MidwestLove Art & Design

Ok. This is apparently the week of huge announcements for MidwestLove. I’ve been working on this particular project in various forms for over 2 years and today is the culmination of way too many hours to count. I couldn’t be prouder of the results.

Here’s the quick explanation - Band Beast is a system built specifically for bands and musicians to be able to have a fully customized website that they can edit, modify and add content to from any online computer on their own, without needing any HTML knowledge. So, instead of relying on clunky myspace accounts laden with ads and spam messages, artists can have their own unique website with the familiar ability to add and update their own content keeping fans informed in real time. It’s nothing ground breaking, but the way we’ve structured it allows us to offer it at incredibly low prices for this sort of website development so working bands can afford it.

The “sales pitch” website probably does a better job of explaining it. Check that out here.

Working with me in tandem on this project in the capacity of lead developer was Milwaukee based Flash programmer, Brad Manderscheid. He took care of 100% of the actual back end programming and a lot of the fine tuning of the design as well and our mutual friend Zach Nelson did most of the HTML and Javascript mark up. Here’s a look at the actual administration that bands will use to add and edit their content-

The branding on this was super fun to do and it actually went through a few iterations before landing where we did. Brad and I initially wanted something with a rounded, bubbly, illustrated web 2.0 feel, but when implemented it didn’t seem to fit. It seemed a little too “cutesy” for bands and serious musical artists. We’re probably still pushing it as it is for those bands that take themselves too seriously. Ha… oh well.

This little Beast guy did come out of it though, and he’ll probably be making random appearances as I’d hate to see him go unused and unloved.

I’m super excited to finally see this get off the ground and I really hope that this will allow us the opportunity to help out bands who wouldn’t usually be able to afford this type of service. Check out the website and let me know what you think.

-marky

My good friends Nabeel and Stephanie saw this at a Hot Topic and sent me a picture. Rad!

-marky

Big Announcement Time!

www.MidwestLove.Etsy.com

Today marks the official launch of the MidwestLove Etsy store where you can purchase beautiful silk screen prints of my some of my artwork. Now, this store is just in it’s infancy, currently offering only three prints, but the plan is to try and add a new print every month or so. I may also be offering other items in the future, but for now I’m focusing primarily on silk screen posters. Needless to say, I’m incredibly excited to finally be able to offer some of my work to the general public.

The prints that are currently available are the Cursive @ DeKalb, IL poster, the Byronfest 09 poster, and a very, very small number of the remaining Alkaline Trio/The Felix Culpa @ Poplar Grove posters. But fear not, there are more coming, including the Hey Mercedes Reunion Show poster, the David Bazan @ The House Cafe poster that was done back in December as well as some plans for a really cool Venna print and some other huge stuff.

All of the prints are 19×12.5″, printed to frame on heavy stock French paper and all are in VERY limited quantities. Once they are gone, they are gone. They were all lovingly screened by hand by the fine fellows at Orchard Street Press in Milwaukee with all environmentally friendly inks and materials, so it’s all homegrown stuff. Feel free to use this as an excuse to spruce up your living room, college dormer, submarine quarters or whatever. And please let any of your friends who would be interested in this kind of stuff know about it.

Thanks so much for your support and enthusiasm for this latest endeavor. It totally means the world (and rent/grocery money) to us!

-marky

Ah, Hey Mercedes. I once saw these guys open up for Jimmy Eat World at the Metro on one of my first dates ever with the girl I ended up marrying. Now we drive our kids around in their old tour van. Weird how life works.

This was an awesome opportunity to do a poster for the Hey Mercedes reunion shows at the Double Door in Chicago, which is coincidentally celebrating it’s 15th anniversary this year. Needless to say, I was more than excited about the opportunity to design for these guys and especially for such a cool show. They were musical heroes of mine (seems like I’ve been saying that of the artists I work with a lot lately, but it’s really true). I saw them play at every venue from Chicago to Milwaukee and even at a little college in Rockford, IL during the years of their existence. At a point in 2002, they were my most frequented show experience. I can’t help but remember the first time I heard the song Bells, still lamenting the loss of Braid, but then realizing that things were gonna be just fine.

