An Interview with Marvel Comics' Paul Davidson

Known for his eye-popping illustration, Tyneside artist Paul Davidson is making waves in the world of comic-book art, especially since a contest win catapulted him into the public eye, working on projects for none other than Marvel Comics.

While the artist couldn’t be more pleased with working for Stan Lee and co. he has also turned his expert hand to pulling demons, zombies and even the odd vampire from the world of fantasy and on to paper.

Recently exhibited at Whitley Bay’s Pure Gallery, Davidson’s bold inked work is reminiscent of the pulp comic books of old, with a modern flair and a dab of dark humour.

Musical Scares caught up with Davidson to find out what makes him tick, how he got his big break, and just what it is about horror that he finds so appealing.

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How long have you been working in the industry?

I've worked as a professional illustrator for 20 years (earlier years with degress of success) but you could say I found my feet in the mid 90's

What was the first piece of art that really inspired you?

I really liked cartoon art, but as I got older I saw some Boris Vallejo (his earlier stuff) and it blew me away... I remember seeing "The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta" and that was it for me, I wanted to draw things that don't exist.

What was your first job as a professional artist?

Bits and pieces of various commissions started coming in, but in '92 I was commissioned to illustrate a graphic novel. It wasn't great pay, but it was 9 months work. It was never published and to this day I don't know what happened to it. On the day of completion it was stolen from the back of the publisher's car. There were no PC's or scanners back then, so I have no record of it, only my memory.

For a lot of people working as a comic book illustrator seems like a dream job, how did you get into the industry and is it as good as so many people think it is?

Games Workshop published my first comic book work "Warhammer Monthly", I created a strip called "DwarfLords" which was great fun, because I scripted it as well. I sometimes still use pieces from that strip as a calling card to comic book publishers. I was really hungry so I put a lot into it, apart from some sequential issues, the art is some of my strongest.

Drawing comics is good, but very demanding. It takes a lot of work to do an actual page (I pencil and ink my own work) and it's under a tight deadline, so this process can dictate a certain ecenomical style to get it out of the door, it's rewarding, but longs hours are needed to produce comics.

How did you end up working for Marvel?

I had been working as a concept artist in the video games industry for nearly 10 years, and was sick of it. I always wanted to get back into comics, then Marvel announced a talent search that would take place over a year, with their editors and talent scouts travelling the world. Thousands of artists submitted their work, hoping to take one of the eight places available. I submitted and forgot about it. One day I got an email saying I was the only artist from the UK that they would like to hire. That was early 2008 I believe. I've been doing that ever since, I also have an agent in London who aquires commercial illustration for me, which equates to around 40% of my work load, Marvel is the other.

What projects are you currently working on?

For Marvel, i'm working on a book called X-Men Legacy. In November I'll be starting a Wolverine book. I'm still producing pen and ink drawings for a series of Horror books, I'm still finishing up Demons, and WereWolves will be out in November. I'm also drawing a WWI book at the moment as well, so it's never boring.

With so many comics / graphic novels available it's easy to miss out on some great work, are there any in particular that you would recommend?

I'm not up to date with many GN's or comics, but I do tend to order older stuff, and if I can get it, European GN's as they're more mature and of a more "Fantastic" nature, less of the men in tights! I love Hellboy though, it's a must read for me.

Are there any artists outside of comic book art that you particularly rate? Why is this?

Edmund Dulac for his classic illustration. Norman Rockwell for his skill and the heart he puts into his work. James Gurney for the world he has created with Dinotopia. Shaun Tan for his wonderful children's books. James Christensen for his wacky imagination. Paul Felix for his outstanding pre-production art over at the Disney studios. The list can go on and on.

Your work which was recently exhibited at The Pure Gallery was almost entirely horror based, what is it about horror imagery that you find particularly appealing?

Everyone likes a bit of horror, it's in-built to be scared of the dark, ever since we lived in the caves. Plus, from an illustrators point of view (apart from representing iconic horror) it's left to a very subjective take on it, and I'm all for that much freedom in my art, even if it is to a brief.

Are there any horror movies that, to you, stand out above the rest? Why is this?

I like horror movies that place the viewer into the situation, something that gives some emotional relevance. What springs to mind is "28 Weeks Later" at the beginning of the movie in the farm house were Robert Carlyle has to make a choice; does he attempt to save his wife's life, or does he make a run for it? With a creature after you and your fear heightened, would you make the right choice,or do a runner like Rob? When a horror movie makes you consider their choices, it's projecting the fear out into the viewer.

