...that is, www.Germs4U.com, that GERMS, not any other.

One year ago today, my friend and mentor, Scott Thomas Lowe, passed away.

Back in the 1970s, Scott taught me how to use an airbrush (which is how I made a living for decades and still dabble in), and let me be the drummer in his band, Scott Thomas Lowe & Atascadero.

The original drummer was Dewey Martin, who had been the drummer for Buffalo Springfield around 10 years before he played with Atascadero, and one of the bass players for a time was Jim Fielder of the original lineup of Blood, Sweat and Tears, and who also played with Zappa/Mothers and Buffalo Springfield, so this being the first band I was ever in was a big deal to me.

A few years back, I had recorded his vocal on a song he wrote called "A Leaf On The Wind," but the song was never completed until after he passed. The lyrics are about, well, dying, so I chose this date, 12/16/16, to release the final version of the song on ReverbNation.com.

Scott Thomas Lowe: Lyrics, Vocal
Theo Niessink: Music, Organ, Banjo
A.J. Marik: Guitars, Bass, Producer
Paul Hilton: Pedal Steel Guitar
Me: Drums, Producer. (The drums I used were Dewey's Camco drums when he was in Buffalo Springfield, used on "For What It's Worth" and many other Springfield tunes, which I purchased from Dewey in '78.)

A Leaf On The Wind

World Music For Environmental Consciousness

This isn't my usual preferred musical genre for either performing or listening, but I think that this is one of the best music recordings I have ever heard.

...a 4-color serigraph, is about to be released through Modern Multiples, a Los Angeles based printmaking company founded by the late printmaker/pop/chicano artist Richard Duardo.

A tribute to Richard, the idea for the print is that each artist contributing a design based it on the Modern Multiples logo/chopmark, a French Poodle in silhouette. The edition size was set at 64, to symbolize what would have been Richard's 64th year.

Counting the numbered edition, with 11 more Printer's and Artist's proofs, the total edition size is 75.

Since I am a digital graphics artist and create art for silkscreen prints, I was tasked by Germs to create the art for this print, based on a high-res photo which I selected of one of his paintings. The limit was four colors, and the art had to incorporate the poodle silhouette.

Here is a picture taken this afternoon of Germs signing the completed edition:


(Photo Credit: W. Malone)

Richard was a great guy, he helped many up-and-coming artists over the decades - such as Germs and my own son, who is a painter and printmaker.

Richard was a master printmaker who worked with many notables of the Chicano and Pop Art genres, including, for example, Frank Romero and Banksy.

Richard also co-founded Fatima Records in the late 70s, with L.A. punk rock legend Tito Larriva of the Plugz.

On edit: Here is a jpeg of my digital art the print is made from:

...on Showtime. Pretty interesting and amusing look at the history of the iconic record retailer that started in Sacramento CA in 1960.

Fond memories are being stirred up...the Tower store on the Sunset Strip is the place that sold my - and another-poster-to-this-forum-who-shall-remain-unnamed's - first record release in 1980.

If you happen to see it in the teevee schedule, I highly recommend it.

It's called All Things Must Pass, but it's not about the late former Beatle George.

...I was at the Pasadena (CA) City College flea market today, and Joe was there with his excellent portrait of Bernie.



Oil (or acrylic - not sure) on canvas, January 2016.

Joe is known for doing "tortilla art," check out his web site: http://joebravo.net/

https://www.yahoo.com/music/george-martin-producer-arranger-beatles-dies-90-050701940.html

RIP George.