Mendeleyev Gets Self-ish at SOhO

Santa Barbara native singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mendeleyev’s new album won’t actually be available in CD form for his concert at SOhO on September 21, as the record isn’t officially released until eight days later. But that won’t stop him from making this particular homecoming show into a special evening in every way. 

For one thing, it will be the first time that Lev – the album’s title and his preferred nickname, as Mendeleyev is merely the first of seven famous mathematicians’ and scientists’ names bestowed upon him at birth by his unconventional Gibraltar Road-dwelling parents – will have the evening to himself.

Or to put it another way, there are still opening acts, but they’re all different facets of Lev. 

“I grew up at SOhO. I played my first show and got my first paycheck of my life there,” said Mendeleyev, who has an enviable vocal range and is proficient on guitar, piano, drums, bass, and other instruments. “I’m excited to see where the night goes without feeling time constraints. I have many different voices, and there’s a handful of personalities that live inside… I’ve got a lot of new music to share and new stories to tell.” 

The new album is a largely acoustic and entirely solo affair, recorded both in his one-bedroom apartment in New York City while he earned a master’s last year in songwriting and production following a four-year one from the Berklee School that was sandwiched around appearing on The Voice in 2019, and back in SoCal at his L.A. digs. His thesis was on the pursuit of inspiration, which provides a big clue into what makes him tick. 

What most excites Mendeleyev these days is integrating all that he has learned and all that he is, at least so far, into a complete being. The latest breakthrough came during an immersive and intensive vocal workshop with Bobby McFerrin, particularly when he found himself singing alone in the cathedral and unearthing parts of his voice and himself that hadn’t surfaced quite that way before. 

“We were doing 15 hours a day of vocal improvisation, which is a lot like how I live my life,” he said. “So many of my songs are outlines or guidelines because I have the blessing or curse of not being able to proficiently do the same thing twice. Sometimes I’ve found myself chasing my tail… There are so many genres that I delve into, from electronic and loop bass music, funk with bands, acoustic folk fingerpicking, and more. But it’s all under the umbrella of me. I’m no longer trying to differentiate all of it.”

Loop yourself into the latest from Lev at SOhO, his last local show before heading out on the road for a long-delayed tour opening for Ben Harper.