An Andalusian LP that you can hang on the wall

The record looks great hanging on the wall; it's just like a painting, because that's essentially what it is. The new LP by Granada-based band Radio Crooner has been illustrated by local artist, Diego Cacaumt. The members of Radio Crooner: Miguel on vocals and Gustavo on guitar feature on the artwork, along with a Cadillac, poker cards, a bottle of whisky, a saxophone and drums. On the back there is a small text with instructions.

"This is an Audiovisual LP called Live Session', they explain, before revealing a QR code which, when scanned, accesses an album they recorded live with eight talented musicians, with five Rhythm and Blues, Swing and Blues tracks.

Gustavo and Miguel arrive early at Diego's workshop, a place in Almona del Boquerón that looks like a modern art museum. Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera, 31, was born in Colombia but has been in Granada for 20 years. He is a guitarist and teacher at the Atrium school in Zaidín. Miguel Martínez, 'Mississipi Martínez', is a singer and guitarist. Considered one of the best blues musicians in Spain, he was forced to stop playing the guitar because of focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes the fingers not to respond correctly. Although he hopes he we be able to pick up the instrument again soon.

Radio Crooner's concerts are unique: their standards and covers of songs by legendary singers such as Frank Sinatra are a hit in Granada's venues. Regulars at Lemon Rock and Rocknrolla, their next date is Saturday 24 January at the Premier. Although Radio Crooner is fronted by Miguel and Gustavo, their concerts always have an element of surprise, with multiple line-ups ranging from two to eight people, depending on the occasion: horns, double bass, piano, guitar, drums, vocals... "It's the secret of success, a very collaborative situation with great talent from Granada," says Miguel.

Diego Cacamut, a 35-year-old artist from Cordoba, is behind the artwork on Radio Crooner's LP. The idea came to him in his workshop, while he and the band were chatting about new musical formats. "People, in general, no longer use records to listen to music," Gustavo explains. "They don't even have a record player. So it occurred to us that we could design something that would be like a souvenir or a reminder, and what better than an illustration by Diego, whom we've admired for a long time". And that's exactly what they did.

If you attend a Radio Crooner concert, you can buy one of Cacamut's illustrations (there are three sizes, for eight, 12 and 15 euros) and take home a work of art that you can hang on your wall and listen to. "People think of artists either as Taylor Swift or as starving people who wander through life without a euro in their pockets," reflects Miguel.

However, there are people in between and Diego, Gustavo and Miguel are three of them. "We are proud to make a living out of it. It's our job and it's a privilege. It's good to remember that every time we invest a euro in other people's art we are contributing to the local industry," Miguel says, adding, "The essence is collaboration between artists."

If you have never been to a Radio Crooner concert, you can find them on Youtube and enjoy, for example, Miguel singing You know my love by Otis Rush, backed by Gustavo's guitar, Andrew Lynch's sax, Miguel Ángel Pimentel's double bass and Elena Berrocal's drums. You can also attend the next concert, of course. And, of course, hang a picture on the wall and let yourself be carried away by the magic. The magic of art.