13th Floor Elevators; Moby Grape; Renick, Steve; Hillyard, Roger; van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: 13th Floor Elevators, Moby Grape ("Pyramid Eye," November 11-12, 1966)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1966. First Edition, Third Printing. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14&1/8" x 20") announcing a "Dance Concert" with performances headlined by the 13th Floor Elevators, along with Moby Grape, during November 11-12, 1966 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The American artist Steve Renick (of whom we can find no information & who appears to be known only for this poster) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "- Poster: Steve Renick- (c) Family Dog 1966-" in facsimile squiggles, hand-lettering & numbers is found just below purple lower border of image at mid-right area (see image). Also credited on the poster for "Lights" are Roger Hillyard (here misspelled as "Hilyard") & Ben van Meter. Hillyard (b. 1942) was highly involved with the exemplary psychedelic light shows of this era, later became the proprietor of a popular coffee shop & most lately the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & noted experimental filmmaker at this time, & still engages in cutting-edge creativity as of this writing. According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (which is similar in its depth to that of our underground comix from this period), this copy is a third printing, with "(c) Family Dog Productions, 1725 Washington Street, San Francisco" & "No. 34-3" fine-printed at otherwise blank lower margin. King, FD-34-RP-2, pg. 87 (yes, -2 rather than -3, the first two printings as noted by King were "indistinguishable" & both considered originals- therefore this could almost be considered a second printing). King writes: "The central image is an eye atop a pyramid with curving rays emerging from it. The interest in Masonic symbology showed up in psychedelic posters months before Rick Griffin began focusing on it." (pg. 88) Thus King's dubbing of this poster as "Pyramid Eye" (see the verso of a U.S. Dollar bill). A particularly iconic relic of the early psychedelic era that would come to full fruition the following year during the "Summer of Love," in its third-(per above almost second-) rarest contemporary or near-contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a most respected artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other collectible posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our alert & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively quite very fine condition with only mild rubbing, browning & a few short, faint creases primarily at mostly blank white margins/edges; a hint of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners; one very small area at lower right corner with medium spot-stains. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5386]

Price: $110.00