I was recently contacted by the guys from a local Sydney heavy-psych rock band called Frozen Planet....1969 about the possibility of illustrating the cover of their upcoming sixth album called The Heavy Medicinal Grand Exposition!


The pitch had my brain reeling from the get go. A concept album about a traveling medicine show, featuring a cast of colourful characters lead by a ring leader-snake oil salesman character the formidable Doctor Berner. The concept sees this rag tag group on a quest to sell bottles of his glowing green elixir, which will apparently cure any pain and deliver anyone from evil all set to an improvised heavy-psyched-out instrumental adventure!


Needless to say this fantastic concept had me hook, line and sinker and I really went to town creating this group of characters and painting a vivid picture of the world they live in to accompany the music. There is the Savage Whistling Monkey and his Organ Grinder playing companion, the Indefinable duo Oddball Sundae, The Astonishing Juggler, The Swordsman, The Enchanting Oxandra Lanceolata and of course Doctor Berner himself. While the album itself is only 2 tracks the first track is divided into sections as the music shifts, which represent one of the characters.

Working on this project was an absolute dream come true. Designing the album cover itself on top of the illustration allowed me to add to the mythology of this traveling medicine show and I designed the gate-fold of the album to look like an old circus poster or program. The album itself has been released on vinyl by Headspin Records and even has a limited edition version on transparent green coloured vinyl. It was such a wonderful feeling to hold the finished copy in my hands, put the album on the record player and put the needle down.