Brightest Young Things

There is a great mix of established poster artists and up and comers in your line-up – who would you steer a novice to as the “must see” on each end of the spectrum?

Nick Kulp of Philadelphia is a young guy who gets miracles out of Xerox machines. Some of his work is screenprinted, some of it is photocopied. Shows what's possible with what you've got. He's having loads of fun in a go-kart while the rest of us are trying to build an Formula One car in our basement. On the other end is Post Typography of Baltimore. They make razor-sharp work, and not overblown with loads of detail and pattern and beat-up typography. Good, smart, fun, colorful, to-the-point.   

There is also a beautiful merging of using illustration and found art in this collection. Was that a conscious decision?

It wasn't so much a decision to show illustrated plus found art but I did want to show a spectrum of work, a variety of approaches. Rock posters can be as varied as the music they advertise and commemorate, even within a limited geographical region. 

What made you restrict the show to a regional selection (which I think makes it stronger?)

To showcase those in the area. It feels to me like when rock posters get some press, it feels like it's "Oh, that shop in Minneapolis, that one in Portland, in Chicago, in Seattle..." who do make damn good work, but I wanted to dig deeper than the current standbys. This show is as much for other designers than the public at large, which I guess is what happens when it's organized by a designer. But it can be enjoyed by anyone, there's not exactly a hard line when it comes to being an insider or outsider to music posters—which I love.  

I like that you listed “fun” as one of the foremost qualities in the work displayed. How did this become a draw and who best personifies that in the show?

Fun—because when it comes to art/design I'm shallow sometimes and I get the feeling I'm not alone—this work has depth but it's also really entertaining to look at. This show won't be boring. It won't be like eating your visual brussels sprouts. Like I said, there's a range in this work but ultimately the drive of a music poster is to make you want to see their gig using one big page of visuals so it's gotta be fun.

Tim Gibbon is a good example of someone whose work I see and I think yeah, he's having fun. Playful linework, big humorous letterforms, bright color gradients screenprinted. And he was in a band featured in a lot of his posters so the link visual—musical link is pretty direct.  

How important do you think it is for a show like this to exist in a formal gallery environment when many might discard it as “low brow” art?

Not very important. Not important for that reason. I'm from the school of thought that says a rock poster is most at home wheatpasted on a boarded up storefront. But this is obviously the best way to view multiples posters from multiple cities at once. 

I'm not intending to elevate rock posters by having the show in a white-walled fine art gallery. I looked into doing a show in a vacant or alternative space, or at the Black Cat or somesuch—which is possible but much more difficult. It sounds no-duh but having this show at a gallery takes care of a lot of the mechanical ins-and-outs that I would have to had to figure out for any other location. A gallery is convenient because they already have good lighting, regular viewing hours, up to building and fire code, have built-in way to do stuff like press releases, a listserv, and staff who knows how to assemble a show of this size. Jayme at Civilian and the staff has done a knockout job with the space and the stuff I've thrown them.

You definitely have a leaning towards designers where you can “see” the printing process in their work – why do you think that is?

Because you can glean so much more from something—anything—if there are hints as to how it was constructed. It shows what the builder was aiming for, it's evidence of how they work. I'm interested in the how and why stuff. If you don't examine your own making, and that of others I think you're limiting your growth. With posters specifically if there's some sloppiness it tells me that the designer/printer was more concerned with getting the ink mix just right rather than getting each color layer precisely laid out. I also watch TV shows that show a lot of factory footage, how breakfast cereal is made. You know.  

Who’s work most excites you from this aspect (really seeing the printing at work?)

Chris Kline's work shows a lot of process. Layers are partially transparent, he prints with latex housepaint sometimes, the linework has that hand-made appearance. So it sorta has a local-show look to it, it hasn't been been pasteurized. It appears as though he doesn't use the computer at all, which makes the work more improvisational, can't be saved or undone or revised; no digital proof goes to the band for approval before printing. 

How will the work be displayed?

Unframed, unmatted, binder clips and pushpins at the corners.

Will it be for sale? How is all that funny business going to work?

About 95% of it will be for sale, and of those most will be sold in multiples. The label on the wall will indicate how many are available.

With it being jam-packed with regional stars and soon to be stars of the poster scene, who can the fans expect to see at the opening?

A bunch of the designers will be in town from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charlottesville... and probably some familiar faces from DC. The nice thing about music posters is that they involve a few different groups. Musicians, graphic designers, artists, printmakers.

Rough count – how many designers work in the show features skulls or scantily clad women? It is rock and roll after all.

Five or six. Seven? I didn't want to leave out any particular aesthetic so there's a bit of that in the show, it would be an oversight to not have some chicks and festering skulls on the walls, wouldn't it. But I was just as interested in having the posters with commercial airliners making out. And the Kool Aid Man in a dominatrix outfit riding Cap'n Crunch piggyback.

You know I am half-kidding on the skulls. However, you have done a brilliant job in digging past the first layer of designers usually trotted out for gigposters and highlighted a much more experimental bunch. Was this a conscious effort or just where your tastes seem to drift?

Thanks mister! It's a conscious effort. It's also where my taste drifts. There's a lot of work out there that doesn't seem to get much attention that I think is pretty mind-blowing. Selfishly, assembling a show like this is the one way I can see a lot of this work in person without paying for it. On the other hand, this is the best way I can expose it to other people too, and maybe they'll pay for it.

Anything else we need to know about the opening? Major tunage?

Opens at 7pm, goes until 9-esque. The opening will be un-DJ'd. I know, weird. But it will be better for talking, and I won't look totally squaresville asking the DJ to turn it down, sonny. BUT. The closing party on June 27th will be all about sound and live persons performing—it's the New York Night Train Happening featuring Edie Sedgwick, EXACTLY, Kid Congo Powers, DJ Nitekrawler, DJ Jonathan Toubin, plus Hula-Hoop Harlot Melissa-Anne and Anna Copa Cabanna.

See you squares there!!!!