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They cover bands: Art show reinvents classic album covers

They cover bands: Art show reinvents classic album covers
Kendra Cooke

It’s a new record!

A group of Brooklyn artists have put their own spin on classic album covers, and will release the results at a Bushwick party on July 25. The organizers of the “Record Collection” show see it as a way of reviving a lost art.

“We were talking about how crappy some of the artwork on album covers has been lately,” said Mike Devito, a Bay Ridge resident and co-founder of the Cultural Compulsive Disorder Art and Supply Co. “People have been focused on digital.”

So Devito and Bensonhust artist Tommy Lombardozzi sought out visual artists who were enthusiastic about music, and asked them to completely re-imagine the cover art for any album.

“We thought it would be fun to give them a chance to reinterpret it as if they had been the original artist,” said Devito.

“Some people did some nods to what came before,” said Lombardozzi, “but it’s still completely different.”

The only real restriction was the size of the final artwork.

“Everybody’s piece had to be the size of an album cover,” said Lombardozzi.

The show includes 42 artists, the largest yet for the pop culture art collective. Previous shows, with themes like Universal horror films and famous duos of the 1980s, took place at the Irish Haven bar in Sunset Park. But a temporary move to the larger Arrogant Swine barbecue restaurant will allow the show to appeal to a new audience, the organizers said.

“We wanted to get out there, get it to different crowds,” said Devito.

And the outdoor opening party, complete with a DJ, vendors, and drink specials, is an extension of the collective’s goal of making art accessible and appealing, said Lombardozzi.

“We want to people to know that art — you can come and enjoy it,” he said. “It’s not a hoity-toity thing.”

Another part of that accessibility is the prices. None of the original art costs more than $250, and prints will be available at the show and on the group’s web site.

But this is no extended play — the albums come off the walls at the end of the night.

“Record Collection” at Arrogant Swine [173 Morgan Ave. at Scholes Street in Bushwick, (718) 791–3842, www.theccdartandsupplyco.com]. July 25 from 1 pm–2 am. Free.

Reach arts editor Bill Roundy at broundy@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–4507.
Rock ‘em robot: Artist Matthew Perry imagines a new album cover for Built to Spill’s “Ancient Memories of the Future” for the Record Collection art show on July 25.
Matthew Perry