New video from Delay Trees. Self-titled debut album was released last month on Friendly Fire Recordings!
+ Cassette 2012
+ Cassette 2012
On the radio this morning...
What a terrible, terrible band name Swedish House Mafia is. But Save The World is a really nice, catchy dance pop tune, so I guess I can live with the name...?As always I've been living under a rock or something, because the band has close to one billion fans on Facebook. So hardly new stuff this and probably something that most people are tired of already...
Balloon Magic...
Waking Up by Balloon Magic
I'd Like To Build A House by Balloon Magic
Mr. Kaves Shares a Mark Mahoney Portrait
A couple weeks back, I ran into Michael Kaves on 3rd Avenue, a couple blocks away from his shop, Brooklyn Made Tattoo. Kaves is also one of the founding members of The Lordz of Brooklyn. I know Kaves from around the neighborhood, and although I've never been tattooed by him, I have been under the needle in his shop and have had the pleasure of seeing him work first-hand and close-up on other clients.
He's familiar with Tattoosday and wanted to share a tattoo with us here on the site. Check it out:
Located on Kaves' upper right arm, this brilliant tattoo was inked by the legendary Mark Mahoney.
Kaves explained he had gone out to Los Angeles a couple months back and worked at Mahoney's renown shop, the Shamrock Social Club. They had a big launch for a limited edition tattoo pigment - "Mark Mahoney's Shamrock Green". He was there, working on St. Patrick's Day for the official launch.
Mahoney, known to many as the " founding father" of single-needle black and gray tattooing, tattooed this portrait for Kaves, which took about twelve hours from start to finish.
And who is the woman tattooed on his arm? "It's my grandmother, Marie," he explained, "from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, right here on Third Avenue, 1945."
Kaves' own tattooing work first appeared on Tattoosday back in 2008 here. Most recently, his work has appeared here. This is, however, the first time we have been honored to share a tattoo by Mark Mahoney.
Thanks to Kaves for sharing this phenomenal tattoo by an American master, here with us on Tattoosday!
He's familiar with Tattoosday and wanted to share a tattoo with us here on the site. Check it out:
Located on Kaves' upper right arm, this brilliant tattoo was inked by the legendary Mark Mahoney.
Kaves explained he had gone out to Los Angeles a couple months back and worked at Mahoney's renown shop, the Shamrock Social Club. They had a big launch for a limited edition tattoo pigment - "Mark Mahoney's Shamrock Green". He was there, working on St. Patrick's Day for the official launch.
Mahoney, known to many as the " founding father" of single-needle black and gray tattooing, tattooed this portrait for Kaves, which took about twelve hours from start to finish.
And who is the woman tattooed on his arm? "It's my grandmother, Marie," he explained, "from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, right here on Third Avenue, 1945."
Kaves' own tattooing work first appeared on Tattoosday back in 2008 here. Most recently, his work has appeared here. This is, however, the first time we have been honored to share a tattoo by Mark Mahoney.
Thanks to Kaves for sharing this phenomenal tattoo by an American master, here with us on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
The hour of lead...
Absolutely wonderful...tomorrow's the last day of the A Month Of Unrequited Love project! Now (more than ever) is the time to make a donation!
Repost for Memorial Dsy: A Traditional Naval Tattoo on a 21st Century Ship
This post originally appeared on November 7, 2009. I felt it was appropriate to re-post on Memorial Day, 2011:
The USS New York was put into service today by the United States Navy.
Her hull was forged with steel salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
It's a momentous occasion indeed, and several crew members were in attendance with dignitaries earlier this week at the World Series.
As is happens, I noticed a gentleman in uniform outside of Madison Square Garden earlier in the week and he had this tattoo on both hands:
Turns out, the tattoo was modeled after this naval pin, which represents the rank of Boatswain's Mate, worn on the lapel:
The gentleman, whose name is Fred, serves on the USS New York, as the more commonly-known title of Ships Bos'n, and it seems appropriate to post this tattoo today as the ship officially enters the naval fleet.
Fred has been in the service for 26 years, and has seven or eight tattoos all told.
As Ships Bos'n he works with mission systems on amphibious maneuvers.
The crossed anchors are traditional naval insignia and, even though he drew this design himself and they weren't inked in a traditional tattoo shop, he recognizes the crossed anchors as symbols of his dedication to the trade.
I thank Fred for his service to our country, as well as his willingness to contribute to Tattoosday. We wish him well as he serves with pride on the USS New York!
The USS New York was put into service today by the United States Navy.
Her hull was forged with steel salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
It's a momentous occasion indeed, and several crew members were in attendance with dignitaries earlier this week at the World Series.
