The Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) 2009

Been going through a serious early 70's Stevie phase. This one is for Ezra Bean, we have been diggin' Stevie's Superstitious on Sesame Street! Ink and acrylic on stretched fabric...37.5" x 48"

United Our Thing Will Stand (James Booker) 2010

The great gonzo pianist from the Big Easy! Ink, acrylic, bottle caps, found wood on found wood

Hell's High-Sheriff (Peetie Wheatstraw) 2010

Peetie Wheatstraw: Hell's High-Sheriff, The Devil's Son-in-Law, and one of the first musicians to take on and perform under a "fiendish" alter ego...on a side note he is usually pictured with a geetar, but in actuality he played a very wicked piano! Ink, acrylic, straw, and found wood on wood.

The Log Bomb (Bob Log III) 2009

"Ladies and gentleman...Bob Log the Third, one man band from Tuscon, Arizona...I am a professional goddamnit!" See this cat live, holy smokes, it'll change your life...ink, acrylic, and found wood on found wood

Los Tres Gallos (The Three Roosters of Mexico) 2010

The Three Roosters of Mexico: Javier Solis, Jorge Negrete, and Pedro Infante were extremely popular singers and actors who died early and tragic. Ink, acrylic, rope, plastic flowers, and found wood on found wood

Folk Blues (Leadbelly) 2009: response to LA trip

Short and sweet little piece of Leadbelly. Ink and acrylic and bottle caps on found wood...found in Louisiana, anyway this is going to the Holcombes. Thanks for all your hospitality and great kindness!!

From All Sides (Vince Guaraldi) 2010

This one's for you Jerry Kalback! Pretty large and heavy...I mean heavy freakin' piece. Ink and acrylic, found wood, Peanuts finger puppets, and poker chips on found wood

Milestone 2009: Grievous Angel Blues (Gram Parsons) 2009

Yeah I know, '09?! Especially when this year is a quarter over!!
Gram Parsons, the grievous angel, large and iconic!

Post Finally!!!

So really, after a near sell out show in Louisiana, I am finally able to post something, or I have something to post. October-present have been a blur of social obligations, teaching, and fatherhood. (The fatherhood part is definitely the best of the three and teaching is pretty great too!) So first in october for the "Grocery Store" Dan Auerbach show (which by the way was freakin' amazing), another poster that didn't get used do to some bad timing on everybody's part. This is simply ink and water color on paper and influenced by illustrator Jim Flora!

Finally!!

Bois Sec (Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin)
ink, acrylic, sawdust and bottle caps on wood
18" x 24"
8.09

Finally, the final piece to a two year project. This is the last painting for my Let's Make a Record show in Alexandria, Louisiana. He is number 33. Bois Sec was one of my first discoveries when I started researching for this series. I truly believe his music is the sound the Earth makes rotating on its axis...its creaky, passionate, dusty, and raw. Bois Sec fathered several musically inclined children, and was one of many in a deep musical lineage. He bridged the gap between the pre-war Creole/Cajun music and the Zydeco revolution and folk revival of the 60's and 70's. Anyway, Bois Sec is creole for dry wood. Apparently, Alphonse was always the first to find cover if a storm broke, hence Dry Wood!

Call The Doctor!!!

Call the Doctor (Dr. Isaiah Ross)
ink, acrylic, found objects on found wood
7.09

Here is the latest installment of my Blues Reliquary Series, illustrating the incredible one-man-band Dr. Ross the Harmonica Boss. He is definitely one of my favorite blues personalities...just look at that mug! People called him doctor because he was one of the few folks in his hometown who could read and write and this moniker led to him carrying his harmonicas in a doctor's medical case. He was in several bands after WWII, but decided to go the one man band route to put an end to the bickering and bad relations that can lead to a band's demise.
Dr. Ross is one interesting guy and his music is fantastic. He started recording for Sun Records, did some time with Arhoolie, and his most famous recordings are probably from Detroit's Fortune Records. Speaking of Detroit, he worked at the same General Motors plant for most of his life.
As a side note, I love the squirrel thermometer on this piece. I found that way back in '98 when I first moved to Columbus and it has found its way into several pieces of art, but now it ain't goin' nowhere!

Something Wicked

Something Wicked(Rosie Ledet)
pencil, ink, acrylic, and bottle caps on wood
24" x 18"

This here is the Sweetheart of Zydeco, Rosie Ledet. More currently, I believe, she has been crowned the Princess of Zydeco. Anyway she has a very soulful voice and squeezes one hell of an accordion. She is a great example of the current scene in Louisiana, one that draws heavily from the sound of the past while still creating something fresh. This maybe the only contemporary artist I did for the Alexandria show...wow, 1 out of 33

Happy Birthday Mr. Bearer

Mitchum on Still Life
ink, pencil, and acrylic on found wood on found still life painting
7.24.09

Here's a little quickie for the jack-of-all-trades, Philly ex-pat, and patron of the arts both visual and verbal...thee Mr. Paul Bearer! Happy birthday man

