. Over time, however, I've slowly built a book of tunes that are malleable enough to take into different situations and that are rich enough that I still want to revisit them after several years. Progress is good.

TUESDAY, JULY 11th
Did I mention that I'm on an Elvis Costello jag? I saw him last night at the Beacon Theater in New York, with Allen Toussaint. I've seen Elvis four times, in four different cities, over the past few months. Elvis is one of our greatest living artists -- as is Toussaint -- and the pairing is just so very fucking inspired. Both are great writers, great showmen, great musicians. The band was half Elvis' guys (the Impostors) and half Toussaint's guys (the Crescent City Horns, plus Anthony Brown on guitar). The two groups became one indivisible rock & soul orchestra. This tour has a few more cities to go, and I'm tempted to follow the tour to it its end. See this show if you can. Even if it means moving to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio!

SUNDAY, JULY 9th
I started my Friday night residency at Pete's Candy Store this week, and I think it went nicely. This week's rhythm section featured bassist Tim Luntzel and drummer Rob "DP" DiPietro. There were a few young kids there, and that's something I'd never seen at this bar. But given the neighborhood demographic, it wasn't all that surprising. The thing is, kids totally love music, and they respond to it uninhibitedly. They dance, they clap, they sing along -- even to instrumental music -- so it's fun to play for them. A couple young'ns at Pete's on Friday night were particularly excited, and seemed to be having the time of their life. In fact, they were acting just like kids in a candy st -- hey, wait a minute!

FRIDAY, JULY 7th
Yesterday I mastered my trio/quartet record with Scott Hull, the same engineer who mastered my Buttermilk Channel CD a few years ago. This new record -- Nice Place to Visit features 10 compositions that I wrote back in December, all within one week's time. I recorded the music just two weeks after writing it. I rarely work that fast on any recording project, but that's how this project has come together. The mastering session with Scott was equally quick and painless. I'm superstitious, and maybe even super-superstitious, so I know I shouldn't say this, but THIS IS THE BEST RECORD I'VE EVER MADE. When it comes out this fall, you can judge for yourself.

THURSDAY, JULY 6th
I've been in New York for just two weeks now, and have done so damn much, because there's so damn much to do in New York. I guess that was the whole point in moving back here in the first place. In the past two weeks alone, I've played a fancy Jewish wedding gig inside the big New York Public Library, played two sold-out at Joe's Pub with Jill Sobule (with Cyndi Lauper sitting in, one night), sung shirtless at Rockwood Music Hall, and busked in the Subway with my friend Alice Bierhorst. And that's just the gigs I've done. I've been out to hear Miho Hatori at Tonic, Dred Scott at Rockwood Music Hall, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Mike Stern at the 55 Bar, Bill Frisell -- with Kelly Joe Phelps and Petra Haden -- at Symphony Space, Jesse Harris at the Living Room, and Jim Campilongo at the Living Room. Aside from all the music, I've been rediscovering the Lower East Side, the neighborhood I lived in five years ago and now live in once again. There's amazing food all around -- gelato, pickles, bialys, cheese, fine dining, not to mention all the Chinatown bakeries and dumpling shops, and I just found out that there'll soon be a Farmer's Market on Sundays. The Tenement Museum has a great book store and great furniture store. God bless the L.E.S.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14th
As a professional touring musician, I spend a considerable amount of time in moving vehicles. On a recent tour, rolling up I-5 in a Chrysler Town & Country, I was enjoying a book. One of my tour-mates said she was envious -- she wished she could read while rolling, without getting carsick. See, I didn't use to be able to either -- until another friend told me how he managed it. I tried his method, and I've had no such trouble since. I shared it with my recent tour-mate, and it worked for her. Now I'm gonna share the trick with you: Keep your reading material up high -- ideally at eye level. That's it, plain and simple. I don't know why this works, but it really does. Try it out on your next road trip -- unless you're the one driving, in which case I'd recommend audio books.

MONDAY, JUNE 12th
June is International Accordion Awareness Month. The accordion was a big deal in this country in the 1930s and '40s, and would have continued its reign unchallenged -- if not for those dang Beatles, who came along in the early '60s playing guitars. Since then, it's been an uphill battle for the squeeze box.

SUNDAY, JUNE 11th
Do you know who your Dead Celebrity Soulmate is? Mine is Agatha Christie. That's good, right?

SATURDAY, JUNE 10th
I used to have a pretty good flock of LPs -- nothing particularly rare, just good listening. Loads of Beatles, John Coltrane's Atlantic period, Bill Evans on Riverside, Cat Stevens, Glenn Gould, Steve Martin's Let's Get Small, and an extensive collection of records featuring jazz guitarist Jim Hall. See, there was this period in the mid 1990s when I just could not get enough Jim Hall. Hall embodies so much of what I love in jazz -- eloquence, grace, curiosity, and humor -- and he swings. Well, I lost all my LPs a few years back when I neglected to keep up payments on my storage space in New York -- a foolish mistake, to say the least! I've been buying LPs again lately, reassembling my vinyl horde, disk by disk. I found one of my favorite Hall albums yesterday in a record shop in Hollywood -- Jim Hall Live and also a rare Chico Hamilton Quintet disk with Hall. It's cloudy and grey today in Los Angeles. Perfect weather for staying in and digging into my favorite recording by my favorite jazz guitarist, as well as a disk I missed during my first go-round as a Hallophile.

FRIDAY, JUNE 9th
I was on the road for the past week, singing my songs for fine Californians in San Francisco, Fresno, Albany, Santa Barbara, and Nevada City. (See June 1st posting for details.) I spent most of my week in a "road bubble," making music and enjoying the scenery, while blissfully tuning out current affairs. Finally back at home, I'm doing a little catching up, and stumbled across this news story: The Army Corps has taken responsibility for the flooding of New Orleans. Incredible.

FRIDAY, JUNE 2nd
I've been reading a very interesting interview with guitarist Marc Ribot at allaboutjazz.com. He talks about musical politics, Chuck Berry, the science of sequencing a record, and a whole lot more.

THURSDAY, JUNE 1st
I've got a very interesting 10 days ahead. Today I'm off on a short tour in my "Adam Levy sings" mode. I'll be in San Francisco, Fresno, and Albany, opening for Martha Berner & Arrica Rose; then I'm going to Santa Barbara to be part of an ARIA Global songwriter evening; my final stop is Cooper's in Nevada City. I'll be spending the few days of downtime in between dates in Santa Barbara, working on a new recording project with Todd Sickafoose.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31st
I recently bought a portable cassette recorder -- a Marantz PMD222, to be specific. I use it to record home demos of songs I'm working on. My co-writers often suggest I update my technology, but the machine is simple to use, makes good quality recordings, and never has a software crash. Even though the audio cassette is sure to go the way of the Beta Max video format soon enough, I'm stuck on it and I always keep a fat stash of blank tapes on hand, in preparation for that fateful day when they finally stop producing magnetic recording tape. I don't know if the PMD222 is the very best machine available, but it feels rock solid and hasn't let me down yet. The main reason I chose it, however, is because my grandfather used to use the same machine -- an earlier model -- to demo his own songs.

TUESDAY, MAY 30th
My CD Loose Rhymes—Live at Ludlow Street is scheduled for release this summer. Look for it in stores and here on this very site July 11, 2006. I'm also putting the finishing touches on two different jazz CDs: one is with my Austin-based trio (w/ organist Red Young and drummer Brannen Temple); the other is with some of my favorite New York players (violinist Jenny Scheinman, bassist Todd Sickafoose, and drummer Ben Perowsky). The organ record has been in the works for the past two years and is finally ready to go to press. The New York trio/quartet record was done more quickly, all the music composed within a week and recorded two weeks later. Both will be available by October, I hope.

MONDAY, MAY 29th
Today Ellen Tunney is going to shoot me. I am thrilled.

SUNDAY, MAY 28th
Desmond Dekker, rest in peace. On a related note -- did you know that Buddy Holly died before he'd even reached his 23rd birthday? The subject of Holly's death came up yesterday, and everyone in the conversation presumed he'd been in his late 20s when he passed away. We looked up the facts later, and we were stunned.