As is happens, I noticed a gentleman in uniform outside of Madison Square Garden earlier in the week and he had this tattoo on both hands:
Turns out, the tattoo was modeled after this naval pin, which represents the rank of Boatswain's Mate, worn on the lapel:
The gentleman, whose name is Fred, serves on the USS New York, as the more commonly-known title of Ships Bos'n, and it seems appropriate to post this tattoo today as the ship officially enters the naval fleet.
Fred has been in the service for 26 years, and has seven or eight tattoos all told.
As Ships Bos'n he works with mission systems on amphibious maneuvers.
The crossed anchors are traditional naval insignia and, even though he drew this design himself and they weren't inked in a traditional tattoo shop, he recognizes the crossed anchors as symbols of his dedication to the trade.
I thank Fred for his service to our country, as well as his willingness to contribute to Tattoosday. We wish him well as he serves with pride on the USS New York!
Life is War
Back in April, I met Joshua outside of Penn Station, and he shared this, one of his five tattoos:
This forearm tattoo, exemplifies Joshua's philosophy that life is war: "you have to go through war to get where you're going."
An ex-girlfriend drew it up for him and then he had it tattooed by Jamie at Bullseye Tattoo Shop in Staten Island, New York.
Thanks to Joshua for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
This forearm tattoo, exemplifies Joshua's philosophy that life is war: "you have to go through war to get where you're going."
An ex-girlfriend drew it up for him and then he had it tattooed by Jamie at Bullseye Tattoo Shop in Staten Island, New York.
Thanks to Joshua for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Chad and the City
I met Chad one afternoon in April outside of Madison Square Garden. He shared this tattoo which is on his left shin:
As one might have guessed, Chad is a huge fan of the former HBO series Sex and the City and this is one of a large number of tattoos that he has. When I asked how many he had, he quipped “I have no clue.”
Chad’s work was inked by Eileen Fabbricatore at Lady Luck Tattoo in Aurora, Colorado.
Thanks to Chad for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Chad’s work was inked by Eileen Fabbricatore at Lady Luck Tattoo in Aurora, Colorado.
Thanks to Chad for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Mails, mails, mails...
Have plenty of mails in my inbox. 5,886 mails to be exact. Going to spend the next couple of hours trying to reduce that number. I could of course take the easy road and to delete them in bunches, but tonight I will try to see/hear/listen if any of them have anything interesting to offer. So hang around, come back later, press F5 etc. Perhaps something will pop up along the way...?
Kids On A Crime Spree has an album out on Slumberland Records. Sweet Tooth is a short and really cool 60/70's influenced sounding thing!
Kids On A Crime Spree - Sweet Tooth by Slumberland Records
As always - far too many mails promoting remixes, tours, videos, mixtapes etc. Haven't bumped into any mails promoting hip-hop and rap...yet! Need a better spam filter...
Here's a really nice track by New York trio Field Theory. Hate bandcamp embedding! Instead you'll have to go to SoundCloud (embedding of this track isn't possible) to check out Head and the Open Rhyme. UPDATE: The band just saw this post and immediately mailed the song as well as okaying that I make it available for download. Terrific service guys!!!
+ Head and the Open Rhyme
"Hook-driven and powerful indie rock" is what the promo mail promises and that's certainly what you get from The Trophy Fire!
+ The Last American Phone Booth
Finding some quality stuff tonight (surprise, surprise), so deleting is slow...
Lion's Mouth by Young Rebel Set is quite a drama. Great video; even better song. Can't help thinking of Johnny Cash...
Lion's Mouth by youngrebelsetscloud
Taking a short break...have to put the kids to bed...and need more beer!
Started out fantastic, but the last 8-10 songs haven't been any good at all...some songs are jokes, though probably not intended as such...
Yay! New stuff from Letting Up Despite Great Faults!
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Teenage Tide by lettingup
Some bands are still using Myspace?
This will the last song today...a very poppish tune by Saskatchewan.
Dreamboat by Saskatchewan
Still 5,785 mails left...
Kids On A Crime Spree has an album out on Slumberland Records. Sweet Tooth is a short and really cool 60/70's influenced sounding thing!
Kids On A Crime Spree - Sweet Tooth by Slumberland Records
As always - far too many mails promoting remixes, tours, videos, mixtapes etc. Haven't bumped into any mails promoting hip-hop and rap...yet! Need a better spam filter...
Here's a really nice track by New York trio Field Theory. Hate bandcamp embedding! Instead you'll have to go to SoundCloud (embedding of this track isn't possible) to check out Head and the Open Rhyme. UPDATE: The band just saw this post and immediately mailed the song as well as okaying that I make it available for download. Terrific service guys!!!
