Update will be posted soon. This project is currently in production.

Upcycling Arts and Crafts meets Upcycling Music and Audio: Read more!

The HoPo is proud to announce its sponsorship of local recording artist and upcoming music consigner Chris Novak and Barnfunk Productions (www.chrisnovak.org)!

You have at this point realized how cool it is to take recyclable items and turn them into art, crafts and other usable items. The Hodge Podgery (your favorite consignment shop and more!) is the forerunner in bringing this concept to the Harrisburg area. Well, what if someone took that idea and applied it to creating a musical CD? That is exactly what Novak and BarnfunkPro have done.

Novak and co-writer Joe Gassert made the decision to take up to 15 years of music and performances that had accumulated from various demo purposes/projects and bring them back to life. These performances, the majority of which were done by fantastic-yet- sometimes-unheralded local musicians grinding it out on the cover scene, were too good to let go to waste – they needed to be turned into art.

Prior to this decision and massive undertaking, writer Joe Gassert discovered an article that inspired him to write a set of lyrics about the way people talk – to each other, about themselves, and, the way the words we use can be to our advantage or disadvantage depending on our approach and who’s listening. This idea grew from a 4-song mini CD into a 9-song, full-length production that includes the concept of not only how we talk to each other but, on a larger scale, how we communicate nation to nation and human to spirit.

Merge Joe’s idea with Novak’s compositions, production magic and the upcycled audio concept, and out comes “Word Power“, Barnfunk Productions current project and upcoming release. Keep checking www.thehodgepodgery.com and www.chrisnovak.org for more blogs on the process of upcycling music, the History of Barnfunk Productions, the progress of the CD, and, a listening/release party sponsored by the HoPo!

Barnfunk Productions is…

Craig Cady: Production, Engineering, Composition, Audio Consulting, Guitar and Bass

Joe Gassert: Lyrics, Production and Composition

Chris Novak: Lyrics, Composition, Production, Keyboards, Sequencing and Engineering

…and is upcycling amazing musical performances from the following local musicians:

Ron Simasek – drums & percussion: The Badlees, The Cellarbirds (www.badlees.com)

Ronnie Rhoads – guitars: Mustang (www.mustangcountry.net)

Joe Mohn -drums & percussion:  HoneyPump (www.honeypump.com)

Michael Morrison – guitars, Native American Flute: Hired Guns, Leghorn (www.leghornrocks.com)

Erin Cruise – vocals: Cruise Control Band (www.cruisecontrolband.com)

Gabe Middleton – bass: Funktion (www.funktionband.com)

Kevin Neidig – crystal and metal bowls, tuning forks: (www.kevinneidig.com and www.voxology.com)

You can check out samples of Barnfunk Productions music at www.chrisnovak.org.