Creative Engine
Rock 'n' roll artist for the working man
By Adam Scoppa |
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Photo by Chris Casella, posters by Mike Martin Mike Martin still remembers the first gig poster he ever created. His materials were few but purposeful: scotch tape, Bazooka Joe bubblegum, and a copy machine. Of course, this was the mid-80s; arguably the golden age of Xeroxed punk rock poster design. Martin's friend's band, Bazooka Joe (natch), took him on tour where he wound up stealing flyers for bands like Agnostic Front and Operation Ivy from venue walls.
"I've still got milk crates full," he said. "That's where the addiction started."
The tatted and accented South Carolina native is now the force behind Engine House 13, the most successful rock poster operation in Columbus. For 10 years, Martin has designed limited-edition silkscreen flyers for artists as disparate as Snoop Dogg, Slayer and Rod Stewart.
The story of how Martin took designing posters from a hobby to a full-fledged enterprise begins about where you'd expect.
"The drawing started in junior high, drawing the Van Halen logo and AC/DC, and, you know, getting reamed out by teachers for drawing on the desks."
Touring frequently with friends' bands afforded Martin the opportunity to make numerous connections, as well as practice his craft. Having mastered the copy machine, he changed his game after becoming intrigued by a screen-printed poster in a beachside rock shop. He promptly purchased his own materials.
"It was basically a kit bought out of the back of a punk rock magazine," Martin said. "And it never seemed to work. Next thing you know, I'm working in a print shop just to learn it."
From there, the side effects of "growing up on a healthy diet of horror comics and hot rods" began to take its toll. Martin's trademark would become an amalgam of all the gloriously trashy hieroglyphs of tattoo-covered rock n' roll: skulls, spades, knives, cars, and scantily-clad pinup girls. Maybe a few robots.
Adhering to the aesthetics of the San Francisco psychedelic poster era, in addition to contemporary styles popularized by Frank Kozik, Martin's bold and colorful designs pay tribute to the artists they represent.
Take, for instance, the truly horrifying zombie used for southern heavy metal band Lamb Of God, or the five-legged dog that adorns a poster for psychedelic smart-alecks Ween. Martin knows that the dynamic of a good rock poster is an appropriate visual extension of the listening experience.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Martin needs a band's music to spark creativity.
"Instead of listening to Slayer, I'll end up throwing in come Johnny Cash or Patsy Cline," he said. "Just something on the polar opposite end of the spectrum. Some days I won't even listen to music. Just silence, other than my dog barking. It always works."
In the beginning, Martin was a one-man show, designing and hand-printing every poster out of his house. If you've been to the Newport or the A&R Bar in the past few years, you've surely noticed these made-from-scratch pieces lining the walls. Eventually, his reputation grew to the point where he was able to use publishers to finish the job.
"It gives me a lot of time to explore other avenues and styles, and spend more time on the art," he said.
Martin's catalogue is so renowned that his work is featured prominently in the collection The Art of Modern Rock alongside many of the artists he admires. He also has an interview segment in American Artifact, a documentary covering the history of rock poster design from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present.
Despite his successes, Martin remains humble.
"I'm the last person on the totem pole that should be reaping any money from this," he explained. "First and foremost these things are to sell tickets. Second of all, the band's got to be pleased as punch. Of course, if the tickets sell, the promoter's happy. Then the fans have to be extremely receptive to it. And then I'm last."
Promowest Productions has been good to Martin with steady and reliable commissions, but the artist dabbles in branding work for companies such as Coors and Adidas from time to time.
"When a corporate giant like that wants to reach out and get themselves some street cred, that's when they get in touch with street artists like myself," Martin said. His consistent projects, in addition to private collectors, keep him living comfortably. Martin maintains that he hasn't really felt the strain of a queasy economy.
"Yeah, money's a little lighter than it was, but I'm not in this business to make money," he stated. "I'm in it because I love music and I just like to be happy. I've worked in art departments for too long with creative directors who don't know their head from a hole in the ground. And eventually I quit. Now, it's about living and being happy and creating art."
Mike Martin's work can be viewed and purchased at www.enginehouse13.com.
Originally Published: July 1, 2010
