Röckaholics I - 2010-02-20

On February 20, 2010 the first Röckaholics Rock Poster Art Show took place on the shores of Lake Zurich at Villa Rosenmatt, a beautiful 19th century estate in Wädenswil/Zurich, Switzerland. With Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer, Jeral Tidwell and David 'DWITT' Witt a line-up of internationally renowned poster artists hit the stage. One of Guenther Dobrauz-Saldapenna's aims in curating the Röckaholics shows is to present the incredible range of rock poster art and the body of work from this threesome certainly achieves this aim. The show poster was created by Justin Kamerer as a collage using elements from works by all three artists. It was hand-printed at Crackhead Press, Louisville (KY) in a limited edition of 150, numbered and signed by all three artists.
Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer ( *1980 \| Louisville, KY (USA) \| www.angryblue.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna Justin Kamerer obviously has a certain fascination with dark images full of mystical symbols, and this is perfectly in tune with the music of the artists he usually illustrates for, creating concert posters, CD covers and other merchandising. But just like his client list, which stretches all the way from Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Slayer over Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Danzig, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns 'n' Roses to Dinosaur Jr., Genesis, Pink and even... Ashlee Simpson (no kiddin') there is more to his art than just the thrill of a chill running down your spine. He masterfully brings out the darker, different side of images that have been unquestioned in our subconscious for ages, and so inspires us to take a second, deeper look at things to discover what lies behind the obvious. A perfect example is his now famous 'Alice in Wonderland' series of art prints which added a new, scarily fascinating and at the same time liberating dimension to John Tenniel's classic illustrations. This was in the tradition of Gottfried Helnwein's 'Darker Side of Playland' series, which had so effectively unmasked the cuddliness of Disney's plastic world as both covering the ugliness of cold commercial greed and downplaying violence and stereotyping. Angryblue's, silkscreened prints lead us to understand or remember the more complex and sometimes unpleasant truths that Carroll/Dodgson had provided for those inclined to see them. Or maybe they are just a collection of beautifully arranged and meticulously drawn skulls, ravens and eerie girls without eyes. Justin certainly will be the last one to tell you and the first to fool you with a funny comment if you get too close with a serious question. Go figure. (GDS, April 2010) "Röckaholics was another opportunity for an American invasion into a foreign land. We were actually invited on this occasion." Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer (April 13, 2010)
Jeral Tidwell ( *1969 \| Louisville, KY (USA) \| www.humantree.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna Jeral Tidwell is a man of many styles and techniques and certainly a master of all of them. With his roots in kustom kulture pinstriping/hot rod art, airbrush and body painting as well as of course screen-printing, his rock posters, art prints and fine art acrylic paintings are easily recognizable by their exact line-work, their honest rock 'n' roll feeling and their love for detail built on a lifetime of experience. If his 'Broken' art print tells of one too many broken bones from riding a board, bike or motorcycle just a little too hard you can be sure that it is based on firsthand experience. If his posters display engine parts or have the insignia of hot rod culture cunningly worked into them like his 'Virgin Mary' it is obvious that he not only is part of that scene but helped to shape and enrich its essential imaginary. As outspoken as Jeral is as a person as in-the-moment and sometimes even in-your-face is his art. For sure not for the faint of heart but neither are his full sleeve tattoos or V8 cars. To date Jeral has lent his talent to the creation of concert posters for such well-known music acts as Clutch, Chris Isaak, Dave Matthews Band, Deftones, Electric 6, Fall Out Boy, Fiona Apple, Foo Fighters, H.I.M., Kid Rock, Lil' Wayne, Lucinda Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Melvins, Ministry, Queens Of The Stone Age, Rusted Root, Sheryl Crow, Soulfly, The Decemberists, The Reverend Horton Heat, Snoop Dog, Widespread Panic, Wolfmother and Umphrey's McGee. Jeral has over the years also collaborated with a number of famous other artists and studios. This has usually resulted in breathtaking pieces of art. One great example is the 'BirdAlchemy' drawing and print he created together with Angryblue. This unique piece was created by passing a piece of illustration board back and forth over a few days while working in the studio. It came together in a most organic fashion as they simply drew right over each others' work until this masterpiece was eventually completed. If you ask me to sum up the Kentucky fried art of Jeral Tidwell in one word, without a doubt it is: "badass". (GDS, April 2010) "... a night that you will not soon forget... unless of course you have a really good therapist." (Jeral Tidwell, December 12, 2009)
David 'DWITT' Witt ( *1975 \| Minneapolis, MN (USA) \| www.dwitt.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna To quote his webpage: "A veteran of the comic book, rock poster, gallery, bookstore, and even gaming worlds, DWITT might just be the most ubiquitous artist whose name you've never learned." I could not put it any better. The last bit is about to change though... Well versed and active in a broad range of artistic media, the lowest common denominator in DWITT's work is always masterful hand drawing and a unique sense for the essence of things. Over the years, I have seen few images that have so expertly and concisely captured a feeling as his long sold out 'Inspiration Strikes' art print. Everybody who ever felt the power of an idea so strong that you just cannot hold it back, cannot stop to think about it, will surely see what I mean. I sometimes measure the true originality of an artist by the number of completely new concepts, characters, even color effects he or she creates. DWITT seems to be able to produce them on an almost daily basis. His Beanbugs, Ghostbirds and Birdoliths, just to name a few, seem to simply pour out of him only to immediately enter our hearts for good. So again and in his own words: the name's David Witt D-W-I-T-T, for those of you carving it into your desktops. DWITT has so far created more than 400 posters and his œuvre includes gig posters for such well known bands as Megadeth, High On Fire, Dinosaur Jr., Slipknot, Ben Weaver, The Melvins, Nashville Pussy, Baroness, Slayer, Fantômas, Danzig, Papa Roach, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Decemberists, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Witch but also posters for cult authors such as Chuck Palahniuk ('Fight Club') and Anthony Bourdain. In addition Dave's work can also be rocked out to as the visual accompaniment to so many amateur and virtuoso living-room solos played in Guitar Hero II. (GDS, April 2010) "Rockaholics was an event that brought my work to a part of the world that had never seen anything like it, where it was warmly received, and I had fun the entire time. Without Guenther Dobrauz working as the master of ceremonies bringing everything together, I can imagine it would have been chaos. Zurich is such a beautiful city, I am eager to return and see what Guenther has cooked up for next time Röckaholics!" David 'DWITT' Witt (April 15, 2010) ( ©2010 David 'DWITT' Witt )

On February 20, 2010 the first Röckaholics Rock Poster Art Show took place on the shores of Lake Zurich at Villa Rosenmatt, a beautiful 19th century estate in Wädenswil/Zurich, Switzerland. With Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer, Jeral Tidwell and David 'DWITT' Witt a line-up of internationally renowned poster artists hit the stage. One of Guenther Dobrauz-Saldapenna's aims in curating the Röckaholics shows is to present the incredible range of rock poster art and the body of work from this threesome certainly achieves this aim. The show poster was created by Justin Kamerer as a collage using elements from works by all three artists. It was hand-printed at Crackhead Press, Louisville (KY) in a limited edition of 150, numbered and signed by all three artists.
Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer ( *1980 \| Louisville, KY (USA) \| www.angryblue.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna Justin Kamerer obviously has a certain fascination with dark images full of mystical symbols, and this is perfectly in tune with the music of the artists he usually illustrates for, creating concert posters, CD covers and other merchandising. But just like his client list, which stretches all the way from Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Slayer over Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Danzig, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns 'n' Roses to Dinosaur Jr., Genesis, Pink and even... Ashlee Simpson (no kiddin') there is more to his art than just the thrill of a chill running down your spine. He masterfully brings out the darker, different side of images that have been unquestioned in our subconscious for ages, and so inspires us to take a second, deeper look at things to discover what lies behind the obvious. A perfect example is his now famous 'Alice in Wonderland' series of art prints which added a new, scarily fascinating and at the same time liberating dimension to John Tenniel's classic illustrations. This was in the tradition of Gottfried Helnwein's 'Darker Side of Playland' series, which had so effectively unmasked the cuddliness of Disney's plastic world as both covering the ugliness of cold commercial greed and downplaying violence and stereotyping. Angryblue's, silkscreened prints lead us to understand or remember the more complex and sometimes unpleasant truths that Carroll/Dodgson had provided for those inclined to see them. Or maybe they are just a collection of beautifully arranged and meticulously drawn skulls, ravens and eerie girls without eyes. Justin certainly will be the last one to tell you and the first to fool you with a funny comment if you get too close with a serious question. Go figure. (GDS, April 2010) "Röckaholics was another opportunity for an American invasion into a foreign land. We were actually invited on this occasion." Justin 'Angryblue' Kamerer (April 13, 2010)
