Singer and fingerstyle guitarist Adam Weinberg -- who's most notably known on the live music circuit as Matisyahu's guitarist on his worldwide acoustic duo tours for over five years -- releases on Friday, April 29 a new single "Drifting Through" featured on his latest album, Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope (Release Date: May 13, 2022). The album includes a 32-page companion book and album cover artwork (pictured above) designed by the late Mel Marcelo, a legendary San Diego digital illustrator. Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope features bassist Marc Friedman (The Slip) on multiple instruments (bass, electronics, keyboards, percussion) as well as the mixing engineer. DJ Le Spam (Spam Allstars) engineered the recording sessions.
The island reggae vibes of "Drifting Through" closes out Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope with an uplifting feel leaving listeners with smiles on their faces. Tight, syncopated horns coalesce with Weinberg's deft acoustic guitar work for the perfect soundtrack to summer. Weinberg says of the song, "The track is about self-acceptance and being on the other side of tough emotions. I wanted to end the album on a very positive note. Whatever the challenges are that people are going through, I'm hopeful that they can see that things are going to be alright. I've found in order to get through struggle, I need to embrace the good, bad, and suffering. Once I welcome all of this in, I'm able to feel a bit of elation."
Weinberg's first lyrical record, Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope, is as the album title suggests: an internal meditation of personal loss, healing, and genuine reflections of finding happiness. While he studied jazz, composition, and cognitive psychology at Washington University (St. Louis) and has performed alongside greats such as percussionist Cyro Baptista (Paul Simon, Trey Anastasio, John Zorn), Weinberg's latest tracks run across the genres of Americana, Leo Kottke-inspired instrumentals, reggae, as well as diving into family music on two songs (Weinberg is the father of three kids). The introspective nature of Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope is the result of what Weinberg calls, "a catastrophic 5-week period in my life in 2019."
Weinberg adds, "Sometimes in life, you are faced with the unexpected. Unfortunately, in summer 2019 within a short period of time, my son experienced a seizure disorder, my mom went into the ICU, and my brother-in-law died after a long struggle with substance abuse and sobriety. I completely lost it. With my therapist's recommendation, I started playing guitar again after a stint of not picking it up for a while. She suggested playing for just five minutes a day, and recording everything. It really helped pull me out of a really dark place. I engrossed myself in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and writing songs, and honestly, at the end of that really tough time, I had enough material for three albums and Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope was born."
Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope will be available worldwide on Friday, May 13, 2022.
To pre-order Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope, please click HERE.
