Pure Imagination

Join us for an evening of magic and music courtesy of Holysea and LEV, indoors at Santa Cruz's Poet and Patriot!

Showtime 7:30 pm; $10 suggested donation at the door.

This collaboration of Dallas based electro pop artist LEV and Joni Mitchelle-esque jazz singer/songwriter Holysea is sure to be a unique and inspirational experience.

LEV and Holysea met in the spring of 2018 at a singer-songwriter retreat and they fostered a deep connection. While LEV visited California over the summer, these two birthed the idea of a collaborative, raw show.

LEV rarely performs acoustically and is excited to preview some of the songs slated for her upcoming record.

Holysea is in the recording process of her first EP and is thrilled to get to perform her originals with LEV on harmony! The two will also interpret some of their favorite throw backs as well as co-written songs. This evening is sure to be full of magic, open hearts, and pure imagination!

About Holysea

On a spring day in Butterfly Town, USA, Holysea, born Rachael Williams, exited her silken cocoon singing. Enamored by harmony, she apprenticed sitting on the piano bench as her father played and alongside her alto mother in the church choir pew—she learned to memorize tonal patterns and lyrics quickly to keep up. At age five she began her study of the piano and voice at age 7.

Holysea’s earliest musical influences are The Indigo Girls, Alanis Morisette, and Joni Mitchell. Her ardent love of intricate melodies, inventive chord progressions and their cathartic effects on the listener and player alike inspired her early career as a jazz singer—hard to find a more evocative music than jazz.

Years of performing in bands with incredible ragtime and jazz musicians helped Holysea hone her performance skills in preparation for sharing her intimate art with the world. Holysea’s music is a reflection of her varied musical experiences melded with years of work as a marine ecologist, an in-depth graduate study of the Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a sensitivity to the world around her.

Holysea’s debut album is currently in pre-production and she looks forward to previewing a selection of it during her acoustic California Fall tour with Dallas-based artist, LEV.



About LEV

Fierce and raw, with pulsing synths layered across pounding drums, she gets hearts dancing in an instant. If you’ve yet to hear of the Electro/Pop/Soul siren, LEV, it’s time you got acquainted to one another.

Born Holly Peyton, the self-taught songwriter and guitarist first gravitated towards ‘70s Disco and ‘80s Synth-pop – noting artists such as Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, New Radicals, The Verve, and U2 as influences – from an early age. Instinctively drawn in by their use of harmonies, she credits Michael Jackson for his “use of simple drum beats, catchy Bass and iconic voice one-offs” for providing the most imaginative tracks to date.

These early sensibilities have been beautifully rewired within the fabric of an Electronic ‘80s Pop vibe, as LEV’s lush vocals are paired with sensuous grooves, dance beats and synth sounds. Her debut EP, Fear No Evil, stands as the initial realization of these intentions; it instantly earned her music press buzz and attention from the fashion world alike.

As for her moniker, it is perhaps the most effortless descriptor of her artistic foundation. LEV, which translates to “lion” in Czech, is attributed as the symbol of valor and reminder of inner strength, regardless of circumstance. While searching for her alter ego, the metaphor resonated with the singer immediately upon discovery – in fact, LEV soon took form as an artful rendering permanently inked on her right wrist.

On stage, LEV’s persona is quickly identifiable by her mane of golden tresses and palpable presence of authority amongst a crowd. While most musicians require an inordinate amount of time and resources to manufacture the “it” factor to their image, the ultra-cool and naturally stunning singer has no need for such a façade. She is, without a doubt, a born performer.

Make no mistake, LEV’s lyrics and dynamic vocals can firmly stand alone when stripped bare, as they are when she performs the occasional solo acoustic set.

The commitment to artistic fearlessness is readily apparent in her upcoming release, as LEV refuses to be held in proverbial captivity.Having an ear for experimentation, she enlisted Drew Scott, Marcus Bellringer and Mobley to produce the album. The result is intricately constructed and produced to one end: LEV is front and center.