Here’s the info on the art show that’s coming up and here’s a map of where it’s at. It will be in conjunction with a stop-motion DVD release from Viva Design. I’ll be showing work alongside our friend Inga Guzyte. If you haven’t checked out her work before, take a look. Our favorites are her sculptures made from recycled skateboards. Really cool stuff! With that, it’s time to get back to painting!

-Justin

The Protist - Sketchbook

We have an art show lined up in Santa Barbara, CA on June 3rd. Being that most of the paintings for it do not exist yet, I’m gonna be a busy guy for the next month! It’s fun to do these shows with tight deadlines, because it puts you into a place of intense focus. We’ll be posting more details as the date approaches.

-Justin

Can you guess the meaning of our new song, Dissolution? We’re curious to hear what you guys think Matt is singing about. In fact we’re so curious, that we’re going to give away original paintings and music to find out. Here’s the scoop:

Listen to our new single, Dissolution in the player above and email your idea on what the song is about to DissolutionContest@gmail.com. We will read through all the entries and the people who come closest to the actual meaning… or come up with the most entertaining/humorous/interesting interpretation will win big!

The Protist - Grand Prize

One grand prize winner: will receive this original painting and a free download of our entire music catalog. It’s a signed, mixed media piece on 5 hardboard panels, approximately 12×30″

The Protist - Finalist's Collection

Five finalists: will receive one painting each, from the finalists collection and a free download of our entire music catalog. These signed originals range from sizes 5×5″ – 9×12″on hardboard panels.

Ten runners up: will receive a digital download of our new single, including an alternate version and instrumentals.

Those who don’t want to partake in the contest: can also join in the fun, by picking up the new single from iTunes, or Amazon.

*Entries must be received by April 2nd. Winners will be contacted for shipping info shortly after and announced on the website on April 10th.

One of our new songs has been featured on Fuel Tv’s Wax Lyrical series. We originally recorded it for our upcoming album. However, for this episode, we reworked it into an instrumental.

- Matt

The Protist - Artwork in progress

Here’s a quick peek at a new painting in the works. When it’s finished, we are going to be giving it away. We’ve got a contest planned and the winners will receive original artwork & music! It should be a lot of fun. We’ll be posting the full contest details, once the paintings are finished. Being that this is the last of the bunch, I should probably get back to painting!

-Justin

Heres a video of us performing “Dissolution” at our secret show last week. Enjoy!

-Matt

The Protist – live performance

The Protist – live performance

The Protist - live performance

The Protist - live performance

The Protist - live performance

Earlier this week, we had a secret performance of some of the new material. After spending most of last year writing and recording new songs, it’s nice to start playing them for other people. Tara, who plays with us for live shows, joined in on the keys. Here are some photos from the show. We’ll be posting a video from the performance soon, so stay tuned!

-Justin

First off, Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great time celebrating the beginning of a new decade.

the protist - dissolution

Secondly, we wanted to let everyone know that our new single is out today. In case you haven’t listened to it yet, it’s on our media player. If you would like to pick up a copy, it’s available on iTunes and Amazon.

Here’s to 2010. Time to bust out the hover boards!

-Matt

The Protist - Dissolution

Winter is always a busy time for people. There’s something about the cold weather, shorter days, and the knowledge that the year is going to end soon that encourages activity. For us, that activity includes making music and preparing for future releases.

In case you haven’t already listened to it, “Dissolution“ is a new single that we are going to be releasing on January 1st. In addition to the main song, the release will feature an alternate version and instrumental versions, as well. We’re excited to send it out into the world, as it marks a bit of a new direction for us as a band. While the first two EPs were 95% instrumental, “Dissolution” is our first song that is vocally driven.

-Justin

It’s official. We have way too many paintings here. So, in order to make space for new work, we’re selling all our current pieces at deeply discounted prices. All pieces were created with archival quality materials on stretched canvas. They are available on our Etsy store page. If you have any questions, please direct them to Justin, at info(at)theprotist.com. To view the paintings, click here.

"Archipelago" by The Protist

"Dissolution" by The Protist