NEW WORK:
Poster for Wilco’s show last week at the Momentary in Bentonville, AR. Cyclists and bike trails abound in Bentonville, so I built a bike out of the band’s instruments and named it The Echo.
“His goal in life was to be an echo
Riding alone, town after town, toll after toll”
Thanks to @wilco for the gig. Beautifully printed by the friendly folks at @uprightpress .
Limited copies available now in the shop. (See last slide for the concept’s original sketches shared with the band)
Just in time to be kinda late for this sort of thing! Here are a handful of things I really loved in 2025.
The world is on fire right now, so maybe you can find a reprieve from the list below. Let me know what you think and if there’s anything you loved that I missed:
RECORD:
Madi Diaz - Fatal Optimist
I love this record and have loved Madi Diaz ever since discovering her music when we lived in Nashville. She’s a great songwriter, writes incredible earworm melodies, and melds both deftly on this one. Fatal Optimist is a high tentpole in an already brilliant catalogue.
Other Favorites -
Wednesday, Dazy, Irish Exit, Snocaps, Jason Isbell, Momma, Jeff Tweedy, Bel Air Lipbombs, Bill Fox
BOOK:
Personal History - Katharine Graham
One of the best bios I’ve read. Great writing and, when appropriate, genuinely funny.
Graham inherited the Washington Post through a personal tragedy, took down Nixon’s White House by bravely publishing the truth before anyone else, steered her company through massive labor strikes, and grew her business enormously with the help/mentorship of Warren Buffett. An incredible life of an incredible woman. Highly recommended.
Other Favorites -
The Secret Pulse of Time - Stefan Klein
Analogia: The Entangled Destinies of Nature, Human Beings and Machines - George Dyson
MOVIE:
One Battle After Another
A Dickensian allegory about fear & freedom masked in an absurdist action movie? Yes, please. Del Toro’s sensei (a modern day Ghost of Christmas Present?) is the highlight in a film full of them.
“Courage, Bob. Courage”
Other Favorites -
Zootopia 2, Wild Robot, The Order, Sorry, Baby, Wake Up Dead Man, Anatomy of a Fall
TV:
The Pitt
John Wells’ West Wing Walk-And-Talks + The Bear’s technical expertise and emotional baggage = Right up my alley
Other Favorites -
Broadchurch, Task, Mulaney’s Netflix talk show, Pluribus, Hacks, English Teacher, Skeleton Crew, Andor
NEW WORK:
Behold! My poster for @jefftweedy ‘s November 8th solo show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, KS featuring a moon man wearing an astral nudie suit and holding a guitar whose neck has morphed into flowers and a rattlesnake. All done in service to Mr. Tweedy’s stellar new triple-album, Twilight Override.
Slide 3 features an early sketch.
A handful of these are now available in my store should the spirit move you to purchase such a thing.
(Link in bio)
NEW WORK:
Last year, I was asked by @spray_kc to contribute to their artist billboard series. Since the @chiefs season just started, I decided to make an homage to the 90’s when the team would kickoff their games to this Stones classic.
Here are a handful of things I loved from this past year.
Maybe you’ll find something to try or seek out in the new year, but mostly this is a selfish ploy where I hope you’ll send me your favorite things that perhaps I missed or was off my radar.
Wishing you all the best in '25!
RECORD:
Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee
Katie Crutchfield’s songwriting has always been great and somehow keeps getting better. Bonus points for the @mikekrol artwork.
Other Favorites – Alan Sparhawk, The Smile, John Davis, Belair Lip Bombs, MJ Lenderman
BOOK:
How To Be Perfec t by Michael Schur
A funny, practical look at moral philosophy that favors improvement over perfection.
Other Favorites – 4000 Weeks, Clear Thinking, Unreasonable Hospitality
MEAL:
Momofuku Noodle Bar, East Village, New York
Finally checked this one off my list! Also hit Roberta’s in Bushwick for pizza. Need to get back to NYC more often.
TV SHOW:
John Mulaney Presents Everybody’s In LA
An odd, one-week talk show that felt like appointment TV again. I wish it lasted longer.
Other Favorites – Shogun, Legion, Man on the Inside, Conan Must Go, Fargo, English Teacher, Fallout, Watchmen, Manhunt
CONCERT:
The Postal Service/Death Cab For Cutie 20th Anniversary Show
Finally saw The Postal Service live! Plus, Death Cab played Transatlanticism in full—a great night.
Other Favorites – Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Charlie Sexton
COMEDIAN:
Gavin Matts at the Comedy Cellar
A unique voice with a singular perspective. He needs some Midwest dates—I’m ready to see him again.
Other Favorites – Kirk Fox
MOVIE:
Charade
Grant, Hepburn, Matthau, Coburn, George Kennedy as a one-armed man–what’s not to love? A classic with lots of twists and turns.
