“Visionary Art Magick”: Opening Reception & Live Music

A night of music and art! Experimental collage artist & accomplished guitarist “Taumi Swami” Tom Johanson will exhibit repurposed & altered collages and mandalas; Tom will then play music influenced by folk flamenco jazz rock and psychedelic surf rock pop!

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Taumi Swami, aka Tom Johanson, “paints” with paper, combining imagery and messages from print media into intricate mystical and personal compositions. As of late, he’s been channeling themes like Utopian landscapes and fairy realms, real world scenes with odd characters, the mystical woman, alien goddesses, as well as Dystopian and Paleolithic themes due to the regressive politics of the moment, and heroic themes of good, struggling with darkness. Most of his materials and frames have been found, recovered, or “thrift-stored”.

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Johanson has written and recorded 100 songs on his Apple computer and created 500 unique collage album covers for them, and some 50 colored ink covers as well.

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Johanson began his musical career in the early 60s playing guitar with Jimi Hendrix, Paul Butterfield, Jose Feliciano, Richie Havens, and many other inhabitants of the East Village in NYC. His band, The Fugitives, was the first rock band signed to Columbia Records, and they had several hits on the charts in NY in the 1960s.

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His influences stretch out from the fifties, Little Richard, Elvis, Moody Blues, Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Santana, Van Halen, and many more. Also jazz and blues artists, like Coltrane, The Blues Project, Charlie Mingus, Paul Butterfield, and dozens of others since, like Jason Mraz.

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Johanson lives in East Asheville with his wife Hannah and his cat Lucky.

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Doors open at 5:30. Artist reception and live music 6-9pm.