With a hollow, almost haunting breath that reverberates through your chest, the Navajo flute produces a sound like wind flowing between smooth canyon walls.

This is one of the unique forms of music played by Eli Lev, a local singer/songwriter of Silver Spring, Maryland. He describes his brand as indie/folk/poptimism.

“Indie is short for independent. The ‘folk’ is for acoustic guitar-based, lyric-forward music, and ‘pop’ means I try to write a lot of catchy melodies so people can sing along,” Lev said.

Since 2017, Lev has performed all throughout North America and in over 13 countries for over 10,000 people. Since he was 12 years old, although Lev was never formally taught music theory or how to play an instrument, he has had a unique connection with music.

“I was raised in a musical family. My dad played the oboe, and my mom played piano, guitar and sang. Music was always around,” Lev said.

However, before Lev decided to pursue music as a career, he studied to be a teacher at Indiana University. There, through the school’s cultural immersions program, he was presented with the opportunity to teach in Arizona on a reservation in the Navajo nation. 

“When am I ever going to get a chance to connect with the indigenous population?” Lev said.

After having taught for 3 years on the reservation, Lev traveled to Mexico, where he played his guitar under a vast field of stars. It was there, he describes having had a ‘spiritual encounter’ that redirected his path in life. 

“I played for the waves, and the beach, trees and sky,” Lev said. 

This unique interaction with nature sparked the beginning of the writer’s music career. 

“Introducing the sounds of the south, where my mom is from, and the sounds of the east coast, and the sounds of the navajo nation and the sounds of the Appalachian mountains,” Lev said. “For me, it shows that we can all connect and there and there’s less divide.”

Encouraged by friends and family after his first opening with Kyle Marler, Lev decided to pursue his dream. Although, finding his audience came with its struggles.

“There was a time I played a venue to essentially no one, just to the sound engineer and their dog,” Lev said. “That was 8 years ago. I survived my first show where nobody came.”

For an aspiring musician, the technicalities of touring also presented as a challenge.

“The marketing, recording, production, how to survive on tour. There’s so many moving parts to being a musician. As an independent musician, I have to figure out how to do all those things.”

While Lev was eager to share his art with the world, he realized there was much more to learn about the music industry.

“I [was] writing songs for people to like me. I realized that wasn’t really what it was all about,” Lev said. “Music is a way to express myself, music is a way to build community and music is a way to see the world. My main motivation now is to create the most authentic art that I can and deliver the most impactful live performances.”

Lev released his newest album “past lives,” which features seven songs. It is available on Spotify. 

On Sunday, May 24, Lev performed in his hometown, Silver Spring, MD. His next local tour will appear this Saturday, on June 6, at the Moore Music House Show in Rockville, MD.