Luce Foundation Center for American Art
Luce Unplugged | Mix Tape
D.C. band Lightfoot performed in the Luce Center in June 2011.
Luce Unplugged is a monthly concert series that pairs live, acoustic music by D.C.-area musicians with works in the museum's collection. Each concert features an "opening act"—a staff-led talk on an artwork selected by the featured group, after which the headliner performs an hour-long set.
Check out our Luce Unplugged "mix tape" below (this requires quicktime player to be installed). For more information on Luce Unplugged, as well as other programs in the Luce Local Artist Series, please visit our calendar page.
Georgia Stele by Jesús Moroles
Star FK Radium, which performed in November 2010 and August 2011, chose Jesús Moroles' Georgia Stele to accompany their second performance. This is what guitarist Bill said about the artwork: "I am a skyscraper buff. The piece reminds me a lot of the power and awe that is inspired by a 50 or 100 story office building." (Original music provided by Star FK Radium)
House by Russell Gillespie
Aaron Thompson performed in January 2011 and chose Russell Gillespie's House to accompany his performance. This is what he said about the artwork: "Most of my music starts from the idea of a place, and the things that happen there, the people, and the memories it holds become the song. A house can be a metaphor for all of that." (Original music provided by Aaron Thompson, "Misty Eyes" © 2011 Twilight Parade)
Untitled (moon over a harbor,wharf
scene with full moon and masts of
boats) by Edward Mitchell Bannister
Stripmall Ballads performed in May 2011 and chose Edward Mitchell Bannister's Untitled (moon over a harbor, wharf scene with full moon and masts of boats) to accompany their performance. This is what lead singer Phillips Saylor said about the artwork: "Untitled (moon over a harbor, wharf scene with full moon and masts of boats) captures my imagination with its dark stillness and haunting wisps of waves quietly lapping the shore. It creates an ideal setting for a ballad to unfold." (Original music provided by Stripmall Ballads)
Jitterbugs II
by William H. Johnson
Lightfoot performed in June 2011 and chose Jitterbugs II to accompany their performance. This is what lead singer Jess said about the artwork: "I selected this piece because I studied the works of William H. Johnson during my undergraduate program at Howard University. I was drawn in by the color and movement of this work. I love the abstract interpretation of two dancers seamlessly melting into one another while surrounded by horns. The use of trumpet and flugelhorn in my music is an important element to Lightfoot's sound; thus I felt connected to the warmth and rhythm of this piece." (Original music provided by Jessica Louise Dye, 2012)
The Angel Israfel by Claude Buck
John Davis of Title Tracks performed in December 2011 and chose Claude Buck's The Angel Israfel to accompany his performance. This is what John said about the artwork: "The mingling of spirituality and fear is something that has always appealed to me. Buck's painting is a beautiful mixture of awe and foreboding, something that is always abundant in the world." ("Winners Cry" performed by Title Tracks, Written by John Davis, (P) Ernest Jenning Record Co., by agreement with Bank Robber Music)
Nude with Goldfish
by Elsie Motz Lowdon
Dance for the Dying performed in January 2012 and chose Elsie Motz Lowdon's Nude with Goldfish to accompany their performance. This is what lead singer M.C. said about the artwork: "The painting was unexpected and sweet, and was also amusing to me because I had just spent a frantic 24 hours completing a painting of a goldfish after a long period of not painting at all. I appreciate the simplicity of the subject and the cool colors with all lines pointing to the fish bowl with the pop of orange being the focal point, and yet having very little detail itself. This is a piece I would enjoy every day if it were in my home, imagining myself as the lady meditating on the contents of the bowl." (Original music provided by Dance for the Dying, "Echo" © 2011)
Life Mask (Abraham Lincoln)
by Priscilla Roberts
The Torches performed in February 2012 and chose Priscilla Roberts's Life Mask (Abraham Lincoln) to accompany their performance. This is what they said about the artwork: "We all assumed the image was of a death mask until we saw the title of the piece, and that initial ambiguity is striking. Like the stories and songs that we draw our inspiration from, something that is meant to celebrate a life brings to mind death in the same moment. And happy birthday, Mister President." (Original music provided by The Torches, thetorches.net)
Positano
by Will Barnet
Birdlips performed in May 2012 and chose Will Barnet's Positano to accompany their performance. This is what band member Lindsay said about the artwork: "Our music deals with borders and boundaries, traversing the shadow worlds where dreams and reality overlap. In Will Barnet's Positano, the dark shapes have a heaviness to them that is almost oppressive, yet the bright spaces in the canvas seem to hint at the transcendence possible beyond." (Original music provided by Birdlips)
Le Voyeur
by Man Ray
Shark Week performed in May 2012 and chose Man Ray's Le Voyeur to accompany their performance. This is what lead singer Ryan said about the artwork:"'Le Voyeur' is scribbled above the eye hole of Man Ray's piece by the same name and if you look inside there's nothing to see except inside of the cigar box. Works like this really flipped the idea of art up on its head . . . I suppose any musical influence or similarities between Man Ray's Le Voyeur and Shark Week would be strictly conceptual. The idea that there are unconventional ways to make a statement can be seen in a lot of music, including ours. More importantly, like May Ray, I think we aren't afraid to make a mockery of anything." (Original music provided by Shark Week)
The Solidity of the Road to Metaphor
and Memory
by Misha Reznikoff
Deleted Scenes performed in June 2012 and chose Misha Reznikoff's The Solidity of the Road to Metaphor and Memory to accompany their performance. This is what they said about the artwork: "The lyrics of our singer, Dan Scheuerman, often roll out autobiographically-inspired struggles in the areas of existentialism, religion, self-medication, hope and death. Musically, our band gravitates toward eclecticism and tension in our song crafting approaches. We chose Misha Reznikoff's The Solidity of the Road to Metaphor and Memory because it directly overlaps with a few of Dan's lyrical themes, and in a broader sense, it does an excellent job representing the beauty and wonder that can arise from an intense inner struggle. The result is something that is wildly eclectic, but yet the painting manages, by just enough, to not come off as unfocused. We like to toe that same line." (Original music provided by Deleted Scenes. Courtesy of Park The Van Records.)
