If you are a serious fan of The Simpson’s you will surely recall the classic “Flaming Moe” episode where Moe decides to coin Homer’s homemade “Flaming Homer” (a cocktail containing cough syrup and fire) as his own. Hilarity ensues and 23 years later, this shirt was created.
Originally imagined somewhere in between Halloween in Atlantic City and New Years at MSG, MaybeSoMaybeLot got themselves in gear, drank a bunch of coffee, and made this shirt a reality. These high quality Gildan, pre-shrunk, 100% cotton t-shirts are screen printed, with this Fuego shirt design requiring an insane nine individual screens to produce!
The front is a rendition of Moe with his (stolen) Flaming Moe and ‘Fuego’ printed on the bar. ‘We Keep It Rollin’ accompanies the art with a tiny little Fishman-print pin on Moe’s lapel. The back reads ‘I asked Diego…if it was stolen’, again in reference to the episode (and to the kick ass song lyrics!)
Available in limited quantities in Medium, Large, XL and XXL, these are printed on Slate Blue and a limited quantity of Orchid Purple, as way of paying homage to the special purple cough syrup secret ingredient in the ‘Flaming Moe’.
Brooklyn Bowl will once again host Rock and Roll Poster Bowl II on Sunday, April 27th, Williamsburg’s premier event for Rock & Roll Art collectors. Join Concertposterauction.com and an all-star cast of artists and art dealers as they gather for an afternoon featuring the best images from the last 50 years of Rock & Roll Art. Admission is free and the show runs from 12-5pm.
Thousands of posters will be on display to peruse and buy, featuring everything from vintage cardboard and psychedelic to modern-rock silk screens, limited edition art prints and more. This special event will feature artist signings, poster drops and much more! Follow along on the event page and stay tuned to PhanArt for the artist lineup announcement!
Artists, here’s an opportunity to be part of the largest music festival in America! Bonnaroo is not accepting proposals for three large Bonnaroo-themed displays that will be suspended from the skylights in the three concourses at Nashville International Airport from May 12, 2014 through January 26, 2015. The finished pieces will represent the largest Arts at the Airport skylight display since the program’s inception 25 years ago.
The displays will encompass three skylights located in each of the three concourses at the Nashville Airport. Bonnaroo asks all artists and creatives for proposals that include iconic festival elements, a nod to the farm’s home of Manchester, Tennessee and recognition of this year’s lineup (due out in mid-February). Proposals for site-specific sculptures or kinetic mobiles will be accepted until January 29, 2014 via www.callforentry.org. The selected pieces will be installed between April 28 and May 9, 2014. Bonus – each artist will receive a $3,000 honorarium.
Brian Boj is starting off 2014 with a fresh and intensive art marathon – Phifty-Two Weeks – A Year of Art Inspired by Phish. An art teacher at “Noah’s Art”, Brian teaches art classes to children ages 2-10 yrs, having taught art for roughly 13 years overall, creating art on a daily basis as part of his job.
Brian’s goal/New Years resolution is to create 52 pieces of art, one per week, based upon his love for and inspiration from Phish. To help keep him accountable, he is utilizing a Website, Facebook and Twitter to record the experience of the art he creates and shares each week.
As with nearly all art on PhanArt, there is a charitable component to Brian’s concept. “I have a wonderful family, business, and friends. Something that is important to me throughout this year long project is to give back.” To start, Brian has printed 30 block prints of his Mockingbird art (see below) and will have them for sale on his site. From the cost of these prints, 70% of the sale will go directly to The Mockingbird Foundation, while the other 30% will cover shipping/handling, art materials, fees, etc…, a purely charitable endeavor. Brian notes, “When I can, I want to sell my art and have the profits go to charity.”
Here’s a look at his work so far in 2014:
Week One–“Hot Doggin'” – It’s all layered and cut pieces of wood – the hot dog is actually five layers thick and has a battery powered headlight on it (like the real one). The hotdog and crew are hanging by wires and can freely move, if pushed.
