In 2012, songwriter Adam Levy lost his son Daniel to suicide after a long struggle with mental illness. The tragedy altered every inch of his and his family’s life. It left Levy creatively incapacitated. He spent much of the following three years sharing his story in public forums with other surviving parents and individuals, as well as trying to make sense of the trauma. Gradually Levy started writing songs again. What came out was music that expressed the longing and self-examination he’d been experiencing in the wake of his son’s death.
The record got its name from the closing track Naubinway, which you can watch Adam perform here. It’s a heartbreaking description of the “backwards baptism” burial of his son’s ashes that Adam and his family scattered in a sandy lagoon six months after Daniel’s death in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But the songs don’t wallow in the agony. Rather they dignify Daniel’s suffering, and his genius as a visual artist. It is Daniel’s art work that graces the cover of this record and is featured in a 32-page booklet that accompanies the CD and vinyl issues.
Naubinway is a record that Grammy winner Joe Henry calls “love in action, a courageous and generous offering. Ghosts abound, but the central theme is the great mortal concern: how to live out loud in spite of the quiet inevitable that forever walks with us. Adam stands fully facing the storm and tells us what he sees – free of drama, but with soul and deep compassion. The journey is not for the faint of heart but it is a beautiful and remarkable piece of work and highly recommended.”