OK, it’s only tangentially related to comics, but it’s too good not to write about. Quirk Books (publishers of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, among others) has a new book of rock show posters coming out this month. Gig Posters Volume 1 (oh please, let there be more) is a gorgeous pile of musical impressions committed to paper, a walk through the visuals inspired by the best bands of our time.
Put together by Clay Hayes of GigPosters.com, the oversized book contains 101 full 11 x 14 posters by a who’s who of rock poster artists, including Tara McPherson, Casey Burns, Diana Sudyka, Drew Millward, Dirk Fowler, Eleanor Grosch, Jason Goad, and many more. The pages are perforated, so you can pull out your favorites and hang them on the wall, or save the whole book for long nights of rock’n'roll reminiscences.
Some of my favorites are the Jermaine Rogers rendering of Morrissey sharing a cocktail with Oscar Wilde, a stark jailhouse window for Hank Williams III by Little Jacket designs, Methane Studios’ overlaid gun for Pretty Girls Make Graves, and the above lipstick print by the Decoder Ring Design Concern.
Gig posters, like comic books, are shunned by the “highbrow” art scene, but we know what they’re all missing out on. Some of these posters are impressionistic, while others incorporate visions of the musicians. The styles range from photo prints to psychedelic bursts of color to detailed drawings, but they all capture something of the flavor of the band or artist they evoke. I’m tempted to get another copy so I won’t be sad tearing pages out of this delicious book.
May 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Is this all stuff for current bands (AKA, bands I’ve probably never heard of)? Just curious… I love those old trippy posters from the 60′s for shows at the Fillmore West and the like.