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Love, captured on silk screen

Rob Schwager was a bouncer in Chicago when he first saw silk screen concert posters and thought: "I can do that."

By GINA VIVINETTO
Published August 12, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - Artist Rob Schwager grew up on the music of old school punk rock: Social Distortion, Naked Raygun, UK Subs, the Damned and Bad Brains. He also loved comic books and art.

When he landed a gig as a bouncer in 1995 at the Metro in Chicago, Schwager's eye was drawn to the colorful posters advertising concerts all over the venue. These included some by Frank Kozik and other well-known names in the world of concert art.

"I can do that," Schwager remembers thinking.

It wasn't long before Schwager, 38, who lives with his wife, Laura, and daughter Evelyn, 2, in New Port Richey, began designing silk screen concert posters for bands such as the Ramones, the Reverend Horton Heat, Henry Rollins and Social Distortion.

Some of those, including the Rollins poster, ended up in last year's Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion Chronicle $75. Schwager's work has also been featured in The Art of Electric Frankenstein, Panda Meat, and on the Web site www.gigposters.com (His own site is www.robschwager.com.)

Schwager, who earns his living as a freelance comic book artist and a digital painter for Marvel Comics, says his work in the poster world has allowed him some run-ins with rock notables.

"I kinda geeked a bit when I met the Go-Go's," Schwager recalls. "Jane (Wiedlin) was such a sweetie when I asked her to sign my poster. I shot pool for a while with Mike Ness from Social D. I hung with the DGeneration guys. I got a series of long rambling messages on my answering machine from Joey Ramone when I did a poster for him. I wish I would've saved that."

Schwager says it means a lot to musicians that artists spend so much time designing a poster. "They love the fact that you went out of your way to create a one-of-a-kind piece just for them and their show," Schwager says. "They love to hang around and shoot the breeze with you during sound check or after the show. The fact that you cared enough to create artwork for them, for this one show, means a lot to them."

Does designing posters for gigs pay?

"It's lucrative if you have an eye-catching, sellable style, and you do work for bands with a strong following. "

Schwager says he has several friends whose entire livings come from designing concert posters. "They really have to hustle to make a living though."

Also, Schwager has found, it depends on where you live.

Schwager has been doing less poster art since moving to the Tampa Bay area. Instead, he has been concentrating on his paintings and other works and shows in galleries in Tampa and across the country. Venues here aren't interested in his work.

"When I moved (here) a few years ago, I searched out a bunch of venues that booked the kinds of bands that I liked to see," Schwager says. "I looked around this town and almost nobody was doing silk screened concert posters. All you saw, and still continue to see, are those cruddy little Kinko's black & white deals, promoting huge national and international acts. "

"It was like this town has never seen or heard of screen printed concert posters before."

And, Schwager says, it wasn't about money.

"Offering to do a run of posters for free for venues in Tampa hasn't opened any doors either," he says.

"I've been trying for a few years now. Nobody calls or e-mails back. I'm sure they figure, "Why is he willing to do them for free? What's his angle?' " No angle. Just a love for the bands, music and the medium."

[Last modified August 12, 2005, 00:47:15]