Other Favorites – Inside Out 2, Jim Henson Idea Man, Rope, A Real Pain, A Complete Unknown, His Three Daughters
PODCAST:
The Knowledge Project by Farnam Street
Highlight episodes - Positioning with April Dunford, Storytelling with Matthew Dicks, and Investing with Tom Gayner or Chris Davis.
PROJECT:
Thundergong! – A Benefit Concert for Steps of Faith
Raising money for amputees with Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, and friends never gets old. Can’t wait for next year!
NEW WORK:
I’m thrilled to share my new illustrated poster for the @kcroyals !
This summer, it'll be all over town, serving as both a call to action and a reminder of when fans should proudly wear blue during the season. For each homestand opener, the Royals are rallying all of KC to show their pride and "Bring Out the Blue." Just as Fridays are synonymous with wearing red for the Chiefs during football season, the Royals are inviting Kansas City to welcome the team back home with a sea of blue after every road trip.
For the poster, my primary goal was to clearly convey what to do (wear blue) and when to do it (check the dates). I aimed for a design with lots of energy & overlapping elements to engage even the most casual of fans, while also including some Easter eggs for the die-hards out there that have Bob Hamelin tattoos or know how many gallons of water the fountains hold at the K. Easter eggs like: the lemonade cup that says WOO! on it and, yes, that is a rally mantis at the bottom wearing a home run celebration gladiator mask. You’re welcome.
Look, we all know the smart thing to do is just wear blue all summer, but if that’s not feasible or is a level of dedication that makes you uncomfortable, then snag one of my posters from the wall of a QuikTrip or Price Chopper. That way, you'll always know when to support the boys by wearing blue this season.
A HUGE thanks to the Royals for having me. Always a joy and literal dream to work together.
Oh, and Happy belated Opening Day to all who celebrate. We’re about to start a 161 game winning streak…
GO ROYALS!
PS: Check out the last slide for a peek at my initial sketch. Most projects evolve quite a bit from the early stages, but this one stayed pretty true to what I envisioned from the get-go.
…the admission’s free.
Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas with those they love and a great 2024 full of rest, change, growth, challenges, laughter, tears, adventures, and everything else that makes your life the miracle that it is.
NEW WORK:
Thundergong! 2023
“We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams”
Year 7 is a wrap! I went for a pinball/arcade vibe for the branding - touching everything from copy (ie, high score=fundraising goals) to merch and even our kickoff song, which had to be "Pinball Wizard”.
There were so many highlights this year, but collaborating with amazing, creative, and generous people always tops my list, and this year was no different.
A major highlight was collaborating with my friend James Ramirez, a former MK12 member, who enlisted another alum, Timmy Fisher, to create our Pinball Wizard kickoff video (see slide 2). I basically gave those guys carte blanche and got out of their way. Many thanks to them for their phenomenal talent and generosity.
We collaborated with Dimensional Innovations again. Those guys are magicians. They created dynamic visuals for each song using my artwork synchronized to the BPM of the music—a remarkable feat in just a few weeks. They even built a WORKING 3D pinball machine based on my artwork, complete with a parking lot dome mirror for a realistic pinball experience (see slide 8). The depth of their contributions deserves its own post, and it's truly a pleasure working with talents like Randall, Chris, & Brandon. Thanks to DI for lending them to us the past two years.
The show wouldn’t have happened without the artists who gave their time and talent to create such a special night. Many thanks go out to Jason, Will, Hannah, Sam, Brendan, Nathaniel, Kevin, and Summer Breeze.
So many others to thank and I’m sure I’m missing several:
Steps Team: Billy, Jim, Marci and Katie
TG! Team: Dustin, Eric, John K, Will, Brittany (and the many others that help throughout the year)
Lastly, endless thanks to everyone who joined us last weekend. This was our biggest year yet, and we can only keep making music, memories, and dreaming bigger dreams because of your support for Steps of Faith and amputees in need.
Photography:
@jasondomingues@adaytoadore
Merch Prod: @seenmerch
Poster Printing: @vahalla
Typefaces:
Rigour by @kylejones
Avant Garde Pro by Herb Lubalin & Tom Carnas
Neuzeit Grotesk by Wilhelm Pischner
NEW WORK
A new one for Wilco! For last night’s show here in KC at the Midland.
Three nuggets of inspiration for this one:
- the song Airline to Heaven - my favorite from the Woody Guthrie sessions with Billy Bragg.
- Howard Hughes’ midcentury TWA building here in KC. Look it up. It has a rocket ship on top of it.
- Vintage airline/travel posters - I love em and they tied the first two ideas together.
The poster itself is a 3-color (blue, red, and black) 18”x24” print on thick French butcher off-white paper.
I’ve got a handful of these and they’re available now in my shop.
