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Tony Levin in Rochester on Saturday to sign copies of his photo book

 A crowd carries musician Peter Gabriel in this undated photo by Tony Levin.
Tony Levin
A crowd carries musician Peter Gabriel in this undated photo by Tony Levin.

Tony Levin is an Eastman School of Music product, one of the most visible bassists in rock music and a member of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.

It’s loosely estimated that he’s played on 500 albums. He’s toured with the biggest names, including Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon and James Taylor.

And now the bassist is passing on what he’s witnessed – both from the stage and behind it – as an avid photographer.

 Tony Levin
Provided
Tony Levin

Levin celebrates the publication of his coffee-table book, “Images from A Life on the Road,” at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at The Atrium at Eastman Place, 25 Gibbs St.

Levin will talk about his photos and sell autographed copies of the book at the event, which is a part of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame series “Books Backstage.” Levin also will showcase limited-edition photogravure prints and sell autographed copies of his book.

“Mostly I appreciated how I have this unique vantage point onstage,” Levin told WXXI last summer, when he was playing a concert at Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center with King Crimson. “I’ve been taking pictures onstage of Peter Gabriel floating in the audience and things like that for many years, and so even if only one out of 20 of my photos is decent and worth seeing, that still ends up being a lot of photos with, again, this unique vantage point.

“So I’m glad I was able to take advantage, and still am, of being a musician on stage who’s got a pretty good camera on hand, that I can just pick up and shoot pictures.”

Levin will return to Rochester when one of his side projects, the progressive-rock trio Stick Men, which features percussion and the bass-like Chapman Stick, plays March 31 and April 1 at Lovin’ Cup Bistro & Brews.

New York state COVID-19 restrictions in effect at the time of Saturday’s event will be followed. Tickets are $15, with proceeds going to the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.
Copyright 2022 WXXI News. To see more, visit WXXI News.

Jeff Spevak has been a Rochester arts reporter for nearly three decades, with seven first-place finishes in the Associated Press New York State Features Writing Awards while working for the Democrat and Chronicle. He has also been published in Musician and High Times magazines, contributed to WXXI, City newspaper and Post magazine, and occasionally performs spoken-word pieces around town. Some of his haikus written during the Rochester jazz festival were self-published in a book of sketches done by Scott Regan, the host of WRUR’s Open Tunings show. Spevak founded an award-winning barbecue team, The Smokin’ Dopes, and believes Bigfoot is real. His book on the life of a Lake Ontario sailor who survived the sinking of his ship during World War II will be published in April of 2019 by Lyons Press.