Week Two – “The Famous Mockingbird” This print was made from a hand carved piece of linoleum. A series of 30 prints were made on thick watercolor paper (30 to represent Phish’s 30 year history). The signed and numbered editions are available for purchase in the Online Store. The prints measure 6.5″x 8″.
Week Three–“Lucy HadA Lumpy Head” – Page and Lucy. Acrylic paint on glass. The shadow behind Lucy and Page are real – since it is painted on the glass there is space between the image and the background.
Whoa whoa whoa…. Jump in the tub with this Brother / Duck Dynasty pin created by Pin Prick Pins. In a limited editon of 100 pins, this pin measures 1.25” wide and is made with black nickel and hard enamel, with silk screening for the camouflage. Each pins is numbered and back stamped with the Pin Prick logo. Pick one up for just $12 plus s&h
Well, here we are. The Top 6 in the Best of PhanArt 2013. The art has simply continued to get better and better each year, just like the band. The mutual inspiration is pretty awesome to experience. A big thanks to Kelly, Chris, James, Chris and Taylor for their help in running PhanArt with me this past year, as well as their help at the art shows, without them I simply couldn’t keep up with the site. As far as art shows, you can expect at least one this year; more details to come once we get tour dates!
The Best of PhanArt list was compiled based on feedback received through the site, on tour, and through Facebook and Twitter. Fans were asked in the past month what was some of the best Phish related (non-official) art of 2013 and they responded. I took all suggestions into account and looked at the list and came up with the top 13, as well as the honorable mentions. Today we complete the Best of PhanArt 2013 and wrap things up with the top 6 pieces of original fan-made art from 2013. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 from yesterday.
Remember, the Phanart made in 2013 was amazing and the following is just someof the best.If you think something was overlooked, share what was missed below in the comments section below.
#6 Duke of Lizards by AJ Masthay
It’s tough to pick just one of AJ’s posters from 2013, but fans were pretty unanimous in selecting his SPAC triptych for the Best of PhanArt. Focusing on the Victorian aspect of the springs and baths in Saratoga, AJ brought the Lizards for a stroll through the mansions and halls of the historic town. AJ’s work has been a staple for Phish fans to gaze upon for years now, with many asking when he will do an official print. It’s a fair question, but AJ has been doing some incredible posters for Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band and multiple festivals around the country. As AJ’s intricate linoleum block printing method grows in popularity, I think we aren’t too far off from an official Phish print.
Ryan’s daily mandala’s are a treat, but this sun-mandala setting behind the Rocky Mountains and shining down on the crowd at Dick’s is a visual spectacle. Very much creating a three-dimensional image, the sunlight over the imposing mountains mimics Kuroda’s lights on the crowd at Dick’s, with fist-pump guy making a return appearance (he was in the bathroom during The Gorge). Full of detail and color, Kerrigan makes the Best of PhanArt once again, with fans calling this one out for the list months in advance.
#4 Fall Tour Puckheads from Branden Otto and Chatterbox
Designed with Chatterbox, Branden came up with possibly the most unique piece of art this year. Take the owl – clutching Fishman’s vacuum, with each feather on the wings representing one of Phish’s years from 1983-2013. Then, factor in the venues from Fall Tour – every one was, or currently is, home to an AHL or NHL team, making a hockey puck a perfect representation of the venues, as well as the band playing them. At $20, these pucks sold out quickly. Fast forward to MSG and official pucks were selling for $30 a piece, and not nearly as creative as Otto and Chatterbox’s. Pucking great work guys!
