Category: Artwork Illustrations

Vanity Fair examines Monkees' cultural impact

8/19/2021

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The Most Influential Pop-Rock Band Ever? The Monkees!

(Artwork by Alex Ross - click the image to order the official lithograph)

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Neko Chohlis looks back on the days of Monkeemania

3/21/2021

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Neko Chohlis first met Micky Dolenz when the two attended college together in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. From that friendship with Micky, Neko became involved in the Monkees project, traveling with the group throughout 1967, and later providing artwork for Monkees albums and picture sleeves (seen below). Today, Neko is known for his work as an abstract artist.

Recently Neko was a guest on Plastic EP Live TV where he gave a fascinating interview that included his recollections of meeting Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Jimi Hendrix while on tour with The Monkees, his dealings with Colgems Records, how Davy Jones befriended Jan Berry (of Jan and Dean fame) after Berry's auto accident, his previously unknown contributions to The Monkees' 1968 single, "D.W. Washburn," and much more!

Read more about Neko Chohlis in the archives of The Monkees Live Almanac

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Cover art and track listing revealed for "Dolenz sings Nesmith" coming this May from 7a Records

3/10/2021

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(Artwork by Tim Johnson from Silver Parrot Creative Services)

7a Records is pleased to announce the release of Dolenz sings Nesmith – Micky Dolenz's first new solo studio album in nine years. The album is comprised of songs Michael Nesmith wrote throughout his career, all beautifully reimagined. Produced by Nesmith's son, Christian Nesmith, this is the album Monkees fans have waited years to hear.

The Album
Dolenz got the idea for the album a long time ago. As Micky says "I think I first mentioned it to Nez years ago, I don’t know where the idea came from, maybe from my friend Harry Nilsson and his Nilsson Sings Newman album. I thought to myself, 'Wow, Dolenz sings Nesmith.'" The new album, which was recorded between September 2020 and February 2021, features songs written throughout Nesmith’s long career, including many from the critically acclaimed Michael Nesmith & The First National Band albums, as well as a few Monkees deep cuts. And who better to produce the album than Nesmith's son, Christian Nesmith, who has done an incredible job in coming up with fresh and completely new arrangements for all of the songs.

The global release date for Dolenz sings Nesmith is May 21, 2021.

(Courtesy of 7a Records)

The Track Listing

Carlisle Wheeling
Different Drum
Don't Wait for Me
Keep On
Marie's Theme
Nine Times Blue
Little Red Rider

Tomorrow and Me
Circle Sky
Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)
Tapioca Tundra
Only Bound
You are My One
Grand Ennui [CD bonus track]

(Courtesy of 7a Records)

Pre-Order Now!

Compact Disc

Amazon

Deep Discount

Autographed Copy

Turquoise Vinyl

Amazon

Deep Discount

Autographed Copy

Dolenz Sings Nesmith rear cover Micky Dolenz

Back cover (Courtesy of 7a Records)

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Newly released book examines Monkees solo efforts

3/18/2020

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In this sequel to Long Title: Looking for the Good Times; Examining the Monkees Songs, One By One, authors Michael A. Ventrella and Mark Arnold look at the careers The Monkees had outside of the TV show and the band: From Micky’s early appearances as "Circus Boy" through Peter’s financial and legal problems to become a respected performer with his band Shoe Suede Blues, to Davy’s frustration with record labels and his many solo albums for his fans, to Michael’s evolution from country rock founder to the creator of MTV and video technology ahead of many others. They look at the various reunion concerts, the movies and plays, and the ups and downs of their varied careers, all with insight and humor.

Below is commentary found on the back cover of Headquartered: A Timeline of the Monkees Solo Years, courtesy of Dean Friedman:

"Some people are so ignorant as to imagine that The Monkees are not a 'real' band. That’s crazy! That’s like saying that lemon meringue pie is not 'real' food. They’re both an inspired synthesis of disparate wholesome, delicious, natural ingredients combined, orchestrated and executed with expert skill and sublime results. What this book makes irrefutably clear is that all four Monkees were consummate professionals – talented musicians and skilled performers, all – producing strong, creative, original, yet inexplicably unheralded, music recordings and video content before, during and after their frenzied 'Monkees' moment. Never underestimate a 'pop star.' There’s always more to them than you could ever imagine. This book proves it. I will always love lemon meringue pie. And I will always love The Monkees."

Purchase Headquartered: A Timeline of the Monkees Solo Years on Amazon

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Michael Nesmith & The First National Band Redux return to the concert stage this October - Tickets on sale Friday, July 26!

7/24/2019

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October 2: Lobero Theatre / Santa Barbara, California
October 3: Largo at the Coronet / Los Angeles, California
October 5: Fremont Theater / San Luis Obispo, California

A pre-sale for the Santa Barbara concert will take place Thursday, July 25. The code for the Lobero Theatre presale is "LEO." The pre-sale begins Thursday, July 25 at 10am PT, and ends at 10pm PT that evening.

Michael Nesmith First National Band Redux October 2019 Tour Poster

(Artwork by Dawn Aquarius & John Sellards / Courtesy of Videoranch)

Andrew Sandoval spoke about the upcoming shows on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

I am proud to present the return of Michael Nesmith & The First National Band to California for a series on concert dates. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing Christian Nesmith @circelink @alexjules Pete Finney, Jonathan Nesmith, Christopher Allis, Jason Chesney & Amy Spear. By the way, the wonderful artwork for this round of dates was done by @dawn_aquarius (& formalized by the excellent John Sellards)! Here are the dates & links: 10/2/19--Santa Barbara, CA-- Lobero Theatre (presale 7/25 password: leo, lobero) https://bit.ly/2JL6pgt 10/3/19--Los Angeles, CA-- The Largo at the Coronet https://bit.ly/32MSWMF 10/5/19--San Luis Obispo, CA-- The Fremont Theatre https://bit.ly/2YuOXFy @nesmithmichael @videoranchofficial @themonkees

A post shared by andrewsandoval (@andrewsandoval) on Jul 24, 2019 at 9:18am PDT

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Enter to win Monkees print by famed artist Alex Ross

7/20/2019

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Artist Alex Ross celebrates The Monkees

6/1/2019

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Alex Ross Art San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Exclusives & Debuts

"Alex Ross’ official Twitter account showed off this lithograph celebrating The Monkees — and while not much information is known right now, we were told that the plan is for it to be a San Diego Comic-Con 2019 exclusive."

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"Pleasant Valley Sunday" crowned winner in the Monkees Music Tournament

5/5/2019

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Throughout the month of April, Vincent Ferrito hosted the Monkees Music Tournament on Facebook. Consisting of 32 songs and multiple rounds of voting, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" ultimately prevailed and was announced as the winner on April 24.

Below are the images used to represent each song in the tournament, and as I told Vincent, I thought it would be nice to preserve his great artwork! You can also click on each image to listen to the track or watch a video for it: