Today, Athens artist Freeman Leverett shares a video for “On My Mind,” an unreleased song that will appear on his upcoming debut solo album. The song was recorded as part of the Ear Bonez Sessions, an ongoing video series led by Roth Conrad of Ear Bonez Studio. Available to watch on YouTube and Instagram, the series focuses on producing high-quality audio and video documenting stripped-back and authentic singer-songwriter performances.
“The music I am working on now is a celebration of life, love and our deep yearning to connect with that which exists in all of us, uniting us and transcending all illusions of separation,” says Leverett.
“On My Mind” is a reflective, vulnerable song that explores themes of regret and forgiveness. Performing on piano, Leverett is joined by his live band members Adriana Thomas, Nate Lee, Jason Bronson and Julia Nyunt.
“For me, the songwriting process almost always starts with a pure melodic idea,” says Leverett. “It cannot be forced, but must emerge spontaneously—for instance, while improvising in a flow state, drifting off to sleep, being entranced by natural beauty (a good portion of my melodies come from existentially centering sunsets), or feeling intense emotions from a life experience or memory. I then allow myself to become completely absorbed and enraptured in this initial melody, often listening to nothing else for days on end, to make a space for new melodic and lyrical ideas to reveal themselves. Once I have the bulk of a song, I often go ahead and start performing it live, making small structural or lyrical adjustments as necessary.”
Leverett’s next performance will be held at The Lab at Ciné with Sarah Zúñiga on Friday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. In addition to working towards his debut album, Leverett is putting the final touches on a collaborative recording project with classical Pakistani singer Faizan Ali Khan. Check out previous recordings on Bandcamp, and keep up with all things Leverett on Facebook and Instagram.
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