Rock the Post- Part II

Back in February I wrote about the coolness that is 1960s rock poster designs−it looks like The Museum at Bethel Woods shares my interest, and earlier this month opened up a special exhibition, Byrd/Skolnick: A Tale of Two Posters. The exhibition looks at the work of David Edward Byrd and Arnold Skolnick, who were both commissioned to create posters for the original Woodstock Festival. It turns out that Byrd, a designer with the Fillmore East, was originally approached, and came up with a classic, Art Nouveau design, featuring a nude "Aquarius" pouring water from an urn; when the festival had to be moved from Woodstock mere weeks before it began, the organizers tried to get Byrd to do a redesign, but he was on vacation in the Caribbean. This lead to a last minute request to Skolnick, who turned around and created the much simpler graphic of the bird and guitar, which has become iconic.

Here's a fun video that looks at the development of '60s rock posters, and the influence from Parisian advertising posters of the late 19th to early 20th century... of course! I love Alphonse Mucha, Henri de Toulouse-Latrec, et. al−it's interesting to see how that art influenced the later designs:

Both Byrd and Skolnick will be in attendance at Bethel Woods this Saturday, April 28, starting at 2 p.m., for a special conversation with my colleague Stephanie Plunkett, Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Norman Rockwell Museum. The talk will be held in conjunction with a rock art poster fair being held at the Bethel Woods museum that weekend, where collectors, vendors, scholars and print-makers will share their enthusiasm for the iconic art forms of rock posters and prints. It sounds like great fun, and the weekend kicks off with a screening of the film, American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art: 

 This film looks great... I was not previously aware of it, but it seems to encapsulate everything from the classic '60s to modern-rock poster renaissance. I'm also intrigued by the look at DIY printmaking... I saw a bit of this technique at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival last summer−I believe it is part of the footage that I will include in my video profile on the event (coming soon!).

It was around the early '90s that you started to see the return of these vibrant, rock art posters... I remember it being in full-force by the time I was DJing at WBER-FM in Rochester, New York. That resulted in lots of cool promotional materials that complemented the edgy music scene.


Anyway, hopefully I'll get to see the exhibition at Bethel Woods and this documentary... and maybe I'll try my hand at designing a modern-rock poster at some point? I used to experiment with such things back in high school/college... it would be fun to try and "rock out" again.


(I know, I promised some modern examples... watch this, er, post...)


Bethel Woods Center website: www.bethelwoodscenter.org

And The Band Played On...

Sad news last week in the passing of musician Levon Helm, formerly of The Band. Being a fellow Hudson Valley resident, I'm sorry that I never managed to make it to one of the Midnight Rambles at his home in Woodstock, New York, however I was fortunate enough to see him play live at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival last year, and record a couple songs for my TV music show. Here is a clip:




R.I.P. Levon...I'm still learning just how influential your music has been to my own favorite bands. 


Related Links:


"Levon Helm: 1940-2012, 'We will never forget his warmth and generosity," Daily Freeman, April 20, 2012


"Levon Helm, Drummer and Rough-Throated Singer for the Band, Dies at 71," The New York Times, April 19, 2012


"Levon Helm Was Perfect," The Atlantic, April 20, 2012


"Levon Helm: A Vintage EW interview with the late rock legend," Entertainment Weekly, April 23, 2012


The Band- Up On Cripple Creek- Circa 1969, YouTube

Let The Spirit Move You

Just got back from an early evening walk here in Hudson. It already feels like spring today, with temperatures in the low 70s! You can even hear the peepers and critters already stirring about... so much for the winter that never really was...


I've got several things going on at the moment, between planning for the wedding, my design class, and a couple new creative opportunities that people are asking me about. Still, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Tonight I'm trying to wrap up my playlist for the My Exit stint with WEXT.

With John and Matt from Delta Spirit, Albany, NY, May 2009.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

One of the bands that will be there is Delta Spirit, one of my favorite acts to come along in recent years. California must be the new place to find bands, as we have Fitz & The Tantrums from L.A., and the Spirit hail from San Diego. The band is releasing their self-titled new album today, and I actually happened to win a copy from a local radio station this afternoon... just to make the day sweeter! The Spirit is a pretty soulful band, and the new songs sound promising... although I keep wondering if they will ever be able to top the brilliance of Ode To Sunshine, my absolute favorite album of 2008. 


I understand that they recorded the new album in nearby Woodstock, New York, in an old converted church from the 19th century (similar to what is going on in Hudson). We love the vibe of Woodstock, so I'm curious to see how it has made its presence felt on the album. Sarah and I had a chance to meet Delta Spirit a couple years ago when they played in Albany, and I keep thinking that they would be a great act to interview for my show... we'll see if I can make it happen.





Band website: http://deltaspirit.net