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...loading graphic design brilliance...
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The Annual Lone Star Music Awards were held this past Sunday at the Texas Music Theater in San Marcus, and Reckless Kelly took home four of the coveted Armadillos: Song of The Year ( for “Good Luck & True Love”), Best Americana/Roots Rock Album, Best Album Art, and Cody nabbed Best Musician. Congratulations, guys. You deserve all of it, and then some. We’re just thrilled that you’ve allowed us to tag along for a while! (more…)
Oh Happy Day!!!! There are no words that can properly express how thrilled we are to have found ourselves as Grammy Nominees for the 2011 Best Recording Package late last night for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards! The amount of ‘happy’ that is floating around this studio is immeasurable. Though, I think that if Sarah keeps on screaming, we’re sure to also be finding ourselves with a noise complaint! ha.
A big (huge) THANK YOU to Reckless Kelly for choosing to collaborate on another album with us and for allowing us to go a little crazy on it….and for being crazy right along with us. It was such a great project to have been a part of – any time we get to work with these guys is an honor, in and of itself! If any of you haven’t gotten your copy of the CD yet – get after it! The packaging is only the wrapping paper for a fabulous album.
And, not to get all super sappy, but a big ol’ thank you to our doting parents, Chuck and Donna Dodds for supplying us with that bucket-o-crayons and an endless supply of artsy-fartsy craft gear … and for instilling in us the belief that we can do anything we set our minds to …We love you!!
We’re up against some pretty heavy hitters in our category – all of whom are more than worthy of the honor. We’re both humbled and thrilled to be counted among them. Check out the full list of nominees at by clicking here.
I suppose this is a good kick in the butt to get us started on completing this website, or at least get a good start on it! We’ll be back with more displays of the packaging design, and updates on the other goings-on for Backstage Design Studio!
In the meantime, hop over to RecklessKelly.com, and get your copy….NOW!!!!
Cheers! Shauna & Sarah
Reckless Kelly has long been one of our favorites…as friends, as colleagues….and of course, as fans. Their debut studio album, “Millican” was our introduction to the whole Texas Music Scene, in general. And, with Sarah going to university at SWT in San Marcos at the time, and me in Kerrville at Schreiner, we met in the middle for many many many a Gruene Hall shows – singing, shouting, dancing….you know, a everything a Reckless Show is. They’re some of our favorite memories….they and their music holds a special place in our hearts, as it should for any true Americana music fan, be they Texan, Idahoan, Californian or, hell, New York-an (yeah, New Yorker just didn’t have the same flow….sorry)!
So, regardless of the fact that we’ve considered these guys friends for years, when they approached us to work on the “Somewhere In Time” album a couple years ago, we were over the moon with excitement, and to our delight, felt at home with the collaboration. Sometimes the designer-musician visions just meld in a way that allows for the creative process to truly flow into a packaging design that both parties can truly be proud of. And we were….very proud of that design, and still are.
When they called several months ago to work on “Good Luck & True Love”, we were, again, completely thrilled, and as before, went a little crazy with the creative train of thought. After the brainstorming session with Willy, Sarah came back with a plan that sounded great, but in the real world seemed completely unattainable in print form. Pulling from the lyrics of the title track:
She was helpless like a fairy tale tied to the tracks
Trying to comment, there was no time to react
Broke her flyin’, I was quick and skilled with the blade
Train whistle blowing as I pulled her away
…the thought was to run with the vintage silent movie damsel-in-distress, train barreling down the tracks, evil villain snickering…..you get the gist. And, then to combine that with a tie-in to the “Good Luck” motif of the fortune wheel and side-show graphic style…..Again, sounds great, but is there a way to pull that off? We hammered it out until we’d found a way to make it happen. A big big BIG shout out to Crystal Clear for working with us to help find solutions and work through all the million different ways to create that hand spinner. Especially to Jim Cocke, who’s dedication to making this do-able was/is the ONLY reason this was even remotely possible. Thank YOU!!!
For those of you silly silly people who don’t own your own copy, yet: 1st: Shame on you! 2nd: Here’s what you’re missing……
Within the cardboard wallet design, the insert acts as a film strip to show the silent movie when pulled through the custom dye-cut sleeve (tube).
Does our hero save the damsel in distress? Well, get out there and get your copy to find out!!!!
Oh yes….the infamous fortune wheel and hand spinner!
Not only can you spin the hand-pointer over the CD to have life’s toughest questions answered, but you can ask Yes/No answers and spin it over the tray to get even more answers!
For those of you that DO have the copy at home….have you found the hidden message? What about the hidden snake? No? I suppose you might need to dig that copy out and find it, eh?
Check back soon for more information, images and fun stuff from Reckless Kelly’s “Good Luck & True Love” – 2011 Grammy Nominee for Best Recording Package
This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark, CD reviewGuy Clark is honoured in a marvellous tribute album featuring Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris
Guy Clark, who celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday, on 6th November 2011, is one of the great storytellers of modern music.
You can tell merely from the queue of country giants who have lined up to record his songs on This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark the esteem in which he is held. There are 30 brilliant tracks from, among others, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Rodney Crowell and Robert Earl Keen. It’s like a who’s who of country music.
And what quality songs they have to work with. Clark is a musical poet. His craggy, sparse songs – less is always more with Clark – are deceptively simple but deeply moving.
Clark, whose early songs such as Desperadoes Waiting For A Trainwere set in Monahans, Texas, where he grew up, has described the feeling of “exhilaration” when you know you have written a great song. “It’s like being like on Cloud Nine,” he said once. Desperadoes is a tour-de-force and it’s no surprise that it fell to Willie Nelson to record that song. If anyone can summon up the right voice for an epic old desperado, it is Nelson.
It isn’t often that you have the opportunity to work on a project for such an amazing artist as Guy Clark, let alone the who’s who list of our heroes involved on this amazing project. Sarah and I have been humbled by the incredible talent behind “This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark” and immeasurably proud to have been asked to create the record packaging design for it.
Due to be released later this year, the 2-CD compilation album features more icons than you can shake a stick at: Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Shawn Camp, Ron Sexsmith, Rosanne Cash, Rosie Flores, Kevin Welch, Suzy Bogguss, Ray Wylie Hubbard, John Townes Van Zandt II, Ramblin Jack Elliott, James McMurtry, Hayes Carll, Joe Ely, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Steve Earle, Veron Thompson, Terri Hendrix, Radney Foster, Patty Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Nicholson, Darrell Scott, Tim O’Brien, Jack Ingram, Vince Gill, Robert Earle Keen, Terry Allen, The Trishas, Jerry Jeff Walker
Really…..Somebody pinch me!
