Ever dreamed of designing the art for an album? Now’s your chance. A local indie band, Golden Apples, is holding an art night this Saturday where anyone can come and design a sleeve for their new record, Shooting Star.
According to the band’s frontman, Russell Edling, Golden Apples has a “DIY, sort of punk ethos” with some inspiration from the Beatles thrown in.
“There’s a little bit of that ‘60s kind of rock-and-roll sound, but it’s also pretty scrappy and kind of homespun in a nice way,” he said.
The album draws from Edling’s personal experiences with isolation and depression. Though the subject matter may seem heavy, Edling describes Shooting Star as his most collaborative project yet — and says that working alongside other musicians played a key role in helping him navigate those emotions.
Initially, the project was more of a solo-endeavor from Edling. However, it eventually grew larger. Even though much of Shooting Star’s subject matter is about isolation, the project was not made alone. The band includes musicians Pat Conaboy, Tim Jordan, Mimi Gallagher and Matt Scheuermann, according to Golden Apples label Lame-O Records.
“I don’t write songs about depression in an attempt to communicate to people how sad I am,” Edling said. Rather it’s about connection. “I think I’ve found camaraderie and a lot of like strength in sad songs, because they’ve helped me feel less alienated in my own feelings of isolation and confusion.”
Freehand Art Supply, a new store which opened last March in Fishtown, is hosting the creative album event this weekend. Edling is also a graphic designer and co-founder of the art store, which he started with his friend Kim Quinn.
“It’s a dream project, because I’ve always wanted there to be an art supply store in Fishtown,” he said. “I moved to this neighborhood when I was in college [around 2009], and I bemoaned having to ride my bike all the way downtown to get art supplies just to drive back up to Temple.”
Quinn spearheaded the project, creating the “business plan.” Edling said he enjoys putting his retail hat on, connecting and chatting idly with friends and customers who come in. One time, he noted, he spoke all day with a friend in the store about the color blue.
Make something “weird and unique”
Edling is soft spoken, but his singing voice has an edge. The band has thus far released three singles ahead of its release — “Freeeee,” “Mind” and “Noonday Demon.” Many songs on the album feel glossed in a melodic malaise, with throwback grunge and psychedelic vibes.
The latter single is named after a book, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, which Edling took inspiration from. The tempo is upbeat, but the lyrics are dark and disorienting: “I heard the doom sound overhead / I couldn’t listen to what it said / cause you’re the monster inside my bed / Spiral beside me.”
Edling noted that “tolerating sadness and tolerating strange feelings” can be extremely lonely, but he hopes that his music will “make something positive out of them” and in some way take back agency over them.
For the event on Saturday, the store will have blank album sleeves available for attendees to decorate. Then, the band will select a number of them, slip in a copy of the album, and divvy them up and deliver to local record stores, where they will be available for sale.
“At first, I kind of imagined that no one would come and that it would be me making 25 or 30 of these things,” Edling said. “But after we posted about it, it seems like people are interested. Now I’m like, ‘OK, so there might be a bunch of these.’”
The name, Shooting Star, comes from celestial and otherwordly motifs that run throughout the album. The main cover art features an imagined constellation of five wild horses galloping. However, the main artwork doesn’t need to serve as inspiration for the new jacket.
“I’m hoping that every single one is weird and unique,” Edling said. “I just want people to have fun. I don’t have an agenda for what they should look like, either. I hope they just come up with whatever they want.”
In addition, the musician is curating a playlist for the event. He’s considering a mix of songs from the album as well as songs that served as inspiration for the project. That way people can listen to the album’s sound, but it also lessens any self-conscious feelings of watching people hear your music for the first time.
“I would probably feel crazy if I were sitting in there while my own music was playing,” he joked about the idea of playing the entire album straight through on Saturday.
Finding connection through art
Golden Apples and Lame-O Records will be donating $20 for every sleeve to Beyond The Bars, a student-driven, non-profit organization that engages local youth in music programs with the hope to inspire their futures and disrupt cycles of violence.
The event at Freehand Art Supply is happening on Saturday, Aug. 30, from 7 to 10 p.m. While it’s free to participate, room may be limited, so you can check with the store to guarantee a spot. Materials and refreshments will be provided.
Shooting Star officially comes out on Sept. 19. In addition, the band has two upcoming shows this fall: one on Oct. 3 at Launderette Records, and another sold-out performance with Philly Music Fest on Oct. 17.
Creating the music and art for his album helped Edling process and work through difficult emotions. He hopes this event will offer the same opportunity for those who attend.
“Community still matters. People sharing their own unique thoughts still matter,” Edling said. “Maybe this tiny album and this tiny art shop is nothing, but to me, it’s my whole world. And I think that everyone’s little spin makes such a huge difference.”
