May 25, 2021 • 48 mins
Los Angeles-based Texas native Troy Murrah is a visual artist; songwriter, guitarist, and founder of the DIY punk/blues duo Restavrant; and founder of Built Quilt, which makes functional art based on traditional quilt patterns.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome
SPEAKER_00 (00:16):
to Muse Daily to You.
I'm Melissa Richardson Banks.
My guest today is Troy Murrah.
Until now, I only knew Troy as amusician, but he's also a visual
artist.
When his mother, Judy Murrah,passed away, his grief inspired
a renewed passion for artmaking.
Troy's artwork, like his music,pairs the unexpected.
(00:37):
Drawings inspired by themasters, but using architectural
renderings and black and whitephotography as reference
material, combining geometricpatterns of traditional quilts.
His music combines old schoolblues with DIY punk, classic
country hip hop techno.
Cool, right?
Enjoy our conversation.
(01:10):
How would you describe yourmusic?
SPEAKER_03 (01:11):
There's definitely a blues factor there because my
first instinct was to play slideguitar.
So it goes to that, to old, oldcountry, like the original Hank
Williams, but then it goes intopunk rock.
So Sex Pistols, but also it goesinto even like hip hop beats.
I listened to a lot of hip hopstuff and the beats that come
(01:32):
from that and electronic music.
That's my only way is to bringin influences.
And I, I just try to like make acollage of music art.
It's almost an experiment to seeif I can make it work.
Can you combine these to make itwork?
Or does it just sound awful?
Which sometimes it does.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
The first time I ever saw you perform in Los
Angeles, I had a boyfriend atthe time.
He's a musician like you.
He played the drums.
I think you do drums too, butyou do drums and guitar.
He played a lot of differentinstruments and he loved what he
called experimental bands orsomeone that, you know, kind of
the underground, if you will.
And he's like, you got to go, wegot to, we're going to go get
this duo.
They're amazing.
(02:09):
I'm like, okay.
So we went to La Cita Bar indowntown Los Angeles.
And that was the first time, notonly that I saw you perform and
heard you perform, it's thefirst time I ever met you.
And I remember it because it wasjust like, whoa, we were, you
know, remember how the bar was,you would give the band, there's
like the dance floor.
And then you're like basicallyhanging on the edge if you're an
observer and you not getting,getting bumped by people dancing
(02:32):
next to you.
And it was such an interestingkind of eclectic group.
But
SPEAKER_03 (02:37):
yeah, I remember that, uh, But it was fun
because, yeah, you're face toface with the audience.
If the venue would give us theoption to set up on the floor,
we'd always prefer like, OK,well, let's turn the monitors so
we can play on the floor becauseI'd rather be surrounded in like
almost sweating with the people.
And I think we feed off of that.
I think everyone, I mean,hopefully most musicians that
(03:00):
perform live are feeding offthat.
But yeah, La Cita was a funplace to play.
Feeling other people's justsweat, you know, we're all
sweating to it together, youknow.
SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
So I know that you have connections to Texas, and I
wanted to have you tell me aboutyour connections to Texas.
I'm assuming your mother wasprobably part of that wave of
Norwegian immigrants and theGerman immigrants like my family
that moved to Texas.
So where were you born and wherewere you raised?
I think they're two separateplaces.
SPEAKER_03 (03:28):
Born in Houston, and then when I was eight, we moved
to Victoria, Texas.
So I would...
I still would go back everysummer to visit my friends in
Houston, but I definitely wouldcall Victoria my, my, where I
was raised in my hometown kindof, uh, even though now my, my
parents moved back to Houston,my mom passed away, but they had
(03:51):
moved back to Houston.
Uh, and that's where my dadstill is, but definitely
Victoria would be like born.
I'd say raised, born in Houston,raised in Victoria.
And, uh, I still, uh, I thinkthat influenced, you know,
definitely my music and, and,uh, and the quilting of, and
(04:12):
just old like folk art comingfrom there, even Southwest art,
which I don't really involve inmy artwork, the Southwest part,
but I was surrounded by like oldcowboy art.
And I love the, the realisticpaintings of like cowboys and
like horses.
I do a lot of horses still, butthat influenced my work too.
But yeah.
(04:32):
And, uh, Being raised in Texaswas big, even though I've been
in California for 20 years now,which is crazy.
I never thought I'd, I came outhere to work and I thought I'd
be like, all right, once myjob's done, I'm going right back
to Texas, which didn't happen.
SPEAKER_00 (04:47):
That's the story of what happened to me as well.
25 years in Los Angeles.
And I didn't expect to move outthere either and to be there and
actually identify as anAngeleno.
I felt really strongly for that.
But I still had my heart inTexas, but I didn't think I was
ever going to move back.
And my father always wanted meto come back and at least...
(05:09):
I was able to come back when hewas still alive.
He died about five days after Isaw him when I came back.
So unexpectedly.
So I get it.
So it's like, I knew, at leasthe knows I came back from the
land of what he called fruit andnuts.
SPEAKER_03 (05:22):
Yeah.
My mom was always like, yougotta, you're a Texan, you're a
Texas boy.
You gotta come home.
And I was like, I don't, maybe Iwill.
And I did for like a year and ahalf.
I moved back to LaGrange andbasically was like a property
manager.
kind of ranch hand.
So I went back and I loved it,but I just, I thought I'd be
(05:45):
able to go back and forthbecause I was still dealing with
stuff out here in California.
So, but financially, I was like,this is crazy.
I can't do, I can't do both.
And then we went back and I soldthat land that I had in the
Grange, which I regret nowbecause that, I think last,
well, anyway, It's worth a lotof money now.
(06:08):
Because everybody, Austinstarted just getting bigger and
bigger.
And so LaGrange is now not thatvery, not far from, it could be
a suburb of Austin.
If it turns out like LA, becauseLA just kind of, even if you're
two hours outside of LA, it'salmost like, oh yeah, I just
commute to go into LA for workevery day.
UNKNOWN (06:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:27):
You know, there are three parts of you that I'm
really interested in exploringand then actually kind of
bringing them all together.
You said something earlier abouthow you love music is almost
like a collage of music and acollage of your influences,
which is kind of...
coincidental or ironic or maybenot and maybe it's by design the
fact is that that's what'sactually brought you back to art
(06:48):
too as was an idea of collage ifyou will and then quilting but i
but i i want to jump back to theagain at the how you with
restaurant and i think that'show you pronounce it you like
you you did it with a v and ithink that was kind of a paying
homage and you have very much atongue-in-cheek bio on your on
your website with restaurants
SPEAKER_03 (07:10):
the bio is
SPEAKER_00 (07:12):
uh
SPEAKER_03 (07:12):
It has hints of, of facts, but some of it, I think
it's because I would read somany bios and I was like, this
is boring.
Like why not just get weird andmake it more fun?
Like who cares really?
You know?
I mean, when it comes down toit, I mean, yeah, here's the
truth, you know, but a lot ofit's not that far off, but, um,
(07:34):
I'd say we've been, been thetruth, been our history or, or
where we're coming from.
But, uh, Yeah.
And the name, the name was likerestaurant.
I used to spell like a real likerestaurant and, and I was a one
man band and I kind of was like,it's total tongue in cheek of
like almost making fun of menaming a band and where it's a
(07:55):
one man band.
And I was like, kind of like I'mrestaurant, you know, I'm this
guy.
And, uh, you know, and I neverthought I'd have to stick with
that name.
And, uh, then it, it, itexpanded into me playing with a
drummer.
And then, uh, getting aresidency at the Echo.
And I remember talking to Lizsaying, well, wait, don't put
that on the marquee yet.
Cause I think we're changing ourname.
(08:16):
And she's like, no, you can'tchange it.
Like we've actually had peoplerecommend you saying, get that
band with the terrible namerestaurant.
Like now people know you ashaving, and I was like, no, no,
I'm stuck with it.
And then we got signed to alabel and I told the label the
same thing.
And they're like, no, we loveit.
We love that.
(08:37):
It's kind of like this, you knowthat's almost your personality
is like you know taking the pissout of out of things that are
some people take too serious sothen the label is the same way
like no you got to keep and thenyou starting to look up on
myspace or googling and if yougoogle restaurant there's no way
you're going to find us so theni just changed it to the v and
(08:59):
then that's another one like thebritish way of saying like f you
it's kind of like f off whateverso uh So then it turned into
where I like it.
And then if you separate it,it's rest and rant.
So your life is full of likeresting and then like getting
energized and resting and rant.
Then there's an A and a V.
So then it's like, what we weredoing was almost like art
(09:22):
installations when we play.
Like the drum kit was like abunch of junk and people would
be like, what are they going todo?
So I always think like the AVaudio visual, like we're doing,
we want you to watch us andlisten.
So it was just rest and rant AV.
So then I was like, all right,I'm going to, I'll go with this
and run with it.
So I just turned it into a wholenother.
And people say, we'll call uslike restaurant restaurant or
(09:46):
just rest of rant, you know?
And now, uh, we just said tomake things similar, we started,
and this is from the black rebelmotorcycle guy, Rob.
He was like, you know what, youknow, it's not, y'all are just
res, right?
Just go with res.
And so now I'm like, all right.
And so, We were like, oh, cool.
Yeah, R-A-Z.
Now we can just say Rez.
SPEAKER_00 (10:08):
I love that Rez, because I saw that when you did,
I saw that one of the designsyou did, I think you actually
started incorporating yourdrawing.
And I want to step into that,too.
I mean, you actually have adegree in art.
You went to school for art.
And I'm assuming...
It was for drawing.
That was your mode or yourmedium when you went to art
(10:32):
school initially.
Is it drawing and painting orboth?
I
SPEAKER_03 (10:36):
originally started in architecture school at Texas
A&M.
I think one of my biggestinfluences art-wise is
brutalism, architecture, which alot of people hate.
And we've lost a lot of thosemonumental, like, brutalist
(10:57):
architectural.
I mean, they should have.
Because I think a lot of peoplelook at it and go, that's so
ugly.
It's just a block of concrete.
But I don't know.
I like raw materials and, youknow, just going straight to the
point of how you're going tobuild something.
Anyway, so I went fromarchitecture.
And at the time, I was like, Idon't know.
I think I just want to do art.
(11:18):
I love drawing.
I love doing art.
architectural drawing, it stillinfluences the way I draw too.
