At the center of the most potent folk music is a shamanistic vessel that’s traveled miles in the outside world and miles within his or her emotional interior to emerge with music that instantly breaks down walls and opens hearts. Folk singer-songwriter Eli Lev beholds the gifts of such journeys. He’s a searcher, a sage, and a storyteller with a message of unity in song. He pens hymns for everyday enlightenment—songs that resonate because they’re heartfelt, earthy, and they offer wisdom culled from self-discovery. His upcoming two-album release, All Roads East and Way Out West, imaginatively and intrepidly connect spheres and generations with a body of work that’s irresistibly uplifting, emotionally resonant, and groundbreaking. “When I’ve been on the road, and I can’t speak the language, I’ve always been able to play a song and suddenly everyone’s singing and dancing. There’s a connection there, and, in that instant, there is a community,” marvels the Washington, D.C.-based artist. Eli has built a robust profile through wowing audiences whenever he picks up a guitar. Select highlights from his national and international performances include appearing at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada; Music on the Mall Festival in Washington DC; Kennedy Center Millennium Stage for the METRO Performs Series; and playing at the US Capitol building at the invitation of DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Currently, he maintains a busy schedule performing on what he has playfully dubbed the “Beltway Tour,” which includes an impressive series of appearances at hundreds of venues throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia in clubs, taverns, festivals, house shows, wineries, art exhibits, markets, resorts, and community events. CBS Radio News has featured an interview with Eli, and ReverbNation has spotlighted four of his songs. As a recording artist, Eli has previously issued the live-in-the-studio EP, Shy Desert Morning. “To me, folk music represents a tradition of reinterpretation. Before people had a medium to record, they weren’t tied to one version of a song. The music could grow and evolve,” Eli says. “Together, these albums represent an artistic statement about folk music and how songs can be interpreted in many ways.”