~JACK EARLY’S EAR CANDY MACHINE !!


of course the other absoluto brilliant show – in town is the:
JACK EARLY: JACK EARLY’S EAR CANDY MACHINE
which opened on Jan 21, 2011
and runs thru MARCH 5th, 2011 – at DANIEL REICH GALLERY – 537A W 23RD ST. CHELSEA


JACK EARLY – at the opening, which was yes. quite m-a-g-i-c.


cause you walked right into another black tunnel – the entire front room of the gallery – pitch black – bathed in black light !! except for a neon rainbow and a vintage victrola – the Ear Candy Machine !! – playing music composed and performed by Jack Early and a few friends.


quite beautiful entirely on its own . . .


with a white on white front panel !! yes.


it played music – wonderful and yet strange music – made by Jack and friends – on hand-pressed vinyl.


like the recent – over-played – and over-wrought – almost kinda desperate – ANSELM KIEFER show at GoGo’s – this show also spoke to the ceiling – but was so way – more succinct and well, cool. to the point. on point. and mysterious all at the same time. yet with so few elements . . and a true understated grace. much feeling frozen in time.


not to mention – great design elements. the rainbow around the ceiling.


the rainbow arc – down one wall.


and I guess you could say it was: interactive – how the black light played upon the crowd.


if you were wearing white – how fun !!


SECURITY !!


so, in strolled FLORIAN ALTENBURG . . .


FLORIAN ALTENBURG and his wife MAIKA POLLACK run Brooklyn’s SOUTHFIRST GALLERY. Maika is the curator and Florian is the man of all else. SOUTHFIRST gave Jack’s EAR CANDY MACHINE – its first showing about a year ago, in 2009.


they were standing in front of a big JACK EARLY canvas in the back room – his first in a new series of “combine” paintings.
JACK EARLY, ‘Not Yet Titled’, 2011.
Dimensions variable (panel 50 x 97 x 8 in.,barrel 15 x 18 x 13 in.)
wood, paper, printed linen, paper mache, wood cabinet, wallpaper, turn of the century wood beer barrel, farm rope.
yes, that is PAUL McCARTNEY at the left.


JACK EARLY, detail


JACK EARLY, detail


JACK EARLY, detail


it actually had a real live rope . . .


connecting to a vintage beer barrel !!


and a way strange little “medicine cabinet” – right in the middle – that contained . . .


a sort of cute nasty funny very green – gnome !!


giving the “finger” – is that an apple he holds ? you know. take the Big Apple & shove – it ??!!


LUCY ADELMAN, a friend of Jack Early’s from back home – North Carolina – now in NYC studying studio arts at SVA – is enjoying the show – too.


ok – so yeah – once upon a time JACK EARLY and ROB PRUITT were PRUITT-EARLY and this was one of their early pieces . . . Dr. Spock and Captain Kirk, oh yeah. 1992.
well, that would be: Captain Kirk and Dr. Spock !!


DANIEL McDONALD and DANIEL REICH – mortals among the legends – or, is it – the other way around ?


Daniel Reich and AMY GARTRELL.


both ROB PRUITT and JACK EARLY seem to share a knack for graphic design – as well as concept, cultural branding, and ingenuity.


JACK EARLY – ‘JACK STACK’ – ’19 stories’ – “this Jack Stack includes: The one about his dad telling him just ‘not to be gay’ / The Piggly Wiggly Ham Story. / When Jack had ESP for a whole summer !”


some contain music and lyrics by Jack. but the graphic design – is what got to us.


packaging. most def.


JACK EARLY (center) and pals, at the left DANIEL CASPERA, and on the right, friend and musician, JAMES PHAM.
Mr. Pham plays guitar on many of Jack’s compositions, including those currently playing the gallery – on the custom pressed vinyl – on the victrola.


JACK designed a really cool poster for the show – Big Apple. great tone of green, too. and he did sign some for fans !!


the signing of art, posters or books by any artist – always fascinating to watch.


JACK EARLY – smiley face !!


JACK EARLY – an intense – kinda laid-back combo of a super edgy talented musical kinda guy. great graphic designer. very interesting painter, and top-notch conceptualizer – on the rise, again.


JACK EARLY – JACK EARLY’S EAR CANDY MACHINE – up thru MARCH 5, 2011.

PHOTOS COPYRIGHT: NANCY SMITH

UP-DATE: TUES FEB 15, 2011 – 1:20 PM

P.S. DANIEL REICH just told me they posted a video for the show on YouTube – it’s quite the video – very vintage sounding !!

here’s the link: JACK EARLY’S EAR CANDY MACHINE/YouTube !!