Interview with Rohan Harrison (Extortion)

 I'm a huge fan of Extortion, and it's not only because of the fast angry thrashy hardcore they play, but also because of the artwork which has been an important part of the work of this band since the beginning.  Extortion has had pretty recognizable disturbed visual identity which distinct them very much from many other bands and there is no way that it's gonna leave you indifferent.  All those sick covers, posters and shirts  were designed and drawn by the singer, Rohan Harrison...

If you maybe haven't checked out Extortion, be sure to do it, especially if you like bands like Infest, Siege, Crossed Out, Negative Approach, No Comment, DRI... www.myspace.com/extortionextortion

And of course, Rohan's artwork blog: www.weiffenbach.blogspot.com

 

What  have you been doing these days?

-Extortion has just done a short US tour, so i'm working a shitload to keep this trip from sending me broke, homeless and selling my body parts for spare change. Here's hoping.

How did you start doing artwork for bands? Did it start with Extortion or before that?

-I've been drawing for as long as I can remember (parents probably weren't too happy with me scribbling over everything and anything at a young age).   When I became involved in the music scene in Perth I started out drawing flyers for shows and when I started playing in bands it just made sense to do the art for whatever releases or shirts we were to produce. From there other bands got in contact and started requesting work.

Hand-drawing or computer or both?

-Most of what I do is hand drawn, then any text/layout is done in Photoshop. Photoshop is also great for fixing all those miniscule mistakes that no one else even notices but make me want to blow my own head off.

 I noticed there are only a few works you did in color. Why drawing everything black and white?

-Black and white is generally quicker for obvious reasons. Also, most of my designs are for shirts. The more colours on a shirt, the more expensive it is to print, so if I can draw up a one colour design and still make it look good, I'm saving money. I'm very happy to do colour work, but it does take me a lot longer as I do very little colouring in Photoshop, so most colour is done by hand and I generally make many mistakes haha.

 Extortion has had many T shirts designs... How many shirts designs exactly have you printed so far?

-I think around 30 different designs? It seems excessive now that I see the number written down hahah. We generally get smaller runs of shirts made and rarely re-print older designs because, well, I like drawing and its a good excuse to draw up something new.

 Who are your main influences except Raymond Pettibone?

-Too many! Franklin Booth, Katsuhiro Otomo, Roberth Crumb, Pushead, Arthur Rackham, Ralph Steadman, Shintaro Kago, Frank Frazetta, plus like a billion more. Realistically, seeing almost any imagery can inspire me to start drawing.

 

Do people still bother you about coathanger abortion shirt design? What do you think, why people found it so "shocking"?

-Nah, it was only printed twice and the only time I really had to deal with people being offended by it was once or twice when it was on the merchandise table. It was a strange one, they sold steadily, but the people who wanted that design REALLY wanted it.
Not too sure why it was deemed so offensive. I'm aware it's horrible subject matter but so are many of the designs that I draw up. It's in no way graphically explicit and no context is given for the scene apart from whats drawn. The aim was to make something off-putting and a little perverse, but many took it as outright morally repulsive to the point I was being questioned as to why I'd even put it on a shirt. I guess my gauge for whats offensive is a little off.

For which bands did you do artwork except Extortion?

-I've done a lot of work for bands of various styles, though most fall under the punk/hardcore genre I suppose. I've done work for Sick-fucking-o, Suffer, Phantoms, Grim Fandango, Lie Cycle, I Exist, Mindsnare, Rort, Jed Whitey, Agents Of Abhorrence, Sensory Amusia, Taipan, Jaws, Battletruk and tones of other bands. I'm pretty happy to do art for any band that asks.

 

I read somewhere that you planned to start tattooing. So, did you?

-No, I ended up moving to Melbourne, where there tattoo business is already flooded with many tattooist and a great many of those are extremely talented, so it's pretty hard to get into here unless you have the contacts (which I (as you probably guessed) do not). Maybe in the future I'll look into it again. Currently busy enough with art I've been asked to do for bands, websites etc.

 

 Now, about Extortion... What's going on with Extortion at the moment? I see you played couple of shows in March and April and US tour. How was  it?

-As stated in the answer to the first question, we just finished a short tour in the US, including shows at Maryland Deathfest and Chaos in Tejas, the whole trip was great.   A lot of fun and I got to see some sick bands. The shows we played here in March and April were great too. Playing sydney is always great. We've got one or two new songs in the set now which is always satisfying as playing the same songs over and over can get a little old.

