“Hey, you ruined my record man!” That famous Tommy Chong quote does not apply to Vinyl Art master Daniel Edlen. Though he might make some of the most classic albums unplayable on a particular side they are far from ruined. It’s a defacing for refacing, literally. In fact if you asked me I would consider the value of any given slab of wax increased dramatically. 
Growing up in Pacific Palisides in sunny California, Daniel got an early jump on the art game.
“My parents exposed me to all sorts of creativity when I was young, including art and music. We visited lots of museums, even traveling to see some. When I was 6, my parents started me in art classes. I took them pretty much all the way into my 20’s.” 
Those years in the art lab have obviously paid off big time and it wasn’t long before the most iconic faces in pop culture were being blasted on B sides on a regular basis.
“As a teenager I started listening to vinyl and had access to basically trashed copies of albums, multiple copies. I’d done a drawing with white pencil on black paper and the idea struck to just try painting black and white on a record.”
Why start small Daniels first album ever painted was none other than the four most identifiable faces in Rock and Roll history, none other than the Beatles. This wasn’t a far reach for Daniel though with his passion for sculpting.
“I love water-based clay sculpture. My painting portraits now is basically applying my knowledge of sculpture to acrylic paint.”
With Daniel’s exposure on the rise you can believe people are beginning to take notice and the requests come pouring in.
The strangest?
“Boba Fett on an Empire Strikes Back soundtrack.”
Most requested?
“I think I’ve sold a Page/Plant double portrait the most.”
Then there is the favorite, you gotta have a favorite right?
“I’d say Hendrix. He has a very striking, iconic face with many well-known photographs from which to draw inspiration. And his music is so important to our culture and to my taste.”
Not only are fans and art snobs such as us weirdos here at Lower Branch taking quadruple takes when it comes to his work, but some of the stars themselves are starting to take notice. His work has been passed along to the likes of Lou Reed and Taj Mahal by people other than himself.
“Yeah. An elementary school student up in Anselmo actually found me for a project. It turned out her mother is an established artist who knew Taj Mahal. I painted two pieces of him, one for the daughter and one to give to him. She said he dug it. I did paint David Lynch that he then autographed to eventually auction off for his foundation. He didn’t respond directly to me, but he did sign it and apparently liked the idea and piece enough to do so.”
Daniels range isn’t limited to any one genre with works ranging the musical spectrum touching down in all corners. From J Dilla, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia and The Prince of Darkness himself Mr. Miles Davis. Daniel’s art could be a reflection of his very own diverse taste in music.
“The Dead Weather, Kings Of Leon, Gnarls Barkley, Beck, Stereophonics, Amy Winehouse, and the Verve are all bands recording now that I dig. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers is a local Arizona band that is really great too. We’ve been to a bunch of their shows.”
When Daniel isn’t enjoying a dark British ale and making master pieces he can be found spending good quality time with his baby girl and family. So whats next for Mr. Edlen and his work?
“I haven’t painted on anything else in quite awhile. The only other work I’ve done recently are my Rapidograph dot drawings in books. Hopefully reaching more of the musicians I paint, connecting with charities, and getting to paint a lot of records. I’d also like to try some of the more artsy ideas I have up my sleeve, and do more of the book drawings.”
You know we love working with charities shit it’s what we’re all about here at Lower Branch. This man is on the rise and should be a pop culture staple for sometime to come. Maybe we can talk Daniel into a Lower Branch Guru piece but till then we’ll gladly jump in line like everyone else.
Wanna checkout Daniels work for yourself or in person. http://vinylart.info, would be the place to start. He’s also got work in downtown Austin, TX at Wild About Music and the Santa Monica Airport, http://www.artslant.com/la/events/show/103269-santa-monica-airport-artwalk that will be up in
Santa Monica, CA until the end of May. 
As Daniel would say “”Tell all the people that you see…. Peace.”
Yeah we like that
PEACE Lower Branch!!
Checkout Daniel’s Promo video from his site!