+ Head and the Open Rhyme
"Hook-driven and powerful indie rock" is what the promo mail promises and that's certainly what you get from The Trophy Fire!
+ The Last American Phone Booth
Finding some quality stuff tonight (surprise, surprise), so deleting is slow...
Lion's Mouth by Young Rebel Set is quite a drama. Great video; even better song. Can't help thinking of Johnny Cash...
Lion's Mouth by youngrebelsetscloud
Taking a short break...have to put the kids to bed...and need more beer!
Started out fantastic, but the last 8-10 songs haven't been any good at all...some songs are jokes, though probably not intended as such...
Yay! New stuff from Letting Up Despite Great Faults!
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Teenage Tide by lettingup
Some bands are still using Myspace?
This will the last song today...a very poppish tune by Saskatchewan.
Dreamboat by Saskatchewan
Still 5,785 mails left...
Stephen's Killer Klown
One of the significant changes in the chronology of Tattoosday was the discovery that the Amtrak waiting area in Penn Station was a wonderful place for inkspotting, not just on rainy days, but whenever I had the chance to pass that way.
In early April, I ran into Stephen, who was visiting from Auckland, New Zealand. He has ink on both arms, one leg, and the top of his back, so there was a lot to choose from, once he consented to sharing one of his tattoos.
He offered up this horror-themed illustration, on the upper section of his right arm:
The clown with a cleaver is one of those funny/scary images that appeals to fans of the horror genre. Stephen liked the image and collaborated with the tattoo artist, Jamie Thorburn, to come up with the final design.
Stopping someone on the streets of New York City, especially when they are in a hurry to get somewhere, can be challenging. I have discovered that people waiting for their trains, with nothing but time on their hands, are much more likely to be open to discussing their tattoos with strangers like me.
What’s nice, as well, as the trains running out of the Penn Station Amtrak hub go to Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and beyond (New Orleans and Toronto are possible rail destinations).
In early April, I ran into Stephen, who was visiting from Auckland, New Zealand. He has ink on both arms, one leg, and the top of his back, so there was a lot to choose from, once he consented to sharing one of his tattoos.
He offered up this horror-themed illustration, on the upper section of his right arm:
The clown with a cleaver is one of those funny/scary images that appeals to fans of the horror genre. Stephen liked the image and collaborated with the tattoo artist, Jamie Thorburn, to come up with the final design.
Thanks to Stephen for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Go For Gold...
EP by Go for Gold
The wrong house...
Junica (the solo project of Psychic Powers bandmember Nik Brinkman) has a new track called The Wrong House streaming at Soundcloud. Taken from the band’s forthcoming EP (yet untitled, but a wild guess is that it will have "house" in the title), which should be out some time mid-June. The new track is not as uptempo dancelike as first song Living In My House, but instead closer related to the sound of Psychic Powers. One direction or the other is fine with me, as long as the music continues being this good! Our 1000th Post! David's Mermaid and Seahorse Blow Us Away......
Pardon the royal "we," but this is our 1000th post, and we feel a little celebratory.
To honor this milestone, we are sharing this amazing half sleeve belonging to David:
This astonishing work is the creation of artist Erick Lynch at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
David said that he had wanted a mermaid, as his wife loves mermaids, and that Lynch's work reflects a traditional Japanese style, thus the female figure appearing as a pearl diver, which is more in line with Japanese artistic tradition.
The whole of the half sleeve represents about 12 hours of work, in David's estimation, which includes the inside of the biceps, and this phenomenally vivid seahorse:
David points to Erick Lynch's use of white highlights in the seahorse, which really makes it "pop".
All in all, this is a remarkable piece of work that we are honored to have as our 1000th post here at Tattoosday. Thanks to David for sharing it and to Erick Lynch for his mastery of the art form!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
To honor this milestone, we are sharing this amazing half sleeve belonging to David:
This astonishing work is the creation of artist Erick Lynch at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
David said that he had wanted a mermaid, as his wife loves mermaids, and that Lynch's work reflects a traditional Japanese style, thus the female figure appearing as a pearl diver, which is more in line with Japanese artistic tradition.
The whole of the half sleeve represents about 12 hours of work, in David's estimation, which includes the inside of the biceps, and this phenomenally vivid seahorse:
David points to Erick Lynch's use of white highlights in the seahorse, which really makes it "pop".
All in all, this is a remarkable piece of work that we are honored to have as our 1000th post here at Tattoosday. Thanks to David for sharing it and to Erick Lynch for his mastery of the art form!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Crystal ball...
