Great music and a whole new approach to an album

Johnny Powell & Seasonal Beasts

Hebden Bridge-based alt-indie band Johnny Powell and the Seasonal Beasts have come up with a novel and ethical way to launch and present their new album Twice.

In their own words they are “ditching soulless plastic CDs” .

Instead what they have produced is an album in two formats; firstly as a pay-as-you-feel download on Bandcamp and secondly as a beautiful handmade book containing the lyrics in poem form, alongside specially commissioned artworks from creative people connected or associated with the songwriting process.

“We want to share our music with everyone,” says Johnny Powell. “And we didn’t want to pump out another load of plastic.”

The books contain download codes for the nine songs.

On the launch night (April 7, Artsmill, Hebden Bridge from 6.30pm) there will be an exhibition with lots of items for for sale, any of which will also furnish the purchaser with the code to the album.

These include specially commissioned illustrations and photographs, presented as high quality giclée prints.

The pieces are the artists’ personal interpretations of the feeling or meaning they got from the songs.

A number of poets will perform recitals of the song lyrics as well as their own work at 7.30pm and from 8.30pm the band will play songs from the album.

The album has been praised by Piccadilly Records as ‘brilliantly eccentric, but eminently listenable outsider indie for the soul’’.

Last year BBC Introducing described their the band’s EP ‘Five Past Lives’ as ‘incredible songwriting’ and ‘absolutely haunting’.

The launch is open to anyone and those attending are invited to take along their own drinks and cushions should they wish.

For fuller details see the band’s Indiegogo for details - www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-bring-our-album-project-to-life-music-book#/