He uses what he’s got, sometimes it’s his chest
“The Show”
Sometimes you walk into a room and something just makes you feel good. Sometimes it’s a woman, sometimes it’s the scenery, sometimes it’s Darnell Levine.
As I walked into 3rd & Lindsley, I felt something. I felt something good.
Every member of the crowd sat and waited. And all the while, there was something in the air I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
The bar grew silent except for a lone voice. The performance was beginning. Darnell’s first song began with his band onstage waiting for him. They looked confused, and their confusion only increased the anticipation as Darnell sang a capella from the audience. To say that it was good would be a drastic understatement.
Then Darnell took the stage. To a cheering crowd, he introduced himself and his band and began making music. He started by creating a rhythm using his chest and his hands. Then he added his voice. Before long, the crowd was joining in, and finally, his band kicked in behind him. It was magical. The entire room was engaged in a musical moment like no other I have experienced. And it just kept getting better.
The night was a roller-coaster ride?songs to fit moods of all sorts took you from one place to another while landing you right back in your seat at the end. The music was jazz, soul and rock, all blended in a perfect balance of extreme dynamics and natural sounds. At times, Darnell led his band through jazz styled vamps with call-and-response sections, using his voice as a guide for the other instruments. His band responded with a playful professionalism that was not pretentious. It felt just right. Then came the amazing song “Breakdown” which can be found on Darnell’s album, We Gon’ Use What We Got. Half the audience was jumping up and down as the driving rhythm forced you out of your chair.
At other times, Darnell managed to morph his voice into a trumpet or saxophone. It was very entertaining, and helped his set flow from more serious sections to a lively and happy feeling. The balance was perfect, and the performance amazing.
Darnell’s character, charisma, and attitude struck a chord with the audience. At one point, Darnell even managed to draw a standing ovation; a rare occasion at a bar.
“The Mission”
After seeing Darnell play, I knew I was seeing something special. So, I set out to get to know him a bit more. I got the chance to sit down with Darnell and talk about what makes him tick. It turns out Darnell is a man of many talents. As well as being a musician, he designs posters, T-shirts, and album covers. He is a smart guy with a good sense of humor and is a college graduate. He also enjoys working with children and is a substitute teacher at a grade school.
Darnell’s main profession though is simply “musician.” He began playing piano and singing at 14 and has since developed into a talented songwriter and arranger. He is also a talented percussionist. Onstage, Darnell does not play an instrument, but you get the feeling he could probably play all of them.
Thankfully, due to an amazingly talented band, we get to see Darnell focus on using nothing but his soulful voice and his body for the musical picture he paints.
“My crew is amazingly responsive, and that needs to be seen. The real stuff happens when you don’t know what comes next,” Darnell said of his band’s improvisational skills, adding that he builds his sets so they are never the same.
Darnell almost resembles a conductor who judges the crowd’s reactions and responds musically.
In the studio, Darnell Levine’s production and organizational skills were of extreme benefit to the sound. His album, We Gon’ Use What We Got is a work of excellence. Darnell brought in lots of musicians, dependent on what each individual track called for. The album has been well received and has been rated in the top 20 indie albums of 2006 by The Tennessean.
