11.12.13

Barren Harvest - Subtle Cruelties LP/CD

The recently completed design/layout for one of the most anticipated independent releases for 2014: Barren Harvest's debut titled: Subtle Cruelties. Barren Harvest features members and dearest friends: Jessica Way of Worm Ouroboros and Lenny Smith of Atriarch. This will see the light in Spring '14. 

Going into this project while having the opportunity of listening to their songs at various stages had me.  Jessica and I had first discussed this project back in the Summer of '12, and there were a lot of visual commonalities, which further validated that we were on the same page. Influences included: 4AD aesthetics (classic), eternal storms, academic typographical application, surrealistic landscapes and death.

I should probably mention that this was a total visual commission for the band: identity, packaging, etc. The logo itself (see a previous blog post below) was commissioned to me first. I had to create an icon that would be applicable anywhere and at any scale. It turned out amazing.

Back to the packaging: combining the existing photographic assets (via Jessica and Veleda) and elements from my vision, the packaging came together quite naturally. The Pantone 871C (metallic gold) should look amazing on the black and dark blue hues. Having limiting myself to a limited and cold color-palette, I knew this was going to work very well. Personally, this has been one of the most elegant and sophisticated projects that I have completed in my few years of professional graphic design, and I could not be happier with how this turned out.

Additionally, I would like to thank to Veleda Thorsson, Rich Loren Balling and James Plotkin for their endless efforts, influence and skill. 

You can preview some of the tracks HERE.
Thanks for reading.

LP and CD layouts below:
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8.12.13

A Secret Rose

I had the privilege of playing with Rhys Chatham and many others a few weekends ago in November in his A Secret Rose piece for 100 guitarists. It was an invaluable experience for any musician. And as niche as Rhys work is for experimental composition, it maintained a high level of organization and production value. One of the books, for sure. It was fucking amazing.

The concert itself took place @the Craneway Pavilion in Point Richmond, which was massive and I really wish they utilized the space more for concerts, but it is what it is...


















Here is a movement from his beautiful A Crimson Grail piece: