A Very Sincere Thanks To All Bidders

I've been using the word "overwhelmed" a lot lately in regards to work, but this morning I would like to use it to express the gratitude we are feeling over the response to the benefit auctions for benefit auctions for Eddie Hrebic's family.

Many, many thanks to everyone who watched, placed a bid, and especially to our 2 winning bidders. We were hoping that the auctions would do well, but I think I can speak for both Jeff and myself and say that we are both overwhelmed by the generosity shown by all.

The ending bids totaledåÊ$3,657.09 for the 5 posters.... again, simply overwhelming.

Thanks again,
Jeff & Judy

Losing Friends--Goodbye, Butch

I received news this morning that one of my oldest and dearest friends passed away while trying to escape from a home fire.

Butch "Four Bears" Chavis was a gifted Lumbee Indian artist and one of my cohorts when I ran around on the Powwow circuit back in the 80's. He was about 15 years older than I and was much like the older brother I never had. I will miss him dearly.

Butch was a huge Allman Bros fan and often toured with the Henry Berry Band out of NC back in the day. HBB played Southern Jam Rock and was a fixture in the Lumbee music community. They were the local Biker band and seeing them was like reliving the glory days of Southern Rock.

I remember days spent with Butch painting, doing beadwork and building dance regalia with ABB jamming in the background. I spent many many days like this. It was a much simplier time in my life when my only deadline was to be at the next show wherever that might have been. Those are the times I look back to when I'm stressed over my day to day exsistance and hectic scheduled I life I lead now. Just getting those images in my head of sitting around a table, being creative and enjoying each others company immensely makes me realize where I have come from and to never forget why I do what I do.

Many times when I was dead broke with not a penny in my pocket, Butch would invite me over to eat and give me a warm place to feel safe. He was my sanctuary, a solid rock of a guy that I could depend on to pick me up, dust me off and send me back into the world a little more secure in my surroundings. He was the one that kept telling me " Bro, someday your going to do something with your art" and I always laughed at him because he could paint circles around me and it was HE and not I, that I thought would make it with their art.

He was with me through a horrible period in my life of losing my fiancee', my business being stolen by a partner and almost going bankrupt. He never let me fall and made sure I came to his home and spent as much time as possible with him if for nothing else to make sure I kept my head on straight and didn't do something stupid. He made me realize that there was more to life that my short sided vision could see. He saw something in me that I didn't even see myself.

I hadn't seen Butch in many years and spoke briefly with him a short time ago when another Native artist friend, Derek Lowry passed away. The three of us were pretty much inseparable back in the mid-80's. Now I'm the only one left of the three and the memories have come flooding back.

The last he and I spoke Butch was very excited I was doing work for the Allman Bros and we talked of someday seeing the band again, just like old times.

I guess the lesson to be learned from all this grief is to never take your close friends for granted. Let them know what the mean to you and the way they make your life full. I never really got to give either of those guys a last big hug and tell them I loved them very, very much, although I'm sure they both knew it, I would have still liked to have done it.

Butch, Derek....I'll miss you brothers. I promise to never let the memories we created fade. You both shaped my life in ways you never could imagined. I credit you both with helping me choose the path I have taken and making me the person I have become.

May the four winds take you home. I will never forget you.

**The painting above was called "Those Eyes" and was one of Butch's favorite pieces of art that I had done. He had a t-shirt with this image that he constantly wore.

King's X CD Cover

I recently completed the CD package design for King's X's upcoming release.

I was turned on to the job by Vince Iwinski, Umphrey's McGee's manager. So Thanks, Vince!

It was a chance for me to pull out all those digital tricks I so infamously used on all that World Wrestling Federation and NHL, NBA, NFL work I did back in the late 90's. The cover illustration has a 'Lords of the Rings" feel to it and I had a blast doing it.

For all those who have not heard or seen King's X, do yourself a favor and check them out. they are one of the most under rated Prog Metal groups out there...and the've been around for years and put on a great live show. I saw the for the first time at Woodstock '94 and they rocked! I look forward to seeing them again on the upcoming tour.

The new material has soaring guitar leads by Ty Tabor and trippy feel to it. Good stuff.

Jeff and Johnny

Aren't we cute?

Expresso Beans Art Guide

EB Art Guide


What can I say about the absolute best poster documentation site on the internet. First let me say it's all FREE!! ...and run by some of the nicest and thorough guys in the poster collecting business. Some sites charge as much as $75 a year to access their database....OUCH! Not EB, it's free to all and everyone is welcome to participate.

EB is a database designed by true poster collectors containing a stunning amount of information on all your favorite artists and bands.

