Red Run Art Series (No Blackout Dates) – Package #7: “Firepower” Tour Stamp ft. Judas Priest

Series Overview:
– Red Run Art Series (No Blackout Dates) is a mixed-media series by artist Damon Kardon created to celebrate the traveling circus that is the music tour. He has various bands and solo artists whose music and words have influenced him and his art over the years. He set out to encapsulate in these works everything that a band or artist puts forth with a new album and accompanying tour. What better way to convey the creativity and excitement of travel than in a postage stamp representing this new voyage?

“Red Run” is a postage term describing an assignment to handle registered mail and “Blackout Dates” a travel term meaning no time off from travel. These terms represent to Damon, a clear vision each band or artist delivers in their new album and then expresses 24/7 in their subsequent tour. Each piece he creates starts with a painted portrait of the band or artist. He then incorporates colors and elements of their new album into the background. Next, he takes that image of the finished painting and digitally alters and adds text through Photoshop.

The text seen on each postage stamp design incorporates new song and album titles as well as the names and dates of the tour. Each completed stamp design is a mixed-media collage representing the artist/band and their music. You shall see a new finished piece featured every week for the entire run of the series. Through their boundless creativity and determination, these artists/bands have put their musical stamp on the world.

Road-Ready Listening:
– Be sure to enhance your viewing/reading experience by streaming Judas Priest’s latest full-length offering, Firepower, released on March 9, 2018, via Columbia Records.

About the Painting:
– I was just listening to their 30th anniversary edition of Turbo and trying to think of another legendary band who has invented such a core metal sound and then went and took risks over their career. This band has been imitated but never duplicated. They are true metal gods and deserve so much recognition for their influence in metal and rock in general. Their style in clothing, stage presence, and their album art defined heavy metal in the 1970s. I saw the video for “Breakin’ the Law” when I was 4 or 5 years old and I’ll never forget it. It is etched in my brain and made me want to be a total badass. They have been doing this since 1969, just released the Turbo 30th anniversary edition, and now have new music with Firepower currently in the billboard top 10 and a new tour; that just says everything. I am honored to be able to paint their portrait and create this special design for this series. – Damon Kardon

Package #7: “Firepower”:
– Check out Damon’s creative process by scrolling through the photos below.

Tour Dates:

03/22 – Uncasville, CO – Mohegan Sun Arena
03/23 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
03/25 – Ottawa, ON – The Arena at TD Place
03/27 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
03/28 – Oshawa, ON – Tribute Communities Centre
03/30 – Orillia, ON – Casino Rama
03/31 – Detroit, MI – Detroit Masonic Temple
04/02 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
04/03 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
04/05 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center
04/06 – Hammond, IN – The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
04/08 – Bloomington, IL – Grossinger Motors Arena
04/10 – Casper, WY – Casper Events Center
04/11 – Loveland, CO – Budweiser Events Center
04/13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
04/15 – Kent, WA – ShoWare Center
04/17 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum
04/19 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/21 – Las Vegas, NV – LAS RAGEOUS FESTIVAL
04/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Microsoft Theater
04/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre
04/26 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
04/28 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
04/29 – Sugarland, TX – Smart Financial Centre
05/01 – San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
05/05 – Mexico, Mexico – Corona Heaven & Hell Festival
06/05 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
06/07 – Hyvinkaa, Finland – Rockfest
06/09 – Norje, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival
06/10 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
06/12 – Pilsen, Czech Republic – Pilsen Homemonitoring (HM) Arena
06/13 – Katowice, Poland – Spodek
06/15 – Gräfenhainichen, Germany – With Full Force
06/17 – Florence, Italy – Firenze Rocks
06/19 – Freiburg, Germany – Sick Arena/Messe
06/20 – Mannheim, Germany – Zelt Festival
06/22 – Clisson, France – Hellfest
06/24 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Metal Meeting
06/26 – Zurich, Switzerland – Samsung Hall
06/28 – Bilbao, Spain – Sala Cubec
06/30 – Madrid, Spain – Download Festival Caja Magica
07/02 – Lisbon, Portugal – Altice Arena
07/05 – Barcelona, Spain – Rock Fest Barcelona
07/19 – Athens, Greece – Rockwave Festival
07/21 – Plovdiv, Bulgaria – Hills of Rock Festival
07/22 – Bucharest, Romania – Romexpo
07/24 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena
07/26 – Tolmin, Slovenia – Metal Days Festival
07/28 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
07/31 – München, Germany – Zenith, die Kulturhalle
08/02 – Wacken, Germany – Wacken Festival
08/06 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013
08/08 – Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle
08/10 – Catton Hall, United Kingdom – BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

Judas Priest’s cover artwork for Firepower:

The Series & Future Artwork:
– Coming up in Package #7… Ministry.
– Previously in Package #6… Arch Enemy
– Previously in Package #5… Run The Jewels
– Previously in Package #4… Corrosion of Conformity
– Previously in Package #3… alt-J
– Previously in Package #2… G-Eazy
– Previously in Package #1… Killswitch Engage