Best known as the drummer for legendary rock band and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard, Rick Allen also has become quite the accomplished painter in recent years. This weekend, he’s making two area appearances to celebrate his latest creations.
Allen, drummer on such Def Lep hits as “Photograph” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” will be at Wentworth Galleries in Atlantic City and King of Prussia over the weekend. He will appear July 10 at Wentworth Gallery in the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City and July 11 at Wentworth Gallery in the King of Prussia Mall.
Both of these events are open to the public and follow the latest CDC recommendations.
The story of Allen is familiar to even the most casual fans of music. He lost an arm in a tragic 1984 car accident but rebounded in remarkable fashion, relearning his craft and becoming a single-armed stickman against all odds. His new art collection houses originals, limited editions, the painted drum series, mixed media originals and the “Legends Series,” featuring new portraits of fellow musicians who experienced struggles in their lives as well, among them Eddie Van Halen, Kurt Cobain and Johnny Cash.
“Music, art and photography have been passions of mine since I was a boy,” Allen says in a statement. “My life has been a journey of transformation and my art is a reflection of the many facets of dreams and perceptions that have shaped me. Each piece has a story and a connection to my life from my roots in England, my life changing car accident, journey to America, travels around the globe and to my deep connection to Wounded Warriors and their struggle to heal. The collection intends to express messages of hope, transcendence and the human condition.”
An integral part of Allen’s creative life went public in 2012. After years of personal photographic work, he ventured into the fine art world with a blockbuster debut collection of abstract works built from rhythm. Allen has become a pioneer in the new medium, utilizing drumsticks and rhythm to dictate abstract visuals on canvas. That debut collection featured 300 pieces and quickly sold out in its initial offering to the public and boasted a sold-out exhibition.
A portion of each sale from the new collection will benefit his Project Resiliency, where for over the last 12 years Allen and his wife, Lauren Monroe, have worked passionately with veterans from Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. Allen and Wentworth Galleries will donate a portion of each and every acquisition to benefit the Foundation.
“I am honored to host Rick and his art at my galleries,” Christian O’Mahony, Principal of the Wentworth Gallery says in a statement. “His art not only represents his own story of perseverance, resiliency and the human spirit but is also a beacon of hope for others.”
VINYL OF THE WEEK
Keep an eye on this spot as each week we’ll be looking at new or soon-to-be-released vinyl from a variety of artists. It might be a re-pressing of a landmark recording, special edition or new collection from a legendary act. This week, it’s a deluxe edition of the major label debut from one of Philly’s most enduring acts.
THE ROOTS: ‘DO YOU WANT MORE?!!!??!’
It’s been 26 years since the release of ‘Do You Want More?!!!??!,’ the groundbreaking second studio album and major label-debut by The Roots. Originally released January 17, 1995 via DGC Records, the record brought the collective’s neo-soul bohemian zest to life and established them as leading figures of hip-hop-jazz.
The album peaked at No. 22 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and features their singles “Distortion to Static,” “Proceed” and the rap ballad “Silent Treatment.” Led by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Philadelphia rap crew have gone back to where it began with a 3LP, 4LP and a digital deluxe collection of ‘Do You Want More?!!!??!’
Digging into the vaults, the deluxe edition is drawn from the original recordings and features 18 bonus tracks curated by Questlove, some of which have never been released and others that have never previously been available digitally. The 3LP deluxe vinyl edition features five bonus tracks in “Proceed II [feat. Roy Ayers],” “Proceed III,” “Proceed IV (AJ Shine Mix),” “Proceed V (Beatminerz Mix)” along with five remixes of “Silent Treatment.” Also included is a 24-page booklet featuring images taken by Mpozi Tolbert, essays by Questlove and Black Thought as well as track-by-track commentary.
The 4LP edition features all of the above plus the additional eight bonus tracks with “In Your Dreams Kid (I’m Every MC),” “The Ultimate (Original ’94 Version),” “……(dot dot dot…on & on),” “Pffat Time,” “Swept Away (Original Draft),” “It’s Coming,” “Lazy Afternoon (Alternate Version)” and two remix versions of “Distortion To Static.”
The Roots have always stood out from other artists who were intertwining hip hop with jazzy influences and prominently using live instrumentation due to their unabashed confidence with experimentation and letting the music speak for itself. A quarter of a century after the release of ‘Do You Want More?!!!??,’ they are still considered to be one of the greatest live acts in the industry and appear nightly as the house band on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.’
The deluxe edition of ‘Do You Want More?!!!??’ can be found in stores from all respectable retailers who carry vinyl.
To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com. Also, check out his blog at www.thechroniclesofmc.com
