Sandwich Anarchy
The Cult Culinary Posters of Melt Bar & Grilled
In 2006 Melt Bar & Grilled was born from Cleveland musician and chef Matt Fish's love of two things: great craft beer and the humble grilled cheese sandwich. In 2008 underground comics creator John G brought to the table the idea of producing eye-popping gig posters to push Melt's punk rock concept even further.
Ten years and 250 posters later, the synergy of food + art has transformed Melt Bar & Grilled from a tiny rock 'n' roll bar into the biggest culinary buzz to hit the Midwest in decades.
What had been the best-kept local secret was thrust into the national spotlight, as Melt caught the attention of television series such as Man v. Food and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Everyone from Kevin Bacon to Mastadon to 'Weird Al' Yankovic was dropping by unannounced to snag both a sandwich and a poster.
Sandwich Anarchy collects ten years of Melt posters into one volume, from the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Melt to The Brat Pack Breakfast Club Melt (Pixy Stix included!), along with the stories behind the images. Perhaps the first book to document restaurant gig posters, Sandwich Anarchy serves clever artwork and design sure to entertain the senses.
JOHN G is an illustrator, comics creator, and head of Cleveland-based Shiner Comics. Since the late ‘90s, he's been building a humble following, creating hundreds of ridiculous and vivid posters for a variety of clients including Melt Bar & Grilled restaurants, Cleveland Cinemas, Scene Magazine, as well as several local and national bands and music venues. Together with artist Jake Kelly, he created and published The Lake Erie Monster, a Rust Belt-centered horror anthology comic. He also cofounded and continues to run Genghis Con, an award-winning annual small press and underground comics convention in Cleveland. TurnStyle Films debuted Draw Hard, a short documentary about John G and his work, which was selected for the Cleveland International Film Festival and took home the Jury Award for Best Ohio Short Film. John G's favorite Melt sandwiches are The Firecracker Chicken, The Good Burger, and The Gritty Melt.