#3 “Fly Famous Mockingbird” / “Joy” by Isadora Bullock
What a year Isadora has had! These two prints were overwhelmingly the most popular that fans recommended for the Best of, so much that it was tough to pick one over the other, so both make the list. Isadora’s fine detail in her linoleum block printing, bursting colors and mesmerizing design are showing an artist not on the rise, but hitting a strong peak in her craft. Atlantic City’s poster has the Famous Mockingbird flying towards the Jersey shore, with the venue the center of the resonating waves of sound, while Hampton returns us to a church-like setting, because that’s exactly the feeling one would gain from visiting The Mothership; the stained-glass practically pops off the paper. With an art show in Asheville that runs through February (if you live anywhere close, make the trip and check out her growing gallery of great posters), things couldn’t be looking brighter for Isadora.
#2 Page Side Rage Side Underwear
You have to recognize a great idea when you see one. Page Side on the front (with a dead fish) and Rage side on the back – do these need to explanation? Hot sellers that blew up the site – PhanArt had more hits in the first two days these were on sale than any other item in such a span of time – these boy shorts went fast, as every guy on Phish tour picked them up for his girl, because why not? And Orange and Blue colors? Wise color choices indeed.
And the #1 piece of PhanArt, the Best of 2013 is…….
Yeah bitch! As if this was a surprise. Clearly the hottest piece of art this year was going to have some pop culture tie-in, as everyone and their brother was fawning over the final season of Breaking Bad. Combine “It’s Ice” and that ‘other’ Ice, throw in some Fishman donuts and the result was a nonstop barrage of “How soon can you print more shirts?”, as one printing sold out after another. The folks at Dogmatagram Designs had a hit and once the sticker became a sought after quick seller, shirts soon followed, and inevitably, a pin. Phish fans love a good pop culture connection to the band and this was one of the best in recent memory. As long as Breaking Bad is a legendary TV show, the Heisenberg/It’s Ice design will live on. Say you want this!
What a year 2013 was! Not only was it one of the best Phish years on record, but there was some incredible Phish inspired art that set the bar high for future years. This is not just a coincidence – when the band is at the top of their game, it rubs off on the fans and art community. Summer Shakedowns were good (despite the rain) and Dicks and Fall Tour led to some of the most memorable Shakedowns in 3.0, with the highlight of them all being the PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition in Atlantic City on November 2nd.
This list was compiled based on feedback received through the site, on tour, and through Facebook and Twitter. Fans were asked in the past month what was some of the best Phish related (non-official) art of 2013 and they responded. I took all suggestions into account and looked at the list and came up with the top 13, as well as the honorable mentions.Today we continue the Best of PhanArt 2013 with a look at the art coming in at numbers 7-13. Be sure tocheck out Part 1from yesterday.
Remember, the Phanart made in 2013 was amazing and the following is just someof the best.If you think something was overlooked, share what was missed below in the comments section below.
Erin’s Halloween print, her third to feature a mermaid, was inspired by vintage French horror film posters. Note the record with the label (translated) “Phish’s musical costume, Atlantic City.” Who knew their costume would be their own music? Another fabulous poster from Erin.
#12 Julius/Dr J shirts by Brian Zuckerberg, Chris Ehrens, Shawn Dos Santos and Noah Phence
Hugely popular on tour all year, Dr. J is finally connected to “Julius” with proper art and an in your face palmed basketball. Expect to see folks wearing this shirt on tour for years to come.
#11 Jiggs Hampton Poster
Jiggs has been one of the foremost artists to make a name for himself in 3.0, and his posters over the past few years are a strong part of that. His Hampton poster included an intricate representation of the dates and location for the Fall Tour opener. Another sold out poster from Jiggs – job well done!
#10 Andrew Bryant ‘Band in Lights’ pin
When I talked to pinners about some of the best of the year, this was one that kept coming up, with resounding support for the design. Mini-silhouettes of the band under Kuroda’s lights, in a limited edition of 100, with a perfect quote from “Scents and Subtle Sounds” to cap it off – brilliant. He’s now up to a fourth version of the pin, with pin collectors clamoring for all editions.
