Photos & Words by Angela RoseRed
Music and art collided for Romantic Rock’s third annual Punk Rock & Paintbrushes holiday art show that took place at Innerspace Gallery in Los Angeles, California.The Sound Sisters traveled from Arizona for an overnight turnaround trip to catch the special event. The exhibition featured original artwork by Matt Skiba (AlkalineTrio and Blink-182), Hunter Burgan (AFI), Warren Fitzgerald (The Vandals and Oingo Boingo), Matt Hensley (Flogging Molly), Carla Harvey (Butcher Babies), Jennie Cotterill (Bad Cop/ Bad Cop), Mike Gallo (Agnostic Front), Steve Caballero (The Faction), Christian Hosoi, Natalia Fabia, Madison Stern, Paul Kobriger, Chris Shary, Kevin Second, Mike Smith, Soma Snakeoil and The Mad Twins: Olya & Vira Ishchuck. The soundtrack of the evening was provided by DJ sets from Noodles (The Offspring), Monique Powell (Save Ferris) and Stacey Dee-J (Stacey Dee and Bad Cop/ Bad Cop).
The evening brought a constant flow of enthusiast circulating throughout the gallery as some sipped signature cocktails that were specially named after the artists/musicians whose work cascaded the walls. It was evident that careful planning and thoughtful intentions inspired the overall curation of the show. Each piece on display had its own unique voice aside from the creator’s “big name” listed on the artwork tags. The dividing wall between entertainer, artisan, and fandom was nonexistent as everyone mingled and gazed upon the eclectic selection of artwork. As hours past there was a sense of silent camaraderie, unlike most punk rock music events. Instead of bystanders waving fists in the air chanting song lyrics, there was a collective generated buzz consisting of curiosity, admiration, astonishment, excitement, inspiration, and most importantly thoughtful discussions. It was truly the authentic aftermath of when music inspires art and art inspires music.
Be on the lookout for exclusive Sound Sister artist interviews that were recorded live from the event featuring Steve Caballero, Soma Snakeoil, Warren Fitzgerald and Chris Shary. For updates on future Romanic Rock’s events visit romanticrock.net .
