Elephant’s Eye Band is the mastermind behind the upcoming festival of art and music event at CitySpace on May 16. Left to right: Christopher Street on drums, Shane Sinclair on bass/flute/vocals, Todd Sinclair on guitar and vocals and Angelo Quaglia on guitar and vocals.
Photo credit: Elephant’s Eye Band.
EASTHAMPTON — Local independent band Elephant’s Eye will lead a festival of art and live music inside CitySpace’s Blueroom in Old Town Hall on Saturday, May 16.
The event will celebrate art, music, and multimedia in what band lead Todd Sinclair is calling a “tent event” for local artists and musicians.
A lifelong artist and musician who first started performing in the region in the 1980s, Sinclair said the barrier of entry to get your work seen and finding opportunities to perform in public venues has been a long struggle with a lot of give and take. The reality of the scene he came up in and what exists today has led Sinclair to develop a mindset of “if you build it, they will come.”
“Long story short is for me, I do a lot of art and think about things holistically and try and include like-minded people. I would much rather put on my own show and set up my own event that I feel like I have control over,” said Sinclair. “Kind of like that Andy Warhol thing, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, where you’ve got all this stuff happening that’s kind of over the top, but it leaves people with something to kind of go away with.”
The festival of art and music inside CitySpace’s Blue Room will feature art exhibits, live music from local bands, local artist exhibits and spoken word performances. The event is free and open to the public and will take place from 6-8 p.m. A suggested $5 donation will be collected at the door.
Sinclair said Elephant’s Eye plays dozens of eclectic original songs along with an extensive set list of fun, engaging and creative interpretations of well-known cover songs. The band’s sound is described as an amalgamation of The Beatles, Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan.
Elephant’s Eye Band is not an elephant, nor is it an eye. According to the band, it is a well-oiled professional band with human eyes, big hearts and catchy melodies that will linger long after the show concludes.
The night kicks off at 6 p.m. with Dr. James Hartley performing “Symbols of the Modern Era: TS Eliot and the visual art of poetry.” Hartley is a professor of economics at Mount Holyoke College and has also taught multiple courses using the Great Books. Sinclair said his performance does a great job of making audiences reconsider different perspectives about TS Eliot’s work.
“That’s really important to me, how the words are almost visual and musical. He kind of gets your head going in some other way,” said Sinclair, about Hartley’s performance.
Following that performance will be Jonny Allen, A.K.A. Johnny Allen, from 6:30-7 p.m. Allen is a singer, writer, illustrator, storyteller and immigrant from the Northampton-based band Big Bad Bollocks. The performance at the festival will include Alien’s squeezebox.
“He’s just straight out of working-class northern England,” added Sinclair, who said Allen is a can’t-miss performer.
From 7-7:45 p.m., Kentucky Dave Chandler will step on stage and perform his blend of songwriting and art therapy. Sinclair said that Chandler’s performances focus on the healing powers of music, and this show is a great showcase of his talents.
Closing the show from 7:45-9 p.m. will be Elephant’s Eye Band. Sinclair said that during the group’s performance, paintings will circle the stage with symbolism. The art will serve as a backdrop while the band performs covers and some of its own music. The band is currently working on a new full-length vinyl album set to be released later this year.
Sinclair said the mix of performers creates a multimedia space where art and music can be celebrated and indulged in. While there will be seating available for performances, Sinclair shared that attendees are encouraged to walk around the Blue Room and view the featured art while performers are on stage.
“Really, I’m liking the idea that it’s sort of open-ended a little bit. It’s not necessarily entertainment; it’s more like we offer these ideas, and you can sort of make your own conclusion,” said Sinclair.
He added that compared to shows at traditional venues or in the bar scene, this show will serve as an alternative way for performers to get their work out in front of the public. Sinclair said he hopes this “tent event” can show local artists what is possible as a way to combat a perpetual feeling like the odds are against you.
“If you were just an up-and-coming band that just wanted to get some gigs, anything, it was so hard. So now, I’m a teacher, I ended up getting married and having kids and trying to do the rock and roll thing was not going to be supportive for the family, but I never ever stopped making art and music, and now we just kind of want to put together what I call a tent show, where it’s just we put some people together, and depending on the venue, we sort of conceptually think about it,” Sinclair said. “Honestly, the biggest thing is being able to include people and being able to sort of not make it hard to access. If someone is genuinely doing something that is real and is authentic, I feel like they should have a place [to share their work] somehow.”
Sinclair said he hopes the event can also help build up a community of like-minded people through the connections made, potentially leading to a shift in how the art scene operates locally. He credits CitySpace for embracing Elephant Eye’s festival idea.
“It’s the artist in me that wants to sort of communicate at that level. I think art communicates more than just one time looking at something, or music, it has a spiritual quality, and that’s what I hope to ultimately unload on people. We have this positive thing that we want people to get something, hopefully good, out of it,” said Sinclair.
Elephant’s Eye’s performance will also feature its newest member, Eric Remschneider, a nationally acclaimed cellist who has worked with the Plain White T’s and Smashing Pumpkins on their 1993 album “Siamese Dream.” Sinclair said Remschneider is a “stellar musician” and has added great value to the band’s work on its upcoming new album.
Sinclair and his fellow bandmates hope this festival of art and music can set a new trend moving forward and create spaces for artists to gather, connect and share their passion for work.
“I’m hoping that we can kind of catch a break and get some momentum, get out there a little bit and spread what I believe is a positive thing to other people. It’s not just Elephant’s Eye, we’re this tent show, so join us and see how you fit in, and maybe you’ll bring some new people in and new year’s, and we can sort of just create a thing that is positive for everyone and not so selective or a one-off kind of deal,” said Sinclair. “I try to think outside the box. Do it yourself. Make up these things, and people will say oh there is value there.”
