Culture Cabinet

After 27 years, LA-based musician Dave Lebental returns center stage with his LP, The Long Player, out today. The Long Player features eleven tracks that reflect on everything from life experience, to unrequited love, to an appreciation of nature. The songs blend seamlessly after each other, giving the listener a feel of what Lebental cites as some of his earliest influences, such as Tom Petty and James Taylor. 

Growing up in Southern California, Lebental dreamed of becoming a recording artist from a young age. “In those days, the independent music scene didn’t really exist,” Lebental explains in an interview with Culture Cabinet. “I played in a number of bands in the LA scene, and played a lot of nice venues.” 

Those ‘nice venues,’ of course, included LA icons such as The Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and The Troubadour, just to name a few. After landing gigs that put him on the same bill as bands like Jane’s Addiction and Wire Train, Lebental believed his big break was next. Then, as he puts it, “real life came into play.” 

Following the birth of his first child, Lebental decided that perhaps it was time to put his music dreams away. He took a full time job shortly after. 

That’s not to say he stopped caring about music in that time. In fact, in speaking to Lebental, it’s ever apparent that music is simply rooted in his soul. Amidst our conversation about the album, we manage to slip in some discussions about music. 

From a shared love of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, to a dissection of musical genres, to reflecting on Tom Petty’s career, it’s apparent to me within the first five minutes of our conversation that Dave Lebental is not just a musician in the sense of someone who creates music. He is someone who lives and breathes music, and is eager to talk about it. 

Throughout the time that he spent raising his children and not pursuing music professionally, Lebental remained connected to his musical roots: taking his children to concerts and music festivals, practicing the piano and guitar, and becoming attuned to how the digital age had shaped music. After taking some time to learn Garage Band, and getting back in tune with his songwriting abilities, the time felt right for Lebental to produce a new album. 

“I had a little bit of a choice.” Lebental says. “How was I going to do this? Do I want to pick up some of my older songs? I see the world differently. I’m an older guy now. I want to express how I feel today.” 

And thus began the impetus for The Long Player, an album named after the long form of “LP.” Lebental classifies the album as “Americana, blues, and soft rock.” All eleven tracks are either written or co-written and produced by Lebental. It’s also hard to miss that he is credited on the back of the album with sixteen different instruments, save for the drums, which are provided by longtime collaborator Tim Freund. 

Utilizing old skills, an ability to play a wide array of instruments, and the help of some used instruments from Craigslist, Lebental crafted each song on the album with what he thought worked best for the sound he was going for. “I would record myself playing and singing the song on an acoustic guitar. And then I’d listen to it and go, ‘Oh, I wonder what spice would taste good in this? In this state?’” 

He says his ultimate goal was to test his limits. “What could I do? What am I capable of? That was the challenge. And it was fun. It also enabled me to control the artistic vision.” Something he says is the upside to working in the independent music realm. 

I ask if there are any particular songs that have a special meaning. He cites “Granite Meadow,” the fifth track on the album, as one that he gravitates towards. 

“That song was really inspired by being up in the mountains in a mountain meadow,” he says. “It was a pretty cool moment, just being in that meadow, where I could feel like I as one with the whole meadow, and I can see my place in time and how small I was. I was just passing through time, like the insects and birds and everything else in the meadow. I felt like I was one with it. And it’s stated [in the song] not in a religious or caustic way. It’s more like we get to have a life, and we’re part of the whole ecosystem. If we take a minute to slow down and breathe and be one with it. Modern life is so busy and so hectic. To be able to capture that feeling of inclusiveness with nature. That’s a pretty big picture.” 

As we close our conversation out, I suddenly learn two more things about Dave Lebental. 

The first is that he cares deeply about paying it forward. He’s eager and quick to tell me that all proceeds from sales of vinyl and CD pressings of his album will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, which he credits to saving his son’s life when he was faced with a serious illness. 

“They were so awesome,” he reflects. “I had no idea that for the most part, when you’re dealing with a health crisis for children, local hospitals can’t always treat them. They have to be treated at The Children’s Hospital. When it came time to release the LP, I thought this was my chance to pay it back and pay it forward for the next kid. And, to really make my music something bigger than my own personal pride.” 

The second, is that while he takes pride in his work, he’s not necessarily seeking fame or fortune. “In fact, both seem pretty terrible,” he laughs. Rather, Lebental hopes to simply form a connection over music. He excitedly tells me about how much he enjoys responding to fans all over the world who reach out on social media with kind words about his music. “I always respond to everyone, because I like to remind myself: ‘This is why you’re doing it.’ I want to have music that connects with people.” 

And with The Long Player, Lebental certainly accomplishes that goal. 

The Long Player is available for purchase here. All proceeds of physical sales will benefit The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

You can stream the album below: