Often referred to as "modern day masters of screen printing", poster artists Ron Donovan and Chuck Sperry have been printing in San Francisco under the name "Firehouse" for close to 15 years, now. They have traveled the world exhibiting their work, and have been featured in numerous books and publications including Juxtapoz magazine, as well as on NBC. In addition to creating and printing their own work for bands such as Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, and Eric Clapton, they have also printed work for poster art giants such as Victor Moscoso, Gary Grimshaw, and Stanley Mouse. Armed with a subversive sense of humor, Chuck and Ron always make a trip to visit the Firehouse a good time. Meet Firehouse:
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Chris Shaw moved to California in the 1980s, just in time for the punk flyer movement. He went to the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he met Ron Donovan (of Firehouse), and started doing rock posters for Bill Graham Presents and the Fillmore Auditorium. As one of today's most prolific Fillmore artists, Chris has done work for Prymus, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and more.
Meet Chris:
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According to Scrojo 's official biographer, "Few have seen his face. Fewer still have been privileged to hear him speak. Using his voice only when absolutely necessary, he has chosen to express himself through his visionary artwork."
We'll just say we caught up with him somewhere in California.
Meet Scrojo:
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PNE is the moniker for collaborative efforts between Emek, Jermaine Rogers, and Justin Hampton. One of the first rock poster collectives to cover every leg of a band's tour, PNE has done mind-blowing posters for Queens of the Stone Age, Audioslave, and more. Meet PNE:
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Stanley Mouse grew up in Detroit, MI, where his art skills gained him notoriety during high school when he started doing
airbrushed "hot rod tee shirt" designs at the state fair. Having earned enough money to own the nicest car in his class,
Mouse left Detroit for San Francisco in the mid-'60s, where he met his art partner, Alton Kelley (d. 2008). Stanley is
perhaps best known for creating the famous "Skeleton and Roses" poster for the Grateful Dead with Alton, an image
which the Grateful Dead later used for their logo.
Meet Stanley:
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Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest poster printing facilities in the United States, has been around since the 1800s doing various handbills and posters for events of the time. They are still around today in downtown Nashville, printing some of the coolest posters for the bands of this era. Meet Hatch Show:
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Leia Bell started doing posters in early 2001, after getting a degree in Printmaking. She started doing flyers for a venue in Utah called Kilby Court, for which she eventually started doing screen prints. Her work started to catch on, and soon venues around Utah were asking her to do their concert posters. Since then, Leia has appeared in such publications as The Art Of Modern Rock, Newsweek, Swag, Punk Planet, and numerous others. Leia is the mother of three, and she still seems to find the time to design screen printed concert posters. Meet Leia:
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Paul Imagine is a prolific poster artist located in Sacramento, CA. His work, often characterized by one or two color prints, has appeared in publications including The Art Of Modern Rock. He has been a regular at the TRPS and Flatstock festivals for several years. Paul is very active in the Sacramento poster scene, and he has been responsible for bringing many rock poster events to the Sacramento area. Meet Paul:
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Poster artist and designer Dennis Loren has done numerous rock posters for both Chet Helms and Bill Graham. He has also done album covers, posters, and illustrations for bands including Frank Zappa, Paul McCartney, The White Stripes, Jimi Hendrix, and more. From Detroit originally, Dennis now lives in San Francisco, and continues
to design CD packages, posters, and other music
related merchandise. Meet Dennis:
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