Faya Gallery, 211 Elizabeth Street, New York City, has invited Chris Shaw, Chuck Sperry and Peter LeCompte to exhibit their newest work through the month of September. The opening is on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 6pm to 9pm. Sperry will be showing his newest poster work, Chris Shaw will be showing his newest paintings, and Peter LeCompte will show his newest hand-painted silkscreen pieces.

This exhibition is a fusion of the rock poster aesthetic and fine art.

In Chris Shaw’s work the rock poster aesthetic informs the painting medium; there is a mash-up of bold psychedelic poster stylings with very painterly techniques informed by Renaissance styles of picture-making and subject matter.

Peter LeCompte is like a DJ who orchestrates pre-arranged musical samples into a continuous mix while also highlighting their obscure connotations. Le Compte juggles memory and color into what appear to be the solidified icons of a recovered happiness – they hark back to the more anxiety-free days of our collective pre-Vietnam war childhood.

Chuck Sperry brings his masterfully created silkscreened rock posters, resonating with the styles drawn from the poster art form’s long tradition – ranging from the roots of the poster tradition in Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession style to Psychedelic, Rock, Punk, Post-Punk, Grunge, Stoner and Pop. In Sperry’s work you can trace the history of the poster medium from the end of the 19th Century to the beginning of the 21st.

The Firehouse Goldenvoice Series of posters has reached number 100, with the promise of the next 100 posters and a bright future for the series ahead.

Many Thanks to David Lefkowitz for commissioning 100 posters for Goldenvoice, and making all this possible.

That’s why this pivotal poster includes numbers 100 and 101 in one piece designed and printed by Chuck Sperry and Dave Hunter.

The band on the poster is the Dark Star Orchestra, who recreate the music of the Grateful Dead. Dark Star Orchestra gathers the tribe – really most of the same people, their children and friends -  who inspired The Original psychedelic rock promoter Chet Helms to commission the very first modern rock posters by Stanley Mouse, Wes Wilson, Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley and Victor Moscoso.

The venue is the Regency which occupies the very same room -  then called the Avalon Ballroom -  where Mr. Helms promoted the first Grateful Dead shows for his production company, the Family Dog. It seemed appropriate to end the first 100 and begin the next 100 right where it all started.

In fact, when Dave and I delivered the posters on Friday to The Regency, there was Stanley Mouse with easel and canvas – painting a Skull and Roses – right in the lobby.

The inspiration for the poster is the Grateful Dead song “Sugar Magnolia” with it’s follow through to “Sunshine Daydream.”

With much respect and appreciation to the roots of the modern rock art poster, and with “next-level” design and printing techniques, Dave Hunter and Chuck Sperry present 100-101 – a psychedelic thank you, a friendly rock and roll IOU to the masters of the past, and a cheerful iridescent / metallic good morning to the future.

Dark Star Orchestra at The Regency

April 23 and 24, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Series Number 100

Edition of 150

6 colors on archival cream paper

35″ x 23″

Signed and Numbered

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Regular Edition of 150

on archival cream paper

SOLD OUT

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Speckled Egg Edition of 20

on white with reflective white flecks paper

SOLD OUT

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Blue Wave Edition of 10

on blue with opalescent wave pattern paper

SOLD OUT

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White Marble Edition of 10

on white marble paper

SOLD OUT

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Dark Star Orchestra Photo Gallery

I’ve moved the additional photos of Dark Star Orchestra, here below, so it’s easier to reference each poster when they are released.

Below are two full sized photos with differing light effects (click to see larger):

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Below are detail photos of the three variants showing the corner of the image and paper style (click to see larger):

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Speckled Egg Variant (click to see larger):

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Blue Wave Variant (click to see larger):

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White Marble Variant (click to see larger):

I’m stoked to announce that Acid King is going to play with Ufomammut at the Dark Nouveau art show at Varnish Fine Art on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Details of the show and advance ticket sales information here.

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Dave Hunter made this sweet poster at Hangar 18 for the event (above).

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Cool thing for me about Acid King playing this show – is that the very first poster Ron Donovan and I collaborated on was for Acid King and Fear at the Trocadero. So it’s all in the family.

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Check Ron and my Acid King poster below. And in case you are wondering – this poster is waaaay sold out – so don’t ask.