Is this tattoo related? No. No it's not (unless you consider the fact that Marisa and I have had this track blasting on a continuous loop at the Needles and Sins Compound today whilst much booty-shaking has taken place). Regardless, it's just too damned good of a song NOT to bring it to your attention.
Multi-instrumentalist Alex Walker teamed up with Brooklyn soul-singer Len Xiang and MC Kobie Powell (remember him from Us3 back in the 90s?) to give us "Gotta Lose" - a soul/hip-hop track that is easily replacing anything I had previously considered to be my "Summer Jam of 2010."
Not only is it available as a free download at Lapdance Academy, but Alex has decided to make the instrumental/vocal stems available (as well as an Apple GarageBand file) and publish the track under a Creative Commons License. This enables all of you remixers/producers/masher-uppers to hack away at the song to your heart's content - and select remixes will be given fresh cover-art (courtesy of yours truly) and added to the Lapdance Academy catalog.
Personally, I can't wait to fire up the synths and drum-machines this weekend and get my "hard-house, hyphy, ragga, shoegaze" remix on...
Not too long ago, I was introduced to Gene Priest (above, right), a brilliant musician and tattoo-collector out of Knoxville, TN. He was playing drums for a handful of bands at the time, but I was truly blown away once I heard the demo-recordings of his solo work that he was churning out on an acoustic guitar in his spare time. Fortunately, I was able to convince him to let me produce the tracks (and add a couple of instrument tracks, myself) and just last month, we pushed his four-song EP, "Living To Die" (mixed by Scott Minor of Sparklehorse) out into the ether as a free download on Lapdance Academy Records.
"Free-floating art-folk (think Vic Chesnutt) on the four-song Living To Die... with disciplined songwriting [and] particularly long, billowy melodies that take a while to sink in but are inescapable once they do." -- MetroPulse.com
I also got a chance to talk to Gene and his backing band, The Cardinal Sin, about their tattoos. Some questions they took seriously and some, well... let's just say that I've taken the piss out of plenty of journalists over my own musical career...
To be filed under Oh no they didn't, the video for Detail's first single "Tattoo Girl (Foreva)" has just been released, and it is what you'd expect out of a rap with lyrics like "Tattoo girl, you are forever stuck on me." Not even T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Travis McCoy could stop this lyrical train wreck. Probably the worst part is that the tattoos on the video girls are CGI--and even the digital "art" is ridiculous. I think I spotted one actual (blown-out) tattoo on a background girl, maybe.
This is not the first rap ode to tattooed shorties. Who could forget "Tattoo" by Twista featuring Legit Ballaz? [Well, you can't forget something that you didn't know about in the first place.] I'm almost sorry to bring it to your attention, but there are just too many similarities between the videos. Again, the dancing CGI tattoos and WTF lyrics; oh, but there's just a bit more booty poppin. If you're going to exploit women, why not women with real tattoos just like our industry mags do?
Brookyln's Galaxy of Tar - who have created a powerful amalgam of 70s-era Santana psychedelia with the prog-rock/metal components of contemporary acts Tool and Mars Volta - recently released a pair of tracks for free download at Lapdance Academy. I was fortunate enough to get a few minutes to sit down with songwriter/drummer Elias Diaz and singer Naima Mora (yes, the winner of America's Next Top Model - Cycle 4) to talk tattoos...
Please describe to our readers your tattoos and let us know what artists/shops did the work.
ELIAS DIAZ: Well, i have one of toxic waste that takes me back to a weird period of my life and three chinese symbols that sum up the meaning of existence. A tattoo of a totem pole that's an incarnation of black magic and dark masks. That one was done by an artist who's first name only i can remember as Patrick. I remember the tattoo shop was somewhere on MacDougal street. I've been looking for him here in NY to no avail. We'll have to put Patrick's face on a milk carton, I guess. What's the ethongraphic origin of this imagery - the totem pole, black magic and dark masks?
ELIAS: The masks are definitely Latin. In DR [Dominican Republic] - where I'm from - the people celebrate magic goblins in the carnival festivals every year for the entire month of february. My tattoo has a lot of influence from that, and of course a collaborative creative effort of the artist.
NAIMA MORA: My first tattoo was a little star on my ankle, that was randomly done one night out drinking with friends. We all decided to get a tattoo just for the experience. Some place in the the East Village in NYC. I have four other pieces, another star on my head, because I had a big tendency for randomly shaving it at the time. That was done at MacDougal Tattoo by an artist I can't remember, either... I don't think the shop is there any more [ed note: MacDougal Tattoo closed in 2007 and most of their artists moved to a new location at East Side Ink]. I thought it would be "gangster" to get one of "Detroit" on my forearm done by some crazy brazilian guy in the East Village and followed that with another tattoo of the name of my best friend... And i also have a magical spell on my forearm of Mayan hieroglyphics done by Becca Roach. Where is the star on your head?
NAIMA: The tattoo on my head is above my left ear. Its pretty small. I wish i had gotten something bigger now that i think about it... But if were to do that I would mean I'd have to shave it all off again!
Can you describe the spell? Also, why did you choose Mayan glyphs?
