The book’s cover sports a photograph that will be staunchly
familiar to you if you’ve ever caught a glimpse of her at the
Louvre–because a glimpse is about all of the Mona Lisa that can be
caught as you are carried away by a torrent of tenacious tourists
armed with flashbulbs.

The image of the Mona Lisa from a distance, juxtaposed with the
works that lie beneath the cover of Revolution on Canvas, proves
that not all art is roped off and trapped behind Plexiglas. It’s
thriving betwixt the pages of this compilation of poetry, which was
released on Valentine’s Day from Ad Astra Books, the literary
offshoot of Orange County’s We the People Records.

Songwriters are the postmodern poets of our generation. We sing
along with them, we scream right back at them, we quote them in our
Instant Messenger profiles and with Revolution on Canvas, we can
get right down to the bones of what this resurgence of lyric-driven
music is all about: the power of words–Revolution on Canvas, which
was edited by RxBandits member Rich Balling.

It includes poetry, prose and artwork “straight from the biggest
mouths and hearts in the independent music scene,” the back cover
boasts.

Without their voices and instruments, these musicians can be
heard loudly as ever, a testament to their capability as
artists.

John Gourley of Anatomy of a Ghost contributed a distinctive
combination of visual art and poetry, while Hey Mercedes’ Bob Nanna
adds a comical reflection on vocal exercises and Throat Coat.

There are haikus from Jonathon Newby of Brazil and even an
instance of apostrophe as Dan Arnold of A Static Lullaby appeals to
“Music, the only air I breathe.” Prose poems from Joseph Troy of Rx
Bandits are sprinkled with expletives and build images that are
sickeningly beautiful, further proving that this endeavor is
nothing like Jewel’s Night Without Armor.

The book’s pages are filled with work from members of bands that
are both obscure and familiar; the more recognizable among them
include the Starting Line, Finch, Midtown, Further Seems Forever
and Taking Back Sunday.

Even if you don’t fall on the emo side of the spectrum when it
comes to musical preferences, don’t be discouraged–anyone can
appreciate the content of this book, which is both engaging and
substantial.

Poetry isn’t an endangered species in this day and age, nor is
it a specimen that can only be properly dissected under fluorescent
lights and the careful guidance of someone with a doctorate. It’s
simply hidden in guitar riffs and harmonies and CD jackets.

The same singers, songwriters and musicians who dwell in your CD
collection can now rest on your bookshelf.

“If you read a poem by Bruce Springsteen and didn’t like it, you
might think you were wrong for not liking it. If you don’t like a
Sylvia Plath poem, you must not be getting something, because it’s
Sylvia Plath after all,” said Something Corporate guitarist and
lyricist Josh Partington, in an interview with mtv.com.

Revolution gets rid of the intimidation and lets kids decide on
their own,” Partington explained.

Fifty percent of the proceeds go to the National Center for
Family Literacy, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
improve the literacy of both kids and their parents, because no
child should grow up in a home without books.

To order Revolution on Canvas or to find out where you can
get your hands on it, visit www.adastrabooks.com.