Artist Series #2 T-Shirt

Dave Reed is an American actor, children’s book illustrator & character designer. illustrator & character designer. He received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC, where he majored in illustration and has close to 57,000 subscribers following his illustration tutorials. Dave spends his days teaching students of all levels how to illustrate on a variety of digital platforms while listening to music on LS50 Wireless II . Along with being a visual artist, Dave has been acting and modeling since 2006, and joined SAG in 2009. He has been in a variety of major national commercials for Longhorn Steakhouse, NFL, Budweiser as well as a feature character in Orange is the New Black.

We asked Dave to design how music makes him FEEL, and what inspires him when it comes to his own personal relationship with music. The result is this design which elegantly balances a collection of representative powerful images circling the center of life. “The design starts with the Sun which represents the center of life. The African Sacred Ibis, native to Africa and the Middle East, was worshipped by Ancient Egyptians is as the sacred god Thoth which was responsible for maintaining the universe, judging the dead and overseeing systems of the arts - magic, writing and science. The Djembe (Goblet Drums) or jembe is a rope-tuned skin-covered drum played with bare hands originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying “Anke djé anke bé” which translates to “everyone gather together in peace” and defines the drums purpose.

The Gourd Folk Fiddle is a stringed instrument representing the music, song and dance of African American slaves and slave culture in the south. Along with the gourd banjo, these instruments inspired stringed instruments as we know them today and have a rich history in the culture of the American Plantation. The Cornet and Trumpet are thought to be the first and last instruments of the great Louis Armstrong. He and other great musicians mark the progression of music, instruments and acceptance of black people in America. The Crescent moon represents one of the most prolific and well-known musicians that ever lived. Though Michael Jackson premiered his “moonwalk” in 1983, another African American performer named Bill Bailey performed a move called the backslide way back in 1955. The collection of stars at the top of it all represents the countless stars of the past, present and future who continue to shape how we feel and who we are. We don’t always get to see all of them, but they will continue to shine on. Lastly the player controls remind you to play it loud - SOUND ON.

Music Will transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in American schools. Using popular music styles like rock, pop, Latin and rap, Music Will teachers build music programs that are as diverse as the kids they serve. Music Will provides musical instruments and gear, teacher training, curriculum and other resources that are key to successful school music programs. More than 525,000 kids currently participate in Music Will programs nationwide. Since 2002, Music Will has reached more than 1,000,000 students. KEF will be donating $30 from each Artist Series T-Shirt sale will be donated to Music Will in 2021 and beyond.