And so I just left in like onesemester, my parents were like,
oh, would you sign up for likeyour junior year at Texas A&M?
I was like, I'm not going back.
And they're like, what?
And I was like, yeah, I'm going,I'm leaving.
I'm going to Austin.
The funny thing is I went backto UT.
(11:39):
I mean, I went to UT, was aboutto finish my art degree.
And then I realized like, I onlyhave a few more hours.
I could double major and get myarchitecture degree and like, uh
fine arts but then i talked tothe my advisor and she's like
you would be so swamped and likethat'd be another why don't you
just go back and get yourmaster's in architecture which
(12:00):
was my plan but then it's sohard like once you get out of
school and then you make apaycheck to go back to like oh
i'm gonna go pay the school somemore money you know but i just
got this check and especiallybeing 23 years old you're like
whoa i'm finally getting moneybut uh Anyway, so that never
happened.
Never got my master's.
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
What brought you to California from Texas?
What was your story?
You just, you graduated, youleft, you get a job offer or did
you decide, you know, whatbrought you out there?
What was your dream for going toCalifornia?
I'd
SPEAKER_03 (12:30):
always wanted to move out of here, but it was, it
was for a job.
Like, uh, I, um, finished schoolin my last few hours.
I was approached by a dancecompany and, uh, they had looked
at some of my sculpture andthey're like, Oh, can you do a,
do the production design for oneof our performances?
(12:51):
And I was like, yeah, sure.
But I'm going, luckily my lasthours were in Italy.
So I was like, I don't get backfrom Italy until the middle of
the summer.
So to make it happen, ithappened.
I'm going to have to like bustass.
Like right when I get back, I'mdon't be worried.
I'll be back, but I will.
Yeah.
I'll make it happen.
So went to Italy, finished myhours, got my degree.
(13:13):
And then like, flew back here orflew back to the States and
started working and did this aslike a modern, modern dance
performance, uh, or an Austincompany.
Uh, so I built that.
And then one, a lady from likefrom Cirque du Soleil had gone
to one of the performances andshe just talked to me and I was
(13:35):
like, yeah, I'm interested inlike getting in that, that line
of work.
Cause at least I'm building, youknow, big sculptures, uh, where
people are performing around.
So it was interesting to me, butI basically was offered a job to
just go carry scaffolding and bea grunt, which I was fine with.
And so I came out here, workedon the production out on the
(13:58):
Santa Monica Pier in 99 forCirque du Soleil, just doing,
yeah, carrying stuff.
And then from that, got a jobwith the Man Show on Comedy
Central, just doing...
prop design and productiondesign stuff.
And then, uh, and after that Igot, and so it just kept like
(14:20):
job after job.
Every time I was like, okay, I'mgoing to go back to Texas.
I get offered another job.
And again, I was making money.
So, uh, I was like, Oh, I'mdoing fine.
I can just stay here.
And the checks were decent.
And, uh, And then after that, Istarted working for Peter Shire,
who's a sculptor out here inEcho Park.
(14:44):
So I was doing metal fabricationfor his large-scale sculptures.
That's where I learned to weldand work in a machine shop.
Did that for years.
SPEAKER_00 (14:55):
When did you start making some of your instruments,
though?
Because I thought you fabricateda lot of the instruments that
you had.
Did you always do that, or isthat something that came about
after you were working withPeter?
During,
SPEAKER_03 (15:05):
yeah.
while I was working for him.
Then that's when I started,yeah, still watching a lot of
shows and live shows, going to alot of music live shows.
And I don't know, I was going toart shows and I was getting
really bored with what I wasseeing art-wise.
And I was more excited aboutwhat I was seeing musically.
And I'd put the guitar down forlike the past eight years.
(15:28):
I hadn't really played oranything.
And then I got really excitedabout learning how to play slide
guitar.
There's a guy named Bob LoggIII.
who plays like old blues style,but speeds it up.
So then I was like, oh, that'scool.
Maybe I'll put a twist on kindof what he does and what old
blues guys do in a more punkrock way.
(15:49):
And then, so out of necessity,I'd find these guitars that
were, that I could afford atpawn shops or, but they need a
little bit of work.
So I would just, but I know howto work with wood and I can know
how to weld.
So I would just fix these kindof, junky guitars my own way and
make them make them work thebest I could and so it just
(16:12):
turned into making them reallymine or you know like a lot of
other people would be like manthat's like a piece of shit you
know like why would you want toplay that but to me it's a sound
that I can't get out of anyother guitar and now I'm I'm
loyal to old silver tones andold K guitars.
(16:33):
And that's what a lot of theseold blues guys would play
because they could order themthrough Sears catalog back in
the day, you know?
And so, but I, they, they feelnatural to me.
And so I don't think I'll till Idie.
I'll just stick to these guitarsand make them, make them work
however I can, you know?
And I even like, we'll take oldpickups out of just, heavy metal
(16:56):
guitars, like old Jacksonpickups and put them into these,
these old, uh, arch top, youknow, forties and 50 year, uh,
guitars.
So it's kind of just like what Iwanted to spend money on and
what I could afford and thenjust use the skill and knowledge
that I had of woodworking and,uh, and welding and just turn
(17:18):
them into little Frankensteinguitars basically.
And I wanted to save money.
And so instead of, uh, Going outto the bar after work, I would
just go straight home.
I'd put in an old VHS tape oflike old blues players.
And I'd just sit there and watchthese guys play like slide
guitar.
And I just sit there every dayand just kind of watch them and
(17:40):
see what they do and kind oftake little tricks that I see
them do.
So I sat there and I was like, Ijust nerded out.
I didn't do anything.
I barely saw anyone.
I might go to a baseball game, aDodgers game here and there, but
that was about it.
And then, uh, friend came overhe was like what have you been
doing i was like just beenplaying guitar he's like oh let
me hear it and i started playingand he was like oh my gosh dude
(18:04):
like we gotta do something and iwas like well i'm playing drums
too and so i played him stuffthat i was doing he's like well
and so i did a few like littleparties and stuff and then
that's when the original drummeruh jonathan was like well let me
jam with you so one night wejust started grab whatever we
could add in my old apartmentfor him to play on, like drums.
(18:27):
And that's where the whole junkthing started.
It was kind of like, we'll beaton this little salad bowl or hit
this wooden box.
And then we also had a drummachine or we had an old organ
that had like, you know,pre-recorded drum track that you
could adjust the tempo on it andstuff, an old Wurlitzer.
So we just started the beat onthe organ and then he beat on
(18:49):
junk.
And then I play a guitar andwe're like, oh, we got to do
something.
We started recording like a weekafter that.
And we sent all those demos off.
And then somebody, a label waslike, okay, yeah, we'll sign
you.
And then right away with like,uh, just play like warehouse
parties and like parties andthen got offered.
People started finding out we'reat the right place.
(19:12):
It was good at that time.
And so we're, so we're like anecho park to where, you know,
you could just word of mouthwould spread.
And luckily we got, uh, Yeah,Liz hooked us up and then old
Silver Lake Junction.
And that was like our third showever.
We were awful.
I mean, a lot of times we werebad.
(19:33):
I think it's all about ourenergy.
We were out there.
It's literally like we're goingto come drink beer and party and
hopefully we sound okay.
you know?
So, and, and everyone has fun.
Like let's create a party again.
And again, it went from likeseeing some live shows.
I go see a band and they werejust boring.
I was like, this is boring, man.
(19:54):
Like, like what happened to thewhole, like, let's get, let's
get loose.
Let's get wild.
You know, like a littledangerous, I guess.
And sometimes it works.
Sometimes we sounded like crapand broke a lot of instruments.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
Did anyone else in your family, an artist?
My mom.
SPEAKER_03 (20:09):
Yeah.
I would say she's, I mean, shewent into, quilting and, and the
fabric world or, uh, seamstressslash sewing, anything that
involved, uh, piecing fabrictogether.
Uh, and she was an art teacher,uh, before kids came along and
(20:30):
then she just became full-timemom, uh, until later until like
my older siblings were basicallycould take care of themselves,
but I was the last one and, uh,yeah, I remember my, her old
bosses are the ones that gaveher the first quilt teaching job
saying like, yeah, she had youon your, her hip.
(20:51):
And we told her to come teach asewing class.
So I was around that all thetime.
And she, she definitely, well,my dad loved, I mean, he's a
huge, you know, art loves artand his appreciation of art was,
it was shown to us, me and mybrother and sister.
So it was definitely all of usknew it was important to create
(21:14):
and to be, go see art, go tomuseums.
You know, that was, and it'sfunny.
And he was, my dad was anathlete.
He wasn't, I mean, what a lot ofpeople would be a stereotypical
jock or whatever, which I alwaysam like, you can do both.
It's definitely possible.
You don't have to be just ameathead just because you play
(21:35):
sports.
So I always was, I love thatabout, the more open-minded you
are about everything i think isbetter for everyone so i was
lucky to be raised in that kindof environment music music and
art were huge so was athleticsso but which is still important
to me i think being active andwhether you're riding a bike
(21:57):
skateboarding surfing or you'replaying traditional team sports
i don't care as long as you'reout there
SPEAKER_00 (22:03):
So your mother was Judy Murrah, and as you said,
sadly passed away in December2017, the same year as my
father.
So I feel your pain.
I know how it is.
I was very close to my dad.
But in Houston and beyond, Imean, your mom, she was not just
only an avid quilter, as youwere sharing, and an educator,
as you shared.
(22:23):
She's an author.
She was a textile designer.
And especially in theinternational quilt world, I
mean, she's pretty famous.
She's well-known, your mom.
In her work, she really made animpact.
And she really made an impact onyou in terms of doing...
making a transition, not reallya transition, but, but maybe
(22:47):
refocusing your love of musicand kind of bringing you back
full circle to fine art.
Tell me how that happened foryou.
What's your recollection of whenthat moment happened?
SPEAKER_03 (23:01):
Sadly, it was because she passed away.
I wish I would have like seen,seen the white while she was
still healthy, but yeah, It iswhat it is.
Definitely, because when shepassed away, I was starting to
focus again on doing art, butnot so much influenced by the
(23:25):
quilt or quilt block.
But when she passed away, in mymind, I was like, all right, I
need to do something as almostlike a memorial for her that I
was going to keep.
I was going to keep the piece.
So it's kind of like a way ofme...
uh, releasing or just kind oflike a dealing with the
emotional loss, basically.