What are your future plans?

To have more control over what I draw for a living. I'm currently developing some personal projects to show publishers, I'll be showcasing this stuff when i relaunch my website at the beginning of next year.

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More of Paul Davidson's art can be viewed at his website. Huge thanks also go out to The Pure Gallery for providing a space for his art and giving permission to photograph it.

Doing the musical shuffle

When it came down to finding a select few songs for my band to cover, I'll admit that nothing immediately sprang to mind. Initially all I could think of was Slayer tracks, partially because I was looking at a picture of Kerry King's magnificent cranium at the time (the rest of him is in the picture, just to clarify).

While many cower at the thought of putting their iPod on shuffle for fear of the hideous musical demons that lurk within, I decided that it was the only way forward, after all, everything that came on could be a prospective song to cover, right?

Well, this wasn't entirely the case, while I did find a few gems in that dark mine of music I also waded through the likes of Aqua, Avril Lavigne and hour upon hour of bad remixes of even worse EBM tracks. While a part of me does want to hear a metal / hardcore band covering a medally of Dr. Jones and Girlfriend with a fuzzy synth breakdown I'd just rather it wasn't mine.

Of course risking the pitfalls and crushing embarrassment of shuffling your tracks does come with an upside, getting you reacquainted with bands that, for one reason or another, you just haven't listened to recently. In this case that band was Throwdown.

Since their formation in the late 90's Throwdown have been punishing ears and stirring up pits like no other band out there, thanks to their mix of Black Flag style hardcore and crushing rhythms. While many bands are happy to bring out album after album of the same material, they have continued to change their sound with every release. From their debut album, 1999's Beyond Repair, which mixes lo-fi production and breakneck riffs, to their latest effort, Deathless, which shows just how much a band can progress in a decade, Throwdown have maintained their distinctive style without letting things drag.

Of course when it came to covering a track what we needed was something immediate and recognisable, and they don't come any better than Holy Roller. Taken from the band's fifth album, Venom & Tears, the track is just asking to be played, from the thrash influenced intro to the Phil Anselmo-esque stabbing vocals it never lets up, and best of all, it has a ripping solo courtesy of guitarist Mark Choiniere.

Suffice to say, the track has snuck into my band's repetoire, alongside the powerhouse that is Cancer Bats' Hail Destroyer and Hatebreed's simple but effective Live For This.

If you're stuck in a loop, and you've had nothing but the same tunes cycling into your ears then take a chance, give your library a shuffle and I guarantee you'll find something that you'd long since forgotten about, but don't come whining to me when you realise that your music collection looks like the CD bargain bin in a roadside petrol station.

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Throwdown's latest album Deathless, along with their previous work, is available from their official merch store and on iTunes. For further information on the band check out their Myspace and Twitter pages.

All images are © their original owners, for more information on any of the bands mentioned please click the links provided.

Bloodstock Festival Preview

We all know that there are plenty of metal festivals around, from the more radio-friendly Ozzfest and Download through to slices of Norse brutality like Hole In The Sky.

The UK is particularly well served by metal festivals, with Prestatyn's Hard Rock Hell festival actually giving people a reason to visit Butlins.

Although Sonisphere does provide an alternative to some of the more mainstream festivals there's one event that stand out year after year, giving the UK the best that the metal world has to offer - Bloodstock.

Since its formation back in 2001 Bloodstock has gone from strength to strength, with previous line-ups including Saxon, Hammerfall, Amon Amarth, In Flames and Opeth.

Based in South Derbyshire, the festival combines picturesque surroundings with skull-crushing metal which rampages across two stages for three days, from the 13th to the 15th of August this year.

In a continuing effort to fight against prejudice the second stage at Bloodstock will, as it was last year, be named the Sophie Lancaster stage, after the victim of a brutal attack in 2007 who was targeted for her appearance and connections to the alternative subculture.

This year's Bloodstock bands include:

Behemoth:

Voted by Terrorizer Magazine readers as the best band on 2009, with Nergal and Inferno voted best vocalist and drummer respectively. Continuing their previous blackened death metal work, their latest album, 2009's Evangelion is set to be a future classic.

Obituary:

As one of death metal's key bands, Obituary proved at their UK dates last year that they're still the kings of the genre, as proved on last year's Darkest Day LP. With Bloodstock as their only UK festival date in 2010 Obituary could well play the best set of the year.