The site not only documents posters, it explains how to keep your collection safe and sound. Lots of framing and matting tips and be sure to check out the forums. There are lots of great framing jobs proudly displayed. It's wonderful as one of the artists doing posters to see such magnificent framing jobs to showcase the prints. The framing costs as much as 10 times the actual retail price of the print!

Drowning Creek is proud to be a part of EB and will be releasing a new EB series print in the very near future. A large portion of the proceeds from sales will go to supporting their site.

We believe in helping the people who support us! So drop by and check them out.

The Dawn and Drew Show! & Distorted View

http://www.dawnanddrew.com/

http://www.distortedview.com/

My new favorite podcasts. It's hard to explain, sorta like sitting around talking with your friends. Radio without boundaries.

Dawn and Drew are two ex-gutterpunks who have bought a farm in Wisconsin. Great casual conversations that cover a wide range of topics from cooties to music.

Distrorted View is a great daily take on the news much like The Daily Show but far more rude. A hilarious look at the weird headlines

Check em out. A whole bunch of cool podcasts are availabe at PodCastAlley.com

Looking for Vintage Vinyl Albums and Discs

Another request...I'm working on some large art projects and I need beat up 12 inch album covers and discs/45s of Hendrix, Sex Pistols, Doors, Joplin, beatles etc. They don't have to be in good shape. They are going to be used in an art installation and used to create a piece, so beat up is good.

I'm willing to trade store credits and posters....jeff@drowningcreek.com

I'll let everybody know what I'm up to as soon as get the materials to construct the first piece. It's gonna be fun!

Looking for Vintage High Times

Ok, so many of you know I've done work for High Times Magazine. I also collect vintage copies. So here's the deal, I'm willing to trade posters or store credits for vintage copies in good condition to fill out my collection. Especially magazines from the 70's and 80's. The earlier the better.

If you have any stashed away, drop me a line at jeff@drowningcreek.com and let's work a trade.

Andy Goldsworthy- Nature Sculptor

I bought a DVD the other day called "Rivers and Tides". It's a documentary about Scottish sculptor/photographer Andy Goldsworthy.

The documentary is an amazing look at the creative process Andy uses to make his unique work. Andy has this ability to take things normally overlooked and turn them into objects of wonder that demand your attention. I was awe struck watching him work.

The DVD shows the whole process, successes and failures. It's heartbreaking to watch Andy work for hours on a delicate sculpture only to have it collapse in his hands. It's this abilty to push his projects to the absolute limits of impossibilty that makes his work so unique and awe inspiring.

I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who loves nature and art. It won't let you down.

Umphrey's McGee GAMH Posters

Umphrey's McGee



Here's a shocker, it seems there are a very limited amount of UM San Fran posters available off the Umphreys.com site. What a score. I had no idea they still had any. Music Today must have found a few on a shelf.

For all those people wanting these...now is your last chance. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. I know we have had a ton of people writing us about them.

This is one of my favorite posters. The guys in the band dropped by the booth at Bonnaroo to say "howdy" and say how much the loved this print. It was cool to get a chance to hang with them again. They are great people.

Look for new Umphrey's prints coming from DCS soon. Dont ask. I can't say when, where or any other incriminating evidence...I plead the 5th.

Allman Brothers Band Fox 2004 Hot'Lanta Poster

Hittin' the Note - Allman Brothers Band
Fox 2004 Hot'Lanta Poster



I just learned that the last few ABB posters from the Fox shows last year have been released on the Hittin' the Note website- I knew they had a few but had no idea when they would be released. These are the last of the breed.

And while you are there get a subscription to Hittin' The Note, one of the best magazines out there on the Jam and Southern Blues Rock scene.

Tell them Drowning Creek Sent you!

10000 Lakes Festival Conscious Alliance Poster

Here is a new piece I just completed for the Conscious Alliance Food Drive Poster Series. It's for the 10000 Lakes Festival on July 22-24 in Minnesota. Drop by with some canned food to donate and pick up a copy.

It is one of the very few all digital psychedelic posters I have done in years. Lots of cool little details to look at. I'ts kind of fun to cut loose in photoshop and do a print I don't really have to worry about printing on a screen printing press.

The guitar is Trey's signature piece formed into a star layered on a background of landscapes and surrounded by a mandala of tadpoles. Stange, yet interesting considering the name of the festival as the main theme

I donated the art for a cause I stand firmly behind. The food and money raised helps Native American communities and food banks across the country.

Justin Baker is a tireless worker and one of the most honorable human beings I've had the pleasure to know and call a friend. Bob Frankel works for Living Tree Paper and is the point man on getting all these posters printed and shipped all over the country tracking Justin down at his many destinations, and that's not an easy job, cause Justin seems to be everywhere at once.