(23:47):
And she always told me like, whydon't you try involving a quilt
in your, your artwork and thestuff I was doing back then.
I was like, how's that even go,mom, you're crazy.
Like that's your world.
I'm gonna do my kind of art, youknow, like you, it's, I can't, I
don't know where I would put aquilt in, you know?
So, um, when she passed away, Iwas like, all right, here you
(24:07):
go, mom.
I'm going to do something quiltrelated.
And I kept thinking about like,what am I going to do?
What am I doing?
Uh, and I had tons of wood andmaterial leftover just from jobs
from, uh, production design jobsor from my, I used to do, uh,
uh, recording studioconstruction.
So I had tons of lumber.
(24:28):
I was like, well, I need to getrid of some of this.
So I just started looking atquilt blocks and like, what can
I do with this?
I'm like, I'm going to just do ahuge, like wooden quilt.
and just see how it works, youknow?
And so I started just dissectingit and, you know, did all the
math and making my cuts.
And luckily throughconstruction, all the,
everything I'd learned being inthat world, uh, it came, it was
(24:51):
easy.
And I already knew, like, I'vebeen around quilts so much.
I kind of already knew like, allright, here's how it's pieced
together.
I've seen her cut the strips andthen cut all the angles.
I'm like, well, I'll just do itlike that, but I'm going to use
wood.
And, uh, So I got it togetherpretty quickly and everything
just felt instinctually right,like natural.
(25:13):
I was like, this is too easy andit's a lot of fun.
And so I did it and I was like,whoa, I was like pleasantly
surprised and how much fun I haddoing it.
And then I could still involvemy drawings by wood burning them
in by hand or using my laserengraver.
(25:33):
So I do the drawings and thensend that to the engraver and
then it burns onto the wood orbasically etches it.
So I could still do what I likedoing.
And I got this new, somethingelse that I never thought was
going to happen, which was, was,was fun.
And it kept me excited.
And so it worked out.
(25:54):
And then people saw that andbasically kind of what happened
with the music or guitarplaying, they're like, Whoa, I
never even knew you could dothis.
And like, look, can you make meone or can you do one with this
color scheme?
And like, so then I was gettinglike, all right, this is worth
it.
It's not just for me.
Like, I'm not just doing somepersonal kind of my therapy or
something.
You know, people are likingthis.
(26:14):
And then I just kept going and Iwas able to make them fast and
into where I wasn't gettingbored.
Or like, this is taking toolong.
Or like, this is a waste oftime.
And everything I was making,people were like, oh, that's
awesome.
And they started selling.
So then I was also seeing like afinancial reward.
Like, okay, people really likeit.
They're going to give you moneyfor it.
(26:35):
So even if they're a friend orlike some stranger.
So I had a show and theneverything sold.
Everything's gone.
And then the book.
So I just kept going.
So yeah, finished the book.
at the beginning of the year.
SPEAKER_00 (26:50):
Let's talk about the book.
Tell me the name of the book.
I think it's called Wood MosaicProjects, Classic Quilt Block
Designs in Wood.
And that's coming out in lateJune.
And that's pretty impressive.
Tell, you know, how did thatcome about?
SPEAKER_03 (27:05):
One of the acquisitions manager or like the
basically the talent buyer forthe publishing company, Fox
Chapel, out of nowhere, justsent me an email and said,
here's what we do.
Here's our idea for a bookproject for you to do if you're
into it.
As I looked at it, I was like,yeah, whatever.
You know, I had no, you know,I'd never heard of the
(27:28):
publishing.
And at first I was like, is thissome dude just in his garage
making like binding some pagestogether, you know?
But then I was like, okay,they're legit.
Like they've been doing this andit's been around for a while.
Like the books are in Barnes andNoble, whatever, you know, like
it's the real thing.
So I was just like, all right.
And so I called her and, I waslike, yeah, sure.
(27:49):
I'll, I'll try it, but I'venever done this before.
Like, I mean, I can just, Imean, I definitely can talk and
ramble.
I can go on.
I can just, maybe I'll juststart writing and typing and
kind of, and again, it happened.
I just started making new piecesand just documenting my, all my
steps and going through like whyI'm making this piece, where the
(28:11):
block came from.
It's everything that I documentanyway, a lot of times just to
like, have it for my ownportfolio.
So it's, but I just had to do alittle bit more in depth and,
and describe what I'm doing andwhy and, and, and write it.
So that, and did the first fewchapters and they're like, yeah,
(28:33):
you're on the right track.
Keep going.
So did it all and got it in.
Now it was crazy.
I mean, I, that's all I wasdoing during the pandemic, which
in, I mean, it's sad, but Imean, it was definitely some
shitty times, but it was like, Icouldn't have had it happen at a
more perfect time because Icouldn't go anywhere anyway.
(28:54):
And I didn't have time to go doanything else besides focus on
the book.
So I was just stuck here in mystudio, just working during the
day and writing at night, likefor six months straight.
SPEAKER_00 (29:06):
So paintings, drawings, sculptures,
assemblages, music, what aresome of the reasons why you
create?
I
SPEAKER_03 (29:15):
get visions of, uh, a lot of my drawings are like
creating this world that doesn'texist.
And it's usually mashing up likeeras or, or styles and almost
making it into some newcharacter or, or world or
architecture.
So a lot of the drawings arejust piecing together, like,
(29:37):
honestly, what this, how wouldthis look if this person or
creature existed or, or, ourlogo look.
If someone, because a lot oftimes I would make these fake
logos for like, it was a companythat didn't even exist, but I'd
put that on a painting.
You know, people would be like,what is it?
Like, is that a, is that a beercompany?
I'm like, no, it's just someload.
I was like at this vision, youknow, like I want to see this as
(29:59):
a logo or like, and so that'sturned into like these wallpaper
designs that I kind of createthat go on the backs or the
negative space of these quilts.
So it's kind of initially thatyou're thinking like, ah, I
wonder what that'd look like.
So the only way I know how islike, I'm just going to draw it
and see if I can make this worldor make this, this person that
(30:21):
doesn't really exist or thisstyle.
I mean, some of it turns intolike character development, you
know, for like a video gamealmost, you know, it's like, I'm
just creating stuff.
So that's where it starts orlike, and then I started
thinking like, well, how wouldthat look as like a collection
of boxes that you could, youcould interact with?
(30:41):
with and what does that work anda lot of times it doesn't work
you know I gotta just scrap itand like this does not work and
it's the same thing with musiclike what I was saying earlier
it's like how would that soundif I combine like an old style
blues like riff and a slideguitar with a beat from like say
(31:03):
Run DMC used you know like asound an old hip-hop beat would
that work and sometimes it doessometimes it doesn't but I have
that like the vision or likethe, the audio, the oral vision
of like, I want to just see ifthis will work, you know?
And then, and then a lot of mywriting, you know, it's like
writing a story.
(31:23):
Some of them have existed.
Some of them are like myexperiences are like weird
situations.
I've got myself into and out ofsomehow.
So, and then some are like, I'mjust making up another world or
another story.
So it's kind of the same thing.
I'm just putting that, thatstory to music.
Storytelling.
And a lot of my lyrics are kindof abstract where people are
(31:47):
like, what the hell are youtalking about?
I'm like, I don't know.
I just thought those wordssounded good together.
And I like throwing thosevisuals at somebody.
You just hear the word.
While you're listening to music,you have a vision somehow of
what that word is.
Everyone has a different take onthat word.
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
So you mentioned specific influences and
inspiration for your music.
going back into, and don't gotoo far into the art history
weeds, but going back tothinking, if I were to look, or
you were showing your visual artto someone, would you, is there
an influence and inspirationthat maybe is not noticeable?
(32:28):
And then, is there an influenceor inspiration that would be
noticeable by somebody lookingat your art?
SPEAKER_03 (32:35):
I look at a lot of architectural books and tons of
like old black and whitephotography just from like time
life books or like just photosof life artist wise my drawing
is definitely inspired from theold masters like i was trying to
just teach myself to draw withthat that hand of i mean this is
(32:56):
going straight to like da vinciand michael and the
stereotypical like what youthink michelangelo but they the
way they drew was amazing.
I'd still look at their oldsketchbooks and stuff like that.
Sometimes drawings hit me morethan a huge eight-foot painting.
(33:16):
If I can see the artist's handand see their skill, sometimes
I'm just like, that's amazing.
Somebody drew that and it'sstraight graphite or pastel or
whatever.
Their hand's right on the paper.
A lot of it goes to that too,from that, just drawings.
And then Joseph Cornell was anold assemblage dude from, he
(33:41):
made these boxes and theselittle worlds and his little
boxes.
So definitely got inspired byhim and trying to make, use wood
and art and assemblages andmultimedia.
And then it goes like, and thengrowing up when I did and being
a Basquiat was tough.
I think everyone that was likemy, and coming from my world of
(34:04):
art, like we always like gotexcited.
And it was also excited aboutlike seeing how he became, I
mean, you'd have these visionsof yourself of like, Oh, I want
to be an art star like that.
You know, he got the look, hegets to do whatever he wants,
you know, and you kind of havethis, but I mean, I, so it goes
from like super technicaldrawing and like to like that
(34:25):
world.
And yeah, So I can't help butsay he is an influence, but
almost like his way of, it mademe kind of go, I'm going to do
exactly what I want to do.
Like, you know, I don't give ashit.
I'm kind of like, fuck it.
Basically, you know, I'm eithergoing to, I'm going to go down
trying or doing it my way orwhite, like what's the point or
(34:46):
just, I'm going to go downtrying.
And instead of trying to dosomething that I'm not really
into, but I know like, Otherpeople, I don't know.
He gave me at least the attitudeof like, okay, just do what you
want to do.
And that's what happenedmusically too.
And finally just saying like,I'm just going to do it this
(35:06):
way.
But it ranges so much.
And it goes into like, again,logo design, graphic design
stuff.
I get inspired by that andhuge...
I love like huge abstractsculpture.
And I don't know why, because alot of it, sometimes initially
you're like, why did somebodyput that much effort into making
(35:27):
that thing?
But then I look closer at it.
I'm like, well, that's actuallyamazing.
So it's, it's hard to, there'stoo many, there's so many, but
I, I initially it's black andwhite photos.
So it's not even the artist.
It's like just looking at thatmoment that that photographer
caught and, black and white andlike just seeing life and, and
(35:50):
that it's easy.