I’ve since got to know lead singer/songwriter Bob Nanna and wound up playing guitar in his post-Hey Mercedes project The City On Film for a stint. He’s an incredibly prolific songwriter and knows more about good music than I ever will. He now works as a full time shirt model for Threadless.

This is (hopefully) going to get a 3 color silk screen print on French Steel Blue paper. I’m still working out the details with the promoter, but the design is set in stone anyway. I love this turtle… he was so much fun to draw. I might bring him back for more stuff. Let me know what you guys think.

-marky

Super fun t-shirt illustration for Kid, You’ll Move Mountains based on my wife’s recent, awesome thrift store find. This idea was initially pitched to Butch Walker, but ultimately rejected. Kid was cool enough to find some merit in it enough to want to buy it as their own. They requested the first few lines of the immortal Moby Dick to be what appears on the floating page as a tie in to their recent full length, Loomings, which shares it’s title with the first chapter of the big whale book.

This was initially designed as a three color with some nice cream and yellow offsetting the blues, but Kid requested we take it down to a single color as they’re planning on screening them all themselves and one color is much easier to wrangle.

Let me know what you guys think. Also, keep your ears to the ground, as there is some big news coming up. What’s that? A MidwestLove store that sells limited edition prints, perchance…? We shall see.

-marky

One more for Paramore… This one will be sold internationally. He’s called Mr. Banjo. Let me know if you see any of these being sold anywhere.

-marky

I don’t think I can say enough about Cursive to justify their place in my musical memory. I recently went and watched them perform up in Milwaukee and was re-converted once again into a full time fan. I’ve been listening to their songs for over a decade and it’s an honor to put my artwork around their name. Hopefully this does them justice. The inspiration came from the line “we were better off as animals” from the song From The Hips on their latest album.

This will be getting a three color screen print on French Paper.

Thanks to John at Kickstand for continuing to give me excuses to do posters for awesome shows.

-marky

This just sold to big time indie-arena rockers Paramore. It will be sold in Hot Topics nationally. This is one of about a dozen designs that I submitted to them. They also asked to get a version with a giant gnome for tour. Ha…

-marky

Here’s a cool event poster for a local festival held annually in Byron, IL aptly titled Byronfest. My band Venna is playing, so I had to do something to help promote. Heather drew the awesome Polaroid One Step which inspired the whole thing. We may have to work together more often!

This is getting a three color screen print on French Paper Pop-Tone Berrylicious and will be sold alongside a bunch of my other prints in an online store very, very soon. Scout’s honor.

Which reminds me, if you haven’t seen Up yet, go now.

-marky

In March of 2006, at a little legion hall in Milwaukee, WI some of my friends in an relatively unknown indie rock band played their last show. Their band was called The Meteah Strike and it is a crime how few people got a chance to know and love those guys the way my friends and I did. They were a band comprised of some great musicians, but better songwriters. At that time in the Milwaukee indie rock scene, no one was making anything as endearing, heartfelt or genuinely magnetic as The Meteah Strike. Their music had the wry accessibility of Death Cab For Cutie, the clever edge of Elvis Costello and the gentle, off kilter experimentation of The Notwist. I still listen to their small collection of songs on a regular basis as part of my musical diet. One of my bands even re-recorded a cover of their song Big City Story. I miss those guys.

But, what’s this? Out of the ashes of one of my favorite bands, the founding members formed a new musical entity this time called Fable & The World Flat. This is nothing like their previous musical endeavor. This is neo-motown soul with an indie rock back-bone and some trip hop flavor. In other words, it’s fantastily different and incredibly engaging, with even more personality. Dance music for the disengaged, drinking class. Sign me up!

When I heard from the guys that they were putting together a full length record, I asked if I could lend some art direction. They obliged, and even gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted. I thought it would be appropriate to give this project a laid back, old school Blue Note-esque vibe. So I spilled some coffee on a few sheets of paper in my office to get some “authentic” looking age stains. (I know, I know… sacrificing perfectly good coffee? That’s dedication to one’s craft is what that is.)

My friend Brett suggested the use of Stilla for the “Fable” on the front cover, which totally made the whole thing come together. It also led to this sweet wordmark, which I’m secretly hoping they’ll put on a tshirt for future wearing potential-

I’ve got to say that there’s nothing better than being able to do work for your friends and be even a small part of the music you love to listen to. Seriously.

Let me know what you think.

-marky