Everything old is new again, or so the saying goes. If one were to anticipate a sweeping statement that applies to the 20-somethings of today, it would be safe to assume our generation has taken a cue from our hippie forefathers with expressions like "going green" hitting a defining, socially acceptable cool.
Well-stocked secondhand stores prove Americans' addiction to consumption, a reflection of cultural interest in the next best thing. But embedded in this discarded materialism is a source of artistic inspiration, of reinvention, of newness.
Zombie Vinyls, a fresh visual-art business based in Gainesville, creatively implements a take on the theory of reduce, re-use, recycle as a foundation for its handcrafted, re-purposed vinyl records.
Officially establishing its business roots in the spring of 2011, Zombie Vinyls is the brainchild of longtime friends and UF graduates Tony Feria and Matt Teper.
The idea for their business model is relatively simple and seemingly obvious, yet naturally channels a concept of reformulation that no longer necessitates a grain of salt: turn stacks of used, scratched, unwanted and outwardly obsolete vinyl records into an art medium.
As the name suggests and as their website claims, Zombie Vinyls "brings dead music back to life." The company trades in a studio for a stencil, adorns coats of spray paint and ditches the phonograph as a testament to what once fell silent, now given new breath of life.
Understanding that an immediate association of music is inherent in the medium, Zombie Vinyls orchestrates imagery of various musical acts on the surfaces of their records. From Jimi Hendrix to Jay-Z, The Clash to Tiesto, each record stands as an homage to those who have aurally entertained, inspired and embodied the conventions of various points in history.
Swirls of tangled hue gradations set the stage for the headlining portraits, a foundation of spray paint affixed to the pits and grooves that formerly sourced hissing transitions between songs.
Taking a cue from street art, the subjects of each record are depicted via flat layers of solid color planes, intelligently stenciled to trick the mind into believing shadows articulate the faces of the voices we love. Unlike a standard painting base such as canvas, which typically provides a neutral playing field, the LP as a picture plane allows the imagery to resonate beyond its face value.
Tony Feria is the founding artistic mind behind Zombie Vinyls, which he began about a year ago. He claims inspirations for his work stem equally from his love of diverse musical tastes and visual arts. Feria's first piece, a profoundly arcane yet strong delineation of John Lennon that resides on a wall in his apartment, retains sentimental value as it marks the start of the Zombie Vinyls endeavor.
"(After the John Lennon record) I just kept going with this type of artwork, and it naturally progressed into something more," Feria said. "I began discovering different ways to incorporate various designs into the work and put more and more time into the creative development of the images. I could spend six hours on one piece, mess it up, go back and ask myself, ‘OK, how do I fix this?' The work is always progressing."
Initially, the decision to turn Zombie Vinyls into an LLC business enterprise was not Feria's intent. Yet much like the development of his artistic technique, the decision to take this collection into the market evolved organically.
With the help of his supportive friend Matt Teper, the two decided to take Feria's portfolio to the next level.
"I've been following Tony's work for the last year, always thought that it was great, but didn't think he had an interest in it as anything more than a hobby," Teper said. "Tony consistently kept creating some really, really great work that made me think I could help him turn this into something more if he wanted to pursue it at a higher level."
Teper, who handles most of the managerial aspects of Zombie Vinyls, invested his graduation gift money in Feria and his artwork with the ambition of expanding this project into a larger market.
In a short period of time, Zombie Vinyls has already received substantial recognition.
This summer Feria, Teper and their devoted intern Jon Senterfitt will be participating as vendors in national summer music festivals such as Electric Forest in Rothbury, Mich., and the Identity Festival, which tours more than 20 North American cities.
Senterfitt has even taken his dedication to the company a step further, getting a full-color tattoo of the Zombie Vinyls logo stretched across his entire forearm after only five days on the job.
But even as Zombie Vinyls gains momentum, both Feria and Teper stress the artistic integrity of the work itself does not falter. Each record continues to be hand-designed by at least one of the Zombie Vinyls creators, allowing divergence to naturally occur with every piece.
Zombie Vinyls also retires each stencil after a short-run number of pressings, preventing the records from becoming exhaustive and generic.
Even during a quick visit to the downtown studio, the air saturated with the stench of spray-paint fumes, one can immediately sense a tone of optimism.
"There really is a good vibe right now," Feria said. "Everyone has a key role that they play, and they do it really well. We're all just really excited."
Visit the Zombie Vinyls catalog online at zombievinyls.com.
Tony Feria, owner of Zombie Vinyls, poses with a stenciled vinyl in front of a mural painted in the tunnel under 13th Street. Feria began designing art on vinyl about a year ago, when he painted an image of John Lennon on a 12-inch record. He says his inspiration for starting the project came from his love of diverse musical tastes and visual arts. Zombie Vinyls officially became a business in the spring, when Feria's friend and fellow UF graduate Matt Teper pushed Feria to take the project to a higher level.
Intern Jon Senterfitt poses for a picture, holding a Bob Marley vinyl.