And that's, it goes from, that'swhat I would use as my reference
photos to looking to see how theold masters drew and trying to
draw like them.
So I'd go again, watching oldblues masters and I wanted to
like not play like them, but tryto learn how they did what they
did and do it my way.
(36:11):
And then looking at old mastersand how they drew and their
tricks and and tips and justtake what i could from them and
do it my way too
SPEAKER_00 (36:20):
so i love the idea that you're inspired by these
old masters
SPEAKER_03 (36:25):
there's so many like correlations of how i make my
music to how i'm making myartwork now but yeah the
paintings where sometimes i justget really active and it's just
like throwing paint on there butso you'll have this like big
wash of just me just usingcolors that i like and then
you'll have a detail likesomebody's portrait so then it
(36:46):
goes straight into me being likethat close and getting detailed
of how that person's face orbody is or their clothing or
like or how i paint a buildingi'll build i put a lot of
attention to that the detail onthe building or but then there's
areas where it's just like mejust getting aggressive and like
(37:08):
getting a you know a house paintbrush and just throwing paint on
or like just getting almostscratching into the wood.
I use panel.
I don't really use canvas when Ipaint anymore because of that.
Cause I almost want like I'mpunching it almost.
So it's like, it's the samething with music.
There's moments where I'm superaggressive musically.
And then as like quiet momentswhere it's like breaking down to
(37:30):
where there's attention todetail or like, let's really hit
this note.
Then there's other moments whereit's like, I don't care.
As long as I'm hitting strings,let's get a little quiet and in.
and then just explode.
SPEAKER_00 (37:43):
I can just imagine you doing that just because I've
seen you perform.
And especially because, I mean,you guys are sweating.
I mean, you're like, it's a veryphysical performance.
And hearing you express howyou're painting, I can envision
it because it must be veryphysical.
Where do you think this isleading you?
(38:03):
Your influence in pairing themasters and cool, the old style
blues with punk?
SPEAKER_03 (38:08):
Well, art-wise, visual art-wise, The aggression,
too, with that comes into someof the making these quilts.
I'm physically cutting andbuilding.
So that's part of my gettingphysically active, you know,
blood, sweat and tears with thework again while I construct it.
So the new line or new body ofwork, what I'm envisioning is
(38:32):
still doing these quilts likethe quilt block patterns and
still using quilts.
A wide range of wood, wood,metal, plastic, whatever I get
my hands on to make thesepatterns, because I don't think
I ever want to leave that again.
The playing with the geometricsand the layout and the
composition with those isendless.
I think I can keep expandingwith that, but those are going
(38:52):
to stay there.
But there's going to be momentsof where that might be just a
sky in the background and Soit's all blue quilt, wooden
quilt.
And then the foreground is likeone of my scenes that I create
with these worlds.
Like maybe it's two, like, youknow, two men on horseback about
(39:13):
to, you know, weirdly like someform of jousting or some kind of
crazy action happening behindthis surreal, like this nice
blue, you know, quilt blockpattern.
It's going to be the sky orsomething.
Or am I bringing in like, bringsome, icons and where people can
write like that's so-and-so.
(39:34):
So like it's a character andthen, but his whole suit is the
quilt block pattern.
So it's cut to where like it'shis clothing.
So it's like, you know, insteadof it being just a plaid suit,
it's a suit made out of likewooden quilt block pattern.
But then the, then the facespainted really nicely are drawn
(39:55):
the old classical way.
Cause I think the, I want to, I,to me, it's still important to
see that the artist as takes thetime and can still like
physically has the hand of like,like that guy's good.
Like he can draw that or, youknow, she can paint that like
(40:16):
exactly how, you know, how theold master, like, I don't think
we ever want to lose that aslike a culture of people that
are appeal, have the appeal togo look at art.
I think it's, I don't, it'sstill important to me.
And I think still important to alot of people, but I still,
again, I still love gettingabstract and just, you know,
making things happen and hoping,hoping that it, some of the,
(40:38):
some of the best things happenon accident and, and, you know,
just kind of like, Oh, I didn'tmean for that to happen, but it,
it did.
And actually I like how it looksand that goes into the music
too.
It's like, they're like, oops.
I mean, Oh wait, that soundedgood.
Anyway, yeah.
It's going to get more where thedrawings take center stage
(41:01):
again, or that's drawing andpainting, and then the quilt is
going to be the environment, orgoing to be the mountains in the
back.
It turns into this rocky-lookingquilt, but it's going to be the
same.
You'll go, oh, that's this quiltblock pattern that he used, but
when you step back, it looksjust like a...
(41:21):
a landscape.
So that's where I'm going.
SPEAKER_00 (41:26):
You have a new vinyl EP release coming out.
It's called Four for BeingPhysical.
It's with new high recordings.
It's supposed to come outsometime in the next month, May
29th.
Tell me why Four for BeingPhysical?
SPEAKER_03 (41:39):
Hopefully it inspires you to go just take
part in life.
I know it's hard.
Everyone's still having to weara mask, or a lot of people are.
In a world of technology, justkind of...
taking over us, which again, I'mnot saying I'm above it.
I definitely use my computer, myphone, you know, I use my
devices, but I'm saying like,separate yourself from it.
(42:00):
Go like grab somebody.
I know it's hard right now.
We're still in the middle of avirus and stuff.
We're coming out of it, but Ithink go, go do something, get
physical, you know?
And so it's, it's and part of itwas for, for like, like there's
penalties in like hockey.
It's like two for, or, you know,you get put in the penalty box
(42:21):
two minutes for, so it kind ofcame from that.
Like you're getting penalizedfor, for, you know, go two
minutes in the penalty box forfighting or whatever it is, you
know, whatever penalty youcommitted.
But so that came for, for beingphysical, it's kind of like, we
want you to go get penalized fordoing something, you know, and
there's actually five tracks.
I don't know.
(42:41):
So again, I kind of mess withyour head.
There's not four songs, sothere's five.
So I don't know.
I think four just sounded fun,like four, four.
So it's me again, which a lot ofpeople think I'm making
mistakes.
Like, dude, there's five trackson here, not four.
Or like, you misspelledRushback.
The first album I did was thetitle is Returns to the Tomb of
(43:06):
Giuliano Medici.
And it's really Medici.
but I just added like the extraMedici, you know, and I remember
getting it reviewed and the guywas like, yeah, these guys don't
even know like how to spellMedici.
And I wanted to like, I stillthink about like, I want to
email that guy.
Like, dude, I did that onpurpose.
It's just me like messing withthe last name.
(43:27):
Like why are you reuse the samelast name?
Like look at the name of ourband.
Like it's a dumb, like I'm justplaying with your mind right
now.
You know, like I'm just playingwith words and letters.
Okay.
Like don't, It wasn't meant tobe really Giuliano Medici.
Like I did that on purpose.
SPEAKER_00 (43:43):
I actually love that because I think of it as playing
off the fact that you're not agood old boy, but you know good
old boys.
All
SPEAKER_03 (43:52):
these dudes from Texas don't even know like it's
really Giuliano Medici.
Like that guy, that review, I'mlike, oh man, I wish I could
talk to him.
It's like, you know, no, I'mactually smarter than you
because I'm making fun of youthinking that I don't know that.
But I like the reverence of goodold, but yeah, that's true.
Like people seem like, Oh,you're from Texas.
(44:13):
I
SPEAKER_00 (44:14):
love that.
There's some really wonderfulthings happening.
I love that you have your newEP.
Did you design the album coverfor this one as well?
I'm assuming.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (44:22):
Yeah.
And yeah, the front and theback.
And then the centerfold is likea centerfold actually looks like
kind of what I'm going into.
Cause it's the sky is like abig, you know, quilt layout that
I'm, Cause I'll do like a shopdrawing before I start my real
piece.
So it's kind of, yeah, I dothat.
(44:42):
And yeah, that kind of gives youa vision of where I'm going and
that centerfold piece that'sinside the album.
And then we have a couple ofvideos coming out, which that's
another way that I'm trying tocombine worlds too, is like
doing, some of them are like myconcepts of like, let's try this
as a video, this storyline, youknow, and so I'm using our music
(45:05):
obviously, and then trying tocreate like a little scenario.
And then also I'm doing thiskind of documentary series
called Wood Riddance, which withmy cinematographer, Kyle, who
also does a lot of my band photostuff and in motion.
(45:27):
So we're working on WoodRiddance, which is, kind of how
I do my stuff where I get myinspiration where I go to get
the wood and material from mypieces and then it goes in the
history the history of certainlike maybe art or music
movements that have happenedhere in Southern California that
(45:48):
no one really remembers or I'mgoing to try to bring it to the
surface so people can like ohwell I didn't know that happened
in Pasadena or like that artistis from there or that musician
started you know, working inhere in Torrance, California,
you know, so it's going.
SPEAKER_00 (46:07):
It is that it looks like that, that particular year.
So people can find you onYouTube under restaurants
channel, right?
Is okay.
Again, I'm,
SPEAKER_03 (46:15):
I'm really bad at, I'm trying to get better at
social media and obviously me,she's really good.
My, my wife helps a lot.
Like I'm the, I'm just the dudebehind the curtain and then she
kind of gets it out in theworld.
Yeah.
Restaurant.
R-E-S-T-A-V-R-A-N-T.
Rest and rant.
(46:36):
A and a V.
So that's, I think Instagram isthe best way for us because I
can do that quickly and I'm notlike losing myself.
Like, I don't know what I'mdoing, but at least I can, I can
manage that account somewhat,but even at that we're like one
post a week, but at least thatgives you an idea of what, what
(46:57):
the band's up to andbuiltquilt.com or, at Bill
Quilts is another Instagramthat's good.
SPEAKER_00 (47:06):
So you have two Instagram, you have an Instagram
account, a YouTube channel, anda website for a restaurant.
And for Built Quilt, you havethe Instagram and the website,
and that's where people can seeyour work.
And of course, Weekend New HighRecordings will actually be
doing the release, Fox ChapelPublications handling your book.
And we hope you bring, you comehere.
(47:28):
We're looking forward topossibly having you here to do a
book signing and some type ofpresentation with the Quilt
Festival Houston coming up inOctober at the Thank you so
much.
I think it'd be really great todo that.
(47:49):
So I look forward to having youhere in Houston and I look
forward to coming back to LA.
I
SPEAKER_03 (47:53):
see the light.
