Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 42-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
“Breathing In The Dark” keeps asking who is behind you as you travel alone in the dark. Who is there? With you.
David’s gorgeous rendering of musicians playing together offers something of an answer. The life-affirming collaborations that multi-instrumental music requires from individuals is an excellent analogy for more cerebral frameworks that exist, but often can’t be seen or heard. In our solitude, we need to remember that we are not alone under the weight of so much sorrow, anger and frustration.
Because we know both David and Mecca Normal’s political bent, we can arrive at connections between the image and the song. If you care to consider a Venn diagram, I’m trying to get at what’s in the overlap.
Both stand alone, with enough explicit nuance to catch the eye and ear of those who might be looking for allies, which might not even be the artists’ objective. You never know what impact your work will have when you send it out into the world.
“Breathing In The Dark” from The Eagle And The Poodle (Matador, 1996) (download):