Higher Ground 10th Anniversary Book

10 years of Higher Ground...thousands of shows...millions of notes...and one Sonic Youth show.

I didn't realize this milestone but I guess Higher Ground is ten years old this year. Considering how clubs come and go, ten years in this business is impressive. It also speaks to some good timing on their part as the concert business has grown significantly over the last decade while the labels have sunk. However, the club's success isn't dumb luck. The fact is that the place would be gone if its owners hadn't had the guts to move into a larger facility following the eminent domain takeover of the original location in Winooski. I'm glad that it appears to have paid off for them.

Part of the book is going to be a display of all the artwork that JDK has done for the various shows held at HG over the years. You can see a lot of the artwork on their site. Sweet posters.

One of the more memorable pieces they did was for the Sonic Youth show in 2007. They basically printed signs that said "Thank you Sonic Youth. You made it OK to:" and had a large blank space where fans could fill in their own thoughts. They then photographed everyone with their signs. Mine is the one on the left (above), Tanner from Aether Everywhere is in the middle and Nick from Angioplasty Media is on the right. You can see the whole series here.

Well, to use the photos in the book, they need signed releases from the folks in the photos. So, take a look at the photos and check to see if you know anyone in the photos. If so, tell them to download the release form here, sign it and get it back to HG ASAP. They are at their deadline.

The bonus is that anyone who signs the release and is used in the book will receive a free copy of the book (normally $29.99). Very kind of them. I would have signed it even without the incentive.

The book will be released on Sep 4 at the South End Art Hop.

Sonic Youth | Purr (acoustic/Mark Goodier version) | Buy