Crytstal Ball is the first single from the forthcoming Tiger Baby album Open Windows Open Hills. It's been a while, but the band pretty sounds like it "used to".
Crystal Ball by Tiger Baby
Crystal Ball by Tiger Baby
Dead end...
Think I streamed the video for new Loud As Light single Dead End 10 times or more last night. Yup! The song is really that great!
Dead End by Loud as Light
Dead End by Loud as Light
These days...
Apparently this is an old TV commercial, but I saw/heard it for the first time yesterday. Normally I loathe TV commercials, but I did notice this one, as I immediately recognized the song featured in it (the wonderful These Days by People Press Play). Not going to discuss whether or not it’s okay/a good idea that artists sell their music to TV commercials (instead one could perhaps start discussing whether or not the commercial is a rip off?), but undoubtedly the band has earned multiple times more money this way than through concerts, downloads etc. And since the song is getting some much deserved TV exposure as well, I guess you could say that this a classic win-win situation?
Christine's Sleeve of Colorful Flowers and Butterflies
Some posts don't need a lot of explaining. I met Christine on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge earlier this month, and she shared these stunning tattoos, perfect for celebrating on a warm spring day:
The Tiger lily and Red-spotted Purple butterfly above are only the top section of a full sleeve:
The flowers on the forearm are Violets, which span the inside of Christine's arm, as well:
And that's an American Painted Lady butterfly in the ditch.
This amazing, and vibrantly colorful sleeve was inked by Tim O'Connor at The Red Parlour in the Woodside section of Queens, New York. We featured work by Tim and The Red Parlour once before, here, back in 2008.
Thanks to Christine for sharing her wonderful sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
The Tiger lily and Red-spotted Purple butterfly above are only the top section of a full sleeve:
The flowers on the forearm are Violets, which span the inside of Christine's arm, as well:
And that's an American Painted Lady butterfly in the ditch.
This amazing, and vibrantly colorful sleeve was inked by Tim O'Connor at The Red Parlour in the Woodside section of Queens, New York. We featured work by Tim and The Red Parlour once before, here, back in 2008.
Thanks to Christine for sharing her wonderful sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Panda gigante...
So after all I’ve ended up coming to terms with not going to NYC Popfest. Next in line is accepting that I won’t be going to Indietracks either. Although the Indietracks line-up doesn’t make me drool the way it's done previous years, there will still be plenty of interesting artists performing; and probably a few gems to unearth as well. Among the unknown acts to me (prior to checking the line-up) is Papa Topo, which is described as “nothing less than a phenomenon”. Apparently I'm the only one who had never heard of them, as I was surprised to learn that they have built up quite a fanbase (6,244 fans at Facebook is a rather decent number). And the one track I’ve heard so far, Oso Panda, is actually a nice little pop song. Make that 6,245 fans!
+ Papa Topo - Oso Panda
I’ve never jumped the Bon Iver bandwagon, but new track Calgary is bloody marvelous!
+ Calgary
Another track on heavy rotation when sitting behind the screen wasting my time at work is the perfect new single Skyll på mig by De Montevert.
+ Skyll på mig
In a Facebook update yesterday Blue Foundation revealed that the band has just finished recording and mixing a new song with Jonas Bjerre of Mew. I'll be hard pressed to think of a more perfect match, as the voice of Jonas should fit superbly in the musical universe of Blue Foundation.
+ Stuck In A Hard Place (Reworked)
+ Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
+ Papa Topo - Oso Panda
I’ve never jumped the Bon Iver bandwagon, but new track Calgary is bloody marvelous!
+ Calgary
Another track on heavy rotation when sitting behind the screen wasting my time at work is the perfect new single Skyll på mig by De Montevert.
+ Skyll på mig
In a Facebook update yesterday Blue Foundation revealed that the band has just finished recording and mixing a new song with Jonas Bjerre of Mew. I'll be hard pressed to think of a more perfect match, as the voice of Jonas should fit superbly in the musical universe of Blue Foundation.
+ Stuck In A Hard Place (Reworked)
+ Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
Days...
Here’s one more video of Days performing a song at NYC Popfest. Since it’s an unreleased track, perhaps there is an outside chance of the band returning to writing and recording new material? Who knows? But wouldn't it be sweet?
NYC Popfest 2011: Days performs All Weekend at Santos, NYC from BlearyEyedBrooklyn.com
NYC Popfest 2011: Days performs All Weekend at Santos, NYC from BlearyEyedBrooklyn.com
Downhill...