Children of Bodom:

A band that really doesn't need an introduction, CoB are famed for their blend of NOWBHM, black and death metal, with vocalist and guitarist Alexi Laiho becoming an idol to a number of budding young musicians.

Fear Factory:

Combining solid metal with elements of industrial, Fear Factory are one to the world's best known metal bands. With a change in line-up last year seeing the legendary guitarist Dino Cazares returning to the fold, Fear Factory are bound to impress.

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For more information on Bloodstock take a look at their official site or Twitter.

All images are © their original owners, for more information on any of the bands featured please click the links provided.

Happy Easter!

I'm not really one for celebrating Easter, and I don't know anybody who does, but what I do enjoy is free chocolate. Everybody knows that food in the shape of other things is better than normal food, so I was thrilled when I got given the most sinister chocolate rabbit in the world:

Okay, okay, so it would be more sinister if there were a real rabbit's skull inside which you'd only notice when the head melted a touch and you saw its true form poking through, but still, whoever designed it was an evil genius.

While Easter really doesn't get as much twisted tribute as Christmas (Halloween is a given) some artists go out of their way to reveal some of the sinister nature involved.

So, the Musical Scares award for best twisted representation of Easter goes to... Todd Schorr!

Schorr's lowbrow art is really in a class of its own, taking a multitude of pop-culture icons and blending them together with an almost worrying eye for detail, all whilst maintaing excellent composition and most importantly, keeping a sense of fun.

While Schorr is one of the bigger names in the community, there's a reason for it, and time after time he produces great pieces with inventive themes.

Given that this is being posted on Easter Monday there's really not alot more to say about it, so while that rabbit sits on my desk, luring me in with its devious eyes, I hope you have a good time in what remains of the holiday!

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Paintings © Todd Schorr
Official Todd Schorr Site

Impending Doom (Or Upcoming Horror)

Ever on the lookout for what's on the horror horizon, Musical Scares has dredged the murky lake that is the internet to bring you April's upcoming movie releases.

Unfortunately it's a bad month for horror, and while some sources suggest that a remake of the Troma-tastic Mother's Day is on the way, information is incredibly thing on the ground.

While scheduled for a convenient release back on the 9th of April it seems as though the film is far from finished, though vlogs and info can be found on the film's official webpage and the occasional tidbit is posted on the film's director, Darren Bousman's Twitter page.

While all the excitement of a new(ish) Troma movie might have you drooling with joy Hollywood has come along to spoil your fun, with a number of big budget films cropping up throughout April.

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9 April - After.Life - Cinemas

Starring Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson, the film sees Anna (Ricci) involved in a horrendous car crash. Soon after, Anna finds herself being attended to by the local funeral director Eliot Deacon (Neeson) who assures her that she died in the crash.

Essentially giving The Sixth Sense a kidnap style twist, Deacon claims that he is the only one that can see or hear Anna, keeping her captive in the funeral home, while she tries to find out the truth and contact her grieving boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) who is already beginning to question Deacon over the death.

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27 April - The Descent Part 2 (US Release) - DVD

Essentially a film that should never have been made, The Descent Part 2 follows on from the original movie, provided you watched the American version and not the English one, which would have prevented all of this sequel business.

After finding her way back above ground and bathed in her friends' blood, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) soon arouses the suspicions of the local authorities, thanks to both a good dose of psychological trauma and the aforementioned blood.

Not ones for believing stories of killer cave-dwelling manbeasts, Sherriff Vaines (Gavin O'Herlihy) and his partner Rios (Krysten Cummings) join with a rescue team to uncover what happened in the caves, while exhibiting all of the empathy and psychological know-how of a bear trap by taking Sarah with them.


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30 April - A Nightmare On Elm Street - Cinemas

While The Descent is seeing the light of day once more, this year's most unanticipated remake would have been best left dead and buried.


Roughly following the plot of the original, A Nightmare On Elm Street sees everybody's favourite razor fingered dream-murderer Freddy Krueger (this time played by Jackey Earle Haley) as the school janitor turned horror icon who preys on a town's teens while they sleep.

Effectively gouging out any of the wickedly dark humour of the original, Samuel Bayer's 'reimagining' looks to be a nightmare for all the wrong reasons.

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Bleeding Sorrows

Good news for all you metalcore fans, Bleeding Through's new album is on its way!

