Return to Woodstock: A 40th Anniversary Celebration with the Creator of the Poster that Rocked a Generation

International Poster Gallery announces an extraordinary event with Arnold Skolnick, designer of the iconic 1969 Woodstock poster, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Woodstock Festival. Mr. Skolnick will be on hand at the Gallery to sign both original Woodstock posters and a new original limited edition poster created by the artist for the 40th anniversary. The new poster is a time capsule in and of itself and cleverly references the original poster as well as the era of psychedelic posters in a modern way.

 

 

 

The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at International Poster Gallery, 205 Newbury Street in Boston, on Thursday, August 6th from 5:00pm to 7:30pm, and will feature a talk by Mr. Skolnick at 6:00pm. RSVPs are requested at Woodstock(at)InternationalPoster(dot)com. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday noon to 6 pm. Call (617) 375-0076 or visit http://www.InternationalPoster.com for information.

 

Skolnick’s Woodstock poster played an essential role in the success of the largest rock festival of the Sixties, an event that was as famous for its freedom from violence as it was for its unparalleled musical line-up. The poster perfectly expressed in one symbol – a dove perched on a guitar – what Woodstock was about. Despite the need for lengthy text, the poster was graphically succinct and struck an enduring chord with a generation and indeed the world.

 

The poster’s text is also a treasure trove of juicy memorabilia – the $18 3-day ticket price, the list of performers from Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, The Band, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joan Baez and many others, as well as “dozens of curious food and fruit combinations to experiment with”.

 

The original poster was no accident. Skolnick was a talented Madison Avenue advertising director and was skilled at hearing what a customer wanted and needed. Mr. Skolnick recalls, “The client said he wanted the event to be ‘peaceful, three days long and a lot of music’ so that’s what I gave him.” His design was the perfect solution to a licensing problem that required the festival to be relocated at the last moment from Walkill to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. The psychedelic and countercultural tone of the aborted venue’s initial poster was replaced by a more subdued and peaceful message so the event would not be banned again– thus creating a unique rock poster for the ages.

 

Jim Lapides, owner of International Poster Gallery, comments: “Little did I know last year that finding some original Woodstock posters would lead to one of the most exciting events anywhere of the 40th Anniversary Woodstock celebration. We have a front row seat to hear how the greatest rock festival came to be from the man who created the ‘face of the event’. I can assure you that Arnold’s insight and homespun sense of humor will make for a very memorable evening.”

 

Last year, International Poster Gallery acquired a small cache of original Woodstock posters. These authentic 1969 posters will be available for signing by Mr. Skolnick at the gallery. The artist has also created a beautifully printed 40th Anniversary silkscreen especially for this event, printed in a limited edition of 285 signed and numbered posters. It is offered at the event for $200 and thereafter for $300. This poster is exclusively available through International Poster Gallery and cannot be acquired elsewhere.

 

In addition to gallery shows and special events, IPG’s award-winning website, http://www.InternationalPoster.com offers the largest, most comprehensive online collection of fine vintage advertising posters in the world. Originally launched in 1998, the site now contains nearly 5,000 images accessible through a powerful search engine.

