Wine & Vinyl Hour with Mayer Hawthorne (11/30/23) #RockVision

Atmosphere - Wetter (Official Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision

 

Theme from "Moonlighting" (Pilot Episode) HQ #RockVisoin

            Kicking off this series of my top five television show theme songs will be this Al Jarreau track done for the hit television show "Moonlighting", starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard.

            Al Jarreau was a great jazz, slash easy listening, slash loungish style singer with just one of the greatest voices you'll ever hear in music.

            Back in the 70's and 80's before Netflix and blogs and the hypermedia that's out nowadays, you had the TV Guide and maybe some newspaper and magazine promo but not to the extent and reach that there is today, so you had to have a way to hook viewers and often, it was the opening theme somg that was used to lure in the numbers.  The more enchanting and enticing the theme song and whatever images used in that opening were, the better chance you had of a show sticking around..  A lot of times, viewers didn't stick around for the show itself.  I know I didn't.  I've never seen an episode of Moonlighting myself.  I wouldn't be opposed to watching it now, but back then, I was just a kid really interested in various types of music.  So very often I would stick around for the music and change the channel soon after.

            These songs really fostered my love of every form of music and helped my songwriting and visual art styles as well.  Music is very inspiring in a number of aspects and it's no wonder a lot of visual artists will have music playing in the background when they're creating and showing their work.  It helps enhance the mood and tone in both regards.

            Simon Thompson

Campus Christy - Very Complex (feat. Piya Malik) [Official Music Video] #PhreshRock #RockVision

 

The New Originals - @my_buttercup_is_broken

 

            In this, the first interview of my 'The New Originals' series, I'm talking to my new good friend Kirsti, a multi-faceted artist who I've had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few months and I'm very happy that she agreed to this because she's been both inspiring and enlightening and I hope she can be the same for you.  

 

@nightlyup

The New Originals @ STArt&Design

♬ original sound - STA&D

@my_buttercup_is_broken @Careen Sent me questions for a long distance interview. This is 1 of 5 #meditate #accidentalart #interview #mybuttercupisbroken ♬ I can't do this (Sped Up) - K3NT4!

@my_buttercup_is_broken Question 2 of the long distance interview with @Careen part 2 of 5. This explores my childhood experiences with at and how that influences my outlook. #interview #mybuttercupisbroken #childhood #art #ephemeral #gender ♬ dance(256762) - TimTaj

@my_buttercup_is_broken Question 3 of a long distance interview with @Careen This question explores how I first found my way to LEGO a a way to create art. Part 3 of 5 - nearly there! 😉 #art #mybuttercup #LEGO #legoart #mybuttercupisbroken #afrofuturism #ekownimako #interview #longdistance ♬ dance(256762) - TimTaj

@my_buttercup_is_broken Q4 of a long distance interview with @Careen this is part 4 of 5 part series. This question brought out what I think of as the real me. #writing #writertok #interview #mybuttercup #mybuttercupisbroken #slessor #poetry #stutter #editing ♬ dance(256762) - TimTaj

            You can check out Kirsti and her videos at her Tik Tok accounts for even more about her talents and new work.

Simon Thompson

Top Five Hip Hop Albums - Enta Da Stage: Black Moon

 

            This is another design I have planned for a future shirt sometime this fall featuring the title of another one of my top five favourite hip-hop albums.  

            Forming this list was trickier than I thought it was going to be because I am a 90's head but I'm hard pressed to remember my absolute favourite songs from that time.  Everyone always goes on about how the music from their youth was the best and we all forget all of that music because it wasn't so much about the music, it was about the time.

            Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting all of these up at the merch shop in the next couple of days.

Simon Thompson.

Bain - "If I Lose You" (Official Visualizer) #PhreshRock #RockVision

Sarah Couch - Flexin' (Official Music Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision

 

Wine & Vinyl Hour with Mayer Hawthorne (10/19/23) #RockVision

            I'm a big fan of Mayer Hawthorne's Wine and Vinyl hour, it's one of the few things in life that really puts me in a good mood and I want to share it with y'all in hope that it'll put you in a good mood as well.

ST.

Incognito - Keep Me In The Dark (Featuring Natalie Duncan) #PhreshRock #RockVision

What Is Your Storm? #RockVision

@staanddco I think the point of riding out a storm is to eventually get to the shore amd discover what is on that land. Its evolution all over again. What will mind evolve into when it’s no longer on rough waters is the question to an answer i think very few of us will ever find out. #motivation #life #artanddesign #art #selflove #storm #healingjourney #dailyvlog #roughwaters ♬ original sound - Simon Thompson

The Streets - Each Day Gives (Official Music Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision

Sarah Couch - What You Said (Official Music Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision

Album Cover Art - Lil' Louis: French Kiss #IntoFreshThings

 

            Once again, going with the minimalist theme, which is just my thing, for this notorious track, Lil' Louis' "French Kiss" to give it the 80's, American Psycho aesthetic that was so prevalent at he time. 

            If you were around house music back in the late 80's, you're gonna be familiar with this club banger that scandalously featured the recording of a live oral sex session.  It was recently sampled most effectively by Lil' Kim on the track she sampled it for "Custom Made".

            I thought it would be cool to use the lips in a special way to symbolize both the parts required in this very special and intimate act in the art of lovemaking to make it a wink to those who both know the track and/or know what the visual means while keeping it mysterious for those too young to be exposed to it.

            It's a great track and I think it's one of my favourite cover designs.

Simon Thompson

Kero Uno - Fuzzy ft. Steven Park (Official Music Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision

Criminology Album Cover Art #IntoFreshThings

 

            Now, there's no way that Al Pacino would ever go for this but if I had ever had the opportunity to create an album cover for this single, this is how I would do it.

            The cover of the album had this colour tone to it so i would keep it the same with the lead single so that the viewer upon seeing it would already be familiar with it.  

            Scarface is not one of my favourite movies.  I, frankly think it's kinda overrated but the cinematography and some of the viusals and the music was very ungangster movie like.  It's a big deal in the hip hop community, more so I think to 90's Hip Hop heads than anyone else in the culture but it's still somewhat iconic just because of the that.

            I think a lot of people would have gone with the final scene where he's in his house and he's got his big machine gun and he's taking on all the intruders but I think that this photo really captures the story of the movie.  

            Whatever your opinion of Tony Montana may be, there's no denying the presence and visual virility of the film.

slug x HEBL x ZooDeVille - Pittsburgh #PhreshRock #RockVision

Night Journal 1 #RockVision

@selfaurelius That What Connections Is All About! Was one of my favourite LONS joints. Anyway, I’m glad i came up with the idea for this beause one of the main things running around in the mond before you go to bed is what you did that day. For some people doing a whole lot of nothing is a great day but for those of us who have placed a sense of urgency on our lives, productivity is a must. And everyone in every field of art feels the same so I hope those of yall struggling will be able to glean some hope and motivation from these videos as time goes on. #knowingthepathandwalkingthepath #freeyourmind #healing #healingjourney #nightjournaling #intofreshthings ♬ original sound - Simon Thompson

4 Profound Truths That Changed My Life

Lee "Scratch" Perry x Bob Riddim "Destiny" (Official Music Video) #PhreshRock #RockVision