As a kid, Brent Rademaker went to see Rock ‘n’ Roll High School with his older brother and found himself staring at the poster, transfixed.
Amid the cartoon mayhem, The Ramones stand front and center, triumphant, like they were in the film, like they were in the minds of kids who grew up on rock ‘n’ roll.
Flash forward 35 years and Rademaker, best known as frontman for the psychedelic country band Beachwood Sparks, found himself with a new band, a new album and on the phone with William Stout, the artist behind that iconic Rock ‘n’ Roll High School poster. Two days after Rademaker had described the band, their personalities and the sound of the new record, Stout sent back the album cover: a runaway train in the California sunshine, carrying the cartoon version of GospelbeacH on their maiden journey.
The playful tone of the artwork perfectly matches the fun-loving rock ‘n’ roll of GospelbeacH, another in a series of fortunate coincidences that led to the band’s debut record, Pacific Surf Line.
“There’s nothing more fun than sitting there listening to a record and staring at the cover and finding little things. That is the rock ‘n’ roll vibe,” Rademaker says. “As I get older, I just want to connect with fans and people who listen to music the way I connected with music when I was younger.” – READ THE WHOLE INTERVIEW ON THE PASTE SITE