Jeral Tidwell ( *1969 \| Louisville, KY (USA) \| www.humantree.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna Jeral Tidwell is a man of many styles and techniques and certainly a master of all of them. With his roots in kustom kulture pinstriping/hot rod art, airbrush and body painting as well as of course screen-printing, his rock posters, art prints and fine art acrylic paintings are easily recognizable by their exact line-work, their honest rock 'n' roll feeling and their love for detail built on a lifetime of experience. If his 'Broken' art print tells of one too many broken bones from riding a board, bike or motorcycle just a little too hard you can be sure that it is based on firsthand experience. If his posters display engine parts or have the insignia of hot rod culture cunningly worked into them like his 'Virgin Mary' it is obvious that he not only is part of that scene but helped to shape and enrich its essential imaginary. As outspoken as Jeral is as a person as in-the-moment and sometimes even in-your-face is his art. For sure not for the faint of heart but neither are his full sleeve tattoos or V8 cars. To date Jeral has lent his talent to the creation of concert posters for such well-known music acts as Clutch, Chris Isaak, Dave Matthews Band, Deftones, Electric 6, Fall Out Boy, Fiona Apple, Foo Fighters, H.I.M., Kid Rock, Lil' Wayne, Lucinda Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Melvins, Ministry, Queens Of The Stone Age, Rusted Root, Sheryl Crow, Soulfly, The Decemberists, The Reverend Horton Heat, Snoop Dog, Widespread Panic, Wolfmother and Umphrey's McGee. Jeral has over the years also collaborated with a number of famous other artists and studios. This has usually resulted in breathtaking pieces of art. One great example is the 'BirdAlchemy' drawing and print he created together with Angryblue. This unique piece was created by passing a piece of illustration board back and forth over a few days while working in the studio. It came together in a most organic fashion as they simply drew right over each others' work until this masterpiece was eventually completed. If you ask me to sum up the Kentucky fried art of Jeral Tidwell in one word, without a doubt it is: "badass". (GDS, April 2010) "... a night that you will not soon forget... unless of course you have a really good therapist." (Jeral Tidwell, December 12, 2009)
David 'DWITT' Witt ( *1975 \| Minneapolis, MN (USA) \| www.dwitt.com ) © G. Dobrauz-Saldapenna To quote his webpage: "A veteran of the comic book, rock poster, gallery, bookstore, and even gaming worlds, DWITT might just be the most ubiquitous artist whose name you've never learned." I could not put it any better. The last bit is about to change though... Well versed and active in a broad range of artistic media, the lowest common denominator in DWITT's work is always masterful hand drawing and a unique sense for the essence of things. Over the years, I have seen few images that have so expertly and concisely captured a feeling as his long sold out 'Inspiration Strikes' art print. Everybody who ever felt the power of an idea so strong that you just cannot hold it back, cannot stop to think about it, will surely see what I mean. I sometimes measure the true originality of an artist by the number of completely new concepts, characters, even color effects he or she creates. DWITT seems to be able to produce them on an almost daily basis. His Beanbugs, Ghostbirds and Birdoliths, just to name a few, seem to simply pour out of him only to immediately enter our hearts for good. So again and in his own words: the name's David Witt D-W-I-T-T, for those of you carving it into your desktops. DWITT has so far created more than 400 posters and his œuvre includes gig posters for such well known bands as Megadeth, High On Fire, Dinosaur Jr., Slipknot, Ben Weaver, The Melvins, Nashville Pussy, Baroness, Slayer, Fantômas, Danzig, Papa Roach, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Decemberists, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Witch but also posters for cult authors such as Chuck Palahniuk ('Fight Club') and Anthony Bourdain. In addition Dave's work can also be rocked out to as the visual accompaniment to so many amateur and virtuoso living-room solos played in Guitar Hero II. (GDS, April 2010) "Rockaholics was an event that brought my work to a part of the world that had never seen anything like it, where it was warmly received, and I had fun the entire time. Without Guenther Dobrauz working as the master of ceremonies bringing everything together, I can imagine it would have been chaos. Zurich is such a beautiful city, I am eager to return and see what Guenther has cooked up for next time Röckaholics!" David 'DWITT' Witt (April 15, 2010) ( ©2010 David 'DWITT' Witt )