0 Bumbershoot Preview: FLATSTOCK 22

Johnny Ramone (Billy Perkins, FLATSTOCK 21)

In my opinion FLATSTOCK is one of the best things about Bumbershoot, besides the music of course. FLATSTOCK is a convention of poster artists dedicated to the promotion of music poster art and design worldwide. It is sponsored by the American Poster Institute, and features the most prominent examples of both established and up-and-coming artists working in the poster art field today. Thousands of concert posters, handbills, flyers and various other kinds of gig art will be on display to the Bumbershoot-going public, all available for viewing and direct purchase from the artists themselves. Cash Only!!

A highlight for this year is the return of Brad Klausen to FLATSTOCK 22. Brad Klausen is of course one half of the Pearl Jam concert poster team, the other half being the Ames Brothers (Jeff Ament’s brother Barry and Colby Schultz). Brad is very popular among poster hungry PJ fans. His appearances at FLATSTOCK are always met with rabid Pearl Jam fans lining up at the gate armed with poster tubes, and as soon as the doors open a mad sprint ensues to lineup at Brad’s table. He always sells his extra Pearl Jam posters at a discount rate and many of them are rare or super expensive if you shop on Ebay. They go extremely fast, and will most likely be totally gone a few hours after doors open on Saturday, so if you are wanting to get in on the Pearl Jam poster action be there early and get ready to run. The convention also will most likely feature talented local poster artist and drummer for Akimbo Nat Damm. He's been there the last few years at least. I have a very nice 3 Inches of Blood poster he did for their record release a couple years ago. He's a very talented individual, so look for his table as well.

Including the 3 Inches of Blood poster, I also have a decent collection of others; that have recently been framed. I have a poster from every Pearl Jam show I’ve seen, but also sweet ones from Queens of the Stone Age, The Murder City Devils, Slayer, Minus the Bear, Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, Sunn O))), and more.

I always look forward to this part of Bumbershoot and probably spend a least a couple hours strolling and analyzing the works of art. It would be very easy to get carried away in there, and so I try to keep my purchases to just one poster. Last year is wasn’t a concert poster that grabbed me but an awesome screen print of Johnny Ramone that now hangs in the entrance of my home.

Pearl Jam: The Gorge '05 (Brad Klausen)

Pearl Jam: Honolulu, HI '06 (Brad Klausen)