Levi Dean & the Americats blend Americana, blues, folk, rock, and country. Singer/songwriter Dean grew up in Virginia and began playing professionally at age twenty when he moved to the Rocky Mountains and formed a band called Dean Station. That band completed three U.S. tours to promote their debut eponymous album in December 2006, followed up by Raising the Root (2007) and Quarter of a Century (2009).
In 2011, Dean spent a year in Nashville honing his songwriting skills, before relocating to San Diego in 2014 to form Levi Dean and the Americats. Their debut Pushing On was released in July 2016.
Early 2019 saw the release of Free and Untethered. “The harmonica player, Patrick Mackey, and I met jamming at a backyard gathering,” relates Dean. “Patrick’s roommate, KC Kruger, who used to play bass for the San Diego punk band Ass to Mustache, eventually joined the band.”
“We then met our drummer, Lucho Cely, while playing at the SoNo Fest. Lucho grew up playing in rock n’ roll bands in Ecuador. Lucho brought in his Ecuadorian acquaintance and electric guitar virtuoso Nicolas Pachano. Our most recent addition is Madeline Skillman, who we met at one of our shows. She plays the accordion and sings silky harmonies.”