A very special thanks to Justin and Bob for including me in this project. It was an honor being able to help.

The poster is 12x18 and printed in 4 color process on Living Tree Hemp paper.

Notes on the Scene

Advertising Space Still Available for Issue #2!!



Notes on the Scene is a NEW, FREE PUBLICATION about the live music culture and the scene created as a result. The talented writers and visual artists cover festivals, events, news and politics that effect our lives and our culture. Notes will be distributed throughout the east coast live music circuit and select locations around the country and beyond. Their mission is to give our scene a voice, a face, an outlet and much more. Notes is for those of us already in the scene, and those that have yet to understand us. Look for Notes at your favorite festival, or invite us to your local scene. Contribute to our project by submitting stories, ideas, contacts, event dates, or by becoming a distributor. You can also become an advertiser or a sales representative. Contact the fine folk and tell us which Notes on the Scene you would like to contribute. We are everywhere!


Esteemed Editor-at-Large, Matthew Rick

If you managed to pick up one of the 20,000 copies being circulated around the festival scene the early part of this summer, then you already know what an amazing and timely publication Notes is for our current world. If you missed the first, we've got a few copies here at Drowning Creek, just place an order with us & we'll send a copy along with!

Umphey's McGee to Donate Rare Posters for a Special Cause

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 12, 2005, Chicago, ILåÊ - Umphrey‰¥ús McGee announced today a very special auction to benefit the Eddie Hrebic Family Fund. The auction will consist of five highly sought after Umphrey‰¥ús McGee event posters, designed by Jeff Wood of Drowning Creek Studios. The five posters will go up simultaneously as ten day auctions via eBay and will launch Monday, July 18. The auction is officially endorsed by Umphrey‰¥ús McGee with the help of Drowning Creek Studios.

Eddie Hrebic was a friend of Umphrey‰¥ús McGee, who recently died from a sudden pulmonary embolism (blood clot to the lung) at the age of 30.åÊ He leaves behind his wife Melanie and his four month old son, Eddie Hrebic, Jr.åÊ

The five posters, originally numbered and signed by the artist, will be autographed by the members of Umphrey‰¥ús McGee and remarked by Mr. Wood as a special edition, specifically for the auction. As a generous donation to the fund, the winner of each auction item will also receive a signed artist proof of an original Drowning Creek studio print. ‰¥þIt seems like the least we can do to help support this child left behind,‰¥ÿ said Judy Gex of Drowning Creek.åÊ ‰¥þIn these situations, every dime helps.‰¥ÿ

In a statement to announce the auction the Hrebic family shared, ‰¥þEveryone who knew Eddie immediately felt his warmth, sense of humor and positive outlook on life.åÊ He will always be remembered for his amazing musical talents as a singer, drummer, guitarist, and songwriter and for his wide array of other talents. Most of all we'll remember his life and the love he shared with his family, friends and everyone he met.‰¥ÿ

Members of Umphrey‰¥ús McGee stated, ‰¥þWe are always happy to do what we can, when we can. With a little help from our fans and friends, today we have an opportunity to make a difference in one child‰¥ús life. That makes today a success. ‰¥ÿ

Links to the auction will be available through the Umphrey‰¥ús McGee and Drowning Creek websites and are sure to attract serious poster collectors, fans and philanthropists alike.åÊ The poster auctions will be marked as Hrebic Fund auction items and the bidding will start at $ .99 each.

Contacts:

Umphrey䴜s McGee Publicity - Carrie Lombardi at Madison House - Carrie@MHPublicity.com

Umphrey‰¥ús McGee, Inc. -åÊ Scarlet Stever, Special Projects Manager -åÊ Scarlet@Umphreys.comåÊ

Drowning Creek - Judy GexåÊ -åÊ Judy@DrowningCreek.com

##

About Umphrey䴜s McGee:
Every day more and more people are tuning in and turning on to Umphrey‰¥ús McGee, and for good reason. Like true sons of the American midwest, Umphrey's McGee has risen to the upper echelons of the improvisational-rock scene through their seamless compositing of diverse musical influences, from progressive-rock to metal to funk to folk to jazz-fusion to classic song-based rock & roll, all woven together with infectious melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, pristine harmonies, blistering musicianship, and rollicking grooves that keep dem bones a-shaking throughout the course of their patented sonic sagas. For more information, go to www.umphreys.com.åÊ

About Drowning Creek Studios:
Drowning Creek Studio, LLC‰³¢ is a small art studio owned & operated by Jeff Wood, Judy Gex and 3 overworked shop apprentices. DCS creates collectible limited edition event and tour posters, and is among the few studios that designs and prints in-house. Printing primarily on Living Tree Paperå¨ with resin-based, eco-friendly UV inks, DCS has also been a leader in eco-friendly printing for the music industry. No petro-chemical solvents are used in their printing process. The degradable celluloid film positives are generated digitally, so there's no developing chemicals. Biodegradable soy-based Franmar chemicals are used for clean-up and reclaiming needs. Packing materials and boxes are recycled, and waste water is triple-filtered. For more information, go to: www.drowningcreek.com.