I’ve got the music in me

 I’m fortunate enough to have been born into a musical family. My father’s mother is a descendant of the opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi. My mother loves Broadway and opera tunes and is always singing around the house. My grandfather was a musician and had his own band. My father tells me that he would perform every Friday night. He also taught piano lessons and even had a stint teaching at Julliard. He was supposed to write songs for Tony Bennett but Bennett changed managers and that was the end of that. I took piano lessons from him when I was a young girl. Unfortunately, I was a stubborn know-it-all who didn’t want to listen to my “old” grandfather. I regret my actions and wish I had embraced his wonderful musicianship. I didn’t realize how talented he was until I was a teenager. I liked popular “Top 40” music, circa mid-1980s. By then I was active in the choir and took voice lessons, which probably suited me better anyway. I went to his house for dinner one time and brought a few song sheets from some of the popular singers at the time. One of them was a song from Lionel Richie called “Hello.” I asked if he would play the song for me so that I may practice singing. He started playing a few bars of it and grimaced. He told me it was absolute garbage and turned the sheet over. He finished the song adding in his own style, and it actually sounded better his way. He never heard the song before yet he could play it after only hearing the first couple of bars. To me, that’s just incredible. I gained a greater appreciation for my grandfather and even more appreciation for music that day. My siblings also influenced my taste for music. I remember borrowing Carole King’s “Tapestry” album from my sister Amy. I listened to that album every day as a kid singing off the top of my lungs. My brother liked rock music so I gained an appreciation for the darker side of music with bands such as Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, and Black Sabbath. My mother encouraged my love for the theatre, and I participated in all the school musicals. After high school, I started dating a guy who was a guitar player and he introduced me to different types of rock music, particularly progressive rock. He didn’t stay for long but my love for the music certainly did. (It’s funny how people come and go yet the affects they have on you are everlasting!) Now, one of my favorite artrock groups is Renaissance, and living in Colorado, I don’t get to Annie Haslam’s shows anymore since she usually performs in the Mid-Atlantic region. I went on to study at the Theatre of Arts in Los Angeles, but grew frustrated of the lifestyle and became home sick. While I was there, I got exposed to the metal side of music and started listening to Guns & Roses and others like them.  I took guitar lessons and actually thought about joining a band. However, I stopped taking lessons. I actually regret doing it and have started tinkering with my guitars again. I’m always humming or singing a tune. I feel free when I listen to songs. My mind wanders and I can be anyone, anywhere. Living in Colorado provides me the opportunity to attend concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which is one of the nicest places to see/hear a concert. Just being out there among the stars and the monoliths listening to my favorite music is awesome!

Beatallica Wants You To Blow Up! Blow Up For The Mystery Tour: New Studio Album From Beatallica, On Oglio Records

Those inglorious bastards, Beatallica, the only rock band in the world legally approved to bash up The Beatles and Metallica into new original masterpieces returns August 4th with the brand  new studio album, Masterful Mystery Tour, on Oglio Records, a Fontana/Universal distributed label. Masterful Mystery Tour is the official follow up to Sgt. Hetfield’s Motorbreath Pub Band, the album that owes its initial legal existence to the coolness that is Lars Ulrich with the official blessing from the Metallica camp. Recorded on the heels of their All You Need Is Blood EP and the Drinkus Maximus World Tour, Beatallica along with their producer and engineer Flemball Rasmartin, have hit their stride for maximum awesomeness, taking their sound to a whole new blistering level.

 

Beatallica’s technically brilliant musicianship and uncanny ability to craft two polar opposites into new unique must hear songs continues to separate them from the pack. Beatallica is Jamyz Lennfield (Vocals/Guitars), Kliff McBurtney (Bass), Ringo Larz (Drums) and introducing the newest member Grg III (Lead Guitar). There is also a first ever guest guitar appearance on four tracks from the one and only Diablo Mysterioso. The first single and video from Masterful Mystery Tour is the blazing “Hero of the Day Tripper”, ripping up Metal Radio right now. Beatallica fans, otherwise known as Beatalli-bangers, are expected to be out in force for the 2009 World Tour that kicks off August 4th.

 

For all things Beatallica including press photos, cover art, lyrics, and tour dates, visit

Oglio.com, (http://www.oglio.com) Beatallica.org (http://www.beatallica.org), Facebook.com/Beatallica (http://www.facebook.com/beatallica) and Myspace.com/Beatallica (http://www.myspace.com/beatallica)

 

Masterful Mystery Tour Track Listing

1) The Battery Of Jaymz And Yoko (4:32)

2) Masterful Mystery Tour (3:27)

3) Fuel On The Hill (3:54)

4) And I’m Evil (2:43)

5) Everybody’s Got A Ticket To Ride Except For Me And My Lightning (4:46)

6) Running For Your Life (3:33)

7) The Thing That Should Not Let it Be (5:04)

Hero Of The Day Tripper (3:22)

9) Got To Get You Trapped Under Ice (2:36)

10) I’ll Just Bleed Your Face (3:12)

11) I Want To Choke Your Band (2:06)

12) Tomorrow Never Comes (3:55)