Quicksilver Messenger Service; Siegal-Schwall Band; Phoenix; Griffin, Rick; Hillyard, Roger; van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: Quicksilver Messenger Service, Siegel-Schwall Band, Phoenix ("Independance," July 4, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14&1/2" x 21&3/4") announcing a concert entitled "Independence" with performances headlined by Quicksilver Messenger Service, along with the (Corky) Siegel-(Jim) Schwall Band (here referred to as Siegal(sic) Schwall) & The Phoenix, during July 4, 1967 (USA Independence Day) at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The legendary American psychedelic artist Rick Griffin (b. Richard Alden Griffin, 1944-1991) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "Rick Griffin" in facsimile hand-calligraphy is found on blank white background just outside elaborate frame-like gold border at lower right near seashell-corner (see image). Credited for "Lights" is "The North American Ibis Alchemical Company," a memorably named incarnation of Roger Hillyard, Ben van Meter & their associates. 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 recently the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & 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 to that of our underground comix from this period), this poster is a first-&-only printing, in which "...more than one gold ink was employed during the press run. The gold varies from near brown to near yellow though none of it is bright gold." King, FD-69-OP-1, pg. 137. In our estimation the color of the image frame on this copy is much closer to gold than yellow, with light brown mixed into background & black borders, details. King writes: "The central image is a shield with an eagle above it. Below the shield is a triangle with an eye in it. The border is elaborately scalloped giving the poster the effect of a corporate bond, in fact, Griffin referred to this poster as his "share." The Family Dog motto "May the Baby Jesus shut your mouth and open your mind" appears on the shield the way national mottos appear on currency. This poster is for a concert which took place on the Fourth of July which led to the pun "Independance" on the word "Independence." (pg. 137) A bold, irreverent-yet-glorious Griffin image from the heart of the "Summer of Love," in its rarest (& only) contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a very venerable artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other eye-popping, mind-boggling posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our sharp & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with mild-to-moderate rubbing, browning & faint creasing almost exclusively at mostly blank white outer border esp. at/near edges & corners (gold frame & image therein are bright & substantially near-mint); very light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners incl. one tiny bump at upper edge near right corner with miniscule loss of surface paper. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Fine - Very Fine. [Item #5787]

Price: $200.00