One Year Anniversary of “Come to Our Show!” More Than 10,000 views

So, a year ago, I posted Come to Our Show: Punk Show Flyers from D.C. to Down Under, a free ebook of punk show flyers on the site. At the time, though I was very proud of the love and long hours of scanning that I had put into it, I thought it would probably only reach about 100 – 200 nostalgic punk rockers who had once read my ‘zine in the ’90s or had stumbled across the blog during a Google search for old Black Flag flyers.

Well, it took off almost immediately and has been shared via Facebook, Twitter, punk message boards, ‘zine reviews, blogs, and word-of-mouth.

To date, Come to Our Show has been downloaded more than 10,500 times! I’ve seen it shared by members of the bands that inspired the book in the first place (amazing), record labels, and true fans of the music. And it’s been reviewed in at least five languages (English, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish).

Thanks to all of you who have read it, shared it and printed out your favorite flyers!

I am no longer updating the DC Scorpiongirl blog but I keep the site active for people who want to download the book. So, please continue to spread the word to anyone who would be interested. I’d love to keep these flyers in circulation.

Thanks!

–Willona

Classic Video: Genesis – “I Know What I Like”

I have always liked Peter Gabriel. And, I have also always liked Phil Collins, which to me equals Genesis. Now, I’m not talking about “Invincible Touch” and I am certainly not referring to “Sussudio” because THAT is not OK. (And, yes, I know that’s off of No Jacket Required but seriously, let’s never talk about it). What I am talking about is crisp melodies, complex drumming, and some catchy songwriting that warms your heart.

A few years I ago, watching an episode of “Behind the Music,” I felt like the circle of my world was finally complete when I learned that Peter Gabriel had not only once fronted Genesis but that there was a whole wealth of old ass records for me to mine.

Recently, I tried having the argument — classic Genesis is amazing; their geniuses–with my friend but he’s not buying it and doesn’t believe that they were every more than sugary and pleasant. That’s fine. Even at their most basic level, Genesis has always been a band that works its way into your consciousness and stays with you all day. I’m cool with that.

But I know the truth.

The Art of Punk

I posted the article, “The Art of Punk” on the awesome Pink Line Project website.

Here’s an excerpt. You can read the full post here.

“Recently, I posted an ebook of punk show flyers, Come to Our Show, on my blog, DC Scorpiongirl. This was the culmination of a project I had begun in around 2000, while publishing my punk/personal fanzine, Scorpion. I had solicited flyer donations from punks, bands, and record labels around the world with the ambitious idea of printing a book. Time went by; life happened and the flyers ended up in a box at the back of my closet.

A couple of months ago I decided to resurrect the project by making the book a free download for what I thought would be about 75-100 interested readers. I created large, high resolution scans for the people who might recognize their favorite show or band and want to print out the flyer for posterity.

 

Within 4 days the book had been downloaded 4,000 times; then 6,000 times and now after about three weeks, it’s been downloaded more than 7,000 times by people in the U.S. as well as Japan, Colombia, France, and more. The response was so quick and enthusiastic that it got me thinking about the “art” of punk rock.

 

At face value punk show flyers are leaflets that convey basic information: what bands are playing, where, at what time and what it will cost you to enter the show. But there is an artistic style that can be deemed as “punk,” and these flyers share a particular graphic vocabulary.

 

There’s a conversation happening here. Flyer designers were band members, friends of the band, and paid (and unpaid) artists. Some of the flyers are highly stylized, while others are crude collages; but in their own right many still have value, whether it is artistic or purely sentimental.

 

In some ways I think I may have hit the perfect storm with the release of this ebook: people are hungry for images of rebellion.

Read the full post here.

Red Bull Music Academy

Thanks RVA mag for the scoop.

Come to Our Show (ebook) review: “Oui, Oui” says The Drone!

Thank you to The Drone for my first French review. 

Read the full review here. (You can easily translate with Google, Bing, or Yahoo translation tools). 