#9 Tripp’s Commerce City Triptych
We all love Tripp’s Prints! Tripp has posters for nearly every show, and with his Commerce City Triptych, he gave fans a trio to drool over. Rising fish in the morning, shining at noon and setting in the evening are represented in his prints, with the scenic mountains drawn colorfully and three-dimensionally – perfect for a three-poster set for a perfect three night run at Dick’s.
#8 Michael Boyer’s Jerseys
At the Summer in Saratoga Art show on July 6th, fans were amazed at the setup of a different poster for each show of the tour, plus, something new – jerseys with characters from Phish songs as the ‘team’ logo. All summer long, Llamas and Mockingbirds were sold on lot, a hugely popular and incredibly unique piece of art. Boyer put great thought into these, and the quality of the product cannot be understated. Look for more jerseys from Boyer this summer, as well as as profile on the artist coming next week on PhanArt.
This poster surfaced a few days after Brian’s Hampton poster was seen online, and the lights for Boardwalk Hall were an even greater muse for Hill. Brian was on hand to sell his posters at the PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition in Atlantic City, with a huge response from fans who took to his representation of Boardwalk Hall, improving on the venue’s already impressive facade and late night light show.
That’s all for Part 2. What made the top 6? Check back tomorrow and find out!
What a year 2013 was! Not only was it one of the best Phish years on record, but there was some incredible Phish inspired art that set the bar high for future years. This is not just a coincidence – when the band is at the top of their game, it rubs off on the fans and art community. Summer Shakedowns were good (despite the rain) and Dicks and Fall Tour led to some of the most memorable Shakedowns in 3.0, with the highlight of them all being the PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition in Atlantic City on November 2nd.
2013 was also a HUGE year in money raised for The Mockingbird Foundation. For the first time since PhanArt.net started in 2009, PhanArt and Friends have raised over $5,000! $5,106.30 to be exact. I set a goal in 2010 of raising $5,000 a year – the maximum grant that The Mockingbird Foundation gives, and each year we crept towards the goal, this year being the first year we reached that goal! Overall, we have raised over $14,000 and that is mainly from small donations from artists, based on sales of their art. Music fans supporting artists supporting charity supporting music education – this is a fantastic cycle that I’m glad so many have become a part of.
Definitely NOT on the Best of List, but hey, Boba Fett!
There was a great deal of 30th anniversary art, a plethora of pins, and seemingly everything has the Fishman Donuts on them now. Seriously, they are making carpeting. Wallpaper isnt too far away. A full body tattoo couldn’t be more than five years off. Posters, shirts, stickers, clothing – fans got creative and made great art, leading to fans buying that art and keeping the community thriving and on tour.
Following the pattern I have used for past ‘Best of PhanArt’, I have 13 for 2013 in my best of this year, including honorable mentions, which I am highlighting today. There has simply been too much great art this year and I would be neglecting some great art if I didnt give artists their proper due.
This list was compiled based on feedback received through the site, on tour, and through Facebook and Twitter. Fans were asked in the past month what was some of the best Phish related (non-official) art of 2013 and they responded. I took all suggestions into account and looked at the list and came up with the top 13, as well as the honorable mentions, which are highlighted today.
Remember, the Phanart made in 2013 was amazing and the following is just someof the best.If you think something was overlooked, share what was missed below in the comments section below.
Before we get to the art, a reminder on the mission of PhanArt:
PhanArt’s mission is to compile and preserve art created by Phish fans for the Phish community and, in the course of such work, to also benefit The Mockingbird Foundation, which raises funds for music education for children.
I am always here to support the artists and broaden their audience. Art is neglected in society. I see it neglected in schools – art and music are the first to be cut when something has to go. So with that in mind, consider this:
Honorable Mentions
Ben Whitesell Steampunk– Ben follows up his #1 print of 2012 with this gorgeous print focused on Mike’s bass. Ben has done official prints for Widespread Panic and Keller Williams in the past year, a sign of great things to come from.
