Art Rock: Collectible Concert Posters
by Jeremy Clark

You probably noticed the posters that line the walls and windows of Seth's room, Newport Vinyl and Centurion Comics. Many are rock posters promoting shows for bands like The Futureheads, Atom & His Package, and The Walkmen. In the last decade, rock posters have entered a new era, becoming more popular and artistic than they have been for years. One artist, Emek, has been a significant part of this renaissance as he creates some of the most exciting and imaginative rock posters around.

Not many artists would ever voluntarily burn their art. But for poster artist Emek, it's just another way to push the limits. As a way of accenting the design for heavy metal band High On Fire, Emek torched a corner of each poster, referencing both the band's name as well as "the impermanence of rock posters as an art form."

Embracing the unconventional has helped Emek to become once of the most successful rock poster artists in the country. Producing posters since 1992, Emek has worked with a wide range of artists that includes the White Stripes, Beastie Boys, Death Cab for Cutie, Willie Nelson, Kraftwerk and Beck. "I appreciate the flexibility this medium allows me," says Emek, and his work reflects it. His "poster" for rock band Queens of the Stone Age comes in the form of a functioning, oversized board game spinner; a series promoting The Flaming Lips tour were "fossils" made of cast resin. His more conventional posters are anything but, featuring brilliant illustrations that reveal new details with each viewing. Emek draws every element by hand and produces the finished silkscreened posters himself, usually in limited editions of 300 or fewer. "I always want the focus to be the art, the execution of the printing."

While Emek's approach hasn't changed since he started almost 15 years ago, the poster business has. "There are certainly more artists out there today. It seems like every small club has their [own] artist. And I think that The Art of Modern Rock has helped to stimulate a lot of new interest." (The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion, a huge, 500-page tome documenting the resurgence of the art form, was released in 2004 and features an entire section on Emek's work.)

The number of artists making rock posters isn't the only thing that's changed. "It's definitely become a business. Making art that never gets released is the worst. But I've become immune to disappointment, in a way. It used to bother me when I'd get a call from a record label telling me that the poster I designed isn't going to be used because a tour's been cancelled. But that's the nature of business. I just want to keep going and keep making art."

And Emek shows no signs of slowing down. Fresh from a poster tour in Canada, he's looking forward to gallery shows in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and the UK. But that doesn't mean Emek has no time for PNE (short for Post Neo Explosionism), the poster collective/revolutionary force he co-created with fellow artists Jermaine Rogers and Justin Hampton. Following a group show at a gallery in Seattle in 2002, the trio decided to work as a "united front" making art "for the people, by the people." PNE has drawn even more attention to the art form while garnering rave reviews in the process; the Seattle Times asserted "Post Neo Explosionism could be seen as the jumping-off point for the next poster artist revolution."

When it comes to the chops of the PNE artists, Emek's in good company. Combining the histories of rock music and popular culture with the flavor of the bands he's promoting, Jermaine Rogers has created rock posters for more than a decade. Moreover, he's created an entire mythos through his imagery, focusing on a shadowy bear figure called Dero and other strange associates. Illustrator, cartoonist and fellow artist Justin Hampton brings his own style to the PNE team. Visually referencing several classic comic artists, Justin's artwork often features dramatic shadows and comic book scenarios. As PNE, the three artists have tackled tour posters for acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Audioslave and Built to Spill.

What's next for Emek and PNE? Poster designs for Paul Simon and DJ Shadow, skateboard and snowboard designs and even a line a vinyl toys. As Emek says, "It's about being creative. Create with a passion and people will take notice."

Look for Emek's and Justin's posters in episode 5 of "The O.C." (airs November 30)