Better Than Beethoven

Art from Rachel Drew website.

Mixing art with rock and roll is nothing new, but the result will always fascinate some of us. It could be graphic novels about Blondie, David Bowie, or The Beatles; paintings of music icons by artists such as Georgina Flood or Shannon MacDonald; paintings of music icons by music icons such as Ronnie Wood; action figures; or rock star stickers on sites such as Redbubble. I’m always interested in finding something new.

In the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy Van Pelt dismissed Schroeder’s adoration of Beethoven by pointing out the composer had never been on a bubblegum card. That issue could easily be resolved these days by contacting Pop Art Sports Cards (popartsportscards@gmail.com) and custom ordering a baseball card with Beethoven’s likeness on the front and a list of his musical accomplishments on the back. I recently ordered a set of The Hollies that includes a card for each member of the English band circa the mid-1960s, and they’re terrific. I’ve previously ordered cards of Pink Floyd, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Heart, Cheap Trick, The Bangles, and The Kinks.

I messaged Pop Art Sports Cards to see if he’s ever been commissioned to create baseball cards for local bands as a promotional tool, and he responded that he “did a couple cards for a punk band in ’23. They did a great job of including it in their vinyl packaging.” I’m not sure how much it would cost to order a bunch of cards (I ordered a single set of each band I wanted), but it might be worthwhile for acts who have the money. Or just order a set for each band member.

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Rachel Drew has embarked on an ambitious project to promote Old Sky New Song, her album of catchy songs that seamlessly blend folk, rock, and occasionally a bit of funk. Working with artist Mike Stiehl, she’s creating a series of 17.16 in x 11.16 in size colorful bookplate prints on premium matte paper, each inspired by a song on the album. They’re available for $12 each on her website. Rachel Drew has a record release party with special guests The Famous Brothers coming up this Thursday night at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. I’m not sure if she’ll have prints for sale there.