Spirit Smoke

This painting will be used as the cover image for the album "Spirit Smoke" by The Great Society Mind Destroyers.

Watercolor and some digital imaging via Photoshop.

...And by the way...

Thanks again to David Thomas for this piece!

The Surrealist General Store

I've finally been made privy to the website and hypnotically beautiful collage esoterica of Scott Carlton Harris aka "Mousetrap".

A founding member of Chicago experimental and punk outfits Terminal Beach, A Mason in Ur, and perhaps most notably, NGA JIWA, whose Neubauten-esque industrial/performance and ritual aspect seemed quite revolutionary in the city at the time, Harris has remained somewhat of a buried secret to many Chicago experimental music and art enthusiasts. I've never met the man, heard any of his music, or witnessed live performances, the only knowledge I have is the myth and folklore of the man passed down through a good friend, David Thomas, who along with founding art punk group DA!, performed with Harris in Terminal Beach and NGA JIWA. David has told me some amazing stories about the performances of NGA JIWA: burning bones, using giant oil drums as percussion instruments, incense, candles, Tibetan thighbone trumpets, etc. The stories David has to tell about Harris, the occult, Chicago punk, art, music, film, books, could fill a couple dozen volumes. If you ever run into David, ask him how Harris got his nickname "Mousetrap".

I've been intrigued with the persona of "Mousetrap" for some time now, and was very happy to see that his visual art finally has a web presence. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the old NGA JIWA or Mason in Ur performance recordings, photographs, or other ephemera will surface sometime soon.

More info at: Chicago Punk Database, DA!, Conjuring Mythologies

Thanks David!

Mariano Mermaid Records

Wow! Just got a very nice email from long-lost psych folk minstrel/mountain man extraordinaire, Salvador Cresta, from Argentina. I was in contact with Salvador a few years back during my days recording as Cloud Temple for Little Somebody Records. We exchanged music and thoughts, and he even made me a personalized recording of his brand of lo-fi bedroom folk.

A very interesting label, primarily consisting of Salvador and his mysterious lover/partner/sister?, Pupa. The music lies somewhere in the realm of Devendra Banhart's early material, a Spanish-language Skip Spence, or Os Mutantes were they to venture into the more abstract reaches of outsider folk.

For more info on Salvador, and his label, Mariano Mermaid, please download his press kit (complete with reviews, song samples, and photographs), or email him directly: salvadorcresta@yahoo.com, I'm sure he'd love to hear from you!

Dirty Beaches & Heavy Times

Another flyer design for some good friends, Dirty Beaches from Montreal and Heavy Times from Chicago. Sort of a "Kurosawa meets Russ Meyer" motorcycle madness/samurai mash-up.
Don't miss this show, it's gonna be a killer night of rock and roll!

9PM Thursday May 19th at Schuba's Tavern
3159 N. Southport Ave.

Bad Drugs "Please Curb Your Dog" shirt design

A special t-shirt I designed for Chicago noise rock miscreants, Bad Drugs. Was going for that late 80's "Rude Dog & The Dweebs" cartoon show look with this one.