Music to My Eyes

Samarov's minimalist drawings magically capture the frenetic energy and motion of live performance-which is even more of a miracle considering they were mostly done on the fly in darkened back corners of shitty rock clubs and dive bars. Yeah, sure-these brutally honest illustrated recollections let you know what these performances looked and sounded like-but, somehow, Samarov's words and sketches let you know what music felt like. He's a dang conduit. - Kelly Hogan, musician (The Decembrists, Neko Case, Mavis Staples, The Flat Five) If Iggy Pop hadn't gotten there first, Dmitry Samarov might have called this book I Am the Audience. With its evocative drawings, honest reactions, and intermittent slices of memoir, Music to My Eyes conveys a palpable sense of the community of music-its haphazard venues, its marginal economy, its shifting career paths, its highs and lows. Samarov is loyal but not uncritical, sad and funny pretty much at the same time, and passionately in need of music, which always makes him ready for the next thing, whatever it might be. - Luc Sante, author (Low Life, The Other Paris) Utilizing a spare, taut prose, Dmitry Samarov explores the boundary of sound and vision, limned both by his own experiences making music and being present at concerts. His pen, both in words and in the illustrations which are the focus of this book, is Samarov's way of joining with the music that has been so much a part of his life. His personal observations on art and life come from a place as visceral and raw as the images he creates and the music that inspires them. - Mick Collins, musician (The Gories, Dirtbombs, Wolfmanhattan Project)