Good things are on the horizon.
SPEAKER_00 (47:56):
I think good things are on the
SPEAKER_02 (47:57):
horizon.
Welcome
SPEAKER_00 (00:16):
to Muse Daily to You.
I'm Melissa Richardson Banks.
My guest today is Troy Murrah.
Until now, I only knew Troy as amusician, but he's also a visual
artist.
When his mother, Judy Murrah,passed away, his grief inspired
a renewed passion for artmaking.
Troy's artwork, like his music,pairs the unexpected.
(00:37):
Drawings inspired by themasters, but using architectural
renderings and black and whitephotography as reference
material, combining geometricpatterns of traditional quilts.
His music combines old schoolblues with DIY punk, classic
country hip hop techno.
Cool, right?
Enjoy our conversation.
(01:10):
How would you describe yourmusic?
SPEAKER_03 (01:11):
There's definitely a blues factor there because my
first instinct was to play slideguitar.
So it goes to that, to old, oldcountry, like the original Hank
Williams, but then it goes intopunk rock.
So Sex Pistols, but also it goesinto even like hip hop beats.
I listened to a lot of hip hopstuff and the beats that come
(01:32):
from that and electronic music.
That's my only way is to bringin influences.
And I, I just try to like make acollage of music art.
It's almost an experiment to seeif I can make it work.
Can you combine these to make itwork?
Or does it just sound awful?
Which sometimes it does.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
The first time I ever saw you perform in Los
Angeles, I had a boyfriend atthe time.
He's a musician like you.
He played the drums.
I think you do drums too, butyou do drums and guitar.
He played a lot of differentinstruments and he loved what he
called experimental bands orsomeone that, you know, kind of
the underground, if you will.
And he's like, you got to go, wegot to, we're going to go get
this duo.
They're amazing.
(02:09):
I'm like, okay.
So we went to La Cita Bar indowntown Los Angeles.
And that was the first time, notonly that I saw you perform and
heard you perform, it's thefirst time I ever met you.
And I remember it because it wasjust like, whoa, we were, you
know, remember how the bar was,you would give the band, there's
like the dance floor.
And then you're like basicallyhanging on the edge if you're an
observer and you not getting,getting bumped by people dancing
(02:32):
next to you.
And it was such an interestingkind of eclectic group.
But
SPEAKER_03 (02:37):
yeah, I remember that, uh, But it was fun
because, yeah, you're face toface with the audience.
If the venue would give us theoption to set up on the floor,
we'd always prefer like, OK,well, let's turn the monitors so
we can play on the floor becauseI'd rather be surrounded in like
almost sweating with the people.
And I think we feed off of that.
I think everyone, I mean,hopefully most musicians that
(03:00):
perform live are feeding offthat.
But yeah, La Cita was a funplace to play.
Feeling other people's justsweat, you know, we're all
sweating to it together, youknow.
SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
So I know that you have connections to Texas, and I
wanted to have you tell me aboutyour connections to Texas.
I'm assuming your mother wasprobably part of that wave of
Norwegian immigrants and theGerman immigrants like my family
that moved to Texas.
So where were you born and wherewere you raised?
I think they're two separateplaces.
SPEAKER_03 (03:28):
Born in Houston, and then when I was eight, we moved
to Victoria, Texas.
So I would...
I still would go back everysummer to visit my friends in
Houston, but I definitely wouldcall Victoria my, my, where I
was raised in my hometown kindof, uh, even though now my, my
parents moved back to Houston,my mom passed away, but they had
(03:51):
moved back to Houston.
Uh, and that's where my dadstill is, but definitely
Victoria would be like born.
I'd say raised, born in Houston,raised in Victoria.
And, uh, I still, uh, I thinkthat influenced, you know,
definitely my music and, and,uh, and the quilting of, and
(04:12):
just old like folk art comingfrom there, even Southwest art,
which I don't really involve inmy artwork, the Southwest part,
but I was surrounded by like oldcowboy art.
And I love the, the realisticpaintings of like cowboys and
like horses.
I do a lot of horses still, butthat influenced my work too.
But yeah.
(04:32):
And, uh, Being raised in Texaswas big, even though I've been
in California for 20 years now,which is crazy.
I never thought I'd, I came outhere to work and I thought I'd
be like, all right, once myjob's done, I'm going right back
to Texas, which didn't happen.
SPEAKER_00 (04:47):
That's the story of what happened to me as well.
25 years in Los Angeles.
And I didn't expect to move outthere either and to be there and
actually identify as anAngeleno.
I felt really strongly for that.
But I still had my heart inTexas, but I didn't think I was
ever going to move back.
And my father always wanted meto come back and at least...
(05:09):
I was able to come back when hewas still alive.
He died about five days after Isaw him when I came back.
So unexpectedly.
So I get it.
So it's like, I knew, at leasthe knows I came back from the
land of what he called fruit andnuts.
SPEAKER_03 (05:22):
Yeah.
My mom was always like, yougotta, you're a Texan, you're a
Texas boy.
You gotta come home.
And I was like, I don't, maybe Iwill.
And I did for like a year and ahalf.
I moved back to LaGrange andbasically was like a property
manager.
kind of ranch hand.
So I went back and I loved it,but I just, I thought I'd be
(05:45):
able to go back and forthbecause I was still dealing with
stuff out here in California.
So, but financially, I was like,this is crazy.
I can't do, I can't do both.
And then we went back and I soldthat land that I had in the
Grange, which I regret nowbecause that, I think last,
well, anyway, It's worth a lotof money now.
(06:08):
Because everybody, Austinstarted just getting bigger and
bigger.
And so LaGrange is now not thatvery, not far from, it could be
a suburb of Austin.
If it turns out like LA, becauseLA just kind of, even if you're
two hours outside of LA, it'salmost like, oh yeah, I just
commute to go into LA for workevery day.
UNKNOWN (06:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:27):
You know, there are three parts of you that I'm
really interested in exploringand then actually kind of
bringing them all together.
You said something earlier abouthow you love music is almost
like a collage of music and acollage of your influences,
which is kind of...
coincidental or ironic or maybenot and maybe it's by design the
fact is that that's what'sactually brought you back to art
(06:48):
too as was an idea of collage ifyou will and then quilting but i
but i i want to jump back to theagain at the how you with
restaurant and i think that'show you pronounce it you like
you you did it with a v and ithink that was kind of a paying
homage and you have very much atongue-in-cheek bio on your on
your website with restaurants
SPEAKER_03 (07:10):
the bio is
SPEAKER_00 (07:12):
uh
SPEAKER_03 (07:12):
It has hints of, of facts, but some of it, I think
it's because I would read somany bios and I was like, this
is boring.
Like why not just get weird andmake it more fun?
Like who cares really?
You know?
I mean, when it comes down toit, I mean, yeah, here's the
truth, you know, but a lot ofit's not that far off, but, um,
(07:34):
I'd say we've been, been thetruth, been our history or, or
where we're coming from.
But, uh, Yeah.
And the name, the name was likerestaurant.
I used to spell like a real likerestaurant and, and I was a one
man band and I kind of was like,it's total tongue in cheek of
like almost making fun of menaming a band and where it's a
(07:55):
one man band.
And I was like, kind of like I'mrestaurant, you know, I'm this
guy.
And, uh, you know, and I neverthought I'd have to stick with
that name.
And, uh, then it, it, itexpanded into me playing with a
drummer.
And then, uh, getting aresidency at the Echo.
And I remember talking to Lizsaying, well, wait, don't put
that on the marquee yet.
Cause I think we're changing ourname.
(08:16):
And she's like, no, you can'tchange it.
Like we've actually had peoplerecommend you saying, get that
band with the terrible namerestaurant.
Like now people know you ashaving, and I was like, no, no,
I'm stuck with it.
And then we got signed to alabel and I told the label the
same thing.
And they're like, no, we loveit.
We love that.
(08:37):
It's kind of like this, you knowthat's almost your personality
is like you know taking the pissout of out of things that are
some people take too serious sothen the label is the same way
like no you got to keep and thenyou starting to look up on
myspace or googling and if yougoogle restaurant there's no way
you're going to find us so theni just changed it to the v and
(08:59):
then that's another one like thebritish way of saying like f you
it's kind of like f off whateverso uh So then it turned into
where I like it.
And then if you separate it,it's rest and rant.
So your life is full of likeresting and then like getting
energized and resting and rant.
Then there's an A and a V.
So then it's like, what we weredoing was almost like art
(09:22):
installations when we play.
Like the drum kit was like abunch of junk and people would
be like, what are they going todo?
So I always think like the AVaudio visual, like we're doing,
we want you to watch us andlisten.
So it was just rest and rant AV.
So then I was like, all right,I'm going to, I'll go with this
and run with it.
So I just turned it into a wholenother.
And people say, we'll call uslike restaurant restaurant or
(09:46):
just rest of rant, you know?
And now, uh, we just said tomake things similar, we started,
and this is from the black rebelmotorcycle guy, Rob.
He was like, you know what, youknow, it's not, y'all are just
res, right?
Just go with res.
And so now I'm like, all right.
And so, We were like, oh, cool.
Yeah, R-A-Z.
Now we can just say Rez.
SPEAKER_00 (10:08):
I love that Rez, because I saw that when you did,
I saw that one of the designsyou did, I think you actually
started incorporating yourdrawing.
And I want to step into that,too.
I mean, you actually have adegree in art.
You went to school for art.
And I'm assuming...
It was for drawing.
That was your mode or yourmedium when you went to art
(10:32):
school initially.
Is it drawing and painting orboth?
I
SPEAKER_03 (10:36):
originally started in architecture school at Texas
A&M.
I think one of my biggestinfluences art-wise is
brutalism, architecture, which alot of people hate.
And we've lost a lot of thosemonumental, like, brutalist
(10:57):
architectural.
I mean, they should have.
Because I think a lot of peoplelook at it and go, that's so
ugly.
It's just a block of concrete.
But I don't know.
I like raw materials and, youknow, just going straight to the
point of how you're going tobuild something.
Anyway, so I went fromarchitecture.
And at the time, I was like, Idon't know.
I think I just want to do art.
(11:18):
I love drawing.
I love doing art.
architectural drawing, it stillinfluences the way I draw too.
And so I just left in like onesemester, my parents were like,
oh, would you sign up for likeyour junior year at Texas A&M?
I was like, I'm not going back.
And they're like, what?
