STOP PRESS: Vince Ray creates Hot Fender Design

Legendary Guitar Brand Fender commission 'underground' artist Vince Ray to design another limited edition acoustic.

'Non Stop Rock 'n' Roll Voodoo Action!'; a statement on the back of this Vince Ray Voodoo Bucket 300CE, and one that sums up Vince Ray in life and art. Not the first time Vince has worked with this world leading guitar manufacturer, providing designs for T-Shirts and merchandise in the past, but this offer of putting his artwork on a guitar was 'a dream come true'. Vince says "...They were very open minded about the subject matter and gave me a free hand in choosing the theme for the latest model. I've always been a fan of the old delta blues style and wanted to create a design that had that 'wrong side of the tracks' vibe. Inspiration came from all those old blues songs about selling your soul to the devil and dancing the hoochie coo in juke joints, all the good ol' stuff! I've often used the expression 'Rock & Roll Voodoo' as a descriptive subtitle and it seemed very appropriate in this instance". Vince has also put together a fun video with a Fender dreadnought using inspiration from 50's horror B movies.

Rockabilly Riot Stage Sets

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We are very excited to announce the news that Vince Ray's band "The Boneshakers" are supporting Brian Setzer's "Rockabilly Riot" tour at the Manchester Apollo on July 25th. Vince has also created the large scale artwork backdrops that are being used by Brian Setzer on the world tour. They form a visual stunner for the gigs created with Vince's signature retro style.

Vince says of the project: "I've worked for Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats for a good few years now and to have the job of designing the stage set for the latest tour was a blast. Brian has fairly strong ideas of his own about how the stage was to look and chose the basic colour combination of purple and green. The performances required three different backdrops to appear throughout the show. To contrast with the green/purple scheme. I suggested we have a backdrop that would have the feel of an old juke joint. Many of the venues on the tour are very big with a 5000 capacity, so I thought it would be good to have something with a more intimate small club feel which seemed to reflect the roots of the rockabilly music style with rough wooden planking and stenciled cowboy motifs. All this was put together in Photoshop and we were really pleased that it successfully printed on such a large scale! To be invited to open the show in Manchester as Vince Ray and the Boneshakers is a real honour and we're really looking forward to seeing the artwork in action and also being part of the show. "  Get a taste of the action here and here.

Rock 'n' Roll Illustrator

New to the agency this month, but no stranger to the world of illustration is the mighty Vince Ray.

With his irresistible brand of "low brow" Americana graphic poster art, Vince conjures up a retro-world gone weird and wonderful, where horny Elvis devils with hollow-body Gretsch guitars lust after devil pin-ups girls. Vince brings with him a glowing portfolio that includes work for Hard Rock Café, Nintendo, Gretsch Guitars and Pepsi.

Rock and Roll Expressionists

Vince Ray is among the acts showcasing their combined illustration and music skills at the Rock and Roll Expressionists exhibition.

That's right. Illustration meets Rock and Roll head on at the Resistance Gallery where Vince's band will be playing a live set on Tuesday 1st December. Come and rock out at 265 Poyser Street, London E2 9RF.

Moustaches Galore

Getting a handle on moustaches this month is Vince Ray with these fantastic illustrations for a Men’s Fashion Special in the Style Supplement of The Sunday Times.

Vince was asked to take us through the fashions of moustaches with an entertaining take on the 70’s Porn Star, a Thirsty Eyebrow and The Front Row Fashionista. Which one would you be?

Vince Ray's Scrapbook

Graphic artist & illustrator Vince Ray tells of how his Uncle & Denis McLoughlin have influenced him.

Vince Ray's Scrapbook
Vince Ray's portfolio