Power-pop progenitors? O.G. DIYers? The last college-rock survivors? No label adequately captures the four-decade journey of Zion, Ill.’s Shoes, who have released their first new studio material in 17 years. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Shoes is that this ethic and attitude prevails despite a collection of music-biz bumps and bruises that could rival Charlie Brown in terms of sheer career futility. In some ways, they’re the Forrest Gumps of rock. Shoes essentially presaged punk’s DIY movement by recording its first, early-’70s albums in the living room before garnering enough critical acclaim to merit a major-label contract. Shoes will be guest editing magnentmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band.
John Murphy: I’m a geek for illustration. As a kid, I loved the loony drawings of Dr. Seuss and Johnny Gruelle. As a teen, I went for the twisted retro style of R. Crumb. In college, I discovered Paul Klee, Henri Rousseau and Jim Nutt. In recent years, as a registered adult, I’m a sucker for naive and folk art. Sit me down with a Print Regional Design Annual or a Communication Arts Illustration edition, and I am one contented fool. There’s lots of jaw-dropping images in children’s books, magazine articles and newspaper editorial pages today, and one illustrator whose work I latched onto lately is this Christian Northeast. His work is fresh, dated, quirky, traditional, splashy and quiet all at the same time. Check out his site; it’s a hoot.
Video after the jump.
