Band to play 9:30 Club, Barnes brother releases book of art While Kevin Barnes is the creative genius behind the music that is of Montreal, it is his brother David who is the mastermind behind the band’s creative album artwork.
This has been a big week for the brothers Barnes. On Tuesday, of Montreal released a new EP titled “thecontrollersphere.” Also on Tuesday, David released a collection of his work in book form titled “What’s Weird?”
| ONSTAGE |
| Of Montreal |
| » Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| » When: Thursday, 7 p.m. doors |
| » Info: $25. 930.com |
Of Montreal performs at the 9:30 Club on Thursday.
“It’s just something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” said David Barnes earlier this week as the band continued on its current tour.
Barnes has created much of of Montreal’s album artwork, including last year’s “False Priest.” For “What’s Weird?,” he wanted something a little larger than an album or CD booklet. To compile a book-length collection, he drew from a collection of paintings, sketches and previously published album art.
“I kind of wanted to put them together and make a coffee table book,” Barnes said. “The whole point of a coffee table book really is something that sits on your coffee table and you can open it up to any page and be distracted for a few minutes. So I kind of wanted to make a book that was so full of so many images that you could do that forever, basically. You can open up any page and find something new.”
The result is more than a hundred pages of compelling paintings and drawings, some familiar to of Montreal fans, accentuated with rich, vibrant colors. The book itself reflects the dimensions of an LP.
“That was interesting,” Barnes said of selecting what to include in the book. “I have so many stacks. Some of the paintings I don’t even have any more. It was interesting to go through your past like that, especially the sketchbook stuff.”
Barnes said he’s inspired by real-life happenings, bordering on the mundane, for his art.
“I love trying to find the connection between seemingly unrelated things,” he said. “The world’s not as chaotic as it seems.”
In creating artwork for his brother’s band, Barnes said that by the time he actually sits down to create something, he’s heard multiple versions of the album’s tracks. Barnes’ involvement in the band’s stage production started out as a way for him to work with the group while they were on tour and between recording sessions.
He does keep busy.
“I can get pretty solitary,” Barnes said of touring with the band. “It’s kind of nice and healthy for me to have this other outlet.”
For more information on “What’s Weird,” visit beewithwheels.com.
