Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ LaFamos PR) Ignited by lyrical and visual art, front man of indie rock band Friend
Slash Lover, Josh Mintz, is combining his two passions and serving them up in one big bite for one big night. With a special DJ set by world-renowned artist and turntable master DJ Diabetic a.k.a Shepard Fairey (recognized for creating Obama's Hope poster,) Mintz's exclusive solo exhibition, entitled It Was My Idea to Steal That Idea, is sure to have the streets talking. The lover and creator of art, who serves as the Creative
Director of a prominent Los Angeles based ad agency, is releasing the new single "HELLTHY" in conjunction with his exhibition. Slowly coming off the high of the release of an iPhone music video series of songs from the latest EP, The Grey Area and the wildly popular single "Unaware," Friend
Slash Lover is a force that causes heads to turn and ears to listen. Their music and lyrics emerge from a deep place of emotion and introspect and connects with listeners instantly; a significant upswing of passionate and dedicated fans shows just how popular they've become.
Displaying fragments of Mintz's mind, the exhibition is based on his quirky, original phrases, which permeate all aspects of his visual art and music. The event is free and will be held at the NOMAD Art Compound on Saturday, June 29 from 7:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m.
Mintz began quietly posting these phrases, overlaid on imagery of his own creation, in the social media sphere, several months ago. As his friends and fans caught on, commenting and sharing these strange "memes," the project seemed to expand naturally and it became clear that a whole exhibit was emerging. One interesting meme showed an image of the Hollywood sign just before being hit with a missile, with the name of the exhibition "It Was My Idea to Steal That Idea" over it.
One of the unique aspects of this show is that many of the phrases are etched onto mirrors and displayed around the gallery at eye level. "I've always been fascinated by the power of words, yet I'm sometimes reluctant to pair them with images, for fear of being too heavy-handed. The mirrors offered me a way out, since the viewer does most of the work by becoming the image...and the image is always changing." As they attempt to unravel the artist's messages, attendees will also be able to walk away with a wide selection of items on sale at the show. Items range from postcards, stickers, t-shirts, posters, fine art, archival prints and the hand-made, etched mirrors. Prices vary between one dollar and several hundred, so there is something for everyone's budget. Giving viewers more insight to the creativity of Mintz, there will be video projections of the iPhone music video series from The Grey Area and possibly a couple of other surprises.
Proving himself a Renaissance man, Mintz is an artist in the truest sense.
Everything he does gives a clue into his abstract way of looking at things. Thanks to his education at Rhode Island School of Design, UC San
Diego and his years in advertising, he was able to actualize many of his ideas and fine tune his talent. The Connecticut native got his start in music in his early years playing fife in a drum corps marching band and winning state and national championships. "I was never cool. Marching bands were probably even one step below glee clubs on the cool scale." After having much of his work showcased in art galleries in the Los Angeles area, Mintz decided to focus on his music career. His first effort was As American as Ones and Zeros, which earned Friend
Slash Lover a spot on
Music Connection Magazine's Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands. In an effort to fulfill his desire of having a full-band sound, Mintz later joined forces with three musicians who lived on the same music plane as him and began to embark on a project that would define their dark and pensive style and become the compelling music we hear today. The lineup consists of Frank Day on bass, Jake Hayden on drums, and Greg Pajer on guitar. The seasoned performers have rocked the house at hot L.A. venues such as The Roxy Theater, The Viper Room, Bootleg Theater and Skinny's Lounge.
Produced by Thom Flowers, the newest single "HELLTHY," represents a new sound direction for Friend
Slash Lover. It expands on the lyrical complexity of earlier tracks, ironically speaking of willingly staying in an unhealthy relationship or staying with a lover through their downturn. Or, is it about falling in love with the person in the next hospital bed and resenting them for getting well and leaving you behind? Your guess is as good as ours. "I like to think of HELLTHY as he world's first pop love song about health care," he quipped. Carried along by a colorful spectrum of electric sounds and a toe-tapping bass line, the single is laced with a catchy hook and melody.
Come hang out with Josh Mintz and Friend
Slash Lover for a great night of music, art and all around fun. Visit the event page on Facebook for more details & learn more about the band at www.friendslashlover.com.
