10 great rock posters to buy now*

By now, gig posters—especially those letter-pressed or hand-screened—are more or less a part of the modern design canon. They are often affordable, worthy of custom framing, and fully able to telegraph one’s musical and aesthetic taste in one fell swoop, while also serving as sentimental reminders of great shows enjoyed. There’s no shortage of places to look for them, so we pulled together a survey of some of the best artists and sites (in our humble opinion), along with some of our favorite prints from each. For those about to buy rock posters, we salute you.





1. Hatch Show Print, Nashville, TN
The granddaddy of all gig poster purveyors, Hatch Show Print in Nashville is still the place to go for old-country icons and blues royalty. It’s a family-run venture, and as the web site says, “one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America,” founded in 1879.
Triple Johnny Cash, 14x22 inches, $16




















2. Yee-Haw Industries, Knoxville, TN
Yee-Haw picks up on the block-printed, old-school style of many of Hatch’s text-only prints, applying them to both classic performers (a la Ms. Lynn, at left) and up-and-comers.
Loretta Lynn Tennessee Theatre Poster, letterpress on recycled kraft card stock, $50























3. The Bird Machine, Chicago, IL
Jay Ryan’s posters tend to have lovely, muted (but still rich) colors and lots of animals.
The Books, NYC 05/30/07, 18x24 inches, limited edition of 300 signed, $30


















4. Superkonductor, Chicago, IL
David Head’s style is all over the place, from genteel, scrolling old-fashioned-looking designs to more blocky graphic ones (left). We like them all. (I also love that he has a Bill Callahan poster in his portfolio. My favorite.)
Explosions in the Sky silkscreen print, 19x25 inches, $25 includes shipping
















5. Stiles + Co, Portland, OR
Dan Stiles’ work veers a little darker and more contrast-y than some of the others, but in a really nice way.
Quasi, Wonderland Ballroom April 14, 18x28 inches on kraft paper cover stock, signed edition of 75, $20






















6. The Small Stakes, Oakland, CA
Jason Munn does a lot of brown, tan, beige and black, but isn’t this yellow and gray one nice? It’s too bad it’s sold out, but he has plenty of other posters to fall in love with.
Low 19x25 inch two-color silk screen
















7. Hammer Press, Kansas City, MO
A simple image-focused poster from a typically more words-and-fonts-centric print shop.
Sufjan Stevens No. 2, 13x22.5 inches, $25
























8. Aesthetic Apparatus, Minneapolis, MN
A kind of moody, layered pick from Dan Ibarra & Michael Byzewski’s joint effort.
Sparklehorse w/Jesse Sykes, 18x24 inches, $20


















9. Diana Sudyka, Chicago, IL
Diana’s work has a very storybook-illustration feel to it, and her web site is gorgeous.
Califone “Heron King Blues” poster, limited edition of 175, 18x24 inches, $50 (only one left!)


















10. Gigart, San Francisco, CA
Gregg Gordon’s work is some of the busiest around, but as in the case of the Jenny Lewis poster at left, it can really work.
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, 13x19 inch litho, $30


















*And one great site for checking out lots of them:
11. Gigposters.com
One of the most comprehensive poster sites around, with work by the likes of Lil Tuffy (left), Anthony Dihle (way up top) and literally hundreds of others. Bonus: you can search by band name. The purchase process is a little confusing, though, as not every poster is for sale.
Two Gallants/Vetiver














For more rock-inspired home furnishings, see our post on Drink and Dream window shades.
And for even more posters worth investing in, check out Domino's guide to the arty variety.

What's your most cherished piece of music memorabilia? Tell us in a comment!