And I was like, yeah, I'm going,I'm leaving.
I'm going to Austin.
The funny thing is I went backto UT.
(11:39):
I mean, I went to UT, was aboutto finish my art degree.
And then I realized like, I onlyhave a few more hours.
I could double major and get myarchitecture degree and like, uh
fine arts but then i talked tothe my advisor and she's like
you would be so swamped and likethat'd be another why don't you
just go back and get yourmaster's in architecture which
(12:00):
was my plan but then it's sohard like once you get out of
school and then you make apaycheck to go back to like oh
i'm gonna go pay the school somemore money you know but i just
got this check and especiallybeing 23 years old you're like
whoa i'm finally getting moneybut uh Anyway, so that never
happened.
Never got my master's.
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
What brought you to California from Texas?
What was your story?
You just, you graduated, youleft, you get a job offer or did
you decide, you know, whatbrought you out there?
What was your dream for going toCalifornia?
I'd
SPEAKER_03 (12:30):
always wanted to move out of here, but it was, it
was for a job.
Like, uh, I, um, finished schoolin my last few hours.
I was approached by a dancecompany and, uh, they had looked
at some of my sculpture andthey're like, Oh, can you do a,
do the production design for oneof our performances?
(12:51):
And I was like, yeah, sure.
But I'm going, luckily my lasthours were in Italy.
So I was like, I don't get backfrom Italy until the middle of
the summer.
So to make it happen, ithappened.
I'm going to have to like bustass.
Like right when I get back, I'mdon't be worried.
I'll be back, but I will.
Yeah.
I'll make it happen.
So went to Italy, finished myhours, got my degree.
(13:13):
And then like, flew back here orflew back to the States and
started working and did this aslike a modern, modern dance
performance, uh, or an Austincompany.
Uh, so I built that.
And then one, a lady from likefrom Cirque du Soleil had gone
to one of the performances andshe just talked to me and I was
(13:35):
like, yeah, I'm interested inlike getting in that, that line
of work.
Cause at least I'm building, youknow, big sculptures, uh, where
people are performing around.
So it was interesting to me, butI basically was offered a job to
just go carry scaffolding and bea grunt, which I was fine with.
And so I came out here, workedon the production out on the
(13:58):
Santa Monica Pier in 99 forCirque du Soleil, just doing,
yeah, carrying stuff.
And then from that, got a jobwith the Man Show on Comedy
Central, just doing...
prop design and productiondesign stuff.
And then, uh, and after that Igot, and so it just kept like
(14:20):
job after job.
Every time I was like, okay, I'mgoing to go back to Texas.
I get offered another job.
And again, I was making money.
So, uh, I was like, Oh, I'mdoing fine.
I can just stay here.
And the checks were decent.
And, uh, And then after that, Istarted working for Peter Shire,
who's a sculptor out here inEcho Park.
(14:44):
So I was doing metal fabricationfor his large-scale sculptures.
That's where I learned to weldand work in a machine shop.
Did that for years.
SPEAKER_00 (14:55):
When did you start making some of your instruments,
though?
Because I thought you fabricateda lot of the instruments that
you had.
Did you always do that, or isthat something that came about
after you were working withPeter?
During,
SPEAKER_03 (15:05):
yeah.
while I was working for him.
Then that's when I started,yeah, still watching a lot of
shows and live shows, going to alot of music live shows.
And I don't know, I was going toart shows and I was getting
really bored with what I wasseeing art-wise.
And I was more excited aboutwhat I was seeing musically.
And I'd put the guitar down forlike the past eight years.
(15:28):
I hadn't really played oranything.
And then I got really excitedabout learning how to play slide
guitar.
There's a guy named Bob LoggIII.
who plays like old blues style,but speeds it up.
So then I was like, oh, that'scool.
Maybe I'll put a twist on kindof what he does and what old
blues guys do in a more punkrock way.
(15:49):
And then, so out of necessity,I'd find these guitars that
were, that I could afford atpawn shops or, but they need a
little bit of work.
So I would just, but I know howto work with wood and I can know
how to weld.
So I would just fix these kindof, junky guitars my own way and
make them make them work thebest I could and so it just
(16:12):
turned into making them reallymine or you know like a lot of
other people would be like manthat's like a piece of shit you
know like why would you want toplay that but to me it's a sound
that I can't get out of anyother guitar and now I'm I'm
loyal to old silver tones andold K guitars.
(16:33):
And that's what a lot of theseold blues guys would play
because they could order themthrough Sears catalog back in
the day, you know?
And so, but I, they, they feelnatural to me.
And so I don't think I'll till Idie.
I'll just stick to these guitarsand make them, make them work
however I can, you know?
And I even like, we'll take oldpickups out of just, heavy metal
(16:56):
guitars, like old Jacksonpickups and put them into these,
these old, uh, arch top, youknow, forties and 50 year, uh,
guitars.
So it's kind of just like what Iwanted to spend money on and
what I could afford and thenjust use the skill and knowledge
that I had of woodworking and,uh, and welding and just turn
(17:18):
them into little Frankensteinguitars basically.
And I wanted to save money.
And so instead of, uh, Going outto the bar after work, I would
just go straight home.
I'd put in an old VHS tape oflike old blues players.
And I'd just sit there and watchthese guys play like slide
guitar.
And I just sit there every dayand just kind of watch them and
(17:40):
see what they do and kind oftake little tricks that I see
them do.
So I sat there and I was like, Ijust nerded out.
I didn't do anything.
I barely saw anyone.
I might go to a baseball game, aDodgers game here and there, but
that was about it.
And then, uh, friend came overhe was like what have you been
doing i was like just beenplaying guitar he's like oh let
me hear it and i started playingand he was like oh my gosh dude
(18:04):
like we gotta do something and iwas like well i'm playing drums
too and so i played him stuffthat i was doing he's like well
and so i did a few like littleparties and stuff and then
that's when the original drummeruh jonathan was like well let me
jam with you so one night wejust started grab whatever we
could add in my old apartmentfor him to play on, like drums.
(18:27):
And that's where the whole junkthing started.
It was kind of like, we'll beaton this little salad bowl or hit
this wooden box.
And then we also had a drummachine or we had an old organ
that had like, you know,pre-recorded drum track that you
could adjust the tempo on it andstuff, an old Wurlitzer.
So we just started the beat onthe organ and then he beat on
(18:49):
junk.
And then I play a guitar andwe're like, oh, we got to do
something.
We started recording like a weekafter that.
And we sent all those demos off.
And then somebody, a label waslike, okay, yeah, we'll sign
you.
And then right away with like,uh, just play like warehouse
parties and like parties andthen got offered.
People started finding out we'reat the right place.
(19:12):
It was good at that time.
And so we're, so we're like anecho park to where, you know,
you could just word of mouthwould spread.
And luckily we got, uh, Yeah,Liz hooked us up and then old
Silver Lake Junction.
And that was like our third showever.
We were awful.
I mean, a lot of times we werebad.
(19:33):
I think it's all about ourenergy.
We were out there.
It's literally like we're goingto come drink beer and party and
hopefully we sound okay.
you know?
So, and, and everyone has fun.
Like let's create a party again.
And again, it went from likeseeing some live shows.
I go see a band and they werejust boring.
I was like, this is boring, man.
(19:54):
Like, like what happened to thewhole, like, let's get, let's
get loose.
Let's get wild.
You know, like a littledangerous, I guess.
And sometimes it works.
Sometimes we sounded like crapand broke a lot of instruments.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
Did anyone else in your family, an artist?
My mom.
SPEAKER_03 (20:09):
Yeah.
I would say she's, I mean, shewent into, quilting and, and the
fabric world or, uh, seamstressslash sewing, anything that
involved, uh, piecing fabrictogether.
Uh, and she was an art teacher,uh, before kids came along and
(20:30):
then she just became full-timemom, uh, until later until like
my older siblings were basicallycould take care of themselves,
but I was the last one and, uh,yeah, I remember my, her old
bosses are the ones that gaveher the first quilt teaching job
saying like, yeah, she had youon your, her hip.
(20:51):
And we told her to come teach asewing class.
So I was around that all thetime.
And she, she definitely, well,my dad loved, I mean, he's a
huge, you know, art loves artand his appreciation of art was,
it was shown to us, me and mybrother and sister.
So it was definitely all of usknew it was important to create
(21:14):
and to be, go see art, go tomuseums.
You know, that was, and it'sfunny.
And he was, my dad was anathlete.
He wasn't, I mean, what a lot ofpeople would be a stereotypical
jock or whatever, which I alwaysam like, you can do both.
It's definitely possible.
You don't have to be just ameathead just because you play
(21:35):
sports.
So I always was, I love thatabout, the more open-minded you
are about everything i think isbetter for everyone so i was
lucky to be raised in that kindof environment music music and
art were huge so was athleticsso but which is still important
to me i think being active andwhether you're riding a bike
(21:57):
skateboarding surfing or you'replaying traditional team sports
i don't care as long as you'reout there
SPEAKER_00 (22:03):
So your mother was Judy Murrah, and as you said,
sadly passed away in December2017, the same year as my
father.
So I feel your pain.
I know how it is.
I was very close to my dad.
But in Houston and beyond, Imean, your mom, she was not just
only an avid quilter, as youwere sharing, and an educator,
as you shared.
(22:23):
She's an author.
She was a textile designer.
And especially in theinternational quilt world, I
mean, she's pretty famous.
She's well-known, your mom.
In her work, she really made animpact.
And she really made an impact onyou in terms of doing...
making a transition, not reallya transition, but, but maybe
(22:47):
refocusing your love of musicand kind of bringing you back
full circle to fine art.
Tell me how that happened foryou.
What's your recollection of whenthat moment happened?
SPEAKER_03 (23:01):
Sadly, it was because she passed away.
I wish I would have like seen,seen the white while she was
still healthy, but yeah, It iswhat it is.
Definitely, because when shepassed away, I was starting to
focus again on doing art, butnot so much influenced by the
(23:25):
quilt or quilt block.
But when she passed away, in mymind, I was like, all right, I
need to do something as almostlike a memorial for her that I
was going to keep.
I was going to keep the piece.
So it's kind of like a way ofme...
uh, releasing or just kind oflike a dealing with the
emotional loss, basically.
(23:47):
And she always told me like, whydon't you try involving a quilt
in your, your artwork and thestuff I was doing back then.
