Punk, writer, and educator David Ensminger has collected punk flyers, fanzines, and ephemera for 25 years. Starting in Rockford, IL, hometown to Cheap Trick, he began making and archiving them in the mid-1980s when seeing bands like the Adolescents, Youth of Today, SNFU, and many more. Over the last decade, he edited the fanzine Left of the Dial, played drums for Randy "Biscuit" Turner of Texas funk-punk heroes the Big Boys, and curated a traveling collection of flyers known as Visual Vitriol, which has been shown in much of Western Europe. In July 2011, the University of Mississippi will release an overview of his efforts titled Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation. Culling from his collection, Ensminger will be joined by local resident DJ, art & fanzine maker, and longtime punk fan Paul Cooper in August. Their show at Rough Trade will highlight the efforts of Hispanic, black, gay, and female artists and bands such as Victor Gastelum (from SST Records), Shawn Kerri (Germs, Circle Jerks), Randy Turner, and the Mydolls. In addition, they will also feature historic British punk Xerox art as well. Free entry.
