Bob Dylan's "Tempest"

Soon, Bob Dylan will release his 35th studio album, Tempest. Rolling Stone has called it a "dark masterpiece". The centerpiece of the album is its 14 minute title track dealing with the sinking of the Titanic. Dylan's typically offhand response to those who've found significance in the fact that "The Tempest" was the title of Shakespeare's final play was simple: "The name of my record is just plain 'Tempest.' It's two different titles." Though Dylan has never lacked for creative energy, stuff since 1997's "Time Out of Mind", he seems to have entered a new creatively fertile period that, from all accounts thus far, continues with "Tempest". The name of the album is a reminder that weather conditions (often violent)  have featured prominently in his lyrics and song titles, even from his earliest work.

Consider the following:

"Blowin' in the Wind"

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." (Subterranean Homesick Blues)

"Buckets of Rain"

"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"

"A messenger sent me in a tropical storm" (Sara)

"You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing." (Jokerman)

"Shelter from the Storm"

"When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky"

"Thunder on the Mountain"

"I ran into the fortune-teller who said beware of lightning that might strike." (Idiot Wind)

"A change in the weather is known to be extreme." (You're a Big Girl Now)

"Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)"

And this is by no means a comprehensive list.

Of course with any songwriter who's released around 500 original songs and whose career spans over five decades, there are bound to be a number of references to a topic as ubiquitous as the weather, but just as the authors of ancient myths, Bob Dylan often seems to find inspiration in the heavens.

In keeping with the somber mood of the album, "Tempest" will be released on Sept. 11th.

African Drums: the Djembe

“Where I come from we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm, that’s when we get into trouble.”— Babatunde Olatunji

I've always been attracted to and influenced by traditional African art, with it's bold patterns and stylized imagery. That same boldness is also part of traditional African music. And of course the first instrument that comes to mind when considering African music, is the drum.

The goblet-shaped drum, called the djembe, is played with bare hands and produces a wide variety of sounds. It's traditionally been used in the western part of Africa by men (women djembe players are extremely rare) for centuries.

While some African drums were used as a sophisticated means of long distance communication, the djembe's primarily use was in ceremonies and celebrations, in short, to get people moving and to stir their souls.

Here's a clip of the late Babatunde Olatunji, a great Nigerian drummer famous for bringing the traditional style of African percussion to a worldwide audience:

All-American Horror book cover

Here's a recent job that involved designing and illustrating the cover for a soon-to-be-published American horror anthology edited by Mort Castle and published by Wicker Park Press. It's a little different from the more whimsical style I usually work in,  so I was looking forward to taking a crack at it.

The assignment was to do something appropriately creepy but work in the Americana aspect somehow. I came up with up a few sketches, and though I kind of liked the idea of doing a needlepoint sampler with the suggestion of a skull and some macabre folk-art images, it was decided that we should go with something iconic and stark, so we settled on a weathervane topped with a ghostly raven.

It took a couple tries to get the silhouette looking OK, though the skeleton isn't quite accurate, but I was more concerned with an impression than getting the anatomy right and with enough fog, I could cover up the fact that I'm no ornithologist.

It was a fun project and I look forward to the year 2020 and volume two.

Sketches from the NATO protests

So the 2012 NATO Summit is history, and the city of Chicago is still standing, despite the predictions by some of pandemonium in the streets. Whether due to the extraordinary precautions of the police force or a case of overhyped hysteria, things have returned to normal, much to the dismay of the cable news networks. On a whole, the day passed with only minor skirmishes with police. During the early hours, the biggest battle was with the heat. I was on hand for Friday's National Nurses United rally at Daley Plaza and Sunday's protest rally at Grant Park though I left before the march to McCormick place. The Grant Park crowd tried to keep cool as a steady stream of speakers read short prepared remarks aimed at NATO and human rights. As expected, there were good opportunities to sketch the faces in the crowd and on stage. I added color to some of the images later, which was especially needed in the case of the "generalissimo" in the hot pink uniform.

LP: New Artist, New EP, Amazing Voice

Chances are you might not recognize singer-songwriter LP by name (or initials),  but you've no doubt heard her unforgettable voice belting out her just released single "Into the Wild" in the Citi Bank commercial with the girl rock climber. Though she's already achieved some success as a songwriter and released several smaller label CDs, her just-released breakout EP featuring audio & live video versions of five new songs, and recent stories in Rolling Stone and on CNN confirm that she's an artist on the rise. From her recent live appearances at Austin's SXSW festival and on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, it's clear that LP delights in performing for a live audience. It's also clear that her voice doesn't need any studio wizardry to make an impression. LP is scheduled to appear at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 4th.

Addendum:

LP’s manager came across this post, and as a result I was given complimentary backstage passes to Lollapalooza got to meet her prior to the show. Needless to say, it was an AMZING performance and LP and her band could not have been nicer. Thanks very much and continued success, LP!