Art Schop, born unnamed and unloved, exposed on the hillside to die in the best tradition of ancient Rome, nevertheless survived. Some say he was raised by wolves, others that the wolves rejected him. Art himself claims no memory of those times, preferring to conceive of himself springing fully-formed from the womb of history and myth. Regardless, the fact of his music presents a tangible aspect of Art Schop's existence.
About the name. As a name Art Schop is perhaps not as pretentious as it seems. Or, perhaps, it is more pretentious. For 'Goodbye, NY' Art wrote a song about Arthur Schopenhauer - I Am Lost. Art had become a big fan of Arthur Schopenhauer's work. He wanted a name for himself that would combine the idea (and inspire the ideals in him) of music and philosophy. Art Schop was the best he could do.
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Electrolux (working title) |
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Wolfswork (2012) |
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Still Here |
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Goodbye, New York |
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Hard on the heels of Wolfswork, Art is laboring over a "new" album - working title Electrolux. Electrolux began in 2010. "I want to learn to use the electric guitar as a writing tool," Art declared, "kind of like the guitar on Lou Reed's Magic & Loss - not Lou's guitar, the other guy's who played the intros." For month's Art tooled around with the electric guitar and a synth pedal. Most of what resulted sounded terrible, but there were some inspiring bits. For the lyrcis, Art began to troll news sites for current items about historical figures - like Alberto Giacommetti's sculpture 'The Walking Man' being sold for a record price. Over time this evolved into a set of songs about artists.
Musically, Art became a bit stuck after 2 years and 6 1/2 songs. He turned to his old friend (old as in old) Jimi Zhivago who'd produced nylon. "Can you help me get this one out the door, Jimi," Art asked. I suppose Jimi needed the money, because he said yes. Jimi's involvement gave Art the kick in the pants he needed to get to 9 original songs, plus a cover of the cheerful Jacques Brel ditty, "La Mort" or "Death Waits".
Electrolux will be released sometime in the first half of 2013, and it won't be called 'Electrolux'.
Martin Walker is Art Schop. At turns singer, songwriter, author, and philosopher, Walker tends to exaggerate his accomplishments and overestimate his talent. Nevertheless, some people like what he does, or so he thinks. Some facts: Born in Moreton, England, 1965. BA in Physics from St. John's College, Oxford. Author: Life! Why We Exist. Founder: MindSparke (a brain training company). Now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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nylon |
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