David Barnes (artist)
Encyclopedia
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, performer, and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
best known for being the art director for his brother Kevin's
Kevin Barnes
Kevin L. Barnes is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the indie rock group Of Montreal, part of the Elephant 6 Collective. Barnes started the band on his own and, although providing several stories as to the origin of the name, is said to have named it after a failed romance...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band, of Montreal
Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
. He is also sometimes credited as "lecithin emulcifier" and "hat hare".
Artwork
Barnes has contributed artwork for his brother's band, of MontrealOf Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
, including covers for Aldhils Arboretum
Aldhils Arboretum
Aldhils Arboretum is the fifth full-length album by indie rock band Of Montreal. It was intended to be a departure from their previous concept albums, The Gay Parade and Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse...
, Satanic Panic in the Attic
Satanic Panic in the Attic
Satanic Panic in the Attic is the sixth album released by the band Of Montreal. The album, like later albums The Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, was made almost entirely by Kevin Barnes....
, The Sunlandic Twins
The Sunlandic Twins
The Sunlandic Twins is the seventh album by indie pop band Of Montreal. The album continues further into the more electronic territory first explored on 2004's Satanic Panic in the Attic...
, and False Priest
False Priest
False Priest is the tenth full-length studio album by indie-pop group of Montreal, released on September 14, 2010 on Polyvinyl Records. The band is also touring with Janelle Monáe to promote their new album where she appears several times. Polyvinyl Record Co released the album on CD, Digital,...
. The covers typically have unique color schemes and illustrations achieved through a combination of thick watercolors, markers and ink. Barnes also contributed t-shirt, tote bag, and wall decal designs for the groundbreaking Skeletal Lamping Collection, which successfully re-imagined the concept of album packaging by including digital album downloads in a variety of different art pieces.
In 2008 he designed the album artwork for Sand Fastened, the debut album from the band Fire Zuave
Fire Zuave
Fire Zuave is an American indie rock band formed in 2007 in West Palm Beach, Florida.-History:Chuck Andrews, formerly of Cleveland-based Americana band Qwasi Qwa, relocated to South Florida in 2004. There, he began performing as a solo artist. Soon thereafter, Chuck met Chris Cartrett, formerly of...
, which features singing by a Chuck Andrews (a cousin of Barnes').
Barnes has also created art for Automaton Snowboards.
Book
On April 26, 2011, Barnes released his debut book, "What's Weird," featuring 128 pages of paintings, drawings, sketches, and more. The book comes with a page-by-page commentary by Barnes.Music videos
David also works on of MontrealOf Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
's music videos, including "Gronlandic Edit.". Along with Jason Miller and Apollinaire Rave, he co-wrote and appears in the video for "Coquet Coquette," from of Montreal
Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
's 2010 album False Priest
False Priest
False Priest is the tenth full-length studio album by indie-pop group of Montreal, released on September 14, 2010 on Polyvinyl Records. The band is also touring with Janelle Monáe to promote their new album where she appears several times. Polyvinyl Record Co released the album on CD, Digital,...
.
Performance
In addition to conceptualizing of MontrealOf Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
's elaborate stage productions as well as designing their sets and props, David also often appears as a performer during the band's concerts. Along with of Montreal
Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
, he has performed on Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
.
In 2005, Barnes worked with his brother and his sister-in-law, Nina, on A Pollinaire Rave
A Pollinaire Rave
A Pollinaire Rave is a comedy tour by Of Montreal lead singer Kevin Barnes, his wife, Nina Barnes, and his brother David Barnes. Both the titles and the artwork vary depending on the individual copy...
, a touring comedy production.
In July 2008, Kevin and David performed skits, under the name Disney Herpes, opening for Fire Zuave
Fire Zuave
Fire Zuave is an American indie rock band formed in 2007 in West Palm Beach, Florida.-History:Chuck Andrews, formerly of Cleveland-based Americana band Qwasi Qwa, relocated to South Florida in 2004. There, he began performing as a solo artist. Soon thereafter, Chuck met Chris Cartrett, formerly of...
in Athens, Georgia.