Johnny Franck, who gained notoriety for being the clean vocalist/guitarist for Attack Attack! during their first two album cycles, now releases music under the moniker Bilmuri. In this project, he handles everything from performing every instrument, producing all the music, and marketing it. For his most recent release, Rich Sips, he released a merchandise line last week, including one shirt design that caught my eye.

Enter Albums of Bikini Bottom, a meme page on Facebook that edits album art to include Spongebob Squarepants characters/locations/etc. The page generally edits albums in the metal/post-hardcore genre, and I noticed a few weeks back, he did one for Rich Sips, replacing Johnny’s face with Squidward’s. Johnny took notice as well, sharing this post directly to his own Facebook page. In the coming weeks, Johnny would reach out to the page and purchase the design, and, lo and behold, we get a piece of meme history onto band merchandise:

This marketing strategy is one I can really get behind, as Johnny is as dedicated to his modestly-sized fanbase as they are to him, as evidenced by him retweeting almost every fan’s tweets directed to him. Collaborating with a meme page is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Bilmuri has averaged two releases a year since 2016, and already has plans for more things to come in 2020; including a covers album with several featured artists and even a tour down the line. Rich Sips was an outstanding EP to close out 2019, and this merch line should see some great success, especially after appealing to a different market than he’s used to. I’m glad the artist has found his niche, and continues to build strong relations with his fanbase. It is a sure sign that his dedication and commitment to his craft won’t slow down anytime soon.

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