Red Run Art Series (No Blackout Dates) – Package #11: “Little Dark Age” Tour Stamp ft. MGMT

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 MGMT’s latest full-length offering, Little Dark Age, released on February 9, 2018, via Columbia Records.

About the Painting:
– Many critics have called MGMT’s new album Little Dark Age a return to form of their first album Oracular Spectacular, which generated many hits like “Electric Feel” and “Time to Pretend”. For me, this band has always kept it fresh and ground-breaking across four albums in their songwriting and epic sonic journeys. My favorite album is Congratulations and it still feels ahead of its time. A fluid mix of early Pink Floyd crossed with Kraftwork filtered through your Sega Genesis. I love this new album and I think it brings the best from their early electro/dance/funk and combines with their more Psychedelic/Surf/Introspective feels from Congratulations and their self-titled album. I am so happy to know that Goldwasser and VanWyngarden are writing music together again and touring on the new album. – Damon Kardon

Package #11: “Little Dark Age”:
– Check out Damon’s creative process by scrolling through the photos below.

Tour Dates:

05/04 – DENVER, CO – FILLMORE AUDITORIUM
05/09 – CALGARY, CANADA – BIG FOUR BUILDING
05/11 – VANCOUVER, CANADA – ORPHEUM THEATRE
05/12 – SEATTLE, WA – SHOWBOX
05/13 – SEATTLE, WA – SHOWBOX
05/15 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – WARFIELD THEATRE
05/16 – SANTA ANA, CA – THE OBSERVATORY
05/18 – LOS ANGELES, CA – PALLADIUM
05/19 – SAN DIEGO, CA – SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE
05/20 – TEMPE, AZ – MARQUEE THEATRE
05/22 – SALT LAKE CITY, UT – THE UNION
06/02 – QUERETARO, MEXICO – PULSO GNP
06/17 – DOVER, DE – FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
06/29 – EWIJK, NETHERLANDS – DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
06/30 – LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG – SIRENS CALL 2018
07/04 – PARIS, FRANCE – DAYS OFF FESTIVAL
07/05 – BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – ROCK WERCHTER 2018
07/06 – HÉROUVILLE-SAINT-CLAIR, FRANCE – FESTIVAL BEAUREGARD
07/07 – WERCHTER, BELGIUM – FESTIVALPARK WERCHTER
07/08 – WERCHTER, BELGIUM – FESTIVALPARK WERCHTER
07/09 – LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – SOMERSET HOUSE
07/12 – MADRID, SPAIN – MAD COOL FESTIVAL
07/14 – ALGÉS, PORTUGAL – NOS ALIVE
07/17 – MILANO, ITALY – MILANO SUMMER FESTIVAL
07/18 – NYON, SWITZERLAND – PALEO FESTIVAL NYON
07/20 – BYRON BAY NSW, AUSTRALIA – SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS
07/24 – MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FESTIVAL HALL W/FRANZ FERDINAND
07/25 – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – HORDERN PAVILION W/FRANZ FERDINAND
07/28 – YUZAWA, JAPAN – FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL
08/10 – WAYNESVILLE, OH – BELLWETHER MUSIC FESTIVAL
11/13 – PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL – AUDITÓRIO ARAÚJO VIANNA (QUEREMOS!)
11/14 – RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – CIRCO VOADER (QUEREMOS!)
11/15 – SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – POPLOAD FESTIVAL

MGMT’S cover artwork for Little Dark Age:

The Series & Future Artwork:
– Coming up in Package #12… Slayer.
– Previously in Package #10… A Perfect Circle
– Previously in Package #9… Sheer Mag
– Previously in Package #8… Ministry
– Previously in Package #7… Judas Priest
– 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