Set for release on the 13th of April, the self titled LP will be the Californian sextet's sixth studio release since their formation back in 1999 and sees the replacement of former axe-man Jona Weinhofen by ex No Use For A Name man Dave Nassie

Building on the more metal influenced sounds of their previous album, Declaration, the band's latest effort sees vocalist Brandan Schieppati's black metal influences creeping into his voice, though fortunately the band retain their trademark sound and haven't resorted to 'wasp in a jar' guitar tone and full on old school Burzum screeches.

Even better, rather than having to rely on hazy descriptions you can actually hear two of the new tracks on Bleeding Through's Myspace page right now!

If you're just itching for Schieppati to take a more black metal oriented route then wait no longer, because Musical Scares' Band of The Week is bound to hit the spot.

The vocalist has teamed up with Anaal Nathrakh's Mick Kenney to create Sorrows. Essentially a black metalcore project, the pair recorded a full album last year and are currently hunting for a label to release the onslaught.

Sorrows are also in the process of assembling a live line-up,  having recently drafted in Trevor Friedrich, who previously drummed for Schieppati's former band Eighteen Visions and is currently working with industrial legends Combichrist.

It's as though the wonders of the internet never cease, as you can also listen to a preview of Sorrows album on their official Myspace page, including the frankly incredible 'Follow Me To Disappointment' which will have Bleeding Through and Anaal Nathrakh fans alike salivating in preparation for the album's release.

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Bleeding Through Official

Bleeding Through Myspace

Sorrows Myspace

Interview with the man behind To Die For Clothing, Jason Welsher

As the owner of To Die For Clothing, Jason Welsher, along with his brother, Josh 'Deph' Welsher, has seen the company grow from its humble garage-printed origins to its current state as an internationally recognised brand. Counting bands such as Bleeding Through, Throwdown and Parkway Drive among their fans, the brand is known for its collaboration with world class artists such as Greg 'Craola' Simkins, Tim Hendricks and Gunnar.

In an exclusive interview, Musical Scares talks to Jason about the brand's origins, the artists they've worked with and where the future will take To Die For.

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Who are you, and how would you sum up To Die For for somebody that's never heard of the company?

My name is Jason Welsher and I co-own the brand along with my brother, Josh “Deph” Welsher.

To Die For is a product of two brothers love for music, art, skateboarding, and family.

 Jason & Deph

Why did you decide to start To Die For? Did you have an interest in fashion?

I played in a band and always wanted to make shirts to sell at our shows. After doing the research I found that it was easiest to buy the equipment and make them in my own garage. Other bands we played shows with started noticing our shirts and began to ask me if I could print theirs as well. Word started to spread like wild fire and after a couple of years I moved out of the garage and into our first warehouse. Business began to grow and before we knew it, I started to get calls from clothing brands such as Paul Frank and RVCA that were in the area, on top of the bands we already had been working with such as Throwdown and Eighteen Visions. After a couple years of printing, Deph and I wanted to take it a step further and make our own merchandise to sell at the shows that were coming through town. Doing this not only built a new brand within the scene that we catered to, it also helped promote the printing side of our business by showing others what we were capable of with making great quality clothing with clean screen prints. Deph and I never had a passion for fashion, just had a love for great artwork on t-shirts.

A lot of companies spring up and die away without causing so much as a ripple, why do you think To Die For is still going strong after all this time? 

I’ve always said that having a clothing brand is the same thing as playing in a band. It’s what you make of it and how much energy you put into it. It’s also being at the right place at the right time. People tend to think making clothing is easy and it is. It’s the business, the marketing, and figuring out who is your customer that makes it tough to get through the beginning stages. Nowadays it’s possible to make anything you lay your eyes on due to the internet. We knew from the start who and why bands and fans watching at the shows would wear our clothing. Time will tell. If you stick around and pay your dues, people will start to notice, and they did.

 'Touch of Class' - V Neck

Having been established since 1997 you'll have seen a lot of fashions come and go, how do you avoid blending in with the rest of the pack? (Especially with a lot of designers using tattoo designs on their clothing of late)

Unless you have no clue about tattoo or graffiti culture, you can point out the fakes. Fakes jump on a band wagon and do things for the love of money and sale to the masses. These people are called licensee’s. They buy artwork from well known artists and plaque it and anything and everything that it will stick to. These people follow trends and flood the market and have a lifespan of 2 years. Our artwork is real and has a beating heart. If you know anything about what we do or create, you will see that we do things for a reason. We create and work with artists that have made a name for themselves and have the experience and knowledge to lead and help grow the industry the right way.

