Fine Art Now On MySpace

With Ken's assistance, I created a MySpace page for Fine Art! If you are a MySpace member you can add Fine Art to your "Friends" list (please do!), post comments and send messages to us. But even if you aren't a member you can still see the page, listen to up to six songs posted there, even watch the videos. Future plans for the site include an online store where you can buy some of the songs mentioned below, more videos perhaps, possibly artwork from the time the band was active and so on.

Seeking Fine Artists, recordings

Almost everything Fine Art ever recorded, both live and in the studio, is now in digital format. Currently that runs to 12 CDs and 2 DVDs. I recently received a "fan" tape of the band live at 7th Street Entry and would be interested in hearing more. If you have a recording of Fine Art, let me know, I would enjoy hearing it!

With the transfer of the material I have complete, I am looking for other members of the band. If you were a part of Fine Art or know the whereabouts of someone who was, please contact me

Fine Art was formed in 1977, by Ken Carlson (guitar), Terri Paul (vocals), Kay Maxwell (vocals) and myself (guitar). Our first album, made with the help of Monty Edwards (drums) and Andy Schirmer (bass) came out in October of 1978, before the group had even played live. The first Fine Art live show was a benefit for KFAI-FM and was broadcast live to the Twin Cities. In 1981 we released a limited edition EP, Scan. (The original review by Robert Christgau said in part: "Better than [Romeo Void's] 'Never Say Never' for sure..." For his web site and the second edition of Christgau's Record Guide, the review now has: "...the catchiest piece of white-woman art-funk since 'Too Many Creeps'").

We also recorded an album's worth of material for Paul Stark of TwinTone Records. Before anything could be released, however, the master tapes were destroyed. A cassette of rough mixes from these sessions does exist. Fine Art's final recordings were made at Ambient Sound in 1984.

Over the years Fine Art was together, the band went through a variety of personnel changes. Monty was replaced first by Rex Morriss, then by Alan Meyer, then John Hewitt (Urban Guerillas), then Alan again then Dan Picasso. Andy was replaced by Elizabeth Frantes, Jay Smiley, then Dave Wynn. Terri left and was replaced by Jennifer Holt (Tetes Noires). After Jennifer left, Kay was the featured vocalist, and the band was augmented by Mike Johnson (John Music) (keyboards) and Sly Williams (Ike Turner) (percussion).