Looking for a unique gift for your favorite music lover? Send a photo of them to local label Birdman Records to "Get Drawn By An Ape". If you're lucky enough to get chosen, The Apes' own Majestic Ape will draw your portrait and post it on the Birdman website. Once your portrait is posted, you have two weeks to purchase the original artwork for an economical $35. If you don't act fast enough, it'll go on sale to the general public.

We asked David Katznelson, fearless founder of Birdman Records, to tell us how they came up with this offer, and he told us, "Majestic Ape wants to understand and love fans. This is our way of initiating the dialogue between human and ape. Since we have known about this band of Apes, we have heard of the sketching talent of the hooded one who speaks in octaves and plays a mean set of keys. She was approachable about her special craft, which has been very helpful in setting this event."

Majestic Ape, a.k.a Amanda Kleinman, elaborated: "The idea for the project was initiated by David KatzNelson after I mailed him a bunch of pen and ink portraits and a picture book that I had shown in a gallery in DC over the summer. I didn't go to art school but I've been making comics, portraits, books, and big weird 3D critters for some time. I started doing portraits because there are so many crazy and awesome looking people in the world and I wanted a chance to keep a collection of their images. When I play rock music, I'm basically bombarding a listener with my sounds. When I draw pictures of people, I'm getting something from them and giving something back.

"I hope folks continue to send in their images! Its a really nice change from the labors of making a record. The next Apes full length was just mastered this week and the album art is done (hopefully for a mid-Spring release). Drawing Birdman fans is hopefully how I'll keep my hands busy until we go on our next tour."

Let's face it, most musicians don't make a ton of money, even when they get a fat record deal. When you get drawn by an ape, you can feel good about spending your money on an original portrait, and become a patron of the arts in the process.

Visit the Birdman Records site for complete details and to see other portraits, and go here to listen to some psychedelic doom-rock by The Apes.