Watch Days' live performance of their glorious pop song Downhill at NYC popfest. Now that you're back together playing live again, isn't it about time that you guys start recording new material as well? Believe it would be much appreciated by quite a few people!
+ Downhill
+ Simple Thing
+ Never Came To Last
+ Downhill
+ Simple Thing
+ Never Came To Last
More poetry from Helsinki...
Here's the video for the Helsinki Poetry track Manchester, which is also included on the EP I mentioned earlier today...
HELSINKI POETRY - MANCHESTER from Helsinki Poetry
HELSINKI POETRY - MANCHESTER from Helsinki Poetry
Don't Sit Under the Cherry Tree with Anyone Else but Me
I spotted Christina one Friday afternoon in Penn Station, sporting this awesome cherry blossom tattoo:
She took some photos in to Jason Loui, then at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He sketched out a design, and the rest is history. Mr. Loui now works out of Good Faith Tattooing, in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Thanks to Christina for sharing her cherry blossom tree with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
She took some photos in to Jason Loui, then at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He sketched out a design, and the rest is history. Mr. Loui now works out of Good Faith Tattooing, in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Thanks to Christina for sharing her cherry blossom tree with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Helsinki Poetry...
The band consists of Rune and Ebbe; the later used to be in old favorites EPO-555.
Helsinki Poetry - Phoenix
Size 43...
Download a free remix of Entakt's Størrelse 43. More news on/from the band real soon...
Entakt - Størrelse 43 (SFF VMS remix) by jonasvillumsen
Entakt - Størrelse 43 (SFF VMS remix) by jonasvillumsen
Musician Monday: Ryan from The Disconnects
Here on our second installment of Musician Mondays, we have a rockin', self-explanatory tattoo from Ryan, lead singer and guitarist from an unsigned band called The Disconnects:
From her mohawk to her Doc Martens, this punk rock girl and her "Too Fast to Live, To Young to Die" banner totally capture that raw, rock aesthetic.
I met Ryan last month, across the street from where I work, on Seventh Avenue and 31st Street, in Manhattan.
The tattoo was inked at Fat Kat Tattoos in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat previously appearing on the site can be seen here.
Thanks to Ryan for sharing his cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
From her mohawk to her Doc Martens, this punk rock girl and her "Too Fast to Live, To Young to Die" banner totally capture that raw, rock aesthetic.
I met Ryan last month, across the street from where I work, on Seventh Avenue and 31st Street, in Manhattan.
The tattoo was inked at Fat Kat Tattoos in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat previously appearing on the site can be seen here.
Thanks to Ryan for sharing his cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Rainbow girl...
Glasvegas has remixed Giana Factory's Rainbow Girl and gives away the remix (or "remake" as they call it) for free. Aside from being an interesting constellation the excitement fades quickly once you listen to it. Being my usual grumpy self, I recommend you check out the original version instead.
Giana Factory - Rainbow Girl (Glasvegas remake) by charmfactory
Rainbow Girl - Radio Edit by Giana Factory
Or perhaps even better; this fine version recorded at/for X Sessions.
+ Rainbow Girl (X Sessions)
Giana Factory - Rainbow Girl (Glasvegas remake) by charmfactory
Rainbow Girl - Radio Edit by Giana Factory
Or perhaps even better; this fine version recorded at/for X Sessions.
+ Rainbow Girl (X Sessions)
Ivan's Sleeve: Doom, Zombies, and The Joker
Last month I met Ivan in Penn Station, and I took a bunch of photos of his right arm, fully-sleeved. There's a lot going on here, so let's take a look:
And the inner part of the sleeve:
Ivan's tattoo artist is Larry Davis at Explicit Tattoo in Suffern, New York He also credits Adrienne Levy with the design of the cat on his wrist.
Ivan explains a little bit about his ink:
"The zombie on my shoulder is an original that Larry drew from his imagination. The face with the ragged teeth on my bicep is from the video game Doom.
As for the totem pole-esque image on my forearm, the middle and upper pieces were drawn by the artist Matt Simonetti.
The lower piece was drawn by Micki Fever. Larry did the tattooing, as is true for all my tattoos."
Ivan also has this segment of his sleeve which is noteworthy:
Ivan explained that this tattoo of The Joker and Harley Quinn is based on this illustration by the artist Alex Ross, which appeared on the cover of Batman: Harley Quinn.
Thanks to Ivan for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Ivan explained that this tattoo of The Joker and Harley Quinn is based on this illustration by the artist Alex Ross, which appeared on the cover of Batman: Harley Quinn.
