BIDDEFORD — Eli Lev is a performer at his core; and he’ll be sharing his talent locally when he performs Saturday, July 30 at Flourish Music Cafe in Biddeford.

He grew up in the small town of Silver Spring, Maryland. After college, he worked as a student teacher on the Navajo Nation. Not an easy task, but Lev persevered and took the indigenous culture and wisdom of the nation to heart and to his music. When asked about his inspirations, Lev replied “My music and lyrics are inspired by my own life experiences. From my childhood in the suburbs of Silver Spring, Maryland, to my university years at Indiana University, to my student teaching on the Navajo Nation, to my travels abroad, the people and sights and sounds of my travels all intimately inform my songwriting and performances.”

Because of experiences, Lev started what he calls the “Four Directions Project,” based on the idea that each of the cardinal directions holds unique characteristics in the Navajo tradition. Lev based each of his albums on eclectic stylings that represent them. His first Extended Play (EP) was “All Roads East.” He then went on to publish “Way Out West” in 2018, “Deep South” in 2019, and released his latest publishing “True North” in 2021. He also noted when asked what his favorite musician was “My favorite musician right now is Billy Strings. He’s an incredible player who mixes bluegrass with heavy metal, pop, and psychedelic elements. He’s a huge inspiration and makes me want to learn his guitar style and ease of playing. Maybe one day we’ll be on the same stage!”

Lev has since gone on to perform all over the world in places such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France as well as across the United States with his work ethic and folk music talent shown through songs such as his favorite and his latest “Grand Prize”, a collaboration with Brendan Lane.

“My current favorite song that I’ve written is my latest release called ‘Grand Prize,'” he said. “It was inspired by yearning for the feeling to be loved, and knowing that you deserve it. It’s from the point of view of a teddy bear at a carnival hoping that someone would come along and win the game and take it home. Really, it’s about recognizing the beauty in every person and inanimate object that we come across in our lives.”

These experiences and songs have led him on his current tour to Maine and Biddeford’s Flourish-Arts as Sacred Healing, Lev said.

Lev will be performing at The Flourish-Arts as Sacred Healing venue, owned by Maribeth Amber; it is known for its close-knit atmosphere. When asked about performing in the Biddeford Cafe, Lev said, “performing in Biddeford is going to be super special! I’ve got friends and family nearby and have had the pleasure of hiking the (Appalachian Trail) in Maine and enjoying the coastline on summer trips. The last time I performed in Maine was three years ago, however, so I’m eager to come back and share my new songs with the good folks of Biddeford.”

Eli Lev’s music can be found at https://elilevmusic.bandcamp.com/. He will be performing Saturday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Flourish Music Cafe at 140 Main St #105, Biddeford. The event listing  can be found at https://www.flourishme.life/. He will also be joined by Justin Maxwell and Karen McDine; for more information on each of them, go to https://karenmcdine.bandcamp.com/releases and http://justinmaxwell.net.

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