Music Industry
My original art school training was in print media, typography, and assembled paper works. I worked at Sony Music, RCA Records, MTV, UMPG Music Group, and more. I was also a roadie on and off for 8 years from 1996 - 2004 for bands including Chemlab, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, Pigface, and Mindless Self Indulgence, plus festival logistics including the early days of Coachella, Burning Man, and many UK/EU music festivals.
Sony Music
I was the art director for the conversion of decades of the back catalog for Sony/Columbia jazz to CD format. I had the privilege of delving into the Sony Music photo archives to find session and year-appropriate photos of the musicians, and at one point, George Avakian, legendary record producer, artist manager, writer, and educator was faxing my home studio with feedback on the accuracy of the photos I selected. I also created supplementary art using my photographs and found objects scanned on a flatbed scanner. I had to meticulously recreate the center labels from vinyl to digital CD labels.
I was the art director for the 4-part documentary series, Music For The Movies (1992), exploring the complex relationship between image and music in cinema, taking audiences behind the scenes to bring the story of movie music to life.
I was the art director for various Sony Music CDs, and created cover and booklet art using a photocopier, tape, glue, and ink (Stompbox), found objects, and original photography (I created the photo for the Ini Kamoze cover art by covering my then-partner’s boots with Sterno and lighting them on fire on my roof).
RCA Records
I was the art director for CD packaging and promotional materials for RCA Records, including these two promotional materials from 1993, where I used a color copier to create the art and used a computer for the typesetting.
MTV Off-Air
I was the art director for the MTV Off-air CD Classic MTV: Class of 1983 (1993) with the theme of “it was fresh then, it’s canned now.” I got to dive into the music video archives of MTV which featured train wrecks of genres: from Krokus to Spandeau Ballet to Billy Joel. I photographed the videos onscreen, then used a color copier to produce the artwork. Computer typesetting was done in Adobe Freehand.
I was the art director for the launch of MTV India in 1995. I learned an important lesson: I wanted to use what I thought was the cool off-register street art but one of the VJs kindly informed me that that wasn’t seen as cool in India. They preferred clean lines and upscale gold accents.
I also did the printed materials for Woodstock ‘94.
UMPG Music Group
I was the art director for this poster and package design for Universal Music Publishing Group’s Sample Sampler, Vol 1 (2002). In addition to the layout, digital collages, and typesetting, I did much of the secondary photography, including photographing bins of records at a local record store and overhead shots of the DJ, who was my housemate at the time.
mobiletechunit
I was a roadie on and off from 1996 - 2004 as a drum technician; also general backline, including guitars, electronics, computer equipment (Mac and PC), stage management, tour operations, personal security, and construction (including carpentry, electrics, and welding).
Bands included Chemlab, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, Pigface, and Mindless Self Indulgence, plus festival logistics including the early days of Coachella, Burning Man, and many UK/EU music festivals.