Thanks to Ivan for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Best Week Ever: Tattoosday Edition
The last seven days have been quite a whirlwind, and I felt it is worth a recap, just because I can't believe what happened since last Saturday.
A week ago, I had my best trip to the New York Tattoo Convention, saw a lot of great ink, reconnected with old blogging friends, and met a lot of cool people. All my posts since Sunday (with the exception of Friday) recapped the show and some of the folks I met.
On Wednesday, I swung by Kings Ave NYC on the Bowery after work and met one of the greats in the tattoo community, Corey Miller. When I asked him if it would be too dorky to ask to take a picture with him, he said, "Of course, it's dorky, but I love that shit." Do I look just a little bit excited?
For those of you who watch L.A. Ink, last season we saw a subplot in an episode in which Corey designed the album art for his friend Trever Kieth's band Face to Face.
As it happened, this past week the album dropped, and Face to Face had a gig in Times Square. Corey came along for the ride, and joined the band at Kings Avenue NYC to sign posters, singles, magazines, and other goodies.
Corey and the band signed the poster featuring the original album artwork
and the single they produced with Rise Against:
I'm not holding my breath, but I did give out Tattoosday cards to the guys in the band (and to Corey, of course) and asked them to contact me if they wanted to share some of their ink on a future Musician Monday feature. Fingers crossed!
Here's a fan video from the show they did that night:
Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about how the week ended, but I can tell you I was on location Friday on the set of a local tattoo establishment that is home base for a new reality-based tattoo show on a cable channel. Now, I may or may not have received a new tattoo, but eventually I'll be able to tell you all about the experience.
Incidentally, we are less than two weeks away from the premiere of TLC's NY Ink (June 2!) Can't wait to see it, as the show features Ami James, formerly of Miami Ink, as well as amazing artists like Tim Hendricks, Tommy Montoya, and Megan Massacre.
Oh, and I almost forgot! Congratulations to Michael Henry Lee, who won a t-shirt in our Kings Ave NYC contest! Your shirt is on its way!
A week ago, I had my best trip to the New York Tattoo Convention, saw a lot of great ink, reconnected with old blogging friends, and met a lot of cool people. All my posts since Sunday (with the exception of Friday) recapped the show and some of the folks I met.
On Wednesday, I swung by Kings Ave NYC on the Bowery after work and met one of the greats in the tattoo community, Corey Miller. When I asked him if it would be too dorky to ask to take a picture with him, he said, "Of course, it's dorky, but I love that shit." Do I look just a little bit excited?
For those of you who watch L.A. Ink, last season we saw a subplot in an episode in which Corey designed the album art for his friend Trever Kieth's band Face to Face.
As it happened, this past week the album dropped, and Face to Face had a gig in Times Square. Corey came along for the ride, and joined the band at Kings Avenue NYC to sign posters, singles, magazines, and other goodies.
Corey and the band signed the poster featuring the original album artwork
and the single they produced with Rise Against:
I'm not holding my breath, but I did give out Tattoosday cards to the guys in the band (and to Corey, of course) and asked them to contact me if they wanted to share some of their ink on a future Musician Monday feature. Fingers crossed!
Here's a fan video from the show they did that night:
Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about how the week ended, but I can tell you I was on location Friday on the set of a local tattoo establishment that is home base for a new reality-based tattoo show on a cable channel. Now, I may or may not have received a new tattoo, but eventually I'll be able to tell you all about the experience.
Incidentally, we are less than two weeks away from the premiere of TLC's NY Ink (June 2!) Can't wait to see it, as the show features Ami James, formerly of Miami Ink, as well as amazing artists like Tim Hendricks, Tommy Montoya, and Megan Massacre.
Oh, and I almost forgot! Congratulations to Michael Henry Lee, who won a t-shirt in our Kings Ave NYC contest! Your shirt is on its way!
Kathryn's Birdhouse Reminds Her of Home
I spotted Kathryn in Penn Station earlier this month and asked her about her tattoos. She shared this one, which jumped out at me from across the room:
I had a nice time chatting with Kathryn who referred to her approximately 18 tattoos as a "patchwork" collection, with each tattoo marking a different occasion and/or the places she has been. I totally related to that, although she certainly has a lot more ink than I do.
This birdhouse was the first tattoo she got after moving to Philadelphia. It represents a look back to home. Although the house is not modeled after the building where she lived, it's the same color as her former home, and she associates it with her leaving the nest for the big city.
This piece, on her inner right forearm, is credited to Topper at Philadelphia Eddie's.
Do note I framed the photo so you can see two of the five cherry bombs she had tattooed on her left arm when she turned eighteen. She noted that these bombs were a "loose" reference to the graffiti artist Banksy.
