A Hanging In Texas

I just received a forwarded photo from Kevin Russell of The Gourds and Shinyribs fame. Looks like the gig posters I worked on with a friend are getting some circulation. That's one of them hanging next to Kevin at a recent Shinyribs show at the Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfels, Texas. I've uploaded another image of the poster since the photo's kind of blurry.

The poster was co-conceived by myself and a friend of mine who knows The Gourds/Shinyribs backwards and forwards. Done in Adobe Illustrator, the image portrays Shinyribs frontman Kevin Russell as a giant, roadside attraction that you might drive by on a long haul across the United States. You know -- one of those gargantuan metal statues that loom overhead like friendly (if unsettling) giants keeping a watchful eye on you as you make your way through middle-America? The concept was to evoke the sense of classic, retro Americana that Kevin's music feeds on (and into). If I recall correctly, those are grackles perched on him.

If you haven't heard The Gourds or Shinyribs yet, you might want to give them a listen. If you had to label it, I guess you'd call their stuff "alt-country" or something like that. But since I don't label I'll just tell you it's well-written music played by talented musicians. They don't come this far east too often, but if you're ever out in their neck of the woods, you should try to catch them live. They always put on a good show.

Here are some links to The Gourds Official Site and Kevin's Shinyribs Reverbnation page. Enjoy. -v