This week’s featured artist is Brian Steely. We came to learn of Brian through our love of live music and the incredible concert posters he has made for bands like Phish, Mumford and Sons, and Widespread Panic. When we learned that he was doing labels and there were for a local CT Brewery, Nod Hill we were beyond excited.
Interviews like this are easy because we both had so much in common that we could have spoken for hours. Brian and I had a lot in common and it felt like we had known each other from seeing each other at different shows of our favorite bands. On top of that, his story and how he got started working with Panic is pretty epic for a variety of reasons but I won’t spoil the surprise for you yet. Music, beer, buds, and bud make up his impressive portfolio and it’s clear to see why people love working with him. As part of that journey and exploration, Brian has developed a style that is truly his own and unique, a monoline style that draws inspiration from hieroglyphics to give it a timeless feel with a modern interpretation. Doing more with less in a sense.
We talk about folks using his work for tattoos, how he gets his clients, what it was like working with Phish (guilty here as I love that band and hearing about their process) and his appreciation for a good beer. This episode would have been perfectly framed in person both of us on a couch listening to a little Cornell ’77 or maybe my favorite Eyes from Without a Net. He has seen Panic way more than me and I have seen Phish more too, but it all made for an unspoken brotherhood in our love for music.
While music is the soundtrack for him and his studio, he takes great pride in his craft and his ability to make each brand and project unique despite not depending on fancy tricks or extra layers. We discover his love of nature and animals and how they consistently appear in his works, which I love. From Minerva to Owls to Eagles and beyond the power of his work has a wonderful ability to do so much with so little, not to mention his comfort with empty space and framing of his work.
All and all a great episode. We also talk about another CT Brewery, Hanging Hills, and the work that he did with their relaunch and rebrand as well as Mocama too and their new labels. He’s a busy dude and we can’t wait to share this one with all of you.