Gathering of Nations Poster

Native American Powwow - Gathering of Nations



I was asked to design the poster art for the 2006 Gathering of Nations Powwow in New Mexico. It was an honor seeing as how I worked the Powwow curcuit very heavy back in the mid 80's.

Thanks to Derek for the opportunity of a lifetime. Prints will be avaialable this Fall.

Big Summer Classic Ohio

New poster for the Cleveland (Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio) show available at the show and through BigSummerClassic.com. We will have a limited number available in a few weeks off our site. Sign up on our email list to be notified.

I collaborated with Matt Lukesh of our partner Studio, Seppuku Tattoo on this one. Matt supplied me a choice piece of old school line art for me to colorize and use when I did the poster design

6-7 colors with metallic gold.

Printed on French Speckletone paper.

The Rest of the Promotional Set....

OK, like I promised, I will be adding an option to our web store to purchase the entire set of promotional handbills, bookmarks, and cards we've produced for the summer. The set consists of 12 different pieces, 11 screen printed, and one postcard of the Scarab studio print.



Here's the measuremnets/colors of each item:

Blue/Yellow/Black Combo:
6x22" large handbill
4x14.75" medium handbill
2.5x9.25" bookmark

Pink/Black Combo:
6x22" large handbill
4x14.75" medium handbill
2.5x9" bookmark

Khaki/Black Combo:
6x22" large handbill
4.5x16" medium handbill
6x8" Scarab design

Red/Blue/Black/Gold Combo:
3x11" bookmark

4 Color Process Screen Print:
5.75x22" "Experienced" handbill

4x6" postcard of the Scarab design w/ DCS info on the back side

Sizes are approximate... may be a difference up to a 1/16' either way.

Big Summer Classic Poster Series

åÊBIG 2005 Tour Poster Subscription





This summer the String Cheese Incident will join Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee, New Monsoon and Xavier Rudd for the BIG Summer Classic, this season's BIGGEST touring festival.

The traveling festival, which will launch with two shows at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 2nd and 3rd, will make 14 stops throughout the U.S. during the month of July.

For each of the 14 stops, there will be a limited edition poster created by different artists. Here's a list of the tour dates, and the artists who are creating posters for each date:

July 02 Morrison CO RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE Ames Bros
July 03 Morrison CO RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE Ames Bros
July 07 Sauget (St. Louis) IL GMC STADIUM Jeff Wood
July 08 Schaumburg (Chicago) IL ALEXIAN FIELD Jermaine Rogers
July 09 Schaumburg (Chicago) IL ALEXIAN FIELD Emek
July 10 Indianapolis IN WHITE STATE RIVER PARK (MILITARY PARK) Gary Houston
July 12 Toronto ONT OLYMPIC ISLAND Table2Press
July 15 Richmond VA AMPHITHEATRE AT RICHMOND RACEWAY Harry Rossit & Drowning Creek
July 17 Cuyahoga Falls (Cleveland) OH BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER Jeff Wood
July 19 Rochester NY HIGH FALLS Gary Houston
July 21 Brooklyn NY KEYSPAN PARK Deluxe
July 22 Philadelphia PA FESTIVAL PIER @ PENN'S LANDING Emek
July 23 Mansfield/Boston MA TWEETER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Justin Hampton
July 24 West Haven CT YALE FIELD Jermaine Rogers

There will be 250 posters available at each show, but if you want them all, there is also a åÊsubscription available on the Big Summer Classic web site. Only 50 subscriptions are being sold, and they will include the 14 posters plus other limited edition s/n prints that will only be available to the people who purchase the subs.

The details for the posters above are as follows: The Sauget, IL poster is a collaborative effort between Johnny Thief DiDonna, and Jeff Wood. It's a 6 color screen print using phosphorescent ink in the yellowish areas.... that will glow-in-the-dark!

The bottom poster was airbrushed (the old school way) by artist Harrry Rossit for the Richmond, VA show. Jeff Wood broke the painting down into separations that could be screen printed for Harry, and we printed the poster here at Drowning Creek. The photo does not do the poster justice, as there is much tiny detail in the finished print.

We'll post the next one when it is done!