Alec, Giuli, Artur and Mar overlooking Barcelona; Trixie's limbs; Mr. Pudding.

Life's Work

My motto has always been "think big but work small". I grew up in Washington DC and a good many of its satellite suburbs. I got turned-on to punk rock in middle school, to art in high school, and haven't veered too far from either one since. I played in bands, went to art school, came home and played in more bands. I made records with my friends. I made records for my friends. I booked and performed in small sweaty (or freezing depending on the season) spaces all over the USA and Europe. Along the way I worked night jobs at cool spots like dc space, Dante's and the Black Cat. During the day I played music, stuffed records and tried to make art.

In 1993 I started working part-time at Dischord Records and over time was given the opportunity to turn my dedication to music and art into a full-time career. I've done a lot at the label, including sales and distribution, design, production, and PR management. But I found my groove with website design and production. We've produced good work at the label and I'm proud of it. No bells and whistles, no bullshit. Just clean lines and an innovative approach that lets the content do the talking. In addition to my work at Dischord I also do freelance design and production for a variety of artists, musicians and businesses.

My take on punk rock is that it encourages people to not just think outside the box, but to live outside the box. It's both practical and ideological. I like that. My take on art is that the better artists tend to get bolder and more visionary as they get older. In other words, you're in it for life. I like that even more.

2011

On 2/11/11 Giuli and I welcomed to the world our future bouncer, you may already know him as Mr. Pudding, Marcello (numerologists rejoice!). He weighed in at 9.2 pounds and hasn't looked back. This parenting thing is no joke, and you don't appreciate all 24 hours in a day until you've experienced each and every one of them intimately, but this little man has stolen our hearts and we can't wait to get to know who he's gonna be.

Fugazi Live Series Launches December 1, 2011

I recently launched a major micro-site (major micro?) for Dischord Records, The Fugazi Live Series. This goal of this project was to create a living archive of the Fugazi live experience. The band played over 1000 shows in all 50 states and all over the world. Over 800 of these shows were recorded. The shows are presented complete with concert info, flyers, photos and a digital download that can be purchased for a small fee. This is epic.

The response to the launch of the Live Series has been overwhelming, to say the least. The launch was covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR On Air, NPR Blog Companion Piece, Pitchfork Media, BBC Online, SPIN.com, and Wired Magazine. But most rewarding to me has been the incredibly positive fan reaction, both in the comments sections and in the emails sent to the label. I'm probably jinxing myself but I have never experienced so many people commenting in a public forum without a single bone-headed comment --100 percent positive and constructive. Truly incredible. Special kudos go to Jerrod Blavos who is our developer extraordinaire.

Bits & Pieces

I've been doing ads for the Black Cat nightclub for many years and finally got the call to redesign their website. Some day I'd like to retrofit the site with a CMS for the poor tortured souls who have to update it, but in the meantime let's just appreciate what an app-free website still has to offer.

Medications is one of my favorite bands in DC. I created a new website for them as an excuse to delve into the true meaning of threes and fours.

Lucio Schiavon is a very talented artist/illustrator from Venice (the real one). I created this portfolio site so that he could present his stuff to more people, especially in the USA. Lucio also has an amazing blog, it's in Italian but even if you don't speak the language it is well worth your attention.

alec[at]alecbourgeois.net

Designer/Producer: Fugazi Live Series
Art Directior/Producer: Dischord Records
Designer/Developer: www.blackcatdc.com
Designer/Developer: www.fenwickislandhouse.com
Designer/Developer: www.medicationsband
Designer/Developer: www.lucioschiavon.com

All content © 2012 by Alec Bourgeois