Michael Zapruder’s Pink Thunder combines music, poetry, and visual art

Oakland-based musician Michael Zapruder‘s new album, Pink Thunder, is quite the creative feat. The album itself, six years in the making, transforms poems by 23 poets into “indie-rock free-verse songs” in collaboration with 36 musicians, and is accompanied by a book of photographs and hand-lettered renderings of the poems involved. Zapruder has also created a series of portmanteaus, found object sculptures with built-in music players (engineered by our friend Mark Allen-Piccolo!). Each portmanteau plays one song from the album.

Pink Thunder’s release party and gallery opening is tomorrow, October 18th at the Curiosity Shoppe, and the portmanteaus will be showing through November 18.

[Thanks, Melody!]

7 Responses to “Michael Zapruder’s Pink Thunder combines music, poetry, and visual art”

  1. Cool sounding project. Interested in seeing Arrington’s work in there.

    Wish there was a way to hear it though. Even just one track. Hope they put it on the Bandcamps.

  2. Michael says:

    Thanks MissionMission!

    Hey Dr Popular – well, it’s not the bandcamps, but two songs and a video from pink thunder are on the internets for you!

    Florida (poem by Travis Nichols) – video: http://www.ifc.com/fix/2012/09/exclusive-premiere-michael-zapruder-florida

    Florida – track: http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2012/09/27/mp3-at-3pm-michael-zapruder/

    Civics (poem by David Berman) – track: http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/10/new-music-michael-zapruder-civics-written-by-david-berman-cos-premiere/

    thanks!

    and of course you can hear all the songs at the portmanteau show!

  3. Alex says:

    This is so cool! Wish I could be at the opening to see the portmanteaus. Amazing, creative project. Can’t wait to get my copy.

  4. I am SOOOOOOOO psyched for this! Go Pink Thunder Go!

  5. Jessica says:

    I saw/experienced the portmanteaus at the opening show – Incredible! The book is really beautiful, and the vinyl is pink. Totally worth a trip to the Curiosity Shoppe before the show closes.

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  7. seadike says:

    of course, there’s also the famous “rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock” shirt that will amuse other fans of the show. this app comes in handy for multiple reasons. checking the pc volume mixer in the bottom right corner i noticed the speakers were not muted and the volume turned up.