Tattoo Tuesday - Valerie Vargas

As the first ever Tattoo Tuesday (with many more to come) I thought it was only fitting to feature one of my favourite artists, London's Valerie Vargas.

Working out of Frith Street Tattoo in Soho, Valerie has made a name for herself with her eye for old-school designs with a modern twist. As always, click the images to see a larger version:

Though at this point Valerie's lengthy waiting list is closed, keep an eye out on Frith Street's Twitter, as well as her website for any updates or cancellation slots.

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Frith Street Tattoo -

Web: http://frithstreettattoo.co.uk/

Address: 18 Frith St, London, W1D 4RQ

Phone: 020 7734 8180

Surprisingly Good Bands

Trawling through the internet, I find out about a lot of pretty weird bands. When I say weird I don't mean experimental, though some of them are, I'm talking about the bands that just have such off the wall concepts that you're surprised anyone can pull it off.

Back before I moved down to London, my band up in Newcastle always had a bit of an Arnold Schwarzenegger fixation. Every moment at rehearsals that wasn't taken up by playing was filled by shouts of "Get to the chopper!" and “Do it!”.

We dreamed of the idea of an Arnie-themed band, little did we know, but that crafty bugger Tim Lambesis (of As I Lay Dying fame) had already beaten us to it.

Playing every instrument, and doing most of the vocals, Lambesis' Austrian Death Machine pays homage to everybody's favourite former governor / action hero. The only role not filled by Lambesis is that of Arnold, sorry, 'Ahhnold' himself, with Destroy the Runner's Chad Ackerman taking on impersonation duties:

Check out Austrian Death Machine on their website: http://www.austriandeathmachine.com/

All images / videos are property of Austrian Death Machine / Metal Blade Records

'Oh, Sleeper' Tour

Metalcore Texans Oh, Sleeper are embarking on a US tour alongside Like Moths to Flames and the considerably lighter We Are Defiance.