Acupuncture Pitchfork Style
by John William ("Uncle Jack") Dey
René Moffatt performed in July 2012 and chose John William ("Uncle Jack") Dey's Acupuncture Pitchfork Style to accompany his performance. This is what René said about the artwork: "I chose this because of its conceptual nature. Regardless of the artist's inspiration, an idea is presented here, executed in the painting, then left up to the viewer to decipher, conjure up feelings, perspectives, and interpret. I like the parallels between a conceptual painting and my songs [in] which I usually strive to present a concept and I enjoy music the most when an idea is presented." (Original music provided by René Moffatt)
Jacobia Hotel
by William H. Johnson
Pree performed in August 2012 and chose William H. Johnson's Jacobia Hotel to accompany their performance. This is what lead singer May Tabol said about the artwork: "We selected William H. Johnson's Jacobia Hotel due to its vivid, dreamlike overtones and the impression left on the onlooker that the structure, while darkly beautiful and nearly menacing, could fall apart at the drop of a pin. Our album, 'Folly,' was created in a succession of houses in the District in various stages of disrepair and foreclosure under a cloud of regret for past choices, the uneasy freedom tied to unemployment, and an unshakable feeling of apprehension as to what the future may hold. This disquieting atmosphere worked its way into the patchwork of recordings in 'Folly,' for which we've found a striking visual parallel in Jacobia Hotel." (Original music provided by Pree)
Meditation
by Herman Hartwich
Alex Minoff performed in September 2012 and chose Herman Hartwich's Meditation to accompany his performance. This is what he said about the artwork: "Like Bresson's Balthazar, Herman Hartwich's Chico is a study in empathy. Are we to 'meditate' on Chico's miserable existence (as he appears to be), or on that of the artist, who has put another living creature in shackles? Likewise, as a singer, I put my own anguish on aural display. To invite scorn? Almost certainly not. Instead, I hope to offer the perspicacious listener a reprieve from their own interminable despair–at least for three-and-a-half minutes." (Original music provided by Alex Minoff)
An American Puzzle
by Lloyd G. Schermer
Olivia Mancini performed in October 2012 and chose Lloyd Schermer's An American Puzzle to accompany her performance. This is what she said about the artwork: "Lloyd Schermer's An American Puzzle looks like 'Lone Traveller' in typeface. Like the song, it's a collection of people and places, symbolizing a great patchwork of American ideas and thoughts and dreams." (Original music provided by Olivia Mancini/Astra Via)
The Wreck
by Harrington Fitzgerald
Fire and the Wheel performed in December 2012 and chose Harrington Fitzgerald's The Wreck to accompany their performance. This is what singer and guitarist Joey said about the artwork: "The Wreck resonates with us because it evokes the same kind of tumultuous feeling we try to put across in a lot of our songs—holding on in rough waters." (Original music provided by Fire and the Wheel)
Mountain Blossoms, Volda
by William H. Johnson
kindlewood performed in March 2013 and chose William H. Johnson's Mountain Blossoms, Volda to accompany their performance. This is what frontwoman Kelci said about the artwork: "The bright blossoms contrasting against the dark background made me feel hopeful, made me think we have the choice to illuminate rather than blend in. I like to think our music shines some light." (Original music provided by kindlewood)
Night Leaf
by Louise Nevelson
Wytold performed in April 2013 and chose Louise Nevelson's Night Leaf to accompany his performance. This is what he said about the artwork: "I love the contrast between nature and modern technology in Night Leaf, which is also present in my layering of melodies and rhythms on the six-string electric cello. For me, the geometrical variations in each section of Night Leaf correspond to the plucking rhythms and harmonies I overlay in 'Intrigue'. Through the course of the composition, each layer unfolds adding to the overall urban-yet-natural mood." (Original music provided by Wytold)
Luce Unplugged is a monthly program and songs will be
added to the mix tape on a rolling basis.
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