2012 gig posters worthy of your walls
If you don't have the time to make every furnishing in your home a snowflake-grade expression of your individuality but still want a little cool factor, there's one emerging way to stay IKEA but go indie: limited-edition gig posters.
With MTV-sized budgets out and DIY whimsy in, bands are hiring independent designers to promote themselves. This is true with music videos — I have a friend who works at a small laser-etching shop that directed a video for OK Go — and with posters that are screen-printed in small batches by some renowned designers.
If you like The Pixies, you don't have to opt for an album cover on your wall. You can choose a fanciful four-color print, of which only 200 copies can be bought, for their 2010 concert in Kansas City. Chances are you'll be the only person in your ZIP code with it. And it costs just $30.
Boom! Plus-10 hipster experience points!
Sites abound with such posters, and they include Valhalla Studios, Poster Cabaret and gigposters.com. I thought I'd round up 10 standout prints, and to keep things current, I sought out only gig posters from 2012. Here you go (and our apologies if any of these are sold out when you get to them):
Feist, by strawberryluna
Gig posters are often inspired by a theme or concept. Here, the studio captures what it calls "the most beautifully textured voice around" with a plaid tulip in Steeltown gold to mark Feist's show in Pittsburgh. ($25, limited edition of 120)
Radiohead, by Joshua Budich Lending some needed warmth to the band's concert in Switzerland this year. ($30, limited edition of 295)
Mogwai, by Doe Eyed
Reflecting the hard-rock band's "new, mysterious atmosphere." ($25, limited edition of 100)
Fiona Apple, by Zeb Love
The fiery songstress gets toned down with a two-color silkscreen. ($20, limited edition of 128)
Phish, by Spike Press
As with the band, we're guessing this three-color print makes more sense when you're on, um, potato chips. ($50)
The Black Keys, by DKNG
Blast off with the blues rock band's poster for their recent Phoenix gig. ($60, coming soon with a limited edition of 180)
New Order, by Luke Drozd
My favorite band, which I just saw rock the house in Oakland, gets a three-color print emulating its Power, Corruption and Lies album cover. The British designer's site said there were just six copies left at publication time. (40 pounds UK)
Gaslight Anthem, by El Jefe Design via Etsy
The retro-styled rock band gets a retro-styled, four-color print inspired by the song "Here Comes My Man." ($30, six copies left on Etsy)
Hot Chip, by DKNG
I can't think of a better logo for the colorful, 80s-inspired synth band than a Rubik's Cube. ($40, limited edition of 100)
The Kills, by Aesthetic Apparatus
Channeling Poe's raven with a three-color screen print in metallic ink. ($30)
