V/A - Jowe Head Presents: Art For All

"Art For All is a collection of music-pieces curated by Stephen Bird (aka Jowe Head), based on the theme of visual artists and artworks that have inspired the musicians involved in the project. He writes: "I presented a challenge to various songwriters and musicians that I know around the world: I asked them to express their feelings about a visual artist or their artwork, in a piece of music. I had already composed and recorded material about William Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Joseph Beuys, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Cornell and Hannah Höch, so I was interested to see how other musicians would respond. I allowed them to choose artists as familiar or as obscure as they wished, in a musical setting of their choice. Styles are diverse, encompassing dirty rock and roll, joyful pop-songs, and abstract sound-pieces. Some pieces use electronica or 'found sounds'; some use lyrics, others no words at all. Some pieces are comments on the lives of the artists themselves, others responses to specific artworks. Some of the artists chosen were creating their work centuries ago; some are still alive and producing work today. Some are 'established' artists, considered by curators and art historians to inhabit the respectable world of 'fine art'? The 'Do It Yourself' aesthetic of the early punk community inspired me and others to create without inhibition; the important thing was to "do it", and to learn as we went along. It is vital that we retain the urgency of that creative impulse, without being distracted by the need to 'show off' with tiresome displays of 'cleverness' or technical expertise. The realms of art and music should not be reserved for a privileged elite! Ultimately, convenient categories such as 'pop-art', 'surrealism', or 'impressionism' are meaningless when contemplating the work of an artist whose work is transcendental and sublime in its intensity. The same applies to musical expression; in my view, often the best music is that which defies categorisation." Featuring The Callas, Woog Riots, Luke Haines, Jeremy Gluck & Don Tyler, The NoMen, Heather Leigh, Future Pilot AKA, Seven Headed Raven, SPeW, BMX Bandits, Exploding Flowers, Terry Edwards, and Woog Riots."