Posted on

Sonora Art Show Success!

There isn’t much to do out here in the foothills, but there is a small group of people looking to change that. Last night those brave enough to expose themselves to new music, images and ideas headed to the Frog & Fiddle in downtown Sonora. The Frog & Fiddle has become the new hot spot for interesting night life in Tuolumne County. The outstanding art of Forest Stearns provided visual entertainment for the evenings festivities. I met Forest through the Returning Show last summer. He is a great guy, terrific artist and an eager contributor to the new arts culture of Tuolumne County. Soon enough I will have collaborations and interviews with Forest to post for now if you missed out on the fantastic Art Show last night here are some images:

3_14_09_forest_duane
{Forest Stearns and Duane}

The art of Forest Stearns is always impressive and inspiring.

3_14_09_7

3_14_09_9

3_14_09_4

The DJs were doing their thing.

3_14_09_lurv2{LURV}

3_14_09_nisus{Nisus}

A great time was had by all.

3_14_09_6

3_14_09_lurv

3_14_09_3

Posted on

What’s Your Destiny?

Here are some photographs of the finished CD packaging for David Shapireau & West of Next. It is a great album and I am glad I was a part of it. I designed the outside, inside and disc image with a strong western influence to match the name of the band, but don’t let the look fool you. The album has “American and Celtic roots influences with twin guitars and arrangements with a different spin due to Shapireau’s background as a jazz composer and arranger. Humor and history are emphasized in the songs and presentation. Boundaries are pushed while the past is honored.” The band on this recording includes:

  • Drums – Tony Dey of Van Morrison, Mike Bloomfield, Linda Ronstadt.
  • Telecaster – Steve Randall of Richard March, Antoine Barbeaux, Kate Gaffney. Awarded best guitarist in Sacramento according to the 2007 Sacramento News & Review fan voting poll.
  • Bass – Gabe Nelson of Cake (After this recording and a short tour Nelson disembarked to continued his work with Cake. They now have a new bassist, Paul Knutsen).
  • Composer, Stratocaster, mandolin, acoustic guitar – David Shapireau of Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, Tower of Power, Don Reno, Tony Rice, Byron Berline, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Norton Buffalo, Steve Miller, Peter Rowan and more.

dswon_1

dswon_2

(I photographed them on a cow hide with my dad’s old Bowie knife to reflect the cover illustration)