NAIMA: Well I am Mexican and my family is of the Purepecha Indians in Michoacan which derive from the Maya. They still speak Nahuatl in Mexico, which is the same language as the Maya spoke centuries ago. The spell reads the secret words spoken by the Mayan god Quetzalcuatl that a shaman gave to me one trip visiting home and that I can not disclose.
At what point in your life did you both decide to start modifying your body and why?
ELIAS: The age of 14 was my first experience of being ripped open by a needle. I don't why.
That's pretty young - did you have a good fake ID or did you and your pals build a machine or hand-poke?
ELIAS: At that time in Brooklyn, you didn't need an ID out on Avenue U. The Chinese characters were my first someplace on Avenue U.
NAIMA: I was 19, I think, and it was more of a spontaneous thing to try something new. I always thought tattoos were really cool, but I wanted to get a small one first to understand the feeling, the pain and the symbolism of marking my body.
Does your ink have a "deeper meaning" or do you believe in adornment for beauty's sake?
ELIAS: It marks a timeline for me of what i've gone through. The Chinese characters are my own personal version of a latin Bar Mitzvah - my claiming of rights to manhood. My second piece - [the] toxic waste [symbol] - represents a weird transition in my life where I was really disgusted by humanity. And the totem pole reminds of the beauty in cultural history that people share in common versus the negativity that we can be so prone to.
NAIMA: All my ink i got done for different reasons and they remind me of the reasons i got them for. Detroit, murder capitol... A star on my head at the suggestion of a dear friend of mine, my best friend... And magical spells to remind me where i am from. But with that said, I also think tattoos are very beautiful and I love the way script looks.
Naima, how has getting tattooed affected your modeling career, if at all? Do you find it easier to be accepted as a "tattooed rocker" rather than a "tattooed model?"
NAIMA: Thats a good question. As far as a modeling, i've never really cared whether it affected the career or not... I always knew that I wanted to do more than just model, so i was never reluctant to getting ink or worry about how it would affect my job as a model. But I think in the modeling world, I was always that "edgy girl" as the fashionistas liked to call me. So I don't think it affected it that much.
I spent a short stint in Miami where clients hated my tattoos. My agent encouraged me to cover them with make-up, so i left Miami! But I definitely think that being a rocker a person is accepted more for who they are.
Do you both have plans to get more tattoos? If so, what are you looking to get and what artists would you like to be tattooed by?
ELIAS: I'm definitely considering more work. Don't know what i want yet... but it all depends on if I can find Patrick. That's the only man that can touch my body that way.
That sounds dirty, bro...
NAIMA: I really want another tattoo! Soon! But i don't know what i want to get tattooed yet either. I should start looking for an artist soon though.
How do you look for an artist? Is it by artistic style, personal recommendation, or do you just go to the nearest place when you have some free time and money?
NAIMA: Most of my tattoos have been walk ins, thats why i don't remember the artists very well by name. But i've been asking around for suggestions from friends. Ultimately, this time i think i'll really research the work an artist has done, check out their portfolio and get some really great work done! I think thats a mature decision and part of growing up.
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The two-song release with PDF digibooklet - "Volatile Glass" - is available for free download at lapdanceacademy.com/galaxy. Download your copy today!
[Ed. Note: We have located the elusive Patrick - he is the one and only Patrick Conlon who works aside my old friend Sweety at East Side Ink here in New York City]
"To promote their forthcoming debut album release on Interscope (news of which first broke here on Boing Boing), Ninja of Die Antwoord gets a full-back tattoo of the album title, $0$. (And yes, haters, it's real: Ninja explains to Boing Boing that the video documents an uninterrupted 11-hour inking session, all in one shot)."
Would love to know who the tattooist is. Rarely in credits--whether in fashion spreads or music videos that even feature the tattoos--will you see them listed.
This week, legendary tattooists Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortman have expanded their book publishing company, Proton Press, to include instrumental music produced within the tattoo industry.
The music label kicks off with
five albums, each with their own signature electro-groove: Sunchannel by Michele Wortman; Hydrone by Brion Norwalk, a tattooist from Ohio;
Divine Machine by Corey Cudney, a tattooist from Buffalo,
NY; Satchi Om (self-titled), a tattoo collector from Oakland,
CA; and Sursum by Peter Stauber, a tattoo collector from Las Vegas.
Chris Stauber interviewed Guy & Michelle about this new venture. Here's a taste of that talk:
What is the connection between visual art and music?
Music really
sets the mood and energy for how you experience your
surroundings and how you feel. Both Guy and I have been deep into electronic
music for well over a decade and usually play that kind of music when doing
artwork and tattooing. Besides our own enjoyment of it and how we
feel it helps us to expand our creative groove with people whom we work on
and who seem to really resonate with it. We enjoy the mood it creates for
getting tattooed to finding it atmospheric while at the same time
energetic. It is easy to zone to but also keeps things going. It creates
an elevated sense of
space, which coincides well with creating elevated artwork. Electronic music is neurally stimulating much in the same
way that Salvador Dali's paintings are. It is imaginative and open to
interpretation.
What does Proton Press hope to
accomplish with this new music label?
