Category: Events

About a week ago Eclipse Records in St. Paul hosted the ZAK SALLY / FEAR of SONG RELEASE / LA MANO BENEFIT SHOW / ZINE BOOK POSTER FEST event. Zak seems to have the predilection for long names and acronyms. This is especially apparent in his musical side project named T.O.G.P.T.F.F.S.O.T.W.O.T.E.R.A.T.S.Y.O.A or Three Old Guys Play The First Five Songs Off The Wipers’ Over The Edge Record And The Song Youth Of America. Anyway it was a pretty fun party. I posted a few pics for posterity, take a look. Check out Zak’s take on the event, plus some video of budding stage talent. I was hoping to hear some of the Fear of Song material played live, but alas, it was not to be. Still, the album is fantastic. Check out a track here and get your self a copy. In the age of the immaterial MP3, it’s nice to see beautifully packaged music. While you’re there check out the rest of the La Mano publications.
I also happened to have my little concert sketchbook and scribbled a few drawings of the action on the stage. Drawing conditions were not ideal which I think is reflected in the drawings. Here they are:

Jim and the French Vanilla (left). Paul Metzger (right) was a revelation!

Skoal Kodiak

Zak Sally

The annual Twin Cities Zine Fest took place little over a couple of weeks ago. Zinefest has been around for a few years, but I’ve only been able to attended over the last couple of years. It’s a small and inexpensive show, but that’s exactly its charm. While the hype from San Diego Comic Con is still smoldering, lets remember that small can be beautiful too. Click on the pic above to see some snaps from the floor.
Sarah Morean, who’s been running the show for the last couple of years, shared some valuable organizing lessons on The Daily Crosshatch.

I’ll be spending much of this weekend hanging out at the Twin Cities Zinefest. Check out the poster. It was designed by Will Dinski and screen printed by Pat Callahan and drawn by me. Come by and say hello. The details are here.

“A Slight Attack of Third Dimentia Brought on by Excessive Study of the Much Talked of Cubist Pictures in the International Exhibition at New York” by John Sloane
The MoCCA Art Festival is upon us again. This year it will take place this weekend at the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street (in New York City of course). It is the very same Armory that in 1913 hosted the legendary Armory Show (aka. International Exhibition of Modern Art) and introduced America to ‘crazy’ new Art from the old continent. I will miss the old Puck building, but somehow this seems appropriate…
I will be tabling with Jon Lewis, Karen Sneider, Derek Van Gieson and Joan Reilly. Also I will be on a ‘panel’ or rather I will converse on stage with Kent Worcester about comics and stuff. The panel is on Sunday, June 7 from 11-11:50 am. More details here. Come by, say hi and see me freeze on stage. It’ll be fun!

Yoshihiro Tatsumi signing A Drifting Life at TCAF
TCAF is easily becoming the best event of it’s kind in North America. I shared a table with Mike Dawson and Brett Von Schlosser. The whole event was pretty much non-stop fun. Highlights:

• Even though I was exhausted from a 17 hour drive, the Concepts in Comics panel I was on with Dash Shaw, Jason Shiga and Scott McCloud (moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos) turned out to be a real pleasure and the discussion went off into interesting territory.
‚Ä¢ Frank Santoro‘s 3 boxes of back issues. Frank continues to champion great largely forgotten and under-appreciated comics. I picked-up some Brendan McCarthy and Shaky Kane comic-books. It’s a reminder of the pleasures of flipping through comics in short box and actually finding something interesting‚Ķ except in Frank’s collection everything was interesting.
‚Ä¢ Dan Nadel‘s portfolio full of amazing Yuichi Yokoyma originals.
‚Ä¢ The Doug Wright Awards were a refreshing change of pace from most award events. Only three prizes were awarded! The rest of the event was given over to a discussions of Doug Wright’s cartoon career, the new D&Q book on that subject and a tribute to Canadian great Jimmy Frise.
‚Ä¢ Josh Cotter’s sketchbook.
• Realizing on the second day that Joe Ollmann was our table neighbor.
‚Ä¢ Alec Longstreth’s amazing/terrifying beard!
‚Ä¢ Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s hat.

Here are a few pictures from the event.

I’ll be at TCAF this weekend. I’m tabling with Mike Dawson and special guest Brett Von Schlosser. I’ll also be on the Concept Comics: Abstract Comics Ideas Panel. Stop by and say hello.

The MOMEntum exhibition is drawing to a close, but before it’s over me and Zak Sally are giving a Gallery Talk about the show. So come to MCAD tonight at 6:30 pm and see me stumble around the gallery trying to sound articulate. Apparently MCAD is holding their annual Mini-Comics Expo at the same time.

A few of my drawings (illustrating some key moments in the history of eye glasses) will be on view at at the Hey, 4-Eyes! show at the CCS gallery in White River Junction, Vermont. Here’s the full details:
Hey, 4-Eyes!
A Glasses-Themed Gallery Show
The Center for Cartoon Studies
94 South Main Street
White River Junction, Vermont
Gallery Hours:
Saturday March 21, 11am-5pm
Saturday March 28, 11am-5pm
First Friday Event April 3, 6pm
The Center for Cartoon Studies is proud to present an exhibition of artwork from Hey, 4-Eyes!, the world’s most popular zine about eyeglasses. CCS will showcase original work by acclaimed artists Jason Lutes (Berlin), Sarah Oleksyk (Ivy), Jim Medway (Shorty Loves Wing Wong), Joseph Lambert (Turtle, Keep it Steady), and many more.
Hey, 4-Eyes! is a self-published journal (otherwise known as a “zine”) dedicated to eyeglasses. Filled with original comics, interviews, history, and keen observations, Hey, 4-Eyes! celebrates the continuing evolution of the accessory you can’t live without.
Please join editor/publisher Robyn Chapman as she debuts the third issue of Hey, Four-Eyes! in conjunction with White River Junction’s First Friday on April 3. This event will include book signings, live readings, and educational slide shows.
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is America’s premiere cartooning school and studio located in the historic village of White River Junction, Vermont. Faculty and visiting artists include many of today’s most celebrated cartoonists. CCS has received national acclaim for its work and prominent mention in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and scores of other publications. For more information, visit http://www.cartoonstudies.org/

At the risk of turning this blog into into an all-MOMEntum-all-the-time-blog, here are some pictures from Friday night’s opening party. I’m still adding descriptions, etc. If you have a Flickr account feel free to comment and help me identify everyone.

Last minute reminder…