75 AESTHETIC APPARATUS
“Working with First Avenue, a Minneapolis music club, is really, really, really laid back,” emphasizes Michael Byzewski, partner at Aesthetic Apparatus. “We basically choose whatever concerts we want to do posters for and clear it with the venue, who then puts us in contact with the bands’ management or record label to get approval.

“We have a solid track record with First Avenue, so they trust that what we do will be appropriate for the band,” says Byzewski. “It’s basically total artistic freedom … as long as we get the information correct, they’re happy. However, since we typically love the bands that we do posters for, it is important that we do what is right for them and that we convey the right message.” For the Go Team poster Aesthetic Apparatus wanted to push the concept of “team.” They used a found image of a number of kids in a karate class. Aesthetic Apparatus themselves illustrated little drawings of monsters for the poster.

Byzewski says, “The Go Team is an instrumental band that has a sort of cinematic sound that just bleeds fun. They combine so many genres that it’s really hard to pin them down. There wasn’t a simple go-to image or look that could encompass what they do. We ran with the idea of a team of monster karate kids. And really, what else could we do?”

Actually, according to Byzweski, one critic felt the firm could have done more. He explains: “Upon seeing this poster, Art Chantry called us lazy.” Byzewski’s partner at Aesthetic Apparatus, Dan Ibarra, counters with the following revelation, apparently intended to make Byzewski’s alleged laziness seem hard to fathom: “Michael has six toes on his right foot,” Ibarra offers, “that he uses to pick up lost pencils under his desk.” TMI, but a cool poster nonetheless. by Tami Terrell