Hey Everyone!

I’m here to tell you the story of my and Stefania’s adventures from last Friday. We rode our bikes into the night, struggling at first to figure out where exactly our destination was located. Russian Recordings, previously the home of The Art Hospital, sits snuggly on South Walnut St and isn’t the easiest place to find.

The event was the opening of Russian Recordings from their previous location in Brown County and the re-opening of the new location of The Art Hospital. The two are in such close proximity that Stefania and I merely followed a line of Christmas lights that were strung along an alley to get between the two places.

First, we decided to check out The Art Hospital. It’s located in a fairly old house and each room was filled with an assortment of art. The basement, which we visited first, smelled of fresh paint, and what lay inside was eclectic to say the least. There was everything from a tiny model of a home to a TV set playing a black and white video of a BBQ past. Although I wasn’t sure what each piece of art was trying to convey, I had a good time guessing. 

After looking around downstairs for a while, we wanted to see what other kinds of art they had. A room filled with homemade purses and clothing struck my attention. Much to my amusement, someone had actually made a Ms. Pac Man purse. I have sentimental feelings for the video game (I used to play it on my Sega-Genesis constantly as a child) but alas, I am a poor college student and couldn’t afford to buy it.

Eventually, we found ourselves in the main art gallery. Some of the paintings were humorous, especially one in which the 90s hip-hop trip, TLC was the main focus. While Stefania and I giggled over that one, others paintings evoked a myriad of emotions in us. Doorknobs resembling birds reminded Stefania of her friend Nadia from home. A glittery, golden, flowery piece was my personal favorite.

The last room we explored had quite a lot of Impossible Shapes memorabilia. Stefania ended up buying a set of their tapes, only to find out later that they were empty. No worries though, she’ll be getting the real deal soon.

When we felt like we had spent a sufficient amount of time at The Art Hospital, we headed over to Russian Recordings.

Literally only a moment after arriving, Stefania squeezed my arm. Hanging out inside was Jens Lekman, a Swedish songwriter. It took some persuading from Stefania for me to talk to him—okay, it took Stefania literally shoving me into him—but we met. What can say, I was nervous, after all, he’s my favorite artist.

Jens has an affinity for songwriting; it’s undeniable. So meeting the person whose music is constantly striking a deep chord within me, was amazing. In fact, it was like hearing his songs for the first time, all over again. He was kinda shy, but extremely nice.

Although my night would have been complete after meeting Jens, the rest of the evening was great too.

We missed the acoustic sets from Push-Pull, Kentucky Nightmare, and 1000 Arrows, but we were lucky enough to catch the end of DJ LVX’s set and all of Yea Big and Kid Static. The hip-hop duo hails from Chicago and they don’t disappoint.

Constantly in motion, their set was propulsive and entertaining. Yea Big rolled around on the ground, making the end of their set memorable. This was my favorite part; I’m down with any one who is that enthusiastic about their music. 

Now I’m just waiting impatiently for the next time Russian Recordings or The Art Hospital puts on a show.

Cheers,
Katie

Scroll downz for more pix courtesy David Hassell

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