Thanks to Kathryn for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
I had a nice time chatting with Kathryn who referred to her approximately 18 tattoos as a "patchwork" collection, with each tattoo marking a different occasion and/or the places she has been. I totally related to that, although she certainly has a lot more ink than I do.
This birdhouse was the first tattoo she got after moving to Philadelphia. It represents a look back to home. Although the house is not modeled after the building where she lived, it's the same color as her former home, and she associates it with her leaving the nest for the big city.
This piece, on her inner right forearm, is credited to Topper at Philadelphia Eddie's.
Do note I framed the photo so you can see two of the five cherry bombs she had tattooed on her left arm when she turned eighteen. She noted that these bombs were a "loose" reference to the graffiti artist Banksy.
Thanks to Kathryn for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Anyone remember this band...?
Just had a shower and for some unknown reason I started singing this one. No idea why, because it's probably been 20 years since the last time I heard it...still a pretty good song though!
Love and Money - Halleluiah man
Love and Money - Halleluiah man
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Chris Shares His Half-Sleeve Inspired by the Indigenous Cultures of the Pacific Northwest
For this, my final post highlighting work I enjoyed at the New York City Tattoo Convention last Saturday, we turn to Chris, who offered up this half-sleeve from his right arm:
Chris explained that he is a great admirer of Native American art and that, after a trip to a museum in British Columbia, he was inspired by a First Nations exhibit. He purchased a book about the exhibits there and he used several photos as source material to collaborate with his tattoo artist.
On complicated pieces, I always think it's best to hear the explanation in the host's own words, so here's what Chris had to say:
"The symbol in the center is a moon symbol, which is usually reserved for higher-ranking members of the tribe. Then you got two wolves on either side as spirit guides. [The outer section] is called Sisiutl:
it’s the two-headed serpent [who] protects you from evil and will eat the flesh of your enemies ... the Sisiutl is actually a perfectly round symbol and then the artist spread it out and free-handed this middle section to make it all work
On the inside of his arm is this piece:
"This is a simple salmon ... which is a symbol of prosperous fishing and hunting.
Hopefully, this [the whole tattoo, still in progress] will be protection and a lot of good coming to me with the way it’s designed.
This exceptional work is by Leo Fieschi at Art Club Tattoo & Piercing in New Milford, Connecticut.
Thanks to Chris for sharing it and taking the time at the convention to explain it for us here at Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Steve's Phenomenal Celtic Cross
Among the many amazing tattoos I saw last Saturday, this cross belonging to Steve was among my favorites:
There's really not much to it, other than amazing colors and craftsmanship.
Steve explained that the design is a nod to his Irish heritage, inspired by the Book of Kells, as exemplified by the Celtic knot in the center of the piece. He estimated that the half-sleeve, which circles the whole arm, represents about 30 hours of work.
He praised the work of Agent at Screamin' Ink Tattoos in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. For those familiar with our annual NYC Tattoo Convention recaps, Screamin' Ink was the shop that featured my favorite tattoo from last year (revisit it here).
Thanks to Steve for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
There's really not much to it, other than amazing colors and craftsmanship.
Steve explained that the design is a nod to his Irish heritage, inspired by the Book of Kells, as exemplified by the Celtic knot in the center of the piece. He estimated that the half-sleeve, which circles the whole arm, represents about 30 hours of work.
He praised the work of Agent at Screamin' Ink Tattoos in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. For those familiar with our annual NYC Tattoo Convention recaps, Screamin' Ink was the shop that featured my favorite tattoo from last year (revisit it here).
Thanks to Steve for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Caroline's Death's-head Hawk Moth and The Silence of the Lambs
Sending an inkblogger into a tattoo convention, is like sending a kid into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - we just go into sensory overload.
It's always interesting to see who I will interview first, as nearly everyone has amazing work. My first choice appeared to me after I had been at the New York City Tattoo Convention for about an hour:
Behold Caroline's Death's Head Hawkmoth!
She explained that it is based on the art from The Silence of the Lambs movie poster.
She elaborated, "that was ... the first movie I saw that got me into film and I'm a huge film buff ... so it kind of marks a huge turning point in my life. I started growing up and developing interests in art [and] film."
The film's director, Jonathan Demme, is one of her favorite directors, but she loves Stanley Kubrick and hopes one day to get a Clockwork Orange tattoo.
She went to Tattoo Joe at Physical Graffiti Tattoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut for this piece and he did a wonderful job of transforming the vision from the poster to the top part of her back.
