Jonny Pride (born James Albert Purdue on June 14, 1949 in San Pedro, CA) was a singer/songwriter who gained relative fame in the 1960s for his pop and psychedelic rock recordings. Signed to a major record deal while still a teenager, he was considered by many a promising rock prodigy. Despite the critical success of his few albums, and significant local popularity in Southern California, his songs failed to break the national top 50. This ultimately led to the termination of his recording contract, which, by several accounts, left Pride (who had become accustomed to heavy drug use and extravagant rock lifestyle) and his by-now bloated ego in a downward spiral. Assumed dead by many, his whereabouts have been unknown since the early 1970s.

LMM 2.8 attempts to tell his story, using some of his original songs (rerecorded) along with several new narrative pieces. This album was envisioned, co-written/performed, and produced by Alex Silverman. Also heard are Keith Karman, Brian McLaughlin, Barbara Gruska, Samantha Sidley, Charles DeCastro, and Emily Howell. Thanks to all of you. Here’s our single:

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This month’s artwork is a collaboration between French artist Suisse Marocain and Brooklyn artist Kit Brown, who work together in Paris. They are part of a group of artists who started squatting in a long-abandoned building in Paris (59 Rivoli) in 1999. Six years later, the government bought and refurbished the building, which is now officially dedicated to housing artists and showing their work. Big thanks to Chloë Flores (our visual artist curator) for getting these two onboard for LMM.