New Year, New Venue, Same Great Party!

Welp, here we are folks, the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 and it means one very important thing is coming our way: The 13th Annual NY NIGHT TRAIN NEW YEARS BALL! This baby is going to sell out fast so get your tickets ASAP. An added bonus to all this is Jonathan Toubin and Co. have gone and opened up a new venue, T.V. EYE, for the big night, plus many more amazing nights, and it sounds like it is going to be a doozy of a place. 

I hadn't given it much thought but now that I am being inundated with end of year/decade lists at every second, it's made me reflect on my first full decade of being a part of the illustrator working force. A lot has changed, and a lot has not changed. I'm going to kick back, reflect on what all this means, where I'm headed, what new and interesting ways I can wear white tees with blue jeans, and hopefully I can compile a list of some of my favorite pieces from the last 10 years. But, for now, enjoy my final piece, I think, of 2019 and of the 2010's.

Ahh, yes, that moment where you get stuck at a spot in the piece and are a little nervous about what way you are going to push this forward. At first I totally imagined this blue gradient and then it began taking so long around all the text I knew I had to change gears. I figured I could fade to black but where on the piece was really giving me some trouble. Luckily I had the baby, rocket, moon, fireworks and daddy long legs to help obscure any shortcomings I might give away on fading the blue into black. 

Haunted Hop: Version 2

Here's my poster of Roky Erickson with the full bill for the New York Night Train Haunted Hop on October 31st at Knockdown Center. Tickets still available HERE

The Haunted Hop featuring Roky Erickson!

It's time of the year again for Jonathan Toubin to throw his monstrous HAUNTED HOP  Halloween party which means it's time for me to gear up for some marathon illustrating. I was psyched when I heard ROKY ERICKSON was going to be headlining the show this year because I knew this would mean I would get to draw him a few times AND get to see him live on Halloween! Oh, happy day. If you're unfamiliar with Roky, I recommend checking out The 13th Floor Elevators albums and then dig into his solo catalog, especially the albums, The Evil One, Gremlins Have Pictures, and Halloween 1979-81, purely for the face melting version of "Bloody Hammer". This poster was done with a quick turnaround to get the initial announcement out so for the big announcement I'm hoping to really knock it out of the park in honor of Roky! Some process pics below.

Thee Soul Clap Poster Show

In un-related Bathhouse news: I have some of my Soul Clap and Dance Off illustrations hanging up at the Gimme! Coffee on Lorimer St. in Brooklyn. It's the big Soul Clap 10 year anniversary bash this Friday, March 3rd so we are prepping everyone with a showing of some of my poster work. It's kind of a best of/ the hits so far assortment. Stop in and check them out all neatly placed in a row before they return to the dark corner of my studio where no one ever looks at them, or shows them any love.

Soul Clap Tour Poster

This year's Soul Clap and Dance Off poster output has been a fun adjustment. Last year I was crankin' out one a month, which is totally fun and challenging, but it's been nice to sit with these a little longer and take my time. Now that Jonathan isn't doing the Brooklyn Bowl venue anymore I have been working up posters for bigger events or finding a way to use a poster multiple times, like the one above. Jonathan mentioned he needed to update his tour poster and we really went through some revisions on this one and took our time to find something we really loved. In the end, it's one of my favorite images I've made for him so far, and The Mighty Hannibal works great as a genie. 

These are a small sample of the sketches I worked up for this project. The train seemed like a good idea in the beginning but ended up sort of bland and obvious. I still wanna find something for that dashboard hula girl.

You may notice a slight difference on the bottom of this image from the one on the top. Some people are just too weird for the dance floor.

Soul Clap Anniversary

It's that time again! New one for Jonathan Toubin's Soul Clap & Dance Off. It's the 9 year anniversary party and they are puttin on a good one for you. It's all happening on May 7th from 8pm-2am at Market Hotel in Bushwick. Marv Johnson is the man gracing the poster for this very special event.

Home Sweet Home

New poster for Jonathan Toubin but, surprise! It's not for the Soul Clap parties. This is for his weekly gig at Home Sweet Home, over in Chinatown. We are gonna attempt something a little different with these ones; They will be done quarterly, I think weekly would kill me, and they will be printed out as handbills, instead of just advertised online. Jonathan wanted to give people something they can hang onto and tack on their walls at home, or tuck aside as a memento from their wild and crazy nights dancing it up in the big, bad city. Still believin' in the importance of the tactile. All the info is on the poster so you know where to be on Friday nights. Process pics below.

Oooooooh yeaaaaa!!! Fire detail.

Notice a little difference in this supposed "finished" pic from the top pic? Yep. I fucked up a little bit. Nothin a little arts and crafts couldn't fix.

Soul Clappin and Dancin in Madison Square Park

It's been a couple months but I'm back with a new Soul Clap poster. You may notice this one is looking a little different from the previous ones and it's because.....get ready for it.... it's the first ever outdoor Soul Clap and Dance Off!! And it's all going down at Madison Square Park. 

Randy Jones, of The Village People, will be rejoining Jonathan for another adventure of twisting and shaking in the name of winning of some sweet prizes and the admiration of your peers. It all begins on Wednesday, July 29th, at 6pm. One more thing, IT'S FREE!!

Soul Clap Record Release Party!

New Soul Clap and Dance Off poster for May. I double borrowed from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Jonathan’s new album cover for this one. I’m a little bummed the gold paint didn’t really come across in the scan so I wanted to be sure to let you know I did use gold paint and, in person, it does shimmer. At least that way all my efforts were not in vain.

Better get to this one because the show takes a little break for a month or two during the summer. This is a special one, I mean, they’re all special, there’s always an amazing guest and great music but, this one is the release party for Jonathan Toubin’s Souvenirs of the Soul Clap Vol. 3 AND 4!!!! And April March will be the guest selector!!! It’s all happening this Saturday,May 16th, at Brooklyn Bowl from MIDNIGHT-4AM.

See! It really does shimmer! Ahh, nevermind.

James Booker is down with the Soul Clap

The new Soul Clap and Dance Off poster is here!! Come get down with Jonathan Toubin on April 18th at BROOKLYN BOWL from 12-4am. We went with a New Orleans theme and chose James Booker, who, according to Dr. John was, "the best black, gay, one-eyed, junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced"

James Brown, Randy Jones and The Soul Clap

This month's Soul Clap and Dance Off poster is ready for you to feast your eyes upon. We decided that since it's going to be the 8 year anniversary get down that we should go big and use "The Godfather of Soul" himself, Mr. James Brown!This one was a blast to work on even though I thought I was about to blow it halfway through. Pulled a sweet all-nighter and it was totally worth it. the party starts at midnight at Brooklyn Bowl on March 28th!! Oh, and in case you didn't notice, Randy Jones, the original cowboy of The Village People, is going to be guest DJing!

A lil' insight into this posters creation below: