music of the year awards '08

I don't really like top (insert number) lists so I created ten awards for albums this year. I will use this frame work for other lists in the future.

I could easily talk about my choices on each of these albums but that will take far to long. So I am hopping that people make comments and we can get some music conversations going.

This list was compiled from 37 bought or downloaded (legally) albums.

Enjoy!

Metal/Hardcore album of the year:
Protest the Hero “Fortress”

Honorable Mentions: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster “II” /// Century “Black Ocean”

Rock/Alternative album of the year:
The Black Keys “Attack & Release”

Honorable Mentions: Moros Eros “Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity” /// Against Me “New Wave”

Folk/Country album of the year:
Blanche “Little Amber Bottles”

Honorable Mentions: The Watson Twins “Fire Songs” /// Johnny Cash “At Folsom Prison”

New Artist of the year:
Ra Ra Riot “The Rhumb Line”

Honorable Mentions: Dillinger Escape Plan “Ire Works” /// United Nations “United Nations”

Down Loaded album of the year:
Junior Kimbrough “God Knows I Tried”

Classic Album Re-bought/Rediscovered of the year:
Unkle “Psyence Fiction”

Honorable Mentions: Metallica “Master of Puppets”

Most Brutal Album of the year:
Despised Icon “The Ills of Modern Man”

Honorable Mentions: Austrian Death Machine “Total Brutal”

Most Talked About/Recommended Album of the year:
Austrian Death Machine “Total Brutal”

Artists New Band Album of the year:
Cavalera Conspiracy “Inflikted”

Honorable Mentions: Scars on Broadway “Scars on Broadway”

Album of the year:
Norma Jean “-vs- The Anti Mother”

Honorable Mentions: Protest the Hero “Fortress” /// The Black Keys “Attack & Release”

remove your stinking carcass

Looking forward to January 20th.

on the work desk 0001

Still learning my own style but, that's the whole point of these mini comics. To cut my teeth, no pun intended, and get my name out their.

The image cell on the left was finished earlier last week but I abandoned the style of finishing the page cell-by-cell and instead went for the approach of finishing the page step-by-step as a whole

Here are the finished pencil sketches.



Here are the rough inks I put down and then I clean up the pencil marks with an eraser.



Here is the finished page.

on the work desk

The Skateboard Diaries. One page finished.

ghetto blast from the past

Summer is winding down, oh the agony of it all, and after a wonderful Labor Day with my girlfriend and her family I was relaxing for a minute at my house when I heard a song on the TV, some Brit show called Freaky, that I haven’t heard in a long long time. The song was Cyclone by the Dub Pistols off there 98 release Point Blank and hearing this song I was inspired to go through my ever growing CD collection and upload some of those albums from an era in my life I haven’t listened too in years. It’s weird and quite tranquil how hearing a song not listened too in years can bring back memories as vivid as when they happened. With only having my iPod for two-years there are a few, an understatement, albums that I haven’t got around to uploading. I just needed that little spark to motivate me into rediscovering these albums from about ten years ago when my DJ aspirations were at there highest.

I grew up on metal, hardcore and hip hop from the 80’s and have always stayed true to those roots, especially my metal and hardcore roots. But you have to adventure outside of your musical comfort zones every now and again to discover some amazing new music. Around the mid 90’s me and my brother started to listen to DJ Shadow who was mixing jazz and blues melodies with hip hop beats and some ambient sounds from electronic music. From DJ Shadow we started to find new music not necessarily the same sound but in that same vein like Roni Size, Hive, DJ Spooky and many more.

I’ve stayed into DJ Shadow but some of the other albums and groups have fallen out of favor. So I am uploading Dub Pistols Point Blank and Freestylers We Rock Hard some great albums I found on accident that I haven’t listened too in about ten years. I might take a trip back into that era over the next couple of days and see how things go.

I also uploaded Hive Working With Sound and I’ll see what I can do about Devious Methods. Hey, I may even try and conjure up some Roni Size, Tricky, or Q Bert…I may even resurrect some aspirations.

music for the masses 0001

I’ve picked up a couple new albums yesterday and with music being one of my passions I figured I would make it a point to spread the good word of music now and again. But, before I get into my musical purchases from yesterday I will chat a bit about some albums I have been getting into over the past few weeks.

I picked up the third full length by Norma Jean titled -vs.- The Anti Mother and Fortress by Protest The Hero. I grabbed these albums the week Norma Jean’s album hit shelves, yes I bought a physical disc, which was also the week I was getting ready to leave for Florida. These are amazing albums and I got a chance to get into both of them a bit relaxing in an amazing condo in Florida.

I have been a big fan of Norma Jean ever since I picked up O’God the Aftermath Christmas of 05. There second release Redeemer was a great album and I was surprised to see that they already had a new offering out; pleasantly surprised. Anti Mother continues the growth, in good ways, and the continued sound of Norma Jean. They manage to add some wonderful melodies to their signature hardcore sound in this album without changing what makes Norma Jean so great. There is a lot of nuance in this album that takes a few listens to completely appreciate; which is a good thing. I like when I can listen to a song a bunch and hear something new every time. Just two nights ago I thought I heard Chino Moreno’s voice on Surrender Your Sons…. And after reading the liner notes I found out that not only is Chino on Surrender Your Sons… but he is also on Robots 3 Humans 0 another favorite track of mine; the power of owning a physical copy of the CD. I am a huge fan of the Deftones and of Chino, the Deftones is the band that really pushed me into loving, collecting, and contributing to music. Definitely pick up this disc.

The other album I grabbed was Fortress by Protest The Hero. This was a band that a few months back my Brother, another big metal and music fan was pushing in my direction. The final push was watching Sequoia Throne on Fuse OnDemand. I figured after watching the video every night for a week it was a good bet I would dig the band. Fortress is an awesome album and I am starting to really dig Protest the Hero and very soon go out and find some more of there stuff. Most of the albums I have bought this year where from bands I already am into, there’s been maybe a few others that weren’t, and Protest the Hero is a great band and will probably be my most influential find this year. I love finding or suggested new music especially when it is as good as Protest the Hero. The bands style of metal is a blend of the tight and complex style of Between The Buried and Me with hardcore vocal ranges mixed with melodic vocals of a Rob Halford. Discover Protest the Hero and you won’t be disappointed.

The final album I have been into I grabbed at the beginning of the month and it is called Austrian Death Machine Total Brutal. An album dedicated to the classic lines of Arnie. Let me start by saying that I am not that into “funny” music just because it doesn’t really last but this album is awesome; it is funny and it sounds great. From the vision of As I Lay Dying front man Tim Lambesis this is a testament to the love of the Governator and to metal. With song titles ”Get To The Choppa”, “It’s Not a Tumor”, and “Come With Me If You Wont To Live” this album will entertain for years to come and everyone should be able to sing along from the beginning to the end of the album. Tim wrote and performed this masterpiece and brought along friends to help tighten sounds and add brutal guitar solos when needed. I can not tell enough people about this album…BUY IT NOW! This is definitely a slice of culture and an album that will gain in popularity over time and be something passed around among friends of Arnies and metal. I still can’t believe sometimes that this album exists and I am so glad that it does and I can’t wait until the next one…if there will be one.

So, any way I picked up SlipKnot All Hope Is Gone and Scars On Broadway self titled release. I will have more on them shortly but the above should tide you over.

run, draw, eat, beer, work, clean, pack, sleep

The past few days and weeks have been crazy and making it more insane I am heading out to my last destination wedding (of three) this year. I am excited and looking forward for the wedding and the wonderful time we will all have but I am also looking forward to after the wedding in which me and my girlfriend can spend some quality time together in Florida. But until we can relax we both have a lot more running around to do. I will post some more art before I leave but I have been having trouble getting any real work done. I've tried to work on some sketches at my two jobs but that hasn't helped much. I sketch in a Moleskin (amazing journals) but I have been doing some more epic sketches (larger formate) of late. I hope to get back to some daily sketching (at least 20 minutes a day) in my Moleskin while I am in Florida.

progress: 2000 & ate: week 30

This is what I finished for last weeks zombie submission. I haven't been on lately, been crazy busy, but I have been working. I am building up momentum and should be on track to completing some major art, design, and comic work done soon.

Oh yea, I graduated a few months back too.

Progress: 2000 & Ate

I am 1/5 done with my zombie project and with such, sadly, 1/5 of the year has evaporated away. It may seem weird for me to be doing a Progress Report at 1/5 and not wait until March is over and do one at 1/4 but, this project is weird. I don't think I could go any further without at least looking back on the past 10 weeks and commenting on my progress. As of this moment I don't feel that this project is accomplishing, or more so, that I am accomplishing the goals I set forth. The past 10 weeks I have slowly degraded my ambitions to such a low that I am sitting down to draw at around 11 pm on Sunday. So trying to knock out a zombie at the last minute has definitely taken its toll on what I can accomplish artistically. I know I have been extremely busy so that is one factor but I still need to shape up. I am on break, my last break before graduation, so I am going to crank out some great work over the next few weeks. I will also start to post more of my work. Here is a pick of my favorite zombie so; far drawn on Week 2.

Two-Thousand & Ate

Wow, five months since my last post. My only excuse: Is that I've been really busy. But, I started for 2008 an art project with the intentions of growing my art skills and diversity. So for the year of '08 I have been drawing or creating at least one piece of zombie art per week for the entire year. So, that is what I've been working on in my free time for the past two months to have some sort of forward progress on the zombie books I've been working on.