October 21, 2010

We would like to welcome poster collector Matt Quinn to talk about ten of his favorite framed Phish posters done by Link David of Frame Fetish…

Merit badges, shot glasses, postcards, stickers and t-shirts are among the myriad of collectible band memorabilia that Phish graces fans with these days, though the original king of concert merchandise – the poster – still reigns supreme. And while sometimes it seems like Phish fans purchase these incredible pieces of art for the express purpose of filling their closets with cardboard tubes, some of the lucky ones do actually make it into a frame and on to a wall, visually forcing subconscious recalls of random nights of musical madness in that went down in venues across the country.

Most of these fans will end up wandering down to their local craft shop  and  – IMO – will overpay for a sub-par frame job. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be turned on to a framer unlike any other I’ve encountered before or since, Link David, the one man operation based out of SoCal known as Frame Fetish.

Link hand crafts frames and matting, incorporating themes and colors directly from the art, weaving the two into a single cohesive piece. With prices running surprisingly close to what you would pay for a basic frame job from a craft store, if you’ve got something special in the closet that deserves the red carpet treatment, Link is the man you want to handle it. Check out these images below to see exactly what he’s capable of…

1. Power – Pollock (1997)

READ ON for nine more amazing frame jobs…

Way back in March of 2007, I had the pleasure of catching a Gene Ween solo show at the Gramercy Theatre here in NYC and I really enjoyed the way

Melvin Seals and JGB @ Mexicali Live, October 15

Words: Tyler D. Curtis
Photos: Vernon Webb

I headed out to Teaneck, NJ this past Friday for a new musical experience. Being a huge fan of the Grateful Dead, and more importantly of Jerry Garcia’s career as a whole, I was immensely eager to see Melvin Seals and the current lineup of JGB channel the second side of Garcia’s musical endeavors. The room where the show took place, Mexicali Live, is most likely the only Grateful Dead themed venues in New Jersey. And by that, I mean the name – derived from a Grateful Dead classic – and in combination with a picture of Jerry Garcia in the middle of the back wall up in the balcony, makes you feel like his spirit surrounds the place constantly.

[All photos by Vernon Webb]

I arrived to a gathering of fans chattering and exploring the small amount of vending that took place in the bitter Teaneck, NJ night air. As I stepped inside, I noticed the venue was filling up rather fast, and the opening act was closing out their performance. The Desolation Angels were an appropriate opener for the crowd that Seals and his mates attracted, as they brought a bluesy-jam sound to the atmosphere, almost warming up the stage for the Jerry Garcia Band tribute band. I was rather astonished at the younger vibe of the crowd and was surprised to find that a handful of people were on tour with the group. This gave me some reassurance that this band must live up the hype.

As 10:15 rolled around, the band walked on the rather small stage, sat down at their instruments, and wasted little time getting started. Stu Allen (guitar) started off the introduction to Ain’t No Bread In The Breadbox while a moment later, Melvin Seals let out a screech from his keys, initiating the iconic song from the Jerry Garcia Band repertoire. As the chorus was sung, the one-woman gospel section brought us to church in a groovy manner.

READ ON for more on last Friday’s performance…

New Orleans-based funksters Bonerama won themselves many new fans last October during a month-long residency in the Northeast. The sextet will see if lightning strikes twice this November when they