Nick Diamonds, the Canadian lead singer of Islands, will play an intimate show at The Modern Motel house on Loudon Avenue to celebrate the release of his “I Am An Attic” LP on special vinyl editions on Lexington’s Hop Hop Records.
At the 8:30 p.m. show, Diamonds will be joined by Hop Hop labelmates Matt Duncan and Idiot Glee (James Friley), both of whom also have new releases coming on the local label.
In addition to Islands, Diamonds has fronted The Unicorns, Th’ Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway. His music is dark and reflective lyrically with sweet instrumentation.
Diamonds’ solo project, “I Am An Attic,” was released in 2011 on the bandcamp Web site. Hop Hop is releasing two special vinyl editions of the LP, one on white vinyl, one on black vinyl. The records will be for sale at Saturday’s show.
Cost for the show, which is all ages, is $5.
The Modern Motel house, at 199 E. Loudon Ave., near the corner of Maple Street on the burgeoning North Side, is another project by Griffin VanMeter, a principal in the Bullhorn agency and an unofficial “Mayor of the NoLi” (North Limestone). Through his Grifftown, LLC, VanMeter has renovated several North Side buildings as part of the renaissance of the neighborhood.
Other renovations include the Bullhorn building at Loudon and North Limestone, The Collexion Building maker space, The Candyland Dreamhouse on Loudon (home to Hop Hop), three shotgun houses as part of an urban renewal program and now, the space called “Griffin’s Modern Motel.” The building, a stone’s throw from Castlewood Park and the Loudon House home of the Lexington Art League, will house artist studios and creative residential spaces. It was host to a successful local art show earlier this month.
VanMeter said “It’s the adaptive resuse of a 7,000-square-foot mansion that was built for John Patterson in 1895. The space will be for creative place makers to do their thing. It will be two residential apartments, two furnished bunk rooms to accommodate bands and artists traveling through town and seven artist studios on the second floor. The first floor will be used as a social club, with cultural gatherings programmed in.”
VanMeter bought the mansion, which was in use as a 12-unti weekly rental slum, in 2007 and has worked to restore it to a higher use since that time.
Hop Hop Records, an Ace “Model,” is the label founded in 2010 by Ross Compton and James Friley. Its releases to date include Idiot Glee’s “Paddywhack” and Matt Duncan’s “Beacon,” in addition to a Lexington compilation, “Know Your Own.”
In an interview at the label’s HQ, Compton said that the Nick Diamonds project came about when Matt Jordan, the force behind the Lexington-based, internationally loved alternative music site, www.youaintnopicasso.com stumbled on the “I Am An Attic” release on Bandcamp and thought it was very strong.
Some larger independent labels considered a vinyl release, but ultimately Hop Hop stepped in and has produced the limited edition run, Compton said. About 200 black vinyl and 100 white vinyl copies have been produced. Compton praised Jordan for helping him connect with Diamonds.
