Portland Poster Pole

I was cropping some pictures I took at the 2008 Portland “Art of Musical Maintenance” and the intrinsic contradiction of the concert poster scene hit me. Although these posters are creative and express a certain aesthetic ideal, at the heart of it, they are just advertisements like all others.  Just commercial messages at the core.

The debate over this goes back to beginning of posters as an advertising medium. Who is to say the glamorous turn of the century Parisian ads by Toulouse Lautrec are not art?  Can commercial images transcend their ultilitarian purpose?

Now some say, the reason a designer will go to the trouble of screenprinting his or her design in a signed and numbered limited edition run is to profit from that print run and gain exposure to their art, Exactly. A commercial message and a commercial imperative for the poster’s creation.

That said, I leave it to you to come to your own conclusion, Commercial ephemera or art?

Or does it even matter, if you like the posters, who cares if art snobs look down their nose at it?

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Erykah Badu promotional poster by Emek

Erykah Badu poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/erykah-badu-freqcontrol-emek.jpg

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2008 Coachella Music Festival poster by Emek

2008 Coachella poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/coachella-08-emek.jpg

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Death Cab For Cutie concert poster by Dan Stiles

Death cab For Cutie poster URL    http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/death-cab-for-cutie-stiles.jpg

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Detroit Cobras by Von Dada,  Tommy “The Hitman Hearns” Baby!

Detroit Cobras poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/detroit-cobras-von-dada.jpg

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Devotchka Concert Poster by Guy Burwell

Devotchka poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/devotchka-burwell.jpg

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Dirtbombs Concert Poster by Von Dada

Dirtbombs poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/dirtbombs-vondada.jpg

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Eagles of Death Metal by Brad Klausen

Eagles of Death Metal poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/eodm-klausen.jpg

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Flogging Molly Poster by Stainboy

Flogging Molly Poster URL     http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/flogging-molly-pinkgreen-stainboy.jpg

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Helms Concert Poster by Dan McCarthy

Helms poster URL    http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/helms-dan-mccarthy.jpg

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Kings of Leon by Tara McPherson

Kings of Leon Poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/kings-of-leon-mcpherson.jpg

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My Morning  Jacket by Guy Burwell

My Morning Jacket Poster URL    http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/my-morning-jacket-burwell.jpg

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Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds by Firehouse

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/nick-Cave-firehouse.jpg

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New York Dolls by Stainboy

New York Dolls Poster URL               http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/ny-dolls-stainboy.jpg

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Pearl Jam by Brad Klausen

Pearl Jam Poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/Pearl-jam-klausen-red.jpg

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Queens of the Stone Age by Justin Hampton

Queens of the Stone Age poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/qotsa-victoria-hampton.jpg

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The Racontuers by Rob Jones

Racontuers poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/racontuers-rob-jones-nashville.jpg

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The Rothbury Music Festival by Emek

Rothbury Festival Poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/rothbury-music-fest-emek.jpg

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Siouxsie  by Emek

Siouxsie poster URL  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/siouxsie-emek.jpg

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Tom Waits by Mig Kokinda

Tom waits poster URL    http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/tom-waits-mig-kokinda.jpg

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TriClops by Howard

TriClops poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/triclops-howard.jpg

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Van Halen 2008 ReUnion by Stainboy

Van Halen Poster URL   http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/van-halen-stainboy.jpg

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Ween by Justin Hampton

Ween Poster URL    http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/ween-skull-hampton.jpg

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Witchcraft by Angry Blue

Link to this Witchcraft poster  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/witchcraft-angryblue.jpg

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Vandals By Adam Turman

Link to this poster     http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/vandals-turman.jpg

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X 2008 Reunion by Von Dada

link to this image  http://portlandposterpole.com/a-jan09/x-detroit-cobras-von-dada.jpg

Picture of the GoodFoot in Portland before the opening of the 2008 “Art of Musical Maintenance” in Portland Oregon.