Saturday 31 July 2010

The Music One

I have finally finished the zine. It's been epic.

Here are some murky print process shots and the finished article. It'll be available to buy very soon. More information to follow.

Also for those of you with a passing interest in records and such I just completed my charity shop challenge for the Very Good Plus forum. It's fascinating stuff. Click here to find out more and here to read about my quest.












Friday 23 July 2010

Separado: The Gruff Rhys Movie

Holy shit! A Gruff Rhys film! It looks blooming brilliant - 'a psychedelic western musical'. Watch the trailer here. Then wait impatiently for it to be released.

Thursday 22 July 2010

Zine Sketches Take 4 - The Incredible String Band

This is the last of my zine efforts that didn't quite work out. It's The Incredible String Band and I chose them specifically for 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion' lp - a fantastically weird beard freak folk album made before Devendra was a twinkle in his mother's commune leader's eye. I got cold feet on account of the fact they haven't made a good record since 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter'. I have since discovered thanks to Joe Boyd's brilliant biography 'White Bicyles' it's because they joined the crazy-bonkers-idiot cult the Scientologists soon after. Shame.

The zine is being printed tomorrow - finally - it's been epic is all I can say. I'm sorry. I'd like to say I too went Scientologist for a few months and creatively lost my way but it's just not true. They wouldn't have me on account of being too poor.

Sunday 18 July 2010

Menagerie Compilation on Vinyl

Illustrator, print-maker and freak-folk fanatic Jake Blanchard asked me to do some artwork for his forthcoming Menagerie compilation featuring exclusive songs by the likes of Akron/Family, Wood Shjips and Wooden Wand. The concept was for each song to be interpreted by an illustrator for an accompanying zine - I got The See See and a swirling slice of glorious West Coast tinged psychedelia called 'Up The Hill'.

Anyway here's a sneak preview of Jake's stunning sleeve artwork for the vinyl which you can pre-order now via his website. Not only are the tracks fantastic (and unavailable anywhere else) but you also get the zine featuring the cream of contemporary illustrators like Pete Fowler and Andrew Rae and as if that wasn't incentive enough the first fifty orders get a free screen-print. GO!

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Zine Sketches Take 3 - RD Burman

Here's another failed drawing of mine for the zine - Bollywood super producer R D Burman. If you're not familiar a pox on you. Here's a few tasters for the uninitiated - Dum Maro Dum, Janu Meri Jan, Piya Tu Ab To Aaja and One Two Cha Cha Cha (which segues into the stonking opening theme of Shalimar).

I actually like this effort - I may make some prints at some point but don't hold your breath. This year seems to have seen a remarkable increase in my productivity combined with a confusing decrease in actual finished prints and work. Apparently I need a manager - form an orderly queue.

Apologies for the break - just got back from a week's holiday in Southwold.