We hope to share this sound and spread the sonic frequencies across the
land. Would love tattoo shops to play it and artists and clients to find it
stimulating to work to.
We are launching the Proton music at the premiere
release party in the special events room during Hell City Tattoo Convention on Saturday night, May
22nd.
This will be a night of live performances from
all 5 projects. Be sure to
check out the room if you are there for the convention. It should be an amazing
experience.
I don't try to have 'a flowing design sleeve,' that's all going to run into each other. I just really want to look like my grandfather, right when he got out of the brig in 1946. --Jesse "The Devil" Hughes
What do Sailor Jerry, Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal and Eastwood Guitars have in common? I'm not quite too sure, myself - other than the obvious response that Jesse has an extensive collection of traditional, Americana tattoos; he wrote a song about Kat Von D; and he also plays guitar (albeit, mostly in open-tuning).
But the good news is that all three have banded together for a contest in which you can win an Eastwood Airlines RS-II guitar that's been signed by all the touring members of the Eagles of Death Metal - Jesse, Dave Catching, Brian "Big Hands" O'Connor and Joey Castillo.
So, while it will decrease my own chances of winning this hollow-bodied piece of single-coil retrotasticulousness, I feel the need to encourage all of you to enter by filling out this form.
I haven't picked up a copy of Revolver Magazine in quite some time because, with a few exceptions, I find the state of modern/mainstream "heavy" music to be pretty despicable ("Dude, you're wearing eyeliner and skinny jeans; cut out the Bad Boy routine 'cause I ain't buying it"). But, I caught the scoop from the boys over at Metal Sucks that Revolver had released their first ever Tattoo Issue (March/April), so I ran out to a newsstand.
And then another one... and another one.
In fact, I've been to 8 NYC/Brooklyn magazine shops in the last 24 hours and have come up entirely empty handed.
Is it being kept off shelves because of Kerry King's skull (inked by Paul Booth) which has been drenched reigned in blood? Or is it because of people vying to skip Booth's extensive wait-list and get the temporary tattoo he designed that's included with each copy of the mag?
Quoth the Prince of Darkness on the matter:
You
could make fun of me for making a temporary tattoo--or you could think
about the fact that I'm getting to your children. And you know, I'm all
about fucking up the heads of little children.
So, if you can find a copy in your town, you're a step ahead of me. Then again, I don't really care about what Tommy Lee and Chester Bennington have to say about their tattoos...
We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog blather for announcements of vital importance.
First, we're having another art event, and while we'd love to send out those "Save the Date" magnets that creative couples mail out for their big day, it seemed ill fitting considering the work being shown: Nathaniel Shannon's live, candid music photography of bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan, Pentagram and GWAR. A better reminder would be to punch yourself in the face really hard right now, and by the time the bruising goes away, that's when the show will open. April 3rd. At the most wonderful Sacred Gallery. I'll soon be doing a full post on the event -- entitled While the Others Were Sleeping -- but for a preview, click here.
And to get yourself in the right frame of mind for the exhibit, join us for some live metal this Saturday, March 20th, on Manhattan's Lower East Side at The Local 269 for the SOS and Friends Show featuring our own Brian Grosz and his stoner metal outfit Dogs of Winter. This is one of the last remaining gigs for the Dogs so bring your $8 cover and throw your horns high. They should jump on stage around 10PM. The remaining shows are at Cousin Larry's in Danbury, CT for the SubRosa Party on April 9th, and April 14th in Brooklyn at Public Assembly for the Hipsterwrecktomy party.
For the wordsmith set, I have another call for submissions from the tattoo and poetry journal Holly Rose Review. The journal editors are looking for tattoo images that evoke the theme of their fourth issue: Worry. For more information on submitting tattoo work for this issue, click here or join their Facebook page.
As a NYC based denizen, I've frequented a few (but not many) tattoo studios in the five boroughs. One of the best studios I feel is Three Kings Tattoo situated at the corner of McCarren Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Unfortunately, one of the artists- Matty No Times has been out of commission for the past few months.
From their news section: 'as
i think most of you know, matty has been out of commision for the past
few months. matt is waiting for a liver transplant and though he has
been in and out of the hospital for the past 4 months, his spirits are
high. we've all got our fingers crossed that his new liver will arrive
soon and he can get back in the chair, but for the time being, he needs
some help. like most tattooers, matt didnt have insurance and has a
pretty hefty medical bill in front of him right now. he is also engaged
to be married to a great woman, who also has an 8 year old daughter, so
money is pretty tight for him right now. if you can help at all, you
can donate to his paypal address
Mattienottimes00@hotmail.com
and come to his benefit show on january 29th. Gospel is playing for the
first time in years, drunkdriver and tournament are both coming out to
raise money, and i hope you will too. there will be posters for sale,
t-shirts for sale, and hopefully a bunch more benefit shows and art
auctions. thanks for all your help
I was lucky enough to be tattooed by Matty during their Friday the 13th Zombie special last March. He was the first artist in the past year to start tattooing my legs.
Every little bit helps- whether it be a small donation, a t-shirt (only $20!) or just coming out to the show...