To Die For is now a global brand, did you ever expect the company to grow as large as it has?

From the outside we look larger than we really are, but there is still a ton of work to do to be where we want to be. It’s going to take at least another 2 years to be close to the size we want to be.

How large of a part has the internet had to play in To Die For’s success?

The internet plays a big role in our company’s sales and success. I would say at least 35%. We work hard at keeping the site up to date with fresh products and news. Since day one we have controlled our online store and shipped our own products. We really like the one on one experience direct with our customers.

 'Vacation' - V Neck

You work with a wide range of artists, from tattooists like Tim Hendricks to graffiti artists and painters like Greg “Craola” Simkins, Chris “Devious” Gliebe and Gunnar. Is there a selection process for choosing who to work with? I imagine you're inundated with requests from artists to get their work on To Die For products.

The artist we have chosen to work to date, have all been amazing! It’s not only the artwork style we are after, we want the artist to have the right attitude about the collaboration concept. The business side can easily get in the way of a new relationship with an artist but that hasn’t been an issue with us. We make sure to lay all our cards out on the table from the start so we both know exactly what is needed from one another to build the foundation of other collaborations to come in the future. We rarely get asked to do artwork collaborations, these days. I think word got around that we are too picky-hahaha. There are tons of great collaborations to come. Just because we like a certain artist’s work, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will come across the same on a garment. It’s tricky!

Are there any artists you would like to work with who you haven't?

Not really. All the artists I follow and love have worked with a clothing company already or choose to create their own products rather than collaborate with a company such as ours. The only reason I don’t reach out to them is we’ve had too many companies over the years do this with the artist we’ve worked with and helped build. I don’t get it. Why can’t brands find new up and coming artist? It’s like a friend of yours dating your ex-girlfriend without asking you first.

The TDF store has recently started stocking DINGs, are there any other products that you would like to see baring the To Die For name and designs other than clothing? 

Totally. Here are some of the avenues we may or may not have explored in the past but one day will work on: Drag Racing Cars, Shoes, Bedding, Shower Curtains, Wall Paper, Toiletries: After Shave, Shaving Cream, Bar Soap, Sanitizer, Shampoo, Face Wash, Chap Stick, Deodorant & Hair Pomade

 'Who Inspires You?' - T-Shirt

What's next for the company?

We just launched our Mens “Summer” 2010 line and released four of the styles for pre-order on our site. So far the response has been amazing. Some of our distributors and retail chains are saying it’s the best line to date. This is great feedback considering I’ve sat back and took notes that last 2 years on what is and isn’t working for us and implemented this into our latest line. We are holding on Women’s and Accessories for now. Those will be released slowly in the next couple months. On top of the latest styles we’ve been speaking to a distribution company that has been interested in the brand for the last three years. Deph and I have been at this for far too long and are ready to give up some control. Yes, we are major control freaks but the brand is at the level that if we don’t begin to get some help from other interested parties, we are going to hurt ourselves in the end. It’s been an interesting journey and we’ve learned so many great things by taking chances and making mistakes. This year is going to be the year that we take all the lessons learned, step up to the plate to bat, and hit homeruns.

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Thanks so much for Jason for taking the time out to answer these questions.

To Die For Clothing's men's 2010 summer range is currently available to preorder here, while their full range can be viewed on both www.todieforclothing.com and www.myspace.com/todieforclothing

No Robert Englund but one angry boob

So, today's post was going to be about the upcoming atrocity that is the new Nightmare on Elm remake. Basically it takes the original, jazzes up the effects and kills it promptly. The new producer, Michael Bay (who was also responsible for last year's dire Friday the 13th remake) then promptly dances on the grave of the original while urinating uncontrolably, that's about the long and short of it.

So instead of that dreadful abortion of a film I'm going to give you another option, a short film that only clocks in at two and a half minutes, so even if you don't like it you won't feel like a large part of your life has been torn away, and with a title like Boob how can you go wrong?

Frankly it's one of the best horror concepts I've seen in a while, it's roughly along the same lines as the crap-tastic 1996 German film, Kondon des Grauens (AKA, Killer Condom) but with less gigolos and more tits.

