Up against the wall

First off, I would like to ask the Chico community to dig into their storage sheds, closets and under beds to find any posters for any shows that ever happened in Chico. I am especially interested in posters that feature local bands and local artists, but any posters from the by-gone days of Juanita’s, the Senator Theater, The Ping-Pong Palace, The Blue Max or any venue will suffice. I’m working on a permanent collection to be displayed at the Community Center. Please contact me via e-mail or call 894-8621. This is going to be on-going collection that will entertain thousands of people each month, so cowboy up and hand over your archives you pack rats!

I have over the years had the fortune of working with some amazing local poster artists: Aye Jay, Dave Kiefer, Matt Loomis, Steve Ferchaud, Stephan Maich, the late great David Meraz and, more recently, Amber Miller and Frank Bella. These folks are unsung heroes, creating pieces of artwork that would get seen for a week at most before strewn into the waste receptacle. Art and music go hand in hand like Laurel and Hardy, and nothing turns a head like a good poster. Unfortunately a current trend has been to make posters as cheap as possible with no artistic merit to them. I understand the need to cut corners on shows, but the windows around town are looking like a computer threw up on them. It’s hard enough for artists to get their work seen, and music posters are a great way to give local creative types exposure.

Second of all, I have to give a shout out to the COBA folks who are responsible for getting the artwork on the walls at the corner of Main and West Second. I was at first unsure of how this would all pan out, as one person’s art is another person’s neuroses, but the work has proved to be diverse with at least one pleasant surprise each run. The aforementioned Aye Jay Morano has a piece of art hanging right now that is dedicated to his baby boy and is representative of the new breed of poster artists who have added so much to the aesthetic of this town for so long. If you think you’ve got what it takes to make posters, contact me and we’ll have your work around town within a week or two.