Are you planning some release or maybe some tour somewhere else outside of Australia?

-We just finished a tour, but always keen to tour overseas again. Not sure where we'll go next, but I'd love to play South East Asia and Japan sometime, so hopefully we can organize that for sometime in the not too distant future. We'd also love to play the US or Europe again of course, as we had a great time last time we toured there.
As for releases, we' currently writing for a few splits and a new LP, but taking our time as I wasn't too happy with the last two recordings and want to make sure the next releases are of a high quality songwriting and recording-wise.

 

The next two questions have been asked so many times in Extortion interviews that they became a cliche, so here they are too...
You sound angry. What pisses you off?

-I ALWAYS get asked this question in Extortion interviews, it's fucking annoying trying to think of new answers. Saying the same thing in interviews every time makes for boring interviews but recently I've been thinking fuck it, maybe I should keep a big database of answers to questions that are commonly asked and then just cut and pasting the relevant answer. You'll probably see this answer verbatim in a stack of zines in the future.

Do you hate babies?

-Babies are odd. I personally find them a little weird looking, rather than cute. It's like looking at humans in larval form. In such a form they're quite useless and to me look strangely disproportionate, which in some way I find intriguing in the way I enjoy weird distorted imagery.
Babies probably feature in a lot of designs I draw up due to this reason coupled with the fact that they're effectively helpless. Therefore working an infant into a scene depicting any sort of violence is going to push the level of aggression implied into absurb territory which is pretty funny really.

Some new stuff from Tremor

It's been a while since I interviewed Tremor for this blog, so I decided to post some of the new work he has done recently.
Who hasn't read the interview, read it HERE

And check out Tremor's portfolio: www.tremorizer.blogspot.com

 

And some skateboarding  demons, my favorite!

Victor Soldeus

This is the new blog I bumped into today. It's the artwork of Victor Soldeus from Swedish band In the Hearts Of Emperors. 
I hope he will post some more stuff there because his hand drawn art is more than interesting and I'm happy to have  Downfall Of Gaia new tote bag and a patch with his drawing on it!

Check him out:

www.murderofmen.blogspot.com

Interview with Aaron Edge

There are so many awesome things about Aaron Edge. You may know him from bands like Himsa, Iamthethorn, Harkonen or through artwork he did for many many bands. Currently, he is the art director of Southern Lord Recordings which is one of the labels I truly love and Aaron's designer's touch on their releases and shirts makes them even more interesting and worth buying. I am absolutely stoked by the recent work he did for two of my favorite German bands, Planks and Alpinist and of course there are Earth, Drainland, OFF! and many more...
  


He is also always involved in some music projects like Swallowing Swords and Hellvetika at the moment.


Check out his whole portfolio here:


www.aaronedgedesign.blogspot.com
www.aaronedge.com

Hey, Aaron! How are you?

-All is pretty good here, in sunny California… thanx for asking. Been real busy with music and design projects this year, looks to be one of the most productive one's of my life.

What have you been up to lately?

-Mostly adjusting to Los Angeles. My family (wife + cat) and I moved down here, from Seattle, last November. It's been a real trip. Though I grew up in the center of the state of California, it's very different as an adult, and especially in a city like LA. I've been so used to the Northwest lifestyle (lived there from 1997 until the end of 2010) and acclimating to such a crazy place here is just that… a trip! However, the weather is perfect for cycling, running and general good moods most of the year here. THAT I like. The rest, well, it's a tough place to make friends and the competition (to be expected) with artists, designers, photographers and other artistic industry-related people is quite strong. For the first time in my life, I really do feel as if I am swimming against the current and with others right next to me… all fighting for the same place, same clients, same spotlight. Welcome to LA, Haha.

You are the Art Director for Southern Lord Recordings...

-Indeed, and it is a great honor! I have the perfect job, one I have always dreamed of having. Gigs like this aren't easy to get and I hope to have it for a long time. I often tell people that I "have to go to fun and not work". That's, of course, not to say that there isn't a lot to do, demands for strict deadlines, guidelines and such. It's just that those perimeters are for awesome projects, with very talented bands and a great in-house staff of fun people to share office spaces with. I honestly can not think of something I would rather do with my time and energy.

How have you started working there?