If you've ever wondered what happens when a silicone breast implants discovers life after a Frankenstein's monster style jolt of electricity this is the film for you:



The design studio behind the piece, Honest, is also responsible for a number of other short films, and although none of them quite meet the genius of Boob the rest of their work is still worth a look:
http://stayhonest.com/work/

Upcoming band preview Fridays!

Ok, I admit it, it's not the catchiest title in the world, maybe unsigned Sundays would be better, but Sunday's two days away and people need to hear about unsigned bands from places they've never been to!

So, let's kick off the joy that is Upcoming Band Preview Friday's or UBPF (catchy right?) with a bunch of guys from my home town. "You're biased!" I hear you say, well, when I say you I meant the imaginary audience I hear in my head... Anyway! no bias here, I'd rather pick a band from somewhere more exciting, but nooo, I'm in a local mood.

So if my laptop finally stops deciding that it doesn't want to be friends with the router, I'll introduce you to... (dun dun daaaahn!):

Faceshredder!

Faceshredder have been going for some time now and are one of the North East of England's best hardcore / metal bands (though they probably don't want calling metalcore...). Don't be put off by the photo of them either, what they lack in hair they make up in riffs and pure stage presence.

Despite the odd gap / hiatus / lazing around, the band are up and touring, and you can check out their dates and music on their Myspace (which people apparently still use...) 

http://www.myspace.com/wearefaceshredder

Greg 'Craola' Simkins Interview!

Greg 'Craola' Simkins is famed for his artwork, whether it's his stunning graffiti work, with crews like LA's CBS and WAI, or his fine art work, blending renaissance and surrealist elements with handfuls of modern pop culture references.

Craola's art can be seen across the world thanks to his work with clothing companys such as To Die For and Zerofriends, but fans can now get their hands on merchandise direct from Craola from his new Imscared label.

I caught up with Craola and asked him about the label, his art and more:

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MS: So, what attracted you to creating your own clothing brand?

Craola: I have been working on graphics for various brands since about 1992. It just made sense to work on something more focused.

'Mary Becoming Annette'

For a long time you've worked on designs for other clothing companies, how different is it working on designs for your own label?

The majority of companies I worked on in the early years weren't always things I would wear myself. It was good to be working, don't get me wrong, I appreciated the opportunity to earn some income while making art. There was a lot of art direction and watering down that went on, as well as my own limitations. The exceptions being in more recent years "To Die For" , "Upper Playground" and "Zero Friends" who I enjoyed a great working relationship with and plenty of creative freedom. Working on my own label is very similar to working with them, but instead, it is my ideas and my name at stake. I started my "Imscared" website in 2002 or so as a showcase for my artwork. Greg Simkins.com was already taken, so "Imscared" just made sense with the type of work I was making. When we started talking with my friends at "To Die For" who head up the production and are the driving force behind the line, about what we would call it, many different names came up, "Blak Rabbit" was one I liked, "Ima Monsta" made sense as well as a few others, but "Imscared" worked best. It is great to have such an awesome team who I share so many interests with and live relatively close also.

Your art style is very distinctive, what's the inspiration behind your characters?

The majority of them are a good mix of animals, cartoons and comics with a little fine art, tattoo imagery and graffiti thrown in. It seems like they keep changing though and I don't hold to one set of criteria, just let the imagination lead me.

'Winter On The Sea Of Glass'

Having included everything from Batman to Pacman in your work, what, for you, is the appeal of using pop culture images?

I believe that I am a product of my environment, having grown up with these images has forever infused them in my creative data base. It isn't always a conscious process. There is that readily accessible bank of emotions and feelings associated with a pop icon as well that can add to the story if placed appropriately. Throwing Yogi bear in a scene brings his back story into the image you see in front of you. Using pop culture imagary brings there backage with them into your juxtapozition.

Your paintings also include a lot of surrealist and renaissance elements, are you influenced by any artists in particular?

Yes, Caravaggio has always been a favorite as well as Hieronymous Bosch, Salvador Dali, Rembrandt, Jan Van Eycke, Albrecht Durer, Magritte, as well as others.

'It Wanders'

As both a fine art and graffiti artist, have you found that any of the skills and techniques transfer from one to the other?

Yes, but I think that is true with just about any skill set in life. Making art is a practice in problem solving and one aspect always lends itself to the other. Working as a texture artist on video games for five years day in day out on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and some 3D Studio Max I thought was going to dull my manual skills with a pen, brush and can. It just enhanced them.


There are a lot of young artists out there who'd love to make the jump to painting for a living, was it a difficult step for you or was it your ambition from day one?

I didn't start painting with the intention of doing it for a living. I did it because making art is the only thing I have ever been somewhat good at and completely obsessed with. I can't not paint. It still blows my mind that I am doing this and I thank God everyday for the opportunity to d so. It wasn't easy wrapping my head around it and quitting my stable job in video games. But it was a now or never situation and I am glad we (we being my wife and I) made the choice to try it. I wouldn't say it is for everyone, lots of hours and stress like everything else in life, but it is the most fulfilling work I have ever done.

'The Puppet Pathos'

Do you have any tips for any aspiring artists out there?

Make sure it is something you are obsessed with and can picture yourself doing for a long time. Don't try to take short cuts but take the time to learn and do it right. Don't expect to be rich from it either. Make sure you are making art for the right reasons, it needs to be something you can't live without doing.

Are you working on anything new you'd like everyone to know about? Any collaborations coming up?

Still pressing forward with the "IMSCARED" line and everything that goes along with it. I have my first book being released later this year with Presto Publishing and working on some larger scale paintings. In June I will have a new body of work in a solo exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery in New York as well, so lots of work to do.

The Genie

And finally, if you had to name 5 artists that you think the readers might not have heard of, but should check out, who would they be?

How about I give you 10. You probably already know these artists, but they are my favorites so I am going to name them anyways: Alex Pardee, Gunnar, Adam Hathorn, Deph, Bob Dob, Mars-1, Oliver Vernon, Lola, KMNDZ, and Steven Daily...that's not to mention Dabs and Myla, Matthew Bone, Travis Louie, Jason Maloney, Augor, Kris Kuksi, and Belin, whoops that makes 18...



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Thanks alot to Greg 'Craola' Simkins for the interview, and you can view his work and browse his online store at www.imscared.com

All images included in this post are © Greg Simkins

Coming up

Just a heads up, tomorrow will see MS' (oh god my blog name shortens to that of a disease) first interview, with none other than fine art / graffiti god Greg 'Craola' Simkins!

So if you're a fan of his work, or just want to learn a little more about the man behind the paint then be sure to check in tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a little Municipal Waste, combining a couple of my favourite things, thrash and the awesomely crappy film making talents of Troma:

Let's Get This Going

Welcome to the first ever post on the Musical Scares blog!

Hopefully you'll soon be pawing at the screen in a junkie-like fashion, waiting for the latest news, reviews, ramblings and interviews, from the worlds of music, art, horror and more.

So, to get things started, here are the answers to just about every question you could have about Musical Scares and myself:

Q: Who are you anyway?

A: I'm a writer, did the writing not give it away? I live in Newcastle, a friendly city in the North East of England and home to Newcastle Brown Ale. I enjoy candlelit dinners (in castles) long romantic walks (around castles) and listening to / playing music (seriously, if someone has a castle, I'll be there in a shot, unless it doesn't have spires, then screw you, you spireless bastard).

Q: Are you slightly castle obsessed?

A: I just like castles is all! I blame just about every old horror film out there, I swear, according to those films you couldn't get moved for castles, they were like city centre pigeons but without the love for bread.

Q: Okay, enough castles, what's this blog all about?

A: To be honest it's just an excuse to write about everything I like and interview some cool people. Musical Scares will cover music including Punk, Hardcore, Metal and straight up Rock.

The blog will also cover art, essentially anything that tickles my fancy (and oh how it likes tickling) with features and interviews on a range of artists from a range of mediums, from painters to illustrators and sculptors to tattooists. Of course there's one more thing that'll be covered, the greatest form of cinema ever, Horror. This might stray now and then and the pretentious horror buffs will probably choke on their fake blood at some of the things that are featured, but I aim to cover anything that stands out, even if it just makes me laugh.

Q: So what's lined up for the blog?

A: Just like any good horror movie, I'm not going to break the suspense until the last minute, that and to keep you checking on my blog at all hours just in case I've added something that you just can't live without.

Q: Speaking of adding things, how often will the blog be updated?

A: The blog will be updated daily (roughly). This does not account for catastrophic computer failure, disinterest or the blog developing a demonic personality of its own, causing it to post messages of hate against old people, babies, old babies (ala Benjamin Button) and the dreaded 'Ginger One' from Girls Aloud.
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Hopefully that clears everything up, thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for another harrowing installment of Musical Scares!