Lowell Levinger

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Youngbloods, Lowell Levinger (aka Banana from the Youngbloods) is still rocking, playing and singing better than ever. Penning his own originals, Banana incorporates Youngbloods favorites as well as gems from his extensive musical roots into his performances with a gutsy, engaging style. Banana is also a well known vintage instrument collector and multi-instrumentalist. He delivers his repertoire while picking the heck out of his unique five-string tenor guitar, breaking out a banjo for occasional accompaniment or tickling the ivories for just the right mood.

Drawing on his five decades past, Banana has curated a collection, complete with his new arrangements of favorite Youngblood classics for a dynamic record that was released in 2015. Guests on the album include Jesse Colin Young, Ry Cooder, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, David Grisman, Darol Anger, Peter Stampfel, Duke Robillard, Nina Gerber and others. Many old posters and photos are reproduced for the graphically enticing “Collectors Edition” which includes a 20-page booklet.

Today Daniel and Banana delve deep into the heyday of the psychedelic 60’s and explore the magic relationship between creativity and profound otherness. Enjoy!

QUOTES:

“I grew up with a grand piano in the house; my mother was a concert pianist with the Santa Rosa Symphony. When I was old enough to reach up and touch those keys, wow, was that ever cool! That was probably my first psychedelic experience.”

“WPLJ, (white port lemon juice), by the Four Deuces, that record knocked me off my socks! I was eight years old when I heard it. I’d go by myself into the depths of all-Black neighborhoods to go to Music City Records to buy music. The walls of the store had a ton of glossy photos of recording artists and I spied one of the Four Deuces and lo and behold, there were five of them! That was my first acid trip. It blew me away, taught me that you could do anything you want. Wanna be five guys and call yourselves the Four Deuces? Go for it!”

“I thought everyone else had songs stuck in their head like I did. It was a real shocker when I learned that wasn’t the case & it made me kinda sad”

“A buddy once said “I’d rather hear Marjorie Hendricks scream once than hear a whole album of Joan Baez”

“As a teen with my buddies, we’d go to City Lights bookstore, hang out in front & wait for someone to sell us a kitchen-sized matchbox of weed. It was all shake but just $5”

“I’ve been very lucky to make so many friends and to play music with so many wonderful people”

“As a teen I got kicked out of a bunch of schools. I despised despotism, unfairness, and cruelty. When I saw it happening, I’d speak out against it, just couldn’t keep my mouth shut & would make a ton of wise-ass remarks”

(Daniel):”Those are really psychedelic fueled values, the value system of the 60’s counterculture that you were growing up in”

“Yup, that stuff clears your mind & you see what’s wrong, you see what’s bullshit, and if you can’t keep your mouth shut, you get in trouble!”

“I’ve always tried not to take any shit and to stay away from people who were bullshit & only deal with people who were real, true, responsible, & conscientious. Being conscientious is a key to living a long life, I’ve read studies about it”

“How do I define ‘conscientious’? Well, everyday you live, you walk a path. If you turn around and look behind, you’ll see that you’ve littered, that you’ve left stuff here and there. If that stuff has been of use to someone, if it’s helped somebody, improved their life, brought them joy, then you’re cool, you’re conscientious. But if you look back and there isn’t that, if all you see is damage, well, then you’re fuckin’ yourself up. I’m not saying that you hafta be constantly volunteering for civic organisations; it might just mean telling a good joke that makes people crack up”