Everybody likes music right? Of course you do. Throughout the history of music, there have been a variety of formats to listen to music other than actually hearing it live — eight tracks, cassettes, cassette singles, CDs, and lately through Youtube and more prominently downloaded MP3.
But there is something especially special about hearing it on an LP being played on a old fashioned turntable. One of best things about LPs is the cover art — being able to hold it in your hands, savour the artwork and get lost in the liner notes.
This is the inspiration behind Spin, a new art exhibition and sale happening at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, this Saturday, April 22.
Numerous local artists got together to design their own LP cover art for two reasons — to coincide with Record Store Day and to give the the artists a chance to make a few dollars from their work as well as to offer unique art at a reasonable price.
“There is some really neat stuff,” said artist Leila Armstrong, who co-organized this event with Todd Lacharite.
“I was worried at first when only four people showed up to the workshop we held at the Bowman for ’Spin‘, but as the deadline approached, submissions came pouring in. It turned out better than I ever expected,” she continued adding 27 local artists submitted 75 local works for the show, which was on display at the Blueprint Gallery, but has recently been moved to the Owl Acoustic Lounge to lead up to the Saturday gala event.
While Armstrong said artists are often called upon to donate their works to charitable causes, part of the vision behind ‘Spin’ was to allow the artists to make some money for themselves. So each work has a minimum bid of $20. So far the highest bid is $75. The Spin exhibition and bash works similar to the Shuffle up and Deal fundraiser. A book with all of the works and corresponding bid sheets is available at the Owl up to and including the day of the event for enthusiastic art lovers to make their bids on their favourite(s).
Musical performances by Jesse Northey, Steven Foord, the Barefoot band and Gary Bailey will be taking place, April 22 as hosts Mike Maguire and Aaron Hagan auction off the works in between sets.
“And the musicians will be talking about some of the albums that inspired them,” Armstrong added.
Artists took a variety of different approaches to the project. Some of them reinterpreted classic album covers, one artist did children’s albums, others made album covers for local bands, others made up their own bands and designed album covers for them. They used a variety of mediums including collages, drawings, digital photography and even an oil painting.
“We had everybody from students to well established local artists participating,” she continued.
“Len Komenac even got his shrink wrapped so it looks like an actual album,” she said.
There is no cover for this free event, which begins at 7:30 p.m., April 23.
