Baker Artist Portfolios

Landis McCord, better known as Landis Expandis, moved to Baltimore in the 80’s to study painting at MICA. During that time, he founded the internationally popular band, All Mighty Senators, and toured extensively as their lead vocalist and songwriter while also being the drummer known for playing while standing up. He’s been straddling the line of art and music ever since.

Because of his band’s early success, Landis paused his art education. Not forever, though, as he earned a degree in digital design in 2017. His education as a graphic designer gave him the skills necessary to create most of his marketing material and images, as well as those for other area bands. His distinct illustration style became an important aspect for the presentation of his most recent and well-loved band, F-City.

Throughout his career as a musician, both as a drummer/singer, and as an award-winning DJ, Landis has kept his love for painting in the periphery. Recently his visual art has been in the forefront, being shown in well-loved galleries such as the Hamilton Art Gallery, Max’s Gallery, and even the building inhabited by local independent radio station, WTMD. 

His love for painting has taken him to create work in unconventional ways, most notable in his fashion line, GLOW. This project married his love for thrifting with his obsession with painting - each unique piece is created by hand painting and embellishing clothing that often is second-hand. He has continued in this vein by also producing graphic designs for printed tees as merchandise for his latest endeavors, music videos.

The pandemic has changed the nature of music and art everywhere, as venues all over closed for safety measures. No longer working in the manner that he had been for decades, Landis began to create more from his home studio. He began with a live interactive painting show, Let’s Get Painting.

Before the pandemic, he planned to launch GLOW more widely by collaborating with other designers. When it became clear that the world as we knew it would be on hold indefinitely, Landis began to make campy music videos featuring alter egos named Larry and Harry - forming LHL, short for Landis Harry Larry. LHL videos quickly became viral due to their whimsical take on common topics, such as pandemic grocery shopping, disrupted sleep patterns, and the things that we must do to get by.

LHL videos are comprised of original music, elaborate costuming featuring the GLOW line and wigs, handmade props and puppets that are mostly science fiction in nature, green screen effects and animation. They have not only been an outlet during a difficult time but also a way to connect with the community while remaining safely at home. Housing his work on YouTube, Landis quickly gained over one thousand followers in a few months with several viral videos. He has since been creating original content for AVAM, WTMD, and the Walter’s Art Gallery.

Throughout the past three decades, Landis has proven to be adaptable, multi-faceted, and relevant to the times. He intends to follow his creative spirit wherever it takes him, and hopes others continue to come along for the journey.