How long you been at this action? how were you originally started/inspired in putting pictures to paper?
I don't know, I was too young to remember. I was always off in la-la land as a child, never terribly social, maybe it was some form of escapism/disassociation from my surroundings, I've just always done it. I remember getting out of bed every morning before anyone woke up, watching 'Thundercats' and doodling away. Now, I'm twenty-four and still kind of doing the same thing, which is either really neat or really lame depending on how you want to look at it.
How did you come about the void in creating show posters?
Started making little make believe flyers one winter in northern Ontario out of boredom, just watching '20/20' writing down Barbara Walter quotes as opposed to band names and so forth. I was going to a lot of punk shows at the time, and it turned me into a little D.I.Y. fiend though i didn't know how to go about it yet.
I got my first legit poster gig years later, right after I moved to Montreal, from some weird fucker with a koala fetish, who never ended up paying me. I cursed the bastard for weeks and swore I'd never draw a koala again. It wasn't the best experience, but I'm glad it happened, I learned a lot from those first few gigs.
How much time is put into drawing up each?
It can take me anywhere from 3-5 hours, sometimes in one sitting depending on the deadline. That's a rough estimate, I don't ever keep track of how long anything takes to make, its kind of irrelevant to me, I just really like making those darned tootin' things.
Where do the concepts originate? Do your posters sustain any trademark fingerprints?
I get ideas from all over , I'll catalogue color schemes that I like in my head for future reference from billboards or labels, magazines, weird scenery, etc., I think harmony within a color scheme is pretty important. Lately, I try and make the aesthetics of a poster reflect the band name, but sometimes the end product has nothing to do with anything and I just end up drawing whatever comes to mind or use an old idea from one of my sketchbooks. This funny little crosshatching thing happened with my drawings somewhere along the way, I think at first I was trying to mimic old lithographs from the 1800's or something. Anyhow, that's just how I ended up drawing, it wasn't a terribly conscious thing...I suppose that constitutes as a sort of trademark.
Are there any specific standards/necessities to adhere to in illustrating a show poster? What are your tools of choice?
No ones ever really specified anything like that to me so far, I have my own standards, I'm making it up as i go along and learn the do's and dont's. I'm really finicky when it comes to making something whether it's a painting, a poster or what have you, its got to be just right. Generally the promoters let me do whatever i want which is nice. I'll use anything I can get my hands on to get them done, typically pens and coloring crayons, I find the idea of using coloring crayons entertaining. They kill my wrists though, so maybe someday I should switch to finger paints or potato stamps or something.
Have you eyed progression in your archived work? Are you headed in a particular or planned direction with your artwork?
There's definitely a progression, do anything long enough and you'll see gradual improvement. As far as posters, they get easier to do, you pick up tricks along the way just from fucking up so many times, like how to fix spelling mistakes without using photo shop on a finished poster. I used to really stress about them and now the whole process is substantially more enjoyable. I want to paint more, I have a few comics and weird little publications in the works, and piles of to-do lists and notebooks of ideas. If I'm not learning anything new while I'm doing it, I find the work kind of dull. So, it's kind of hard to say which direction the work will go in, it's a lot of trial and error, the plan is just to get better and be more prolific.
How competitive is the field you operate in? What is your lethal weapon over the competition?
I suppose it is fairly competitive, I try to stay away from that dog eat dog gibberish, not pay it any mind, that sort of thing belongs on the football field.
My experience so far with the few people that I know who are doing posters has been pretty positive, high fives all around. Lethal weapon over the competition? Well, I have been trying to figure out this darn five point palm heart exploding technique.
Dietrich would like to pass on his music picks of the moment, worth keeping an eye on.
Allie Kell
Kieran Blake
The Rough Sea
The Felines
Check out this article for a British viewpoint on the Montreal scene.
Le Musique...
Sin Fang Bous - clangour and flutes. Only found the video for this dandy from the Icelandic Sindri Mar Sigfusson's debut. To hear more click here.
Anathallo - italo
definitely a love or hate song, after multiple listens to the Michigan natives, I tend to the former.
Antlers - two
Brooklyn-based trio's second album is highlighted by this epic 6 minute beauty which eludes boredom in gradually building and unveiling listless tragedy.
Bodies Of Water - under the pines
renditioning a comparison to the arcade fire, i find this Los Angeles created band to be more rock n roll. They are signed to the label 'secretly Canadian', which is genius.
Born Ruffians - hedonistic me
from Midland, Ontario.
Elliott Brood - fingers and tongues
the only good thing to come out of Windsor, Ontario. i think this song just became a new favorite band of mine, that's allowed.
Juana Molina - vive solo
Introduced into Buenos Aires, Argentina this singer/songwriter is the Spanish Bjork.
Heartless Bastards - hopeless romantic
Garage rock act from Dayton, Ohio, stands out by the unique voice on Erika Wennerstrom. Dateless, this one could have been placed at a mellow scene in 'dazed and confused'
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