22.7.08

Ellen Rogers


photo: 'Yelena at home' by Ellen Rogers

Our friend and artist Ellen Rogers has gone and got herself a new website that shows off her multifaceted work in at least pixel form (do some shows Ellen!!). Her work ranges from serene and intimate photographs to naive, often comical, defacings of different classic mediums. It is always drenched in honesty and an openess to share deep, hidden feelings.
Please spare a moment.

www.ellenrogers.co.uk

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posted by Tobias at 15:58 0 Comments

8.2.08

We're growing talons and wings..

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posted by No Pain In Pop at 14:04 0 Comments

19.12.07

Let's Raise The...er...An Article About Steak Mtn



‘Steak Mtn’ is the brainchild of New York based illustrator Christopher Norris. Within the context of this twisted moniker Norris has set about creating some truly unique and amazing work that’s never ceased to impress us. Originally from Florida, Norris flew the coup (and his old band Combatwoundedveteran) a few years back to start a new studio in the city. We snagged an interview with the mysterious gent to see how this sea change had affected him and find out what’s hiding in those Mtns.

Read on...

 Hello, We’re from a place called the UK, hope you can find us on a map, you ever been?

Yes, I actually have been….once. Yeah, once, I was there about 6 years ago on a small vacation with friends. Last year I was suppose to return for my solo show TEENAGE SWAP MEAT at the Best Gallery, but mountainous complications surrounding the space, my ability to produce & the fascism of time basically handicapped me and us from making it all happen in full bloom. Bummer.

You used to sing in a band. Awesome, give us your most earth shattering lyric.

Really? I mean…alright…..well this is from the (terrible) Combatwoundedveteran song 15 MINUTES ON A FORKLIFT and actually might be the last lyrics I wrote ever…and that was…..7 years ago, so I suppose this might be as good of an example as any other tragically stunted punk rock lyric I could quote for you : “Constructing drag strip coffins for unravel civilians. Whirling around, acting handless, beating on skulls for abbreviation. We are translated from the monaural sounds and turn on in sparks, to build our own lightning and punctuate the old plastic way. Complaining heads are shorting out, spilling vomit and stopping reproduction naked fumbling in the dark, painted silver for reflection. We are translated into pixels, digitized for champion knitters. Fawning fucking idiots over the monaural sound. You got your finger in the gushing hole of the bad years, it's getting everywhere and you're painting pictures with the blood. Gross.”



It seems like life for artists in the states is so much better compared to the rest of the world, there’s much more of a thriving, interconnecting and original community who all seem much more well-equipped. Is the grass really greener?

If this was 1994 & the world felt way larger than it actually feels in 2007, I might agree with you. But with the internet now firmly informing almost everything every mom, grocery clerk and artist does, it is harder to accept that train of thought as reality. Meaning, location doesn’t necessarily have the weight as much in these high technology days, you could be Damien Hirst from Lyman, Nebraska, just finished “For The Love of God”, took some digital photos, email blasted every gallery, culture blog and art news satellite that was locatable on the internet and make a million friends, get famous and trudge forward into being a total island unto yourself. It is not so much about just having the ability to create anymore, it is about how much you footwork you are willing to put into getting your mission completed : you have to know how to really harness the arms and legs of “the future” to create or become a part of a community, get your art out there & make the name for yourself that you think you deserve.

So, most of your heroes listed on your myspace come from a cinema or fine art background but the majority of your work is for musicians. How did you find yourself turning to the music arena?

Well, when I was young, punk and hungry to make something of myself & my drawings, I began by looking directly at my inspirations & idols to see how they “made it” (or at least how I perceived and/or if they even made it), guys like Pushead, Gary Panter and Raymond Pettibon used music as their ground zero to getting themselves in a successful position with their art (their actual mindsets in this statement is pure speculation, but the trajectory of their careers is public knowledge, so obviously that was what I was looking at). I thought that if I could position myself working with bands and record labels, that that would eventually translate in me being able to go past the ghetto of band work and into strictly doing my own thing. Essentially I have been looking for my Metallica forever.



What was wrong with Florida?

Nothing at all. Florida is a pretty interesting & odd place if you celebrate the fact that it is America’s human dumpster : a unconsciously organic, fleshed out & greyed over patchwork of high and lows in personality, interaction & function. It is not a bad place to call home or headquarters, that is if you like sweating 16 months out of the year, which I don’t at all, so I moved to New York which is ACTUALLY a terrible horrible stupid place filled with absolute punishers, dinks and goofs. It is the negative to Florida’s relative positive.

Where do most of your clients come from? (don’t tell me! ‘MySpace’)

Well, I do a lot of foot work & cold calling of people/bands/organizations I am either artistically interested in or think may further my standing in being able to make Steak Mtn. all this-island-earth and shit. But, recently a lot of my clients or conspirators have come to me because of Steak Mtn.’s work with Against Me! So no, not Myspace….I actually have not netted any jobs from Myspace at all, that is more of a peer to peer networking thing for me, an ability to happen on interesting artists, hear terrible bands and send tons of fan mail.



What’s on your boombox/ipod/decks/mind-ophone right now?

- Girl Group Sounds Lost And Found (One Kiss Can Lead To Another) Boxset
- Ennio Morricone
- any Paysage D’Hiver I can get my hands on.
- any Pocahaunted I can get my hands on.
- Wooden Shjips S/T
- Goatmoon “Death Before Dishonour”
- Bone Awl “Meaningless Leaning Mess”
- The Films of Jean Rollin Compilation
- Them “The Story of Them”
- Black Dice “Load Blown”
- Against Me! New Wave”
- Bob Dylan “Desire”
- Health S/T
Do you mange to make a living from your art or are you still dancing at that club?

Still dancing at the club for sure. However, in the next year, I should be able to retire from night sweating, pole climbing and dust selling, essentially fulfilling my prophecy of going ankle deep on this art garbage.

What’s next? Where can we get our next Steak Mtn facefull?

Lots? I am finishing up a huge Against Me! t-shirt project, which was doing a shirt design for every song on their recently released “New Wave” record, I am on the last design as we speak. Going into 2008, I will be still working with them a lot because they are about to have that banner year (including working on a video for their song “The Ocean”); I have a solo show (called THE MOST EXPLOSIVE PICTURE EVER!) in Chicago on April 4th at the Threadless Store which will coincide with a shirt I designed for their Threadless Select line; I am hopefully going to be working with the band Pocahaunted on some of their stuff; I am doing the next Fake Problems LP; a new Combatwoundedveteran discography of out of print crap called “Farewell Gaylords” is coming out; a few Steak Mtn. shirts will eventually be available through No Idea Records including the upcoming “YAY! GOD!” shirt; I am working on doing an Alphabet book; I am doing a film related illustration zine with Mark McCoy; I am going to work on a clip art magazine with CSDIV; a shirt for Ryan Russell Photography and hopefully HOPEFULLY I will have some more interesting gallery shows to work towards (hint hint hint hint hint artworld hint hint hint). Now, it is really the crack of dawn on most of these projects/stuff, so none of it may happen or all of it might explode, so don’t hold me completely to any of those creative promises.

www.steakmtn.com
www.myspace.com/steakmtn
www.steakmtn.blogspot.com
www.theliquorice.blogspot.com

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posted by Tobias at 04:18 1 Comments

26.11.07

Y'all So Stupid



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posted by No Pain In Pop at 18:10 0 Comments