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 today his debut single "Ways of Man" featured on his new 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.
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. 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."
"Ways of Man" is a lush folk song with stellar acoustic guitar pickin' and dreamy pedal steel, creating a beautiful sonic bed for Weinberg's warm vocals. The song's message, Weinberg says, "shines a light on how easy it is to give ourselves credit while failing to give the benefit of the doubt to others. We're all dealt a random lottery ticket in life, and we need to make opportunity as equitable as possible. We are too quick to blame others. I'm speaking to myself in this song as much as to anyone else. We need work against these tendencies, and believe in both ourselves and others."
Leading up to the May 13 street date of Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope, Weinberg releases follow-up singles "Quiet" (April 8), and "Drifting Through" (April 29).
To pre-order Laugh, Cry, Grief, Hope, please click HERE.
