Vidlit
for higher res: douglevitt.com.
songs | images
stories | songs
doug interview + performance on cnn + reuters
Singer/songwriter Doug Levitt set out three years ago on an initial six-week tour on a Greyhound Bus to tell the stories of people struggling to get by, a tour that never really ended. His project, Greyhound Diaries – a record, web series and forthcoming book – is a collection of songs, stories and images inspired by people he’s met along they way. December marks the release of Greyhound Diaries: Eastbound Edition, the digital e-book on douglevitt.com, along with accompanying four-song EP, available at iTunes. Excerpts from Greyhound Diaries: Eastbound Edition have also been converted into short web videos that will be part of a five-episode online series. Levitt’s full-length album, Greyhound Diaries, will be available this spring.
Carrying only a backpack, guitar, an iBook covered in duct tape and a modern protest song, Levitt’s initial six-week journey across the country included singing in rallies and volunteer meetings, bus stations and college campuses. On the road, he chronicles the stories of people struggling to get by in a time that is exceptionally hard for the working poor in America. The result of multiple separate Greyhound Bus tours is a multi-faceted look at America and the socio-economic issues facing the country through songs, stories and photographs.
Produced by David Henry (Guster, Josh Rouse), Greyhound Diaries captures the encounters of a lone traveler, his thoughts and emotions through melodic arrangements and poignant lyrics. Along with Henry (bass, keys, cello), the album features Craig Wright (drums), Olivia Mack (piano, backing vocals), Stephanie Wise (backing vocals) and Adrianne Bond (backing vocals), providing the soundtrack to an unforgettable cross-country journey.
“For many who travel by Greyhound, the itinerant, the laborers, the single parents, the elderly, the veterans, the reservists, the working students, the afflicted, much of daily life is triage,” says Levitt. “And when you’re struggling to get by, politics can seem a world away, white people yelling on cable, a spectator sport of, by, and for others.”
A graduate of the DC public schools and Cornell University, Levitt went on to earn his masters in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Prior to his career in music, he was a journalist overseas and filed dispatches from such places as Iran, Rwanda and Bosnia. His travels and reports from around the world gave him a new perspective on American socio-economics and politics, Levitt has recently been a surrogate for Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, performing and speaking on the senator’s behalf.
