CD COVERS of 2014

One of the artistic endeavors that both pays my bills and enriches my soul, is working with the many talented musicians that come to me to help create vibrant packaging for their CD and album covers, as well as promotional portraits and images for their websites and press kits. 2014 was a constructive and varied year for these projects, and 2015 looks to be one of many creative collaborations as well. From jazz, to bluegrass and country, from Irish to early classical, a musician’s visual presentation should always tell the story of his or her musical soul. Here are a few of the projects that I both photographed and designed last year. I’m looking forward to reaching out to some different areas of the musical spectrum this year & creating some truly memorable covers- Maybe for YOU!

Springfield Exit on the Patuxent Music label
Frank Wakefield & Red Allen

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2013 END OF THE YEAR CD DESIGN

2013 found me bursting with creative collaborations in the form of many CD package designs and photography. The last few months produced a flurry of activity in both jazz and traditional musical forms, working with some of the finest musicians in the business today.
Here’s one by mandolin player and Patuxent Music label guru, Tom Mindte.
Local multi-reed player Halley Shoenberg
Nate Leath can play just about any style on the fiddle, and does it all well
Some gorgeous Celtic music by the LILT duo
My good friends EKG tearing up some fabulous Latin-flavored piano jazz in this sophomore release, this time with horns
Al Jones, the son of Bill Monroe, doing some hard-core bluegrass! Pass me that moonshine!

Jazz guitarist Paul Wingo, the living embodiment of all things jazz, livening up the legendary club, Blues Alley

THE PHOTONES

Another slow week in the world of paying gigs, so it looks like another round of working out ideas and concepts with the aid of Number 1 son, and the beautiful Rebekah, joining forces as The Photones!- This legendary duo looks as good as they sound, and their string of hits can be heard on juke boxes from Halifax to Salt Lake City, from Leesburg to Silver Spring! Amazing how far a little imagination and the willingness to have a good time visually can transport a concept!

A few simple props and a little attitude goes a long way

The many moods of The Photones

Too Cool for Words- Is that Blind Melon Chitterlings?

A Discography going back for years- Look at that vinyl

Be on the lookout for this amazing duet- Many Thanks to Rebekah & Spencer for being so helpful & patient-Great Job showing how it should be done!

2012 COVER STORY A YEAR IN MUSICAL PACKAGING

Sometimes I have to admit, I’m a lucky guy. Ever since I was a wee lad, all I ever wanted to do was make pictures, to create images. Now, here I am, an ocassionally cranky, bald headed curmudgeon, the mutant love child of Michael Stipe and the Pillsbury Dough Boy, cranking out CD and album covers for a living. 2012 was a good and productive year, with a wide range of musical styles and diverse personalities to collaborate with, and my hope is that 2013 will be no different! Not to complain, but since I am the Cover King, and hopes are that I pass the target number of 300 CDs in print sometime by mid-year, my New Year’s wish is a few more visually daring clients, a couple of really off the wall bands and projects to put me over the top. Maybe some vinyl? Something really, really out there! It will be 2013 you know. So, at year’s end, I want to thank everyone for their support, and the continued opportunity to create, create, create and remember, don’t forget that Image is Everything. (Thanks to Steve for a allowing me to steal a great line)
A great year for Ginny Carr and the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet-
What could be more musically diverse? A Japanese-American bluegrass mandolin player & traditional Sefardic music?
My dear friend, the great N.Y. jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini allowed me to finally do a diner cover- The best of my worlds. ….and a beautiful girl on the cover, too.
You’ll never get the blues by listening to the fabulous Deanna Bogart
Ain’t that Marcy Marxer cute? And she can play ANY stringed instrument. We really groove on tenor guitar around here.
The Stonemans are the keepers of the Traditional Flame