This Dude is on a Roll

The Revivalist (Bunk Johnson)
ink, acrylic, and sawdust on wood
18" x 24"
7.23.09

The Patron Saint of Rhythm (Dave Bartholomew)
ink, acrylic, and sawdust on wood
18" x 24"
7.23.09

All right, all right, all right!! Two more pieces done for the big art extravaganza down in Alexandria, Louisiana. I painted these two gents back to back yesterday. Ol'Bunk was a lotta fun. He turned out real loose with colors going exactly where I wanted them too. Mr. Bartholomew was another story involving sweat, toyle, and a fair amount of cursing...but I figured it out and he looks mighty fine.
Now for a little bit of history (Vague and brief)...Bunk Johnson was the trumpet player all other famous trumpet players of the New Orleans Jazz scene of the 1920's claimed to be the best. We are talkin' King Oliver and Louis Armstrong here, sayin' ol'Bunk was the man. Now not much history or background can be proven about Bunk. Matter of fact he would lie and embellish every aspect of his life as much as possible (so the scholars tell us); so it is hard to say what is real and what ain't with Bunk... hence the name Bunk, as in "that's a lotta bunk"...But what can be proven is that once he got his new teeth Bunk lead the dixie land revival in the 1940's with his mean ol'trumpet blazin' the way until he passed in 1949.
So David Bartholomew wrote and produced a whole lotta hit songs from the New Orleans Canon of 50's R&B, which is really Rock'nRoll. He worked very closely with Fats Domino and several other NOLA artists during that time...he even wrote My Ding-a-ling! (I would have never guessed that) Anyway, I believe he is still alive and blowin' one bad trumpet when the muse calls!

A Postcard from Oblivian

Clutch @ the Newport
So after being a little disenchanted with Clutch's last outing, I am looking forward to this here play date with Doom/Punk axe wielding god, Wino. Clutch has dropped the blues, or made it less obvious and have promised a return to rock...now I really liked the bluesy/organ driven Clutch. That raw dusty dumptruck blues sounds fit them, oh well, I reckon I was in the minority, so we will see! Anyway, I have it on good word that the fine folks at the Newport will be using this one.

I Love this Guy!

This is definitely my son! Ezra handled turning one like a champ. He is a very contemplative young man, sporting his little sailor shirt that belonged to his Grandpa Jones, having his post party pipe. The melt down occurred about 26 hours later during bath time the next evening.

Soul Mechanic

Soul Mechanic
ink and acrylic on found wood
7.16.09

Awww sshhortnin'bread...one of my all time favorite favorite musicians of any genre period, the mighty Lee Dorsey. Mr. Dorsey was a soul singer from New Orleans who worked closely with super-producer Allen Toussaint and super funksters, the Meters, to record some of the funkiest soul ever to come outta anywhere, even New Orleans (the land of funky soul). You probably know more his songs than ya'll think: Workin' in a Coal Mine, Yes We Can, Ride your Pony...I don't know what it is about this guy, he seems very unassuming, great soulful chops, and spent time as a boxer, and mechanic and performed til the end of his days. He even opened for the Clash in the 80's.
The lovely texture on the painting is from painting on an old painting that also had lots of lovely texture...recycling, do it for Al Gore do it for you!

Nothin' But the Devil

Nothin' But the Devil
ink and acrylic on found wood
7.13.09

Thee wicked bluesman, Lightnin' Slim, played a mean swamp drenched blues in the style of label mate Slim Harpo. One great chracteristic of these Excello blues artist is the laid back atmosphere their music creates. It is never rushed, rarely urgent, and pretty damn groovy! Slim liked his shit stripped down and chill, usually accompanied by a drummer and harmonica...why dontcha blow dat harp boy!?

Man Man, Man tonight @ the Summit

A Little Touch of Man Man in the Night
ink and water color on paper

Talk about a killer live show, let's talk about a killer live show...this five guys in white know how to throw one hell of a live show. There sound is somewhere like a hairy Tom Waits/Beefheartian Surf Philly Soul Doo-Wop group playing ragged, gutbucket R&B complete with war paint, facial hair, and a melodica! Check'em out tonight, tickets are $15 at the Summit. This was my unoffical flyer that I am sure the Benco dude or dudes didn't use...oh well

The Night Tripper 7.09

The Night Tripper (Dr. John)
24" x 30"
ink, acrylic, sawdust, and bottle caps on wood

Well well well, it has been a long time since I have been up on here! Here is the latest to head to Alexandria, LA, I believe it is number 26 with about 5 more to go. Here is thee good doctor, Dr. John. Long before he was this cuddly, gruffed voice, Nawlins' Jazz Powerhouse Piana playin' cat with a fedora, suit, and ponytail, he was Dr. John the NightTripper. The Good doctor released four psych-o-delic voodoo swamp funk records: Gris-Gris, Remedies, Babylon, and the Sun, Moon, and Herbs. Gris-Gris sets the mood instantly with its snaky swampy groove and the album does not let up. Walk on Gilded Splinters is awe-inspiring and has been the catalyst for two different paintings: one has been dismantled and the other is nearly finished so stay tuned!