PREMIERE | Levi Douthit, "Water the Plants"

Introducing Levi Douthit; photographed by Kevin McCormick.

Returning our attention to the Richmond, VA scene; we got a chance to chat with local multitalented artist Levi Douthit about the debut of the personal and candid single "Water the Plants" from the forthcoming Citrus City album Lucky Pennies. Known for work in film, music and bands like Black Button and Teenage Cenobite; Douthit's latest solo work accentuates the metaphors and motifs that personify the idiosyncrasies of approaches to mental health, self-care and other intimate perspectives. Having been raised in a musically inclined family, Levi partakes in that tradition with an inspired array of heart-sprung songs of meditations, songs for healing, songs of encouragement, songs of reckoning and songs of joy.

“Water the Plants” is centered around a core raw, rhythmic, gentle and sentimentally stirring guitar strumming progression. The acoustic strings and Levi Douthit’s delivery of earnest insight and lyrics of love are enrobed within the adornments provided by earthy emotive electric guitars, rumbling bass murmurs that are carefully punctuated by percussion stirred into the mix. What comes through loud and clear on “Plants” is something that feels real, something not of the world of posturing and postulating awkward and emo reflections on suburban living or the sad bastard Moleskine scribblings of your favorite fallen false idol. Levi reminds us of our own respective duty to ourselves and the gardens of our environments and communities, where we all are caretakers of the land — as well as one another. The motif of accountability revolves around the reminder to take care of all living things in our lives, starting with the self (in order to better care for all involved people and plants). The composition comes from a vulnerable place of recuperation and revival that is arranged in the mystique of a melancholic beauty that shivers from the cold of our long winter cloaked in the company and comfort of a thick security blanket (and the low roaring hum of a nearby space heater).

Levi introduced us to the song with the following preface:

"Water the Plants" came from me neglecting the one plant I own. I kept forgetting to water it and it was a circular effort of reviving it and neglecting it. At the time, I was having some past traumas blow up in my face brought on by things like opening myself up to new people and growing. I thought I had finished dealing with them but I was reminded that you don’t ever finish dealing with them, you manage and tend to them, just like watering a plant. It’s an analogy for that experience. The song is also the most collaborative on the record. Will came up with the bass line and Kevin came up with the lead hook. Both of which I didn’t see at all. Most of the record, the parts were already planned and foreseen. This one was an in the moment thing. I think it’s also a good representation of how I’m not trying to be folky. It’s an arrangement that I think is an accurate representation of what I want to do as an artist.

We had a chance to catch up with Levi Douthit across long distanced cables:

Coming from a musically inclined and involved family; describe your earliest memories of discovering the medium and what it meant to you.

I was surrounded by it all the time. My dad had his last recording studio in our garage when I was growing up so my most vivid memories are hearing what he was listening to while he would maintenance it. Many of the artists that hold a permanent place in my heart come from that memory. My actual first memory is a bit funny. My parents bought me this VHS concert movie of NSYNC when I was two or three years old and I went nuts over it. I made my mom buy me the camo cargos and everything I could get to match their outfits. I would stand like a foot away from the TV and dance to it over and over again. I was just obsessed and it kind of relates to how I've responded to music my whole life. I've always delved deep into everyone I've gotten into to the point of the same obsession.

Describe what got you into filming folks and cool cats busting moves in the skate scene to returning to music.

Well for one, I was really into skateboarding up until I turned 19 or so. I got into it around 6th grade and I had one of those Flip cameras with the USB attached to it where you could just put the clips on a computer easily. I found that it was really cool what you could do with the edit. I think that's what propelled me into making legitimate skate videos later on. I loved organizing it all, scoring it, and in general, trying to portray a memory or a certain mood that I felt. That's what it really turned into. I wasn't really even into the skating towards the end of it and I think that's why I ultimately fell out of it. I think it all makes sense that I'd come back around to music after that realization. Arranging a song and recording it is the same sort of thought process.

Guide us through what the making of Lucky Pennies was like for you.

This record was one I sat on for a bit. Not necessarily by choice, but I'm glad I did. In fact, that's one of the best things I learned while making it. Before, I was really impatient to get out whatever I'd be making as fast as I could. I actually recorded it twice, the first version has a whole different track listing on it as well. I recorded the first version at the beginning of the pandemic in my old basement. I heard a quote from Steve Albini that if you can't record a record in a week, you're doing something wrong. So I manically recorded it in a week. Upon listening to it later on, in the middle of summer, I started to really dislike some of the songs and the quality of recording. I also got a reel to reel around that time and the first project I recorded on that was Black Button's "I Want To Be In Control". I was so psyched on the way it was sounding that I just had to record Lucky Pennies again. I also just love doing it. The psychosis you fall into while recording is my favorite part. I spent a lot of time alone in the space that my friends and I share and I think that vibe comes through in the songs a bit. At the core, the actual writing of the songs came from being in a transitional time of my life, so I think that theme really lives on the record.

Tell us about the feeling of having your debut record completed and what you want to do next.

It's an amazing feeling to have it all be a living, breathing thing now. It's an archive of a time which I'm happy I can go back and look at, as is anything that I create. I'm really appreciative of Manny at Citrus City for putting it out. We've been talking for a while and it's wonderful that it's finally happening. I'm working on the next record now and I can't decide whether or not to do an LP or an EP. Those decisions all happen in the moment for me. It's whatever feels right. I really want to work with more people. Collaboration is something I want to focus on. Doing it all yourself produces a pigeon-holed state of mind at a certain point. The other project that I'm a part of, Teenage Cenobite, should be working on new things soon as well.

Some of your favorite artists and activists right now that are doing amazing things in their communities and with their art.

In terms of music, I miss live music so much because it really kept me up to date on the things in the DIY world. It's like a whole element of our excitement has been omitted for the past year. Hearing about other cities and how their scenes are operating only inspires me and gets me into new more present things. In effect, I've been in somewhat of a bubble. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by my friends and see the projects they're working on and in some cases be a part of them. My friends have been a major inspiration for continuing to write music in different ways. Bands like Black Button, Slump, and Keep. Aside from that, I really love this tape label out of New England called ERASED! Tapes. They do a lot of cool things with recording that interests me. On the macro scale, The Microphones "Microphones in 2020" blew me away and is probably my favorite thing I listened to in the past year.

Parting words of insight and wisdom.

Pickles on egg sandwiches.

Lei Douthit's album Lucky Pennies will be available March 26 via Citrus City Records.

Cover art for Lucky Pennies.