-My design history/background has been split right down the middle, between two separate and very different fields of artistic occupation: 1.) editorial design of newspapers and magazines, and 2.) graphic design of music-related projects like CDs, vinyl LP/7" vinyl, tour merch and screen printed posters. Over the last 15 or so years, I have held positions as Art Director for newspapers and magazines like The Stranger, Status, Willamette Week, and The Rocket. When not working full-time at those spots, I have been designing as a freelancer for record labels and bands since I was a teenager. Less money in that, but more passion and smiling comes from it. So, Greg Anderson (of Southern Lord) was familiar with my work and asked me to work on a few projects over the years. In an email last summer, he asked me to move down to SoCal and work for him. He needed a reliable, sober person to handle all things "arty" and I was his guy. We discussed things back and fourth for a few weeks and late fall of last year, I moved down.

So, what does your average work day there look like?

-Normally, the day starts with reading a bunch of emails (prolly' like most people): from bands that we have on the label or distribute, some from press people who often need our logos, photos and covers of our releases. Greg and I have quite a bit of back and fourth as well, we are both busy and can't have daily meetings about/on every thing that comes up. He is very interested and totally "hands on" with every project that enters and leaves Southern Lord… which is rad. He really cares, more than most owners/presidents of companies. Throughout my day I am updating, editing and proofing design files with bands and printers. I work on a few (sometimes lots) of releases at a time. This includes the design of the CDs, LPs, 7"s, posters, t-shirts, pins, stickers, postcards and web banners/print ads for the internet and printed magazines. I also handle the social media and blogs for Southern Lord… which I had no idea would take as much time each day. That is, party, because we have so many super loyal and amazing fans of the label, it's bands and my boss in general. People are stoked, and so am I. Those fans demand to have up to date news and info about our releases, tours, etc. I am here to give it to 'em. A good portion of my day is spent listening to new bands, talking shit, meeting good people and laughing with Phil. He is the head of our shipping department and gives me daily stomach aches from laughing. So, there is quite a bit of fun here too.

You were in many bands like Himsa, Iamthethorn, Grievous, Harkonen, Swearengen... did I forget any?

-There are too many to list, or, I should say that there are more to list than anyone would care to read. I have made music a priority in my life since first taking up a drum kit in 1987. I fell in love with music before ever falling in love with a girl, a color, a bike, a kind of race car or anything else that could have been loved as a kid. My posters were of bands, not bikini girls. My music collection was filled with thrash, punk, hardcore and other genres that few of my peers could relate to… and the ones that could relate, we started bands together. My first band that played shows was called BFN. It stood for so many different things, Big Fat Nun and a few other names that I am too embarrassed to say/type. Haha. We were Crass, Bauhaus, Exploited, Subhumans and Bad Religion fueled. I remember us being quite terrible. My second bands ever were Set of Standards (a Straight Edge band) and Alternate Society (very political punk group). Both really forced me to get some drum chops and learn to really work with other musicians and their personalities. Wish I had recordings of those cassettes still… But that was then, and since, I have been part of so many wondrous musical projects, like the ones you mentioned. Some of my other favorites would be Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (with the legendary Tad), Genuine, Roareth, The Horde, Day of Lions, Requin, and my current band, Swallowing Swords. Something to add, some of my most favorite band experiences have been with female band members… something I think a lot of men in the scene have never thought of, were to macho, dismissed the idea or even avoided. So sad, 'cause I have learned soooo much from creating art with women… their perspective, drive, true and pure emotion. Aside from rehearsed, active bands, I am also always doing musical projects with talented folks too. Some are mellow, some heavy, some fast and aggressive. All hold interest and a place in my heart. Working with other people is truly how I discover new ways to achieve sonic bliss.

Tell me something more about your solo project Hellvetika.

-Ahhh. That's some odd stuff right there. How to start… um, in 2006, I gave my first shot at the whole singer/songwriter thing. A friend recorded me singing (something I rarely had done in my past, I've always been a screamer) and tracked several songs with me on a classical guitar. I really liked the way it turned out, so I kept with Hellvetika, recording everything on my own, have never once made any money on it. Each and every one of the 80+ songs are available for free download here: www.odeum.org/Hellvetika (case sensitive). Most are originals, several covers too. It's the more mellow side of me, a side that most people would never know existed. I think it is a very accurate representation of me as a person, not just as a performer of heavy, loud music.

What's going on with it?

-The last collection of tunes I uploaded was for a release called "The Last Fall", covers of José González songs. I have nothing else planned for Hellvetika right now, too busy with a new band and six other recording projects with awesome people. I am busy. Busy is good.