Pheanuts shirts/stickers – Ok, disclaimer – this was sold by PhanArt all summer and fall, but the response to this art by Andrew Cariboni puts it on the list. Seriously, the response was overwhelming at times. Thanks to all who picked up a shirt or sticker. The gang’s all there. Look for this shirt to make a return to the PhanArt Store sometime this spring.
Virginia is for Lizards shirts –Maybe So Maybe Lot sold out of this shirt during the Hampton run this past fall, and donated $1 for every shirt sold to The Mockingbird Foundation. After printing some more, he ended up donating $196 from the sale of his shirts. Its not the donations that get him on the list, its the simplicity of the design and use of the iconic Virginia state motto, ‘Virginia is for lovers’. But it’s for the Lizards too.
Fishman scarves –Well, putting the Donuts on everything eventually would lead to some practical, formal applications of the universal design. Last year, it was ties by stuPINdous Creations. This year, it’s scarves from the great mind of Adrian Sharpe at stuPINdous. Warm, super long and quite stylish, these were a huge hit and sold out quickly for good reason.
Mark Serlo’s SPAC poster – I loved this one from the moment I saw it at the Mothership Art Collective’s Summer in Saratoga show during the SPAC run. Simple, small and working the dates and venue into the racing antelope – Mark covered all the bases in one great poster.
Ewok Fishman shirt – I ran into Eli wearing one of these outside the Sea Dog Brewery in Bangor the afternoon of the tour opener, and my jaw dropped. This one was a hit from the get-go – combine Star Wars geekery and a now iconic Phish design, and you have a fantastic shirt. Nub Nub.
Phish Shades – These were seen all over the summer, because Alexandra was selling them at literally every show this tour, even the Toronto rain-date! With a dozen or so different designs and plenty of fans needing sunglasses, these were practical and unique, and a great find on lot.
Hampton Death Star by Terra-Pins – This one sold out on pre-sale, to give you some idea of how popular it was among the pin community. A great pin from Chuck Hoffman and Terra-pins, it gives the term ‘The Mothership’ a whole new perspective, and ties sci-fi geekery to Phish with ease.
That’s all for Part 1. Stay tuned this week for Parts 2 and 3!
This article was originally published in the NYE 2013 edition of Surrender to the Flow Magazine. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
“Stop me if you heard this one before. Trey, Wilson and a ginger walk into a bar…”
A defining characteristic of Phish that has stood out as unique and helped to broaden their appeal to many fans is the interplay between the four band members on stage and the humor and comedy that is exhibited in music, lyrics and banter. Fans can overwhelmingly appreciate the band exhibiting humor and making them laugh, but when it comes to other sources of Phish-related humor, it’s another story.
Musicians, like comedians, take risks on stage, and can succeed triumphantly or fall flat and have to try again the next night with new material. Phish has tried plenty of stunts that have been risky and have tested their resolve in pressing forward with their craft. The Wingsuit costume this past Halloween, all the various exploratory jamming over the years, Secret Language, the Fuck Your Face show, riding a flying hotdog not once but thrice – the list is extensive where the band attempted an addition to their musical performance, with uncertainty looming until after the crowd and band saw it through together. Sometimes they succeeded, sometimes they didn’t and it was back to the drawing board. In the development of their live act, whether planned out or an impromptu ad lib on stage, Phish takes on a role similar to that of comedians who act precariously for the sake of art.
The comedic nature of Phish is an important part of the band, and something that separates them from other acts of similar followings – Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and The Grateful Dead. While these acts may take risks of varying nature musically, they do not take humor to a new level and incorporate it into their performance to the extent that Phish does. Being able to make fun of themselves on stage (the ‘House’ and ‘Tuck’ running jokes come to mind) and on camera (Bittersweet Motel, the Halloween Don Gordleone video) help to break down that wall between fans and band, providing a more human aspect to the group, one that is bridged with recognizing the ability to cross one art form (humor) with another (music).
