I’ve recently created a new shirt inspired by the Phish song Petrichor. The second in my Phish is Metal series, I’m currently taking preorders until 11:59pm on 11/8 (this Tuesday) for a small run that I will be making of the shirt. Done in a death metal style, the shirt features images in the front and back, and will be printed on Fruit of the Loom Heavy Duty cotton shirts. Shirts are available S-XXL and will produced in very limited quantity. Shirts are $24, which includes shipping.
The song Petrichor is the last track off the newest album, Big Boat. A composed, mainly instrumental song, the track clocks in at over 13 minutes and is done in a style reminiscent of their early work. Even more amusing is the definition of petrichor: a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. Of course this song was ripe for the metal treatment!
What started as a shower thought, (What would Phish songs sound like done by a metal band? Is there a Phish metal cover band?) turned into a couple illustrations I ended up doing.
Growing up, it was all punk/metal/hardcore for me. My best friend veered towards Phish in our junior year of high school, but I was reluctant to surrender to the flow. It wasn’t until the summer of 2000, when we both graduated, that I finally got it. Since then, Phish has been a constant in my life, but I haven’t forgotten my roots. To this day, I occasionally still attend a metal show, along with my wife. (The fact that she loves Phish and metal is probably why I married her!)
I’m not sure what inspired the initial sketches, but they happened. I actually find it very humorous, since Phish is often abhorred by many metal fans. (Not all though, as I have met some at quite a few shows).
I enjoyed this project, since I’ve always had a fascination with the logos that metal bands use and the complexity that they employ. It was tricky, since most logos are often unreadable, and I wanted the “Phish” to be noticeable. With the final design, I felt that I managed to get as abstract as I could while making it readable. To the chagrin of most, I only made 3; one each for myself, my wife, and my friend, Jeff, who was the one that introduced me to Phish.
I’ve since been working on a couple other songs that I want to draw in this style. I just finished the Harry Hood, and have been sketching out some other songs, so I definitely will continue working on these, although I have no immediate plans to make shirts (although its possible for the future). I look forward to exploring other styles of metal logos to create new songs, and figuring out which songs are most appropriate for the metal treatment (or least appropriate!) Stay tuned for more!
Not just reading the book, 