His music really allows for the psychedelic experience to be explored visually. I really enjoy working with Tipper as my non-Grateful Dead related artist. One of the things I take into consideration when designing visuals for different artists is working with the artist's logo or art surrounding them to create a look that feels correct. What I like about crossing genres is that it keeps me on my toes and allows me to explore several different visual looks, feels and experiences.
What do you like most about crossing genres like this so often? What do you take into consideration when designing visuals for these different artists? Who’s one of your favorite non-Grateful Dead-related bands to work with? You’ve worked with artists such as Tipper, Shpongle, and Beats Antique who encompass many different genres of music. Some of the songs that are my favorites to create visuals to are “The Other One” for improvisational jams and “Brokedown Palace” for lullabies. With the Grateful Dead's songs, they vary from beautiful lullabies to high powered, intense jams so I really get to play with several different feelings of visuals. Photo by Dave Vann Is there a specific Grateful Dead song you especially enjoy adding visuals to? Every year, Dead and Company's lighting director Chris Ragan and I collaborate on bringing in new looks and designs for the show. I keep the collection of work that I have used and keep adding it to every year so the show stays fresh there are over 111 songs on the playlist so it makes it necessary to have a large library of content. Designing visuals for Dead & Company differs from the visuals of my "Drums > Space" Fare Thee Well experience in the way that "Drums > Space" is such a visually stimulating experience, almost overwhelming at times, whereas with the complete show, I get to create different settings for each song. I love exploring and using Grateful Dead related art in the visuals such as Richard Biffle, AJ Masthay, and Michael DuBois to create the journey through the art and telling the story visually as it unfolds musically and lyrically. I enjoy the Grateful Dead's songs because they are stories. What have you enjoyed most about the experience? How has it differed from your experience designing visuals for Fare Thee Well Drums and Space? Do your designs change from tour to tour or do you keep them relatively the same? Since then, you’ve been designing the visuals for Dead & Company. This was a once and a lifetime experience to create visuals for such an iconic band. We were also given some ideas for themes from the band members for each particular night. I recommend Obscura and Android Jones for us to collaborate together on creating live visual content for each individual show. He contacted me about wanting to make "Drums > Space" for the 50th anniversary shows extremely special due to Pete Shapiro, the promoter and owner of The Capitol Theatre and Brooklyn Bowl, requesting Howard to help with this project.
I received a phone call from a good friend, Howard Cohen, that I have worked with for years through Mickey Hart. What was that experience like regarding the creative process? Was it collaborative with members of the band? How did it come to be?
You designed the visuals for "Drums > Space" at the Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well Shows. We had the chance to get to know the amazing and down to earth man behind the multisensory experience! Lucky for us, on December 27 and 29, Johnathan Singer, one of the most exciting visual artists of our time, is bringing his visual experience to The Cap for Oteil Burbridge & Friends. The aesthetics of the live music space itself can be just as important in setting the mood as the music. Today, Singer's wizardry can be experienced with bands and artists like Dead & Company, Tipper, Alex and Allyson Grey, Shpongle, and many more. Remember those jaw-dropping visuals during "Drums > Space" at the Grateful Dead 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well shows? Johnathan Singer was one of the creative minds behind the magic.