SATURDAY, MAY 27th
It's a gorgeous Saturday in Los Angeles. I spent the day outdoors with my pals Ron and Renee, doing L.A.-centric things. (See previous post for explanation.) We spent an hour on the Santa Monica pier, people-watching and playing games of chance. (No luck.) We drove into Topanga Canyon for brunch at the Inn of the Seventh Ray. The place is set in the canyon, with a creek flowing by, and all butterflies doing their thing all around. Their Saturday sandwich special is a lobster club -- chunks of fresh lobster, duck bacon, and avocado. Duck bacon! Off to see Bob Schneider at the Roxy tonight. Check out his Web site where he explains the title of his new CD, I'm Good Now. Darkly funny.

FRIDAY, MAY 26th
I'm leaving Los Angeles. Leaving, as in moving away, putting the City of Angels (my birthplace) behind me, and heading back to New York City. Moving day is June 15, and am trying to hit some quintessential L.A. spots before I go. Monday night I had mai tais at Trader Vic's (and happened to sit next to songwriter Stephen Bishop. This morning I'm going to breakfast at the Fountain Coffee Room, then going to see "An Inconvenient Truth" at the Arclight Cinemas—formerly the classic Cinerama Dome, where I saw '1941' on its opening day in 1979. Dinner? Maybe Dan Tana's...

THURSDAY, MAY 25th
Last night I played guitar at Largo in Los Angeles, with Jill Sobule. Jill is a giant -- one of the most fantastic songwriters I know, and also a completely in-the-moment performer. Tom Morello opened the evening, singing hard-hitting folk songs in his "Nightwatchman" persona.
Political songs are part of what Jill does too. It all got me thinking that America needs more songs of freedom and liberty, and of hope. There's a great line in one of Tom's songs -- "If you take one step toward freedom, it will take two steps towards you." Yeah. Now, way over yonder on the geeky side, I have to mention this: I played Jill's set with my '59 Esquire and '65 Princeton Reverb. That guitar paired with that amp (cranked up to 10, of course) may just the best sound ever.

LOST TREASURE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
In 1993, Adam went into the studio to record his first album as a leader. His band featured some of the best musicians in the Bay Area, and he hired esteemed producer Lee Townsend to oversee the proceedings. The record never came out, and was nearly forgotten, but the master recordings were recently rediscovered. Lost Wax Process is now available here as a download exclusive.

NEW TITLES IN THE STORE
We've added four titles to the STORE: With My Guitar and You (a duo recording Adam made in '01 with his piano-playing grandfather George Wyle), When It Comes Upon You (a disk Adam produced for the Washington, DC-based jazz group Touch Acoustra), Live at Yoshi's (a set of ballads and swingers from Trio Putanesca, of which Adam was a prime member), and Live at Avalon and the Graves (lush readings of jazz standards and quirky covers, packed onto two CDs; here Adam is a featured guest of the Lost Trio).

NEW INTERVIEW FEATURE
Adam Levy has a journalistic side. As you may know, he spent a few years working as an editor for Guitar Player magazine. Recently he was inspired to approach several of his favorite guitarists with a simple 13-question interview, just to see where the different players' answers would overlap—or not. Sheryl Bailey, Will Bernard, Nels Cline, and Doug Wamble are among the artists included. Check it out here!

INSTRUCTIONAL DVD COMING LATER THIS YEAR
Have you ever wondered how Adam's unique guitar style works, on a technical level? Ever wondered what makes him tick, creatively? Well, now you can get an inside look at Adam's approach to playing guitar in a band or singer/songwriter context. He has been working on an instructional DVD for Alfred Publishing. The DVD (with accompanying book) will be available later this year.

HOLIDAY FOR SONGS
In July, Adam took part in a songwriters' workshop/retreat in the south of England. Two-dozen writers assembled to mix and mingle, writing songs daily and performing them for (and with) each other in the evenings. Chris Difford (of Squeeze fame) runs the show.

To read postings by Adam from the archives, please click here!