So when Jon from Tiny Showcase pointed me toward artist Drew Heffron, I didn't go to sleep. I stayed up, leaning in to my monitor, devouring the little of his art that's available online. My nights so often feel diffuse - my days, too, - and there was something mesmerising in Drew's squiggles and scribbles and warm solid shapes. There was a vitality that I wanted to swallow like an EAT ME pill. Even the slightest, twisty bits of line feel like they might have been the last work of some stick-insect: something that just had to be drawn before some small thing died.
His limited-run print for Tiny Showcase, a BBQ which buzzes with all of summer's smoke and cloud and friendship, is still available (my print came in the post today and it made me remember Ottawa sidewalks, the smell of hotdogs, friends on picnic benches, hopeless crushes). But beyond that, Drew's got half-sketches, dadaist contraptions, messed up faces and platonic perfection. He's got t-shirts and book-covers. He's got breadth and depth and boys&girls he's just starting. So it's with tremendous pleasure that I welcome him today, to Said the Gramophone, where he has chosen two songs - and illustrated them. Please make him feel welcome. -- Sean
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Electric Light Orchestra - "Mr Blue Sky"
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[Drew Heffron is in his fourth year of college studying visual communcation design. See his work online at drewheffron.com and fitforuse.com, or in person at 1147 Marydale Lane Rock Hill, South Carolina USA.]
(Previous guest-blogs, in and out of the Said the Guests series: Hello Saferide, Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear), Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Devin Davis, Michael Nau (Page France), artist Tim Moore, Carl Wilson, Brian Michael Roff, Howard Bilerman (producer: Silver Mt. Zion, Arcade Fire, etc.), Damon Krukowski (Damon & Naomi). There are many more to come.)
Posted by Drew Heffron at November 30, 2005 3:03 AMhaven't heard that ELO track in years. fantastic! (also thanks for justifying that text - so much better than centre alignment)
Posted by Anonymous at November 30, 2005 6:41 AMThe centered text was actually a Win/IE bug I only just noticed. The "justify" was something I forgot about (previously things were left-aligned) and only remembered when someone mentioned it in the comments in the post below. :) I haven't checked with Neale, though, whether the break from justified text was intentional, so the matter may still be under discussion.
Also - Drew Heffron's art!
Posted by Sean at November 30, 2005 6:46 AMi posted a comment last week i think about having trouble buying some cds of tracks you post here as i'm in london rather than US/Canada. i've now tried getting hold of 5 CDs with no joy, and i've had some really weird email responses from the little record companies, eg when i say, "how much to ship to the UK?", they think i mean france! sean as you are in the UK as well, have you ever seen that exploding hearts cd in any shops? i'm thinking select-a-disc (now "sister ray" - london) might be an option?
Posted by Anonymous at November 30, 2005 7:10 AMHi anonymous.
I find that really surprising - I've found it really easy gettng music sent over here (although sometimes they ask too much for shipping). Can I ask what records you've failed to get?
I don't know London record shops at all, but the Exploding Hearts record seems to be available at Newt Records for £9.99, and at Amazon.co.uk for £12.99 new, £5.20 used (+ shipping).
ALso - Drew Heffron's art! Wow!
Posted by Sean at November 30, 2005 7:15 AMgreat tracks! i went through a phase where every mixed cd i made had to finish with "Mr Blue Sky". love that song!
Posted by the keoki at November 30, 2005 7:17 AM(yeah the art is great)
thanks for the exploding hearts tip with amazon - i tend to go there when i've exhausted every other source - and hadn't heard of the newt record site so good one there too.
let's see, have also tried to get rachel ries - i know this is available used on amazon, but don't fancy the whole palaver. that spenking album - they were the lot that thought UK = france and wouldn't unbundle the 2 cd package. the other cds aren't now on the main page - so i forget what they were :| call me cheap and rather too principled, but i just don't think it's reasonable paying those sometimes exorbitant shipping costs for just one cd, particularly when companies like cdwow charge no shipping costs for worldwide delivery - and i know the diff in scale plays a part, but you've got to draw the line somewhere...
Posted by Anonymous at November 30, 2005 7:27 AMThe Rachel Ries is available at Waterbug (her label) for US$15 + $7 s/h to the UK, which admittedly is a little dear but no more than non-sale items at HMV.
I too seek out bargains with my CDs (yay for CD-WOW with chart stuff: Girls Aloud and Robyn came in about a month ago) - but I tend to feel pretty okay buying things direct from small labels, even at a bit of a premium, given that a much higher proportion of that is going to the artists. I don't like getting fleeced, though!
You should be commended for trying to buy this (great) stuff: hopefully most of our readers do.
Posted by Sean at November 30, 2005 7:42 AMNice work Drew. The Trism combination feels like a worker's city with more parks than buildings.
Posted by Tim at November 30, 2005 12:34 PMb52s...excellent
Posted by Satisfied '75 at December 1, 2005 9:01 AMI stumbled upon the link to this site somewhere in some livejournal community. I went to college with this kid. I've eaten cookies with this kid. it's so surreal seeing his stuff online. his art is pretty amazing though.
Posted by Lindsay at December 3, 2005 9:17 PMHey Drew,
love love love that ELO song. It's a favorite. Yeah for the B-52s, too.
Posted by helen at December 4, 2005 7:14 AM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