As I saw, you are pretty busy with doing artwork for Southern Lord. How do you keep up with your art work, music projects and family?

-It wouldn't be easy for most people to juggle and it wouldn't be tolerated by many lovers. I am just an "all or nuthing" type person, likely my wife understands me and gives me so much space and time to do what I do. She is just as busy with music and work herself. And my cat, well, she likes when I sing… not when I scream. I balance my life thusly: cardio, music, design, family, travel, vegan food, laughter, sleep. All very important, each one missing would cause trouble in my schedule.

For what bands did you work outside Southern Lord Recordings?

-That list is very long too, for a full version, check out the right hand side of my blog (www.aaronedgedesign.blogspot.com). I have worked with some of the best and worst musicians out there, some that pay, some that don't, some that I help for free or a reduced rate, some that have labels with way too much budget that are happy to pay my rent for a few months. I work with very extreme acts and the quietist too… one of THE greatest parts of my job as a designer is that I never know what's coming next. When Heart asked me to do a shirt for them, I was floored. Yob keeps asking me to design their records, I am so honored.

Are there any works which are your favorite?

-Yob. Always and forever. Mike, Travis and Aaron (and Isamu when he was in the band) are the best dudes and they have put such faith into my part of their records/CDs. They are, without a doubt, my most favorite client and band to work with.

What is the hardest part of being a designer?

-Sadly, that is answered easily: when a band member or band's manager contacts me for a quote on their next project and they expect some kind of "bro deal" because they were referred to me from a mutual friend/business partner. This is my job. I work hard for bands, like any other person with training and experience in what they do, I want to be treated with respect.

What would be your usual soundtrack when you are working?

-This interview answered while listening to Neurosis, all records in a row, every song.

Murdoch Stafford

As it is said on his website: "Murdoch is a self taught artist hailing from Brisbane, Australia. It's hot and there's not a lot going on but it's perfect for locking yourself inside with beer, Poison Idea records and a handful of pens. Chained to his desk he whips up record covers, t-shirts, posters and fliers for punk and hardcore bands. Without coffee he is nothing."

I really like his style and I'm glad that I bumped into his blog because it made me discover couple more awesome artists from Brisbane, Australia...

Murdoch's website:  www.murdochstafford.com
  and blog:  www.murdochhardware.blogspot.com

And these are the skate decks he did that I would really want to have one day...

 

 

Clones and Fashions

This is the new website ran by 4 friends which I've recently came across and although there is not so much to read there yet, I already like it. 

Check out the footage from Government Warning show in Kearny NJ with Chronic Sick and The Night Birds in February 2011. It's edited  pretty professionally and both picture and sound are very good. That is only the first episode of CloneCast Films and as I understood it will be followed by many other concerts.

 

http://www.clonesandfashions.com/clonecast/clonecast-films-episode-01/

Also, for me the most interesting thing is that there is 100 days of punk section where they took well known Pushhead’s unofficial top 100 of the 80s list as starting point and they will review every record from that list by order daily. Great idea and  I'm already looking forward to reading what Matt and Nick have to say about those records.

So, I think we can expect many interesting things coming up on from these guys, so check it out:

www.clonesandfashions.com

The Art Of Alex CF

Alex was the vocalist if Fall Of Efrafa and now he sings in Light Bearer, amazing new conceptual band. Not to forget Momentum too, a band whose recordings we are looking forward to for sure! For those of you who remember great artwork of Fall Of Efrafa albums and merch, Alex did it. I could go on about both Fall of Efrafa and Light Bearer forever, but I have to try to concentrate on artwork only. Anyway, artworks of these two bands are as much important part of their concepts as music or lyrics...

I must mention that Light Bearer released Lapsus couple of weeks ago and it's extraordinary piece of art you should definitely check out.
 Light Bearer Myspace
Lapsus is available here: www.doomrock.com

Also, you can read the interview with Light Bearer in the second issue of Rebuild zine, which will be out in May.

Alex is also a curator and custodian of the Merrylin Cryptid collection, which is collection of specimens and preserved bodies of all kinds of mythical creatures found and carefully collected by Thomas Theodore Merrylin. You can explore this collection which will leave you speechless on Alex's website and even purchase some of the specimens (yeah, seriously!).

Since this is a blog about artwork related to music, I won't post any of his paintings and stuff, for that, be sure to check out his website and blog.

blog 

www.alexcf.com