Central Part of Town Pins is a Tour based and Family owned group of Pin designers and music lovers. If you go to a lot of shows you may have seen David and Caroline “on lot” with their super cool kid Conrad and his aunt Becky. Over the last two years they started to carry boards full of brass tour pins that they designed together.
David and Caroline (Yagga and Lioness) have been going to shows since the early 90’s. They met and fell in love at a concert in ‘98, and bonded over their mutual love of Phish, live music, and the freedom of the road.
Back in January 2009 David and Becky went to Washington D.C. for the Obama inauguration. David had produced an NPR story about the Obama vendors during the campaign and had gotten to know several of them. David was invited to sell Obama merchandise with an experienced vendor from Dead tour. David and Becky where tasked with selling buttons with hippie style designs. They found that they were very good at it. The feeling in that crowd was unlike anything they had experienced before, there was electricity in the air and every one was smiling. It was like being at the biggest show you could imagine. Of course with huge events usually come some form of street commerce and this one had the biggest “Shakedown Street” they had seen in years of going to concerts.
Phish’s reunion shows at Hampton Coliseum where right around the corner with less than two months to go. Only a few folks in their crew had tickets. With the excitement of the trip to D.C. still tangible and with Yagga and Becky both being artists in their own right, it seemed obvious to them that they should create some form of button to commemorate the historic event.
They started to brainstorm with Caroline and other close friends. Many fresh pieces and designs where created in this very fertile time, as friends tossed ideas around, and dinner parties doubled as pin meetings. It was around this time that their focus changed from political themed spoof buttons, to the fresh hit that would become the brass Hampton pin named: “Better than a UFO”. This pin was a total success and everyone in their crew got into the shows.
As they continued to create more pins for special events, such as the Phish tour opener at Fenway Park, the reunion tour for the Dead, and small festivals, it became clear that this group had something special to offer to the scene. Drawing on a background in fine arts and an education in art history they have used their knowledge of rock, art, history, and fashion to create refreshing pieces. They also began to create pins that represented songs and song characters. At this time they have produced and released over 20 designs.
Central Part of Town Pins has a special respect for the bands that they love and follow, so their designs never cross the line into copyright infringement. As a group they vowed to always use original designs and to donate a portion of proceeds to charities related to the bands. This sense of responsibility and integrity laced with a healthy sense of humor has helped the group have a lot of fun on the scene.
As this group of designers looks to the future they have their sights set on Phish New Years at MSG, making official designs for rising bands, non profits, exclusive apparel companies as well as collaborations with their favorite, internet radio shows. They are currently collaborating on a pin with the renowned live painter, Jon “Crazy Red Beard” Blake.
So that's part of our story. Let us know if you have any questions. We would also really like to thank every one who has helped and supported us out there. We really appreciate you being a part of the crew.