“Beauté éternelle de la trame Rank Xerox.

Willona M. Sloan, alias DC Scorpion Girl du zine punk féministe Scorpion, vient de mettre en ligne son énorme collection de flyers de concerts punk et hardcore, ramassés et amassés tout autour de Washington mais aussi en Asie, en France, en Amérique du Sud et au Royaume-Uni sur une période de plus de 10 ans.

Collectionneuse compulsive, Sloan avait plus ou moins abandonné un projet de beau livre qui les rassemblerait tous sur papier glacé, mais a vraisemblablement été rattrapée par la nostalgie (et la fièvre partageuse d’internet).”

Photos: DC Record Fair

Ahh, the thrill of the hunt!!! I missed this year’s D.C. Record Fair but here are some artistic photos from the event, posted on the Vinyl District wesbite.

I love the collectors’ deep focus, their sheepish smiles of victory (Score! I totally just got that original pressing of Born to Run for just $4!)

It’s nice to know that even in these downloadable times turntables keep on revolving.

Check out the photos here.

East Village Radio Reviews “Come to Our Show: Punk Show Flyers

I am excited about this positive review of my new ebook, Come to Our Show: Punk Show Flyers from D.C. to Down Under, from East Village Radio (EVR) for two reasons: 1. it’s a great review and 2. I am now tuned into this awesome internet radio station, featuring a great mix of punk, electronic music, ragtime, and metal, prog rock… and more!

Check out the review here.  Listen to EVR’s shows here.

The Reviews Are In: The Flyers Are Taking Flight

Wow! I am truly amazed at the response my ebook, Come to Our Show,  has received  since I posted it on Saturday! Thousands of people have downloaded the book, tweeted it, shared it on Facebook and emailed it to friends. I am so happy. I wanted to share these flyers with collectors and punk fans and the word has been spreading around the globe. I received emails and comments from people all over the world yesterday because they read a review of the book or received the link from a friend. I even did my first press interview! Here’s the link to the Washington City Paper article about Come to Our Show.

Here are some more cool reviews:

A thumbs up from MaximumRockNRoll: here.

The Daily Swarm digs it: here.

Afro Punk gives Come to Our Show the nod: here.

Thanks everyone for checking it out and passing it on! Punk rock!

Free eBook of Punk Show Flyers From Around the World

More than 10 years ago I started collecting punk show flyers because I wanted to publish a book of flyers from the U.S. as well as Africa and Asia and Europe and South America… and everywhere punks were rocking out. But then I lost steam and all those great flyers that people had sent to me were sealed up in a box and stuffed into the back of my closet.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, see fewer shows and am feeling wildly nostalgic. Or maybe it was the realization that I could post an eBook and share these works of art so easily–either way here it finally is!

Come to Our Show features show flyers from D.C. to the O.C.; as well as Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, France, the U.K., Peru, Colombia and more.

“Come to our show!” they pleaded as they handed out flyers, posted them on telephone poles, wheat-pasted them on walls. Here are the flyers from the world’s most pioneering punk bands including Minor Threat, Fugazi, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Brigade, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, A.R.Z. (Peru), Fun People (Argentina), Leek and the Bouncing Souls (South Africa), Scream, Bikini Kill, Los Crudos, The Nation of Ulysses and many more.

There’s so many awesome people who helped me build this collection. So, I would love to get this eBook out to anyone who would enjoy it. Please pass on the link, share it with your friends, put on your old 7″s, pull out those cassette mixtapes and live it up! Print out your favorites and post them in the grey walls of your cubicle. That will show them!

Punk Rock for the Ages. Long live the noise.

Check it out here. 

Some people have been having trouble accessing this huge file so please try the Google doc if you can’t download it: here.

The Listener: Gossip

Last weekend I was doing a Playstation karaoke/dance game with my friend. I couldn’t possibly have done the Gossip song, “Standing in the Way of Control” justice. I downloaded a bunch of Gossip tunes this week. Next time I’ll be ready.