Psychedelic Rock Band Posters: The Art of the Music

Psychedelic rock band posters were often as trippy as the music they advertised. This visual art form reached its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Psychedelic Rock Band Posters: The Art of the Music

Psychedelic rock band posters were the rage in the 60s and 70s. The artwork was intense, often depicting scenes of drug use, sex, and peace. The colors were bright and often clashed, making the posters pop. The psychedelic movement was all about breaking the rules and being different. Rock band posters were the perfect way to advertise the shows and the bands.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first emerged as “Beatlemania”; as the group’s music grew in sophistication, led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, they came to be perceived as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the counterculture of the 1960s.

Psychedelic rock is a diverse style of rock music inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centred on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music is intended to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs; such as LSD. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which blended elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, jazz, and space rock. They are considered one of the most influential bands of the 20th century. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Grateful Dead’s music has been described as “putting musical adventure above technical ability or formal arrangements”,[1] and “striking a delicate balance between structure and spontaneity”.[2] They often improvised by playing off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses; for example, Jerry Garcia said that he would always try to lead Phil Lesh astray during jams. This led to a number of interesting moments during their live shows.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.

The band consists of Syd Barrett (lead vocals, guitar), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Barrett left the band in 1968 due to mental health problems. Wright also left in 1979, but returned as a session musician and later became a full member again. Waters left the band in 1985.

Pink Floyd are known for their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album covers, and live shows. They have sold over 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2012, they were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Designers

On one side of the rock poster world are the fans – people who love live music and want a tangible memory of the experience. On the other side are the artists – often unemployed and unknown – who, for a fee, will turn a live concert into a work of art. In the middle are the band members, who are usually the ones who commission the poster in the first place.

Stanley Mouse

Stanley Mouse (born October 19, 1940) is an American artist, best known for his iconic work as a psychedelic art designer in the 1960s and 1970s. His most famous images include the skeleton and roses design for the Grateful Dead’s Steal Your Face album cover, the “Angry Young man” portrait of Jimi Hendrix, and the ” flying eyeball” logo for the Mad truckers’ Association. Mouse was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as a member of the group he co-founded, The Pranksters.

Alton Kelley

Alton Kelley (1940 – 2008) was an American artist, best known for his concert posters and psychedelic art. He is also credited with helping to pioneer the use of the “light show” at rock concerts. Kelley was born and raised in Seminole, Texas, and his family moved to San Diego when he was 13 years old. He developed an early interest in art, and began creating paintings and sculptures while still in high school. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, and was stationed in Japan. There he became interested in Japanese woodblock prints, which would later have a significant influence on his own work.

After his discharge from the Air Force, Kelley returned to San Diego, where he met Stanley Mouse. The two men began working together on a series of posters for music concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Their work helped to create the distinctive ” psychedelic” style of the 1960s. In addition to his work with Mouse, Kelley also collaborated with Rick Griffin on a number of occasions. The two men worked together on some of the most iconic concert posters of the era, including those for the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. Kelley’s artwork also appeared on a number of album covers, including those for The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and The Rolling Stones’ “Beggars Banquet.”

Kelley continued to create art until his death in 2008. His work has been exhibited widely, and is held in many public and private collections.

Rick Griffin

Rick Griffin (born Richard A. Griffin; July 18, 1944 – August 18, 1991) was an American artist and one of the original four principle designers of the psychedelic rock poster art style. Griffin was deeply influenced by Surrealism, Egyptian art, and Native American totem pole carvings. After creating some early psychedelic posters in Berkeley in 1964 and working extensively for the rock band the Grateful Dead, Griffin moved to Los Angeles where he did much of his most important work in designing album covers, concert posters and underground comix.

In 1964 following his graduation from San Mateo High School, Rick Griffin went to San Francisco State College on a scholarship to study art. Within months Griffin had dropped out having become disenchanted with the academic atmosphere at the college. After spending some time hitchhiking around Mexico and exploring Central America he returned to Northern California where he met Wavy Gravy (then Hugh Romney) who introduced him to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters with whom he traveled to New York City and then on to La Honda in rural San Mateo County

The Printing Process

Psychedelic rock band posters were often mass-produced by commercial printers who used a lithography process. This printing process uses oil and water to transfer an image from a stone or metal surface to a printing plate. The inks used were usually very vivid and included fluorescent colors.

Screen printing

Screen printing is a printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed.
One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multicoloured image or design.

Offset printing

Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or “offset”) from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat (planographic) image carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area accepts a film of water, keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.

As a result of the growing popularity of desktop publishing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, combined with advancements in digital printing technology (including higher quality and lower cost), offset printing has become less popular for some commercial applications such as office stationery and brochures. Nevertheless, for products where high volume is required such as newspapers, magazines, books,Catalogs ,greeting cards and certain marketing materials, offset printing remains the preferred method.

The Business of Psychedelic Rock Band Posters

Psychedelic rock band posters were created to help promote the music of the 1960s. They are still being used today to sell the music of bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix. These posters are more than just a piece of paper with some colors on it; they are a work of art.

The Fillmore Auditorium

The Fillmore Auditorium was the San Francisco venue that helped launch the psychedelic era of rock and roll. In the early 1960s, Bill Graham was booking bands like the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company to play at his club. The colorful, mind-bending posters designed by artists like Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley to advertise these shows became legendary in their own right, helping to define the look of psychedelia.

Today, these posters are highly sought-after by collectors. Some of them are worth tens of thousands of dollars. But what makes them so valuable?

For one thing, they’re beautiful. The best of them are works of art in their own right, with eye-popping colors and intricate designs that capture the spirit of the times.

But there’s more to it than that. These posters also represent a moment in history when music and popular culture were undergoing a radical transformation. The whole world was changing, and these posters were part of that change.

In a way, they’re like time capsules from another era. They take us back to a time when anything seemed possible and the future was waiting to be created. That’s why they continue to fascinate and inspire us today.

The Avalon Ballroom

The Avalon Ballroom was a dance hall located at 1268 Sutter Street in San Francisco, California, which became famous for its psychedelic rock concerts in the 1960s. The Avalon was founded in 1966 by Chet Helms, former manager of the Grateful Dead, and his business partner Bill Graham. The Avalon became one of the most popular concert venues in San Francisco, hosting acts such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The Avalon also became known for its psychedelic light shows, which were designed by BillHam.

Bill Graham’s Fillmore West

Bill Graham’s Fillmore West was a rock music venue in San Francisco, California, USA. Known during its heyday as “The Fillmore,” it was founded by concert promoter Bill Graham and featured some of the best-known acts in rock music from the late 1960s onwards.

In 1968, Graham took over a previously existing San Francisco music club called the Carousel Ballroom and transformed it into the Fillmore West. The venue quickly became known as “The Fillmore.” It hosted a wide variety of musical acts, including such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and many others.

The Fillmore West was closed in 1971 but reopened briefly in 1972 and 1973. It finally closed its doors for good in February 1971 due to the declining popularity of psychedelic rock and declining attendance at concerts.