For the Lubicz clan, cutting is in their Gene Pool

Have you ever wondered what set of genetic alleles brought forth the infamous 333 Boyz?

We don’t promise all the answers, but I got to rap with the Lubicz clan (Sam, Alpha and Lou) to get closer to spontaneous biological mysteries, right before their group show at Nickelodeon in Burbank this Friday, November 5.

A family of cut-ups: Sam Lubicz, Lou Beach and Alpha Lubicz

So first off, how are you guys doing and what have you been up to?
Lou: A couple of illustration assignments (The New Republic, The NY Times) and getting ready for the Gene Pool sale have kept me very busy. I also try to write each day, short fiction pieces that will be published next year (read some at 420characters.com).
Sam: Things have been good. Spending a lot of time at home working on collages, doing focus groups and painting apartments to pay the rent…hoping to somehow stumble across the ideal job. Liam [Morrison—Sam’s 333 Boyz bandmate] and I are trying to figure out to what to do for our next album. I’ve been working with Sean on CONCERTPAGE.ORG, which has been rad. I’m artistic director.

Papa Lou Beach has created some all-time classic LP covers

Have you all been talking for a while about doing a group show?
Sam: My dad, sister, and I have been planning this show for about a year. We were supposed to have another one in Dallas, but things fell apart. I’d like to keep showing as a family.

Who thought up this great name, Gene Pool, and is there any story behind it?
Lou: I think I came up with the Gene Pool moniker for that exhibit, it seemed to work as we are, after all, genetically linked, Alpha being my daughter and Sam my son. I’m 63 (!) and have been making collages for a really long time and the kids just grew up around it.
Sam: He’s wild with words. I think he picked the title because he wants his legacy to be carried on by more adept collagists…A dream is your mind pooling together imagery from your subconscious. I think that’s what we’re doing when we gather scraps, and piece them together. Creating a phantasmagorical scene from fragments.

Sister Alpha Lubicz is really far out

How do you see the similarities and differences in your work?
Sam: I dunno how to describe our works’ differences. It’s too easy to point out differences in dreams. Similarities are more intriguing. Our work shares a certain quality. I think it’s ‘cuz of the family eye. Half the fun of making collages is collecting, and we have similar taste when it comes to paper goods. I enjoy the process of collecting, organizing, making a mess, and starting all over again, and I know my dad and sister do, as well.
Lou: Alpha’s work is beautiful and original, and Sam has a very unique vision and style. They both make me proud and a little scared…they are very prolific and create images that I can’t duplicate (and I’ve tried!). I suppose a certain similarity is our shared affinity for old paper goods, images from the past that carry some juju that comes out in the work and adds a mysterious spin to the pictures.
Alpha: There are definite similarities in the way we work. I think we tend to let our materials “speak” to us, and build pseudo-narratives from a stream of consciousness interaction with the source material. I also think we have a similar neo-surrealist style, in that we allow the viewer to make connections and inferences rather than making an overt statement.

Sam

There’s another question I can’t quite articulate, and sorry if it sounds silly, but it’s sort of like, what’s it like being in an artistic family? I kind of imagine it being like in The Royal Tenenbaums…
Alpha: Growing up in an artistic family was awesome. My parents have always been my biggest champions, and I feel very fortunate to come from a background that celebrates art.
Sam: Being in a family of artists is great. We’re almost the same as normal families, except we have more of an understanding and appreciation for hoarding paper. I remember my dad playing The Residents for me when I was like, four. Would a normal dad do that? It scared the shit out of me.

Perhaps some readers are familiar with Sam’s involvement in 333 boyz—comments?
Sam: As far as the 333 Boyz goes, I think the process involved in making our songs is similar to that of making a collage. Liam and I spend a lot of time gathering material. We dig through my dad’s record collection, rip audio from Youtube, find songs on blogs… I’m big into sampling forgotten soul B-sides, cheesy ’70s-’80s prog/electronic/pop, and TV shows, like King of The Hill. We cut up tracks, rearrange them, record over ’em, and make them into something new.
Alpha: As far as Sam’s music is concerned, I am always amazed (though not surprised) by how prolific and creative my brother is. With both Sam and my father I am consistently inspired and delighted by their work, regardless of the medium.
Lou: As for Sam’s music, I’m a big fan.

Don’t miss the debut of CONCERTPAGE, with art by Sam Lubicz, at the Lubicz clan art show: