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My friend, DJ/musician Chris Holmes, asked me and several other artists, including Stanley Donwood, to add some of their imagery into the album cover, done by Los Angeles based artist Joanna Skumanich, of his band ASHTAR COMMAND’s debut album. The music is great. Check out the art and a more in depth description. Better yet, get the record! Oh, Chris was kind enough to give Obey Records a plug on the record. He and I may be curating some music releases in the future. Stay tuned…
-Shepard
The album, American Sunshine, by Ashtar Command is an evolved and involved labor of love from veteran musicians Chris Holmes and Brian Liesegang. It’s an expansive and coherent album that defies being reduced to a single genre. Nick Drake could come to mind, as well as the Chemical Brothers. Spiritualized could be seen in there as well as The Beach Boys. There are songs of exquisite beauty and ones that unabashedly rock. The duo were joined by guest vocalists Joshua Radin (whose debut album was produced by Holmes) on “Mark IV,” Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (“Save Me”), Har Mar Superstar (“That’s How It Is”) and Rachel Yamagata (“Blister of the Spotlight”). The dreamy “Rosa,” already in heavy rotation at Los Angeles’ KCRW, is one of two tracks featuring Priscilla Ahn, while Z Berg’s crystal clear vocals provide a stunning counterpoint to the throbbing groove on “Gravity.” The group are well known for their song on Red Dead Redemption called “Deadman’s Gun”. Sci-fi fans may recall the concept of “Ashtar Command” that emerged in the 1950’s – an intergalactic U.N. with the mission of assisting the human race in a time of crisis. Think evolution by enlightenment, which makes the name a fitting metaphor for the band and what they’re trying to accomplish.
