If you were lucky enough to catch a Summer 2006 DMB show, chances are you noticed some good looking art at the merch booth on the way in. The brains behind many recent DMB concert posters are none other than Mark McDevitt and Robert Lee at Atlanta-based Methane Studios, Inc. Mark and Robert have been creating silkscreened concert posters since 1998, and now offer a full line of design services including CD packaging, logo design, t-shirt design, branding and brochures. In addition to the Dave Matthews Band, Methane has worked with such clients as Pearl Jam, Beck, moe., and Wilco - to name a few.

Mark was kind enough to lend a few moments of his time to tell us more about Methane Studios, the creative process, and their connection with the Dave Matthews Band.

You and Robert attended art school together, correct?

That’s correct. We met in 1985-89 at Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio. We were both illustration majors so we were in a lot of classes together and had a lot of the same friends. Plus we all liked to go out and see live music, which being near the Ohio State Campus, there was plenty to see.

“Methane”, eh? Does someone have a flatulence issue? Be honest.

Basically that’s true. We had to ask ourselves what we all had in common and unfortunately we all had the gift of gas, which my sons seem to have inherited. I also wanted something that could sound like a utility company, which I thought might be fun to play around with image wise.

It’s obvious that you have a passion for illustration. For you, is that the most enjoyable part of poster design?

I would have to say seeing a good concept turning into a successful design and having the type and illustration work together.

In terms of poster designers, who are some of your artistic influences?

All over the place really, I like a lot of the artists from the 40’s & 50’s that were creating jazz record covers and the animation from that same era. I collected beer cans when I was a kid growing up in Ohio plus vintage things like the hand painted Mail Pouch Tobacco barns and any old packaging. I also love Norman Rockwell, Picasso, Warhol and Polish posters. I could probably go on and on but you get the idea.

What is one thing everyone should know about silkscreen printing?

After you have your design complete, separating the art is important. You have to have the correct traps, know what the ink is going to do and the proper mesh to burn it on. We started off printing our own posters but had to hire a couple of printers to handle the volume but they are both excellent printers. We use computers a lot for production but I know there are some artists out there who use the older method of hand separating and that can take a lot of time and talent.

Limited edition, signed and numbered prints are a relatively new thing for the Dave Matthews Band. Demand has been greater for your recent tour posters than for those cheesy biscuits at Red Lobster. Are you surprised by the frenzy you’ve created among DMB fans?

Those biscuits are pretty damned good but I’m surprised in a good way. It is amazing to hear how fast these sell out and the prices I have seen on Ebay! We get emails all the time from people searching for extras and the stories about lost posters, waiting too long and then they sell out and wanting something for a special occasion. I wish we could help them out but I always have to let them know that we are not authorized to sell merchandise. Although we sold some extra run off posters of the Red Rocks posters with the bands cooperation and that turned into a frenzy. I’m glad to see the posters selling so well. That means we are doing our job. Hopefully we will be producing posters for years to come.

Take us through the process of creating a concert poster. What is the average time spent on a print, from initial concept to the time the armored trucks deliver them to our grubby little meat hooks?

Getting a good concept is the hardest part. That could happen in a few hours or a few days. Once the sketch is approved it usually takes 4-10 hours to illustrate and design the art. The printing can take 2-3 days depending on the amount of colors and editions of the print. Delivery depends on how close to the schedule we are for the gig. We have personally sped over to the venue and then on the flip side use 3rd day FedEx.

When it comes to posters, does DMB pretty much just let you do your thing, or do they provide “direction”?

They sometimes ask for something specific but most of the time they give us free range which has worked out great for both of us. I think it helps letting us do what we are good at and the results have been the proof. We usually provide about 3-4 sketches for them to look at and most of the time they approve one of those.

Who makes the decision of what a print run will be for a specific show poster?

I think that comes from the good people at Red Star Merchandising.

Many of the 2006 DMB posters were printed 19” x 25” – not what most consider “standard”. Any particular reason you like this size?

We like to use the French Paper Company and that is their poster size so we just kept that consistent even if we use another paper company. We have printed half sheets in the past on certain occasions.

3-4 color prints, 10 or so summer tour posters for DMB, average runs of about 500… all signed and numbered. Is arthritis in your future?

Probably, I’m going to have to train my kids how to become good forgers.

Seems like you’re spreading your wings -- T-shirts… hats…what’s next for Methane?

We have worked on a variety of projects this year. We have created gum and air freshener packaging for Blue Q, designed an on air poster/logo for a Rob Zombie campaign for Turner Classic Movies, DVD packaging for Sony Music for the Traffic tour, the 2007 L.A. Marathon logo and lots of other posters, logos and cd packaging for a variety of clients. It is always interesting to see what lands in our lap next.

Can we expect to see more Methane prints at future DMB shows?

I hope so! 2005 was a good year and 2006 was even better and I think we produced some great work so hopefully 2007 will be even better.

Do you guys like ribs?

I love ribs and beer. If I have a last meal choice you can bet that it would include ribs, baked beans, beer and a milkshake Blizzard for dessert. And you wonder why we are named after a gas?

Thanks again for your time Mark!

Related Links:
Methane Studios, Inc.
MySpace - Methane Studios
DMB Posters on Ebay
Methane Studios Prints on Ebay
Official DMB Posters for sale