I was like, how's that even go,mom, you're crazy.
Like that's your world.
I'm gonna do my kind of art, youknow, like you, it's, I can't, I
don't know where I would put aquilt in, you know?
So, um, when she passed away, Iwas like, all right, here you
(24:07):
go, mom.
I'm going to do something quiltrelated.
And I kept thinking about like,what am I going to do?
What am I doing?
Uh, and I had tons of wood andmaterial leftover just from jobs
from, uh, production design jobsor from my, I used to do, uh,
uh, recording studioconstruction.
So I had tons of lumber.
(24:28):
I was like, well, I need to getrid of some of this.
So I just started looking atquilt blocks and like, what can
I do with this?
I'm like, I'm going to just do ahuge, like wooden quilt.
and just see how it works, youknow?
And so I started just dissectingit and, you know, did all the
math and making my cuts.
And luckily throughconstruction, all the,
everything I'd learned being inthat world, uh, it came, it was
(24:51):
easy.
And I already knew, like, I'vebeen around quilts so much.
I kind of already knew like, allright, here's how it's pieced
together.
I've seen her cut the strips andthen cut all the angles.
I'm like, well, I'll just do itlike that, but I'm going to use
wood.
And, uh, So I got it togetherpretty quickly and everything
just felt instinctually right,like natural.
(25:13):
I was like, this is too easy andit's a lot of fun.
And so I did it and I was like,whoa, I was like pleasantly
surprised and how much fun I haddoing it.
And then I could still involvemy drawings by wood burning them
in by hand or using my laserengraver.
(25:33):
So I do the drawings and thensend that to the engraver and
then it burns onto the wood orbasically etches it.
So I could still do what I likedoing.
And I got this new, somethingelse that I never thought was
going to happen, which was, was,was fun.
And it kept me excited.
And so it worked out.
(25:54):
And then people saw that andbasically kind of what happened
with the music or guitarplaying, they're like, Whoa, I
never even knew you could dothis.
And like, look, can you make meone or can you do one with this
color scheme?
And like, so then I was gettinglike, all right, this is worth
it.
It's not just for me.
Like, I'm not just doing somepersonal kind of my therapy or
something.
You know, people are likingthis.
(26:14):
And then I just kept going and Iwas able to make them fast and
into where I wasn't gettingbored.
Or like, this is taking toolong.
Or like, this is a waste oftime.
And everything I was making,people were like, oh, that's
awesome.
And they started selling.
So then I was also seeing like afinancial reward.
Like, okay, people really likeit.
They're going to give you moneyfor it.
(26:35):
So even if they're a friend orlike some stranger.
So I had a show and theneverything sold.
Everything's gone.
And then the book.
So I just kept going.
So yeah, finished the book.
at the beginning of the year.
SPEAKER_00 (26:50):
Let's talk about the book.
Tell me the name of the book.
I think it's called Wood MosaicProjects, Classic Quilt Block
Designs in Wood.
And that's coming out in lateJune.
And that's pretty impressive.
Tell, you know, how did thatcome about?
SPEAKER_03 (27:05):
One of the acquisitions manager or like the
basically the talent buyer forthe publishing company, Fox
Chapel, out of nowhere, justsent me an email and said,
here's what we do.
Here's our idea for a bookproject for you to do if you're
into it.
As I looked at it, I was like,yeah, whatever.
You know, I had no, you know,I'd never heard of the
(27:28):
publishing.
And at first I was like, is thissome dude just in his garage
making like binding some pagestogether, you know?
But then I was like, okay,they're legit.
Like they've been doing this andit's been around for a while.
Like the books are in Barnes andNoble, whatever, you know, like
it's the real thing.
So I was just like, all right.
And so I called her and, I waslike, yeah, sure.
(27:49):
I'll, I'll try it, but I'venever done this before.
Like, I mean, I can just, Imean, I definitely can talk and
ramble.
I can go on.
I can just, maybe I'll juststart writing and typing and
kind of, and again, it happened.
I just started making new piecesand just documenting my, all my
steps and going through like whyI'm making this piece, where the
(28:11):
block came from.
It's everything that I documentanyway, a lot of times just to
like, have it for my ownportfolio.
So it's, but I just had to do alittle bit more in depth and,
and describe what I'm doing andwhy and, and, and write it.
So that, and did the first fewchapters and they're like, yeah,
(28:33):
you're on the right track.
Keep going.
So did it all and got it in.
Now it was crazy.
I mean, I, that's all I wasdoing during the pandemic, which
in, I mean, it's sad, but Imean, it was definitely some
shitty times, but it was like, Icouldn't have had it happen at a
more perfect time because Icouldn't go anywhere anyway.
(28:54):
And I didn't have time to go doanything else besides focus on
the book.
So I was just stuck here in mystudio, just working during the
day and writing at night, likefor six months straight.
SPEAKER_00 (29:06):
So paintings, drawings, sculptures,
assemblages, music, what aresome of the reasons why you
create?
I
SPEAKER_03 (29:15):
get visions of, uh, a lot of my drawings are like
creating this world that doesn'texist.
And it's usually mashing up likeeras or, or styles and almost
making it into some newcharacter or, or world or
architecture.
So a lot of the drawings arejust piecing together, like,
(29:37):
honestly, what this, how wouldthis look if this person or
creature existed or, or, ourlogo look.
If someone, because a lot oftimes I would make these fake
logos for like, it was a companythat didn't even exist, but I'd
put that on a painting.
You know, people would be like,what is it?
Like, is that a, is that a beercompany?
I'm like, no, it's just someload.
I was like at this vision, youknow, like I want to see this as
(29:59):
a logo or like, and so that'sturned into like these wallpaper
designs that I kind of createthat go on the backs or the
negative space of these quilts.
So it's kind of initially thatyou're thinking like, ah, I
wonder what that'd look like.
So the only way I know how islike, I'm just going to draw it
and see if I can make this worldor make this, this person that
(30:21):
doesn't really exist or thisstyle.
I mean, some of it turns intolike character development, you
know, for like a video gamealmost, you know, it's like, I'm
just creating stuff.
So that's where it starts orlike, and then I started
thinking like, well, how wouldthat look as like a collection
of boxes that you could, youcould interact with?
(30:41):
with and what does that work anda lot of times it doesn't work
you know I gotta just scrap itand like this does not work and
it's the same thing with musiclike what I was saying earlier
it's like how would that soundif I combine like an old style
blues like riff and a slideguitar with a beat from like say
(31:03):
Run DMC used you know like asound an old hip-hop beat would
that work and sometimes it doessometimes it doesn't but I have
that like the vision or likethe, the audio, the oral vision
of like, I want to just see ifthis will work, you know?
And then, and then a lot of mywriting, you know, it's like
writing a story.
(31:23):
Some of them have existed.
Some of them are like myexperiences are like weird
situations.
I've got myself into and out ofsomehow.
So, and then some are like, I'mjust making up another world or
another story.
So it's kind of the same thing.
I'm just putting that, thatstory to music.
Storytelling.
And a lot of my lyrics are kindof abstract where people are
(31:47):
like, what the hell are youtalking about?
I'm like, I don't know.
I just thought those wordssounded good together.
And I like throwing thosevisuals at somebody.
You just hear the word.
While you're listening to music,you have a vision somehow of
what that word is.
Everyone has a different take onthat word.
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
So you mentioned specific influences and
inspiration for your music.
going back into, and don't gotoo far into the art history
weeds, but going back tothinking, if I were to look, or
you were showing your visual artto someone, would you, is there
an influence and inspirationthat maybe is not noticeable?
(32:28):
And then, is there an influenceor inspiration that would be
noticeable by somebody lookingat your art?
SPEAKER_03 (32:35):
I look at a lot of architectural books and tons of
like old black and whitephotography just from like time
life books or like just photosof life artist wise my drawing
is definitely inspired from theold masters like i was trying to
just teach myself to draw withthat that hand of i mean this is
(32:56):
going straight to like da vinciand michael and the
stereotypical like what youthink michelangelo but they the
way they drew was amazing.
I'd still look at their oldsketchbooks and stuff like that.
Sometimes drawings hit me morethan a huge eight-foot painting.
(33:16):
If I can see the artist's handand see their skill, sometimes
I'm just like, that's amazing.
Somebody drew that and it'sstraight graphite or pastel or
whatever.
Their hand's right on the paper.
A lot of it goes to that too,from that, just drawings.
And then Joseph Cornell was anold assemblage dude from, he
(33:41):
made these boxes and theselittle worlds and his little
boxes.
So definitely got inspired byhim and trying to make, use wood
and art and assemblages andmultimedia.
And then it goes like, and thengrowing up when I did and being
a Basquiat was tough.
I think everyone that was likemy, and coming from my world of
(34:04):
art, like we always like gotexcited.
And it was also excited aboutlike seeing how he became, I
mean, you'd have these visionsof yourself of like, Oh, I want
to be an art star like that.
You know, he got the look, hegets to do whatever he wants,
you know, and you kind of havethis, but I mean, I, so it goes
from like super technicaldrawing and like to like that
(34:25):
world.
And yeah, So I can't help butsay he is an influence, but
almost like his way of, it mademe kind of go, I'm going to do
exactly what I want to do.
Like, you know, I don't give ashit.
I'm kind of like, fuck it.
Basically, you know, I'm eithergoing to, I'm going to go down
trying or doing it my way orwhite, like what's the point or
(34:46):
just, I'm going to go downtrying.
And instead of trying to dosomething that I'm not really
into, but I know like, Otherpeople, I don't know.
He gave me at least the attitudeof like, okay, just do what you
want to do.
And that's what happenedmusically too.
And finally just saying like,I'm just going to do it this
(35:06):
way.
But it ranges so much.
And it goes into like, again,logo design, graphic design
stuff.
I get inspired by that andhuge...
I love like huge abstractsculpture.
And I don't know why, because alot of it, sometimes initially
you're like, why did somebodyput that much effort into making
(35:27):
that thing?
But then I look closer at it.
I'm like, well, that's actuallyamazing.
So it's, it's hard to, there'stoo many, there's so many, but
I, I initially it's black andwhite photos.
So it's not even the artist.
It's like just looking at thatmoment that that photographer
caught and, black and white andlike just seeing life and, and
(35:50):
that it's easy.
And that's, it goes from, that'swhat I would use as my reference
photos to looking to see how theold masters drew and trying to
draw like them.
