Crucial Fulmination

Crucial Fulmination

The renowned lyrical improvisational MC Flex Matthews was gracious enough to send me his track "I Are". Flex has been blowing it up, with his rhythm and rhymes performing with Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, and Big Daddy Kane, just to name a few.

His song moved me, not so much with the lyrics, but with the delivery. He has a force about him, and it is powerful and explosive. I wanted to exemplify that energy with this piece.

Be sure to check out his music page and listen to his great flow and lyrical delivery.

Spectrum

Spectrum

I have known the guitarist Angel Gutarra for several years. We were once in a short lived band called Above the Edge. He has since gone on to become a phenomenal musician and with several others formed the band Radio Feedbak. They recently sent me a song of theirs for my "Lyrical Visions" album artwork series.

The song "Colors" was recorded live with their new vocalist, and I loved the visuals this song brought to my mind's eye.

Radio Feedbak consider themselves an indie/experimental rock band in Northern Virginia. They have been sharing the stage with countless bands since their formation and are garnering a great following. Make sure to check out their FaceBook page and keep up with their live shows.

You can listen to the song on their page, and read the lyrics below.

F. Lennox Campello Selects, Artomatic Artists

I have three recent pieces in this show, that I am so proud to be a part of!

Artomatic

A curated show of artists selected by F. Lennox Campello many of whom participated in the Artomatic Inaugural Ball last month.

The show runs from February 8th to the 22nd.

Opening reception February 13th - 6 to 8 pm

Gallery address and hours:

702 8th Street, NW between G and H Streets

Open Tue Wed Thu Fri Noon - 4pm

RSVP at the FB Page

Lyrical Visions - Two Shows

“Lyrical Visions” is the culmination of Russ McIntosh’s determination in the past year to create album artwork for DC/MD/VA musicians and bands.

Music and art go hand in hand. Traipsing the melancholy razor blade of creativity.

Such hard work is being showcased this March with two separate shows.

Russ McIntosh’s artwork transcends genres, as he worked with a myriad of styles in music throughout the region. The DC metropolitan music scene is ripe with creative musicians, and his goal from the outset was to create something memorable for them to use in showcasing their songs.

At the recent Artomatic in Crystal City, he handed out flyers to the multitude of musicians that showcased their sound. And throughout the year, Russ has been running ads in the City Paper and on CraigsList asking musicians to submit a song to him so that he could create a piece of album artwork for them.

Russ will be featuring five of the bands on March 8th at Fast Eddie’s in Fairfax with live performances of the songs that inspired the artwork, while the images he created will be projected behind them as they perform.

Then on March 9th, Arlington Arts Gallery on Lee Hwy there will be a limited engagement showing of the artwork. Each image will have a listening station in front of it, so every patron to the gallery will be able to hear the song that inspired the work.

“Lyrical Visions” brings all the diverse styles of music throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia into a showcase of artwork that unites them all. Rap and Hip-hop stands proudly next to Rock and Heavy Metal, alongside Adult Contemporary and Indie/Alternative.

Rise Above

Rise Above

Continuing my Lyrical Visions series, the band Backyard Fence sent me their song Holes to create from. The bassist for the band, Andy Curry is a DC-area photographer, expressed an interest in me utilizing his photography for the piece, and after viewing his portfolio I had several images I thought I could use in creating my vision of the song.

This was a great collaboration, as I normally use my own photographs to create my work, but Andy's photos  have a unique mood to them that fit the song perfectly.

The last few lines of the song is what I focused on.
Pop your head out of the clouds it's a false shroud of living and identity.... 
and out of the hole you'll rise, with big wings that will 
touch the sky and fly amongst the rest in bliss.


The band describes itself as "a musical experimental gaining momentum influenced by: Rush, Nine Inch Nails, Motörhead, The Chemical Brothers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Primus, The Doors, Nirvana, Weezer, etc." Be sure to check out their Facebook page to stay up to date with their shows.

Listen to the song here, and view the lyrics below that inspired this piece.

Filtered of the Earth

Filtered of the Earth

The latest in my Lyrical Visions series. The band Chute was kind enough to send me their song Filter to create this piece from.

Chute is an alternative rock band from Washington DC. Fusing together elements of classic rock, grunge, punk rock, and heavy metal, the band seamlessly blends pop sensibilities with crunchy riffs, powerful vocals, and hard driving rhythms.

I originally sketched out a different concept for this piece, but once I delved in and started working on this, a different scene began to take shape for me. I really like how this turned out and the feel I got from the song redirected the final outcome.

Be sure to check out Chute and purchase their music.

Light of Inspiration

Light of Inspiration

I was lucky enough to hear Justin Trawick's new song "Never Slow Down" which he recorded a demo of while sitting in the airport waiting on his flight.

The song was very inspiring to me, as I had a bit of a creative lull during the holidays. At this time the song is still unreleased from Justin, though he does play it live and I would recommend going out to one of his various shows and hear him.

This piece is part of my Lyrical Visions which I will be showcasing at my upcoming art show, which Justin will be performing at on March 8th.