...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING
TO 9 AM CST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as
35 below zero.
* WHERE...Portions of central, east central, south central and
southeast Minnesota and northwest and west central Wisconsin.
* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 9 AM CST Friday.
* IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause
frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a
hat, and gloves.
&&
Adam Levy, best known for his starring role in the beloved Twin Cities band The Honeydogs released his first album of solo material, Naubinway last month. The album was released by Think Piece Publishing, which is more of a mental health awareness and advocacy company than a record label. It was an obvious partner for Levy as Naubinway chronicles the painful experience of losing his son Daniel to suicide in 2012. As suicide and mental health have taken a huge toll on the local music community this year, the music will certainly touch the minds and hearts of anyone affected by it. Levy’s lyrics speak plainly and directly regarding this grief and suffering. The raw bare bones-ness of the songs allows the full weight of the lyrics to come through.
On “Take It As It Comes” Levy’s five o’clock shadow level gruffness reminds us and himself that the process of grieving is day by day. He sings “take it as it comes, I can’t get out of this space” like a light pep talk to himself to accept his grief, to move into it and through it as his soul wills it. He calls out the humanness of people’s adversity to mental illness when he says we “run like hell from the things we don’t understand.” The cracks and spaces in his voice give the lyrics their legs and make them stand.
“How I let You Down” bluntly and directly describes the grieving process with Levy singing to his son, “we’re still learning how to be without you.” He touches on the struggle his family went through trying to help Daniel with his ongoing depression - “We threw you so many lifelines, you burned them to the quick”. Levy is candid and open as he describes the reflection period of trying to understand why this tragedy happened. He does what we all do, recounting past events, asking if he did everything he could to prevent it.. His unflinching depiction lights a candle on the path to take away the stigma of suicide and mental illness.
The album culminates in “Naubinway”, named for the place where Levy and his family spread Daniel’s ashes. The song details their actions and Adam’s release of his child in “a backwards baptism on Lake Michigan”. It’s a heartbreaker that Levy has said in an interview with MPR that he will not play live. The reason not because he doesn’t think he could get through it, but because he wants to be sensitive to the folks listening and realizes what kind of effect it might have on them. That shows what kind of person Adam is, conscious of the weight of his music and the painfulness of it all.
Naubinway is a sad album whose sound is not sad. Many of the songs move at a trot or a canter and the guitar picking shines the way a butterfly dances in light. It almost seems trivial to discuss the music elements of the songs because the content is so heavy and so important. You can hear acceptance of the struggle, the pain and the grief. Adam told MPR, “Life goes on in spite of great tragedy, so here I am.” And that is a great summation of the feeling of Naubinway. When something terrible happens in this life it is natural to want to hit the pause button. But even if we choose to stand still in reflection of terrible things, everything else continues to move. At some point, you have to get back on and move with it. Listening to Levy’s journey through that process is a beautiful privilege and we should be grateful he was brave enough to share it.
Sarah Osterbauer is the SouthernMinn Scene music columnist. She’s a music critic and loves to meet the people who make the city’s heart beat (and sometimes break). Follow her on twitter @SarahOwrites.
