We’ve just released a new Lonesome Rose T-Shirt Club featuring artwork from Alicia Gaines, grab one before they’re gone! Check out this quick interview with the artist behind the latest design, conducted by LSD art director Drew Ryan.

Photo by Alex Hupp

Hey Alicia what's good?
Oh, trying to make as much design and music as I can, knowing that I can only plan so far ahead. It’s kind of comforting for this control freak knowing none of us know what’s going on. No one is ever really in control, but the universe has showed us all that our plans are fragile and frankly a bit quixotic. You’ve gotta work with that in mind.

You're a musician too (apparently we like to pick musician/designer hybrids for the Lonesome Rose T-Shirt Club)—do you rehearse in the same space where you create visual art?
We have a practice space for the band, but my personal songwriting station is the same as my design desk. It gets a bit crowded with mics, Wacom tablets, etc. but I think of it all as pretty similar work. I often have Ableton and Illustrator open at the same time.

Did music introduce you to graphic design?
Not necessarily, though my appreciation of both grows from their constant interaction in album artwork, music videos, that sort of thing. I think I still have some jewel cases from the early 2000’s memorized because I’d pour over the liner notes’ design and photography.

Most people know you for your design work and your band—i'm not sure that folks know you as a painter. do these three worlds intersect in your mind, or do you keep these practices separate?
To me, design is art in service of a problem. If a design isn’t solving a problem, it’s not design it’s art! It’s a fine distinction, but I think it’s important to apply to something like music. What are you making the soundtrack to?

You can only use 5 typefaces for the rest of your life: what fonts do you choose?
I’d have to go with some classics. Akzidenz Grotesk, Avant Garde, Museo, Cooper, Bookmania

Where'd you grow up? what brought you to Chicago?
I grew up in the suburbs around Portland, Oregon, and came to Chicago at 18 to attend The School of the Art Institute.

First song you learned on bass?
Probably something off Doolittle by the Pixies. I was always into the Kims, Kim Deal and Kim Gordon.

Do you like working on your own band's visual aesthetic? Are they your hardest customer?
Like with most design, I have to be confident about anything I show my bandmates, because they may just pick it. We also keep collective mood board folders, so I try to keep a temperature on where our heads are at.

Ganser gets asked to play a show: any dealbreakers?
Oh yeah, tons. Anywhere that isn’t LGBTQ-friendly, or has a reputation like that we know about, we’ll turn it down. For example, we were asked to play a show around the legalization of weed in Chicago, and when they could not answer to our inquiring about their efforts around clearing records of those with drug charges related to weed, we declined the gig.

Favorite Taco Bell specialty item?
Oh, wow. Big one. I would say on tour, late at night, there’s nothing that beats cinnamon twists. They may not be a specialty item, but they’re special to me because I only have them rarely at 2am on tour.

Do you add guac at Chipotle?
Absolutely.

Shoutout to:
Shoutout to folks trying to come out the other side of all this not nicer, but kinder.

Photo by Alex Hupp

Every so often, we’ll ask one of our favorite artists to design a limited run of t-shirts for the Lonesome Rose T-Shirt Club. For the 6th installment, we have Eliza Weber from the band Glyders. Our art director Drew Ryan did an email interview with Eliza, you can read it below and pick up a shirt from Lonesome Rose or our web store.

Photos by Sanjana Elina (except where noted)

Hey Eliza what's good?
Hey Drew ! Life is pretty good right now.

You're a musician too—where do you rehearse and create visual art? Are these separate workspaces?
Yes, although they are both in my & Josh's home aka the juicy lagoon. Visual art upstairs in my office, music downstairs in the basement.

Do you have any photos of your workspace/studio?
Be warned my office is also my closet & it's not exactly neat....

Photo courtesy of the artist

Where ya from? When did you move to Chicago?
Born in Chicago, grew up in Evanston, went to school in NYC, moved back to Chicago in 2013.

Your design work comes from a place of necessity—you started making flyers and graphics because you had to tell people about your shows, not because you are a design student or a professional looking for more opportunities. What was the first design-related job or project you did that wasn't for your own band?
Hard to remember..... I think most likely it was a flier for Dumpster Tapes, or maybe The Bingers. Back then I charged $20 for fliers haha.

I love when designers stray away from industry-standard programs to create their work. I remember you telling me about this online graphics editor that you use on occasion. Can you elaborate?
That would be pixlr.com, a web-based photo editor. It's basically dollar-store photoshop. When I first started making fliers I didn't have a real computer, just a Chromebook. I would use Pixlr on the computers at the bike shop where I was working. I eventually got a laptop and Adobe programs and haven't used it since. Kind of can't believe I used it for as long as I did. Maybe I'll fire it up again one of these days.....

Got anything you're working on that you're excited about?
Just finished up a shirt for Trouble in Mind records that I'm really stoked to share. I've been a fan of that label for awhile so it was an honor to work on. It was also my first chance to do a crazy maximal design with front, back & sleeves and it's gonna be printed in four colors!

You're at Taco Bell and you've got $2—what do you order?
I'd scour the floor of the van for change until I scrape together enough for a crunchwrap, sub beans for beef.

Got any favorite designers or illustrators on your radar?
Oh man, so many and most of them right here in Chicago. I started following Josef Minor this year and am obsessed with his work. Also Clare Byrne, Bill Connors, David Strother, Crystal Zapata, Ben Marcus, Jacob Gardener, Drew Ryan (no bull!)....

Favorite Glyders show? Worst Glyders show?
Could never choose a favorite, but playing with Fred & Toody of Dead Moon at the bottle is up there for sure. Worst would have to be Be Here Now in Muncie, Indiana when I had the flu and locked the keys in the van.

What's the sketchiest place you've slept while on tour?
An old military prison cell in Prague.

Shoutout to:
Josh, all the homies, Mother Earth