Mark Solotroff "Black Openings" Book + Interview

 

I recently spoke at length to author, educator, and musician Meghan Lamb, about my music, my art, my relationship to Chicago, and other topics. Our conversation was transcribed and illustrated with some of my art, as well as other pertinent images. It was published this week by Bridge, Chicago's independent, interdisciplinary, hardcover journal and online magazine of art and public scholarship. I hope you take the time to read it, as it was a unique opportunity for me to cover a lot of ground with someone who clearly did their homework and who developed a great set of questions to guide the conversation. You can access it here: https://www.bridge-chicago.org/bridge-online-1/solotroff --- Black Openings Black Openings is a visual accompaniment to the 2023 album, Black Openings, by my band Anatomy of Habit. The fifty black and white pictures are derived from unreal photographs that I created using AI platforms, during the spring of 2023. I edited and manipulated the pictures in a way that parallels how I process music, in a familiar analog manner. The text that is included is the lyrics of the album's title track. Black Openings 01 (Variant) and Black Openings 02 (Variant) contain real and unreal architecture. The original versions of these two pictures appear on the covers/packaging of the LP, CD, cassette, and digital versions of the Anatomy of Habit album Black Openings. Black Openings 03-50 contain only unreal architecture.  Print length: 154 Pages Images: 50 / Text Squares: 21  Color: Black and white  Language: English  Dimensions: 6" x 0.35" x 9"  ISBN-13: 979-8393794385 Limited quantities are available directly via my Bandcamp page: https://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/merch/black-openings-book The book is available globally via Amazon. Prime members and international buyers are highly encouraged to order directly from Amazon to save on shipping costs (available in all regions) USA: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Openings-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B0C47QCMT3/ ---  Also available: You May Be Holding Back Bandcamp Amazon Not Everybody Makes It Bandcamp Amazon --- http://marksolotroff.com http://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/ http://www.instagram.com/marksolotroff http://www.facebook.com/solotroff

Mark Solotroff "You May Be Holding Back" Book

 

You May Be Holding Back As a follow-up to my recent book, Not Everybody Makes It, I'm pleased to announce the release of You May Be Holding Back. This new volume is a visual accompaniment to my 2020 electronic music album of the same name. The fifty-two black and white images are derived from photographs of architecture in Chicago, some of which I shot myself and some of which I found online, particularly in the case of structures that no longer exist. I edited and manipulated the photos in a way that parallels how I processed the analog synthesizer recordings that I created the songs on the album from. The minimal text that is included is drawn from the album title and its two song titles ("A Literal Territory Occupied Literally" and "All In The Straw Together"). Those two song titles are direct drivers for sections of the book that create a tension between sin and redemption, the sacred and the profane, and heaven and hell, as dictated by both current and former architecture found in both existing and lost zones of the city. Print length: 120 Pages (single-sided printing) Images: 52 Color: Black and white Language: English Dimensions: 6" x 0.28" x 9" ISBN-13: 979-8434074889 Cost: $15.00 + postage Limited quantities are available directly via my Bandcamp page https://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/merch/you-may-be-holding-back-paperback The book is available globally via Amazon. Prime members and international buyers are highly encouraged to order directly from Amazon to save on shipping costs (available in all regions) USA: https://www.amazon.com/You-May-Be-Holding-Back/dp/B09V7YGTY8/ --- Not Everybody Makes It Bandcamp Amazon --- http://marksolotroff.com http://www.facebook.com/solotroff http://www.instagram.com/marksolotroff http://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/

Mark Solotroff "Not Everybody Makes It" Book

Not Everybody Makes It Not Everybody Makes It is a visual accompaniment to my 2021 album of the same name. The forty-four black and white images are derived from photographs that I collected from in and around my neighborhood in downtown Chicago. I edited and manipulated the photos in a way that parallels how I processed the analog synthesizer recordings that I created the songs on the album from. The sparse yet evocative text that is included is drawn directly from the album and its song titles, as well as from the titles of three additional songs that I released during the winter of 2021-22. Sensations of isolation, emptiness, and a barely lingering humanity run throughout the music, and the fragmented urban views perfectly illustrate feelings of abandonment and loss. Print length: 120 Pages (single-sided printing) Images: 44 Color: Black and white Language: English Dimensions: 6" x 0.28" x 9" ISBN-13: 979-8777391476 Cost: $15.00 + postage Limited quantities are available directly via my Bandcamp page https://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/merch/not-everybody-makes-it-book The book is available globally via Amazon. Prime members and international buyers are highly encouraged to order directly from Amazon to save on shipping costs (available in all regions, select links below) USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MYSMW2W Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Not-Everybody-Makes-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ France: https://www.amazon.fr/Not-Everybody-Makes-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ Germany: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ Italy: https://www.amazon.it/Not-Everybody-Makes-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/Not-Everybody-Makes-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Everybody-Makes-Mark-Solotroff/dp/B09MYSMW2W/ --- http://marksolotroff.com http://www.facebook.com/solotroff http://www.instagram.com/marksolotroff http://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com/