So I'd go again, watching oldblues masters and I wanted to
like not play like them, but tryto learn how they did what they
did and do it my way.
(36:11):
And then looking at old mastersand how they drew and their
tricks and and tips and justtake what i could from them and
do it my way too
SPEAKER_00 (36:20):
so i love the idea that you're inspired by these
old masters
SPEAKER_03 (36:25):
there's so many like correlations of how i make my
music to how i'm making myartwork now but yeah the
paintings where sometimes i justget really active and it's just
like throwing paint on there butso you'll have this like big
wash of just me just usingcolors that i like and then
you'll have a detail likesomebody's portrait so then it
(36:46):
goes straight into me being likethat close and getting detailed
of how that person's face orbody is or their clothing or
like or how i paint a buildingi'll build i put a lot of
attention to that the detail onthe building or but then there's
areas where it's just like mejust getting aggressive and like
(37:08):
getting a you know a house paintbrush and just throwing paint on
or like just getting almostscratching into the wood.
I use panel.
I don't really use canvas when Ipaint anymore because of that.
Cause I almost want like I'mpunching it almost.
So it's like, it's the samething with music.
There's moments where I'm superaggressive musically.
And then as like quiet momentswhere it's like breaking down to
(37:30):
where there's attention todetail or like, let's really hit
this note.
Then there's other moments whereit's like, I don't care.
As long as I'm hitting strings,let's get a little quiet and in.
and then just explode.
SPEAKER_00 (37:43):
I can just imagine you doing that just because I've
seen you perform.
And especially because, I mean,you guys are sweating.
I mean, you're like, it's a veryphysical performance.
And hearing you express howyou're painting, I can envision
it because it must be veryphysical.
Where do you think this isleading you?
(38:03):
Your influence in pairing themasters and cool, the old style
blues with punk?
SPEAKER_03 (38:08):
Well, art-wise, visual art-wise, The aggression,
too, with that comes into someof the making these quilts.
I'm physically cutting andbuilding.
So that's part of my gettingphysically active, you know,
blood, sweat and tears with thework again while I construct it.
So the new line or new body ofwork, what I'm envisioning is
(38:32):
still doing these quilts likethe quilt block patterns and
still using quilts.
A wide range of wood, wood,metal, plastic, whatever I get
my hands on to make thesepatterns, because I don't think
I ever want to leave that again.
The playing with the geometricsand the layout and the
composition with those isendless.
I think I can keep expandingwith that, but those are going
(38:52):
to stay there.
But there's going to be momentsof where that might be just a
sky in the background and Soit's all blue quilt, wooden
quilt.
And then the foreground is likeone of my scenes that I create
with these worlds.
Like maybe it's two, like, youknow, two men on horseback about
(39:13):
to, you know, weirdly like someform of jousting or some kind of
crazy action happening behindthis surreal, like this nice
blue, you know, quilt blockpattern.
It's going to be the sky orsomething.
Or am I bringing in like, bringsome, icons and where people can
write like that's so-and-so.
(39:34):
So like it's a character andthen, but his whole suit is the
quilt block pattern.
So it's cut to where like it'shis clothing.
So it's like, you know, insteadof it being just a plaid suit,
it's a suit made out of likewooden quilt block pattern.
But then the, then the facespainted really nicely are drawn
(39:55):
the old classical way.
Cause I think the, I want to, I,to me, it's still important to
see that the artist as takes thetime and can still like
physically has the hand of like,like that guy's good.
Like he can draw that or, youknow, she can paint that like
(40:16):
exactly how, you know, how theold master, like, I don't think
we ever want to lose that aslike a culture of people that
are appeal, have the appeal togo look at art.
I think it's, I don't, it'sstill important to me.
And I think still important to alot of people, but I still,
again, I still love gettingabstract and just, you know,
making things happen and hoping,hoping that it, some of the,
(40:38):
some of the best things happenon accident and, and, you know,
just kind of like, Oh, I didn'tmean for that to happen, but it,
it did.
And actually I like how it looksand that goes into the music
too.
It's like, they're like, oops.
I mean, Oh wait, that soundedgood.
Anyway, yeah.
It's going to get more where thedrawings take center stage
(41:01):
again, or that's drawing andpainting, and then the quilt is
going to be the environment, orgoing to be the mountains in the
back.
It turns into this rocky-lookingquilt, but it's going to be the
same.
You'll go, oh, that's this quiltblock pattern that he used, but
when you step back, it looksjust like a...
(41:21):
a landscape.
So that's where I'm going.
SPEAKER_00 (41:26):
You have a new vinyl EP release coming out.
It's called Four for BeingPhysical.
It's with new high recordings.
It's supposed to come outsometime in the next month, May
29th.
Tell me why Four for BeingPhysical?
SPEAKER_03 (41:39):
Hopefully it inspires you to go just take
part in life.
I know it's hard.
Everyone's still having to weara mask, or a lot of people are.
In a world of technology, justkind of...
taking over us, which again, I'mnot saying I'm above it.
I definitely use my computer, myphone, you know, I use my
devices, but I'm saying like,separate yourself from it.
(42:00):
Go like grab somebody.
I know it's hard right now.
We're still in the middle of avirus and stuff.
We're coming out of it, but Ithink go, go do something, get
physical, you know?
And so it's, it's and part of itwas for, for like, like there's
penalties in like hockey.
It's like two for, or, you know,you get put in the penalty box
(42:21):
two minutes for, so it kind ofcame from that.
Like you're getting penalizedfor, for, you know, go two
minutes in the penalty box forfighting or whatever it is, you
know, whatever penalty youcommitted.
But so that came for, for beingphysical, it's kind of like, we
want you to go get penalized fordoing something, you know, and
there's actually five tracks.
I don't know.
(42:41):
So again, I kind of mess withyour head.
There's not four songs, sothere's five.
So I don't know.
I think four just sounded fun,like four, four.
So it's me again, which a lot ofpeople think I'm making
mistakes.
Like, dude, there's five trackson here, not four.
Or like, you misspelledRushback.
The first album I did was thetitle is Returns to the Tomb of
(43:06):
Giuliano Medici.
And it's really Medici.
but I just added like the extraMedici, you know, and I remember
getting it reviewed and the guywas like, yeah, these guys don't
even know like how to spellMedici.
And I wanted to like, I stillthink about like, I want to
email that guy.
Like, dude, I did that onpurpose.
It's just me like messing withthe last name.
(43:27):
Like why are you reuse the samelast name?
Like look at the name of ourband.
Like it's a dumb, like I'm justplaying with your mind right
now.
You know, like I'm just playingwith words and letters.
Okay.
Like don't, It wasn't meant tobe really Giuliano Medici.
Like I did that on purpose.
SPEAKER_00 (43:43):
I actually love that because I think of it as playing
off the fact that you're not agood old boy, but you know good
old boys.
All
SPEAKER_03 (43:52):
these dudes from Texas don't even know like it's
really Giuliano Medici.
Like that guy, that review, I'mlike, oh man, I wish I could
talk to him.
It's like, you know, no, I'mactually smarter than you
because I'm making fun of youthinking that I don't know that.
But I like the reverence of goodold, but yeah, that's true.
Like people seem like, Oh,you're from Texas.
(44:13):
I
SPEAKER_00 (44:14):
love that.
There's some really wonderfulthings happening.
I love that you have your newEP.
Did you design the album coverfor this one as well?
I'm assuming.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (44:22):
Yeah.
And yeah, the front and theback.
And then the centerfold is likea centerfold actually looks like
kind of what I'm going into.
Cause it's the sky is like abig, you know, quilt layout that
I'm, Cause I'll do like a shopdrawing before I start my real
piece.
So it's kind of, yeah, I dothat.
(44:42):
And yeah, that kind of gives youa vision of where I'm going and
that centerfold piece that'sinside the album.
And then we have a couple ofvideos coming out, which that's
another way that I'm trying tocombine worlds too, is like
doing, some of them are like myconcepts of like, let's try this
as a video, this storyline, youknow, and so I'm using our music
(45:05):
obviously, and then trying tocreate like a little scenario.
And then also I'm doing thiskind of documentary series
called Wood Riddance, which withmy cinematographer, Kyle, who
also does a lot of my band photostuff and in motion.
(45:27):
So we're working on WoodRiddance, which is, kind of how
I do my stuff where I get myinspiration where I go to get
the wood and material from mypieces and then it goes in the
history the history of certainlike maybe art or music
movements that have happenedhere in Southern California that
(45:48):
no one really remembers or I'mgoing to try to bring it to the
surface so people can like ohwell I didn't know that happened
in Pasadena or like that artistis from there or that musician
started you know, working inhere in Torrance, California,
you know, so it's going.
SPEAKER_00 (46:07):
It is that it looks like that, that particular year.
So people can find you onYouTube under restaurants
channel, right?
Is okay.
Again, I'm,
SPEAKER_03 (46:15):
I'm really bad at, I'm trying to get better at
social media and obviously me,she's really good.
My, my wife helps a lot.
Like I'm the, I'm just the dudebehind the curtain and then she
kind of gets it out in theworld.
Yeah.
Restaurant.
R-E-S-T-A-V-R-A-N-T.
Rest and rant.
(46:36):
A and a V.
So that's, I think Instagram isthe best way for us because I
can do that quickly and I'm notlike losing myself.
Like, I don't know what I'mdoing, but at least I can, I can
manage that account somewhat,but even at that we're like one
post a week, but at least thatgives you an idea of what, what
(46:57):
the band's up to andbuiltquilt.com or, at Bill
Quilts is another Instagramthat's good.
SPEAKER_00 (47:06):
So you have two Instagram, you have an Instagram
account, a YouTube channel, anda website for a restaurant.
And for Built Quilt, you havethe Instagram and the website,
and that's where people can seeyour work.
And of course, Weekend New HighRecordings will actually be
doing the release, Fox ChapelPublications handling your book.
And we hope you bring, you comehere.
(47:28):
We're looking forward topossibly having you here to do a
book signing and some type ofpresentation with the Quilt
Festival Houston coming up inOctober at the Thank you so
much.
I think it'd be really great todo that.
(47:49):
So I look forward to having youhere in Houston and I look
forward to coming back to LA.
I
SPEAKER_03 (47:53):
see the light.
Good things are on the horizon.
SPEAKER_00 (47:56):
I think good things are on the
SPEAKER_02 (47:57):
horizon.
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