Thanks to Caroline for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
It's always interesting to see who I will interview first, as nearly everyone has amazing work. My first choice appeared to me after I had been at the New York City Tattoo Convention for about an hour:
Behold Caroline's Death's Head Hawkmoth!
She explained that it is based on the art from The Silence of the Lambs movie poster.
She elaborated, "that was ... the first movie I saw that got me into film and I'm a huge film buff ... so it kind of marks a huge turning point in my life. I started growing up and developing interests in art [and] film."
The film's director, Jonathan Demme, is one of her favorite directors, but she loves Stanley Kubrick and hopes one day to get a Clockwork Orange tattoo.
She went to Tattoo Joe at Physical Graffiti Tattoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut for this piece and he did a wonderful job of transforming the vision from the poster to the top part of her back.
Thanks to Caroline for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Jessica's Stunning Tibetan Back Piece
The last few years that I've attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, there's always been at least on person with a full back piece that captures my attention and, much to my enjoyment, agrees to share their work with us here at Tattoosday. The biggest and brightest tattoo this year for me, was this stunning work of art on Jessica:
This beautiful piece was inked by Echo at Now or Never Tattoos & Body Works in Staten Island, New York.
Jessica estimates that this piece took 11 hours to complete and added that there may, in the future, be more coming. "We have to fill it in the bottom and the top with a whole bunch of more flower work," she told me, but for the most part, this is complete.
When I asked what the origin of the piece was, she told me " I had a lotus flower on my lower back, so he [Echo] expanded it to a Tibetan princess."
As for the inspiration for the piece, Jessica explained, "I had a friend of mine pass away who was Tibetan, so that's kind of where the whole meaning came from."
As you would imagine, this piece was garnering a lot of attention from photographers and other convention attendees. I was thrilled to speak to Jessica about the tattoo and thank her profusely for taking the time to speak with me and share her Tibetan princess with us here on Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
This beautiful piece was inked by Echo at Now or Never Tattoos & Body Works in Staten Island, New York.
Jessica estimates that this piece took 11 hours to complete and added that there may, in the future, be more coming. "We have to fill it in the bottom and the top with a whole bunch of more flower work," she told me, but for the most part, this is complete.
When I asked what the origin of the piece was, she told me " I had a lotus flower on my lower back, so he [Echo] expanded it to a Tibetan princess."
As for the inspiration for the piece, Jessica explained, "I had a friend of mine pass away who was Tibetan, so that's kind of where the whole meaning came from."
As you would imagine, this piece was garnering a lot of attention from photographers and other convention attendees. I was thrilled to speak to Jessica about the tattoo and thank her profusely for taking the time to speak with me and share her Tibetan princess with us here on Tattoosday.
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
Dispatch from the 2011 New York City Tattoo Convention (A Recap)
In years past, I have only highlighted one or two pieces, as I go into sensory overload. What, outside of a convention's setting, would normally pique my interest, seems commonplace and ordinary. This year, however, I took many more photos, and actually interviewed four people, so this will be Convention Recap Week.
I do want to say the best part of the show was hanging and chatting with Marisa and Brian from Needles and Sins, as well as with Nathan from Knuckle Tattoos. It's not a portrait of future world domination, yet, but here's the three of us, masterminds of three of the best tattoo sites around, and hands and above, the best three inkbloggers at the show:
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| Nathan, Marisa and Me (photo by Brian Grosz) |
I also like to introduce myself to artists whose work has appeared on the Site before, so I said hi to Adam Rosenthal of Th'Ink Tank in Denver, and Vinny Romanelli at Red Rocket in NYC.
I also took a slew of photos of people I didn't interview, so I will just throw them up here. Unfortunately I can't credit any of the amazing artists responsible. However, if you see your work here, shoot me an email and I can give you your proper due. Many of these shots were taken during the first round of the contest, which centered around black and gray work:
This one was one of my favorites, especially considering the woman's reflection in the blade of the knife:
And this Star Wars leg was totally cool:
Finally, through social media, my friend Ben in Hawai'i requested a shot of "80s West Coast punk rock logos." I thought I had failed in my quest until, as I was leaving, I captured this tiny Black Flag tattoo on a guy named Crash, who works for Tattoo Artist Magazine:
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| Mini-Black Flag Bars Tattoo by Oliver Peck |
and this incredible Misfits piece to boot:
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| Tattoo by Frank Lee at Tattoo Blues in Ft. Lauderdale |
Yes, we know, Misfits are an East Coast band. But it was too nice a tattoo to not photograph. Can you blame me?
Check out the Tattoo Artist Magazine blog here.
Check back throughout the week to see what four tattoos I found most blogworthy for us here on Tattoosday!
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.
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