This is the band that sings a song about a Meatstick, wrote “Ha Ha Ha”, brought out Abe Vigoda on Halloween, includes Easter eggs of humor in the programs to festivals and laugh out loud ads in Halloween Playbills (Gordon’s House of Scarves and Drills, anyone?), hit foam golf balls into/at the crowd from stage level before midnight last New Years Eve, and have the most sought after song, “Icculus”, a play on words that is only revealed to be Ridiculous, that is, after dragging the song out. The fans laugh with the band, the band laughs with the fans, and everyone has a good laugh.
Then there’s the media, specifically, any website that looks to write about Phish. Take for example the recent Cracked.com list of ‘Great Songs by the Worst Bands of All Time’. (Stash came in at #9) At least we made the list, I guess? Naturally, the write-up only gives a cursory glance because it is “14 minutes long, selected randomly from the Internet” and mocks fans for having “LSD-induced absurdity in liking this music” after finally waking up “sometime around 3 o’clock this afternoon and sees their favorite jam band on this list.” But at least Cracked Magazine is a humor magazine, and they tried. (Still, they’re no MAD Magazine)
There’s Christwire.org, a parody site with a religious tilt, writing a long article, “When it Comes to Phish, Music Censorship is not Enough”, full of stereotypes and religious commentary, and funny in a way. And LA Weekly, the website that loves to hate on Phish, either because that’s trendy out west, or because they know they get tons of page views from us in our moment of ire. Phish has been included in blog posts “Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time” (Phish is #17) and “Can an Intelligent Person Like Phish?”, both spiteful and not exactly journalism, and merely a way to keep stereotypes up for those who haven’t tuned in since Fall 1998. Analyze Phish, a podcast with Harris Wittels (a fan) and Scott Auckerman (not a fan), has Wittels trying to convince Scott, and later, Tom Scharpling (also not a fan), that Phish is worth listening to. Neither of them bite and come up with excuses and vitriol, because that’s the easy way out. Where’s The Onion when you need a proper parody written?
Pop culture doesn’t know how to treat Phish or their fans, simply because that would take too much effort. Plus, there is no simple way to explain Phish in a concise and neatly packaged manner. So when websites outside the Phish universe mock the band or try to find humor in the fans, they will look for the least common denominator and roll with it, because it’s all they know.
Not everyone can take a joke, and when it’s coming from outsiders, totally understandable. I took more than my fair share of jokes about my early infatuation with Phish from non-Phish fans while in college. Eventually, those jokes stopped because they were no longer funny as the well dried up. Phish sites, at least they let us laugh at ourselves, properly. Among Phish fans, there are jokes to be told and humor to be shared. Tweezburger, The Phunion, So Yeah Brah… and TheFirstSet.net all make the effort to laugh at ourselves a little bit more, something that has loosened up the crowd at the right time – just as Phish is loosening up. Humor is helpful and cleansing and gives you a clearer perspective on things. Taking things too seriously won’t help your passion, but rather leads to a closed and narrow mindset. Phish doesn’t take the whole ‘We’re famous’ thing too seriously. Yet the fans do, and jokes about the band, and humor in general, are truncated. It shouldn’t be.
We are all dancing and laughing at the same band who are joking around on stage while they’re playing – a twofer in terms of art: both comedy AND music! But it is the collective communal feeling of laughing and smiling as a whole that adds the extra spice to the Phish experience, and one that we can bring with us outside the show, to feel that feeling once again. Some things are sacrosanct, but four musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously shouldn’t be.
This Friday, January 10th, Isadora Bullock will have a poster show at Bookworks Studio in Asheville, NC. With over 50 of her prints on display, she will be giving an informal talk about her process in the shop where she makes her prints.
Please join Isadora from 5:30-7:30pm for a wine and cheese reception located at Asheville BookWorks Studio, 428 1/2 Haywood Rd, West Asheville, NC.
