The eighth annual California Roots Music and Arts Festival will take place at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center from May 26-28, 2017, which is the same historic location that the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival happened 50 years earlier. Running with the spirit of Bay Area counter culture and activism of that time, the festival worked with Slogan Design to consciously embody the movement visually through artwork, posters, and merchandise.
Dan Sheehan, festival CoProducer states, “2017 celebrates Cali Roots’ eighth year as a festival, but also the fiftieth year of the Monterey International Pop Festival.” He adds, “Many musicians on this year’s lineup are very conscious to the social and political changes happening and give a voice to minorities through their music. That freedom of expression, especially through music and the arts, run parallel to the ‘Summer of Love’ and the Monterey International Pop Festival. We are proud to keep that spirit alive at the same venue by showcasing like-minded artists, environmentally responsible programs, and visually compelling artwork throughout the year. Shaun Logan and Slogan Design did an amazing job capturing that spirit.”
Shaun Logan has been the art director for the California Roots Music & Arts festival since 2013. Shaun, a former tour manager with The Expendables, quickly hit it off with Dan Sheehan and founder Jeff Monser during the band’s debut performance at the fest. From there, Logan wanted to change directions from tour managing and found himself designing for Cali Roots. Each year Logan works with the founders on a concept and he starts from there. Logan elaborates, “Every year designing is like a game to out challenge myself. I like to make sure this one is just as complicated as the last or maybe harder, so I try something new and really try to get out of my box.” Adding, “This year was tough because I was trying to tell more of a story through the three posters that connect and show the countercultural psychedelic artwork and my own style, my influence, while adding a modern touch to it. That was my complete concept for it.”
The design is stunning (http://bit.ly/2mQg8aS) and took inspiration from Logan’s personal playlists (http://spoti.fi/2mrTGCc) and an unconventional approach to keeping things psychedelic with his work. Stating, “While I was traveling I became completely sleep deprived. I was working at night and working on a bunch of stuff, so I became pretty delirious drawing, which helped create the acid feel. I was really happy with the results, so I made sure I didn’t sleep for every poster I created, so that the continuity stayed there. I would sleep for an hour or two here and there, but I was so out of it working in my office, that it gave the effect of the acid trip.”
Logan concludes, “Working with the Cali Roots team is very family oriented and I love that. It's a really good comfort. That's one of the main reasons why I love working with them - to try and challenge myself every year.” Find more info on Slogan Art & Design at http://www.sloganart.com.
FESTIVAL DETAILS:
The 8th Annual California Roots Music & Arts Festival
Dates: Friday, May 26, 2017 – Sunday May 28, 2017
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm PDT
Venue: Monterey County Fair and Event Center
Address: 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey, CA 93940
Admission: Varies
Age restrictions: All Ages
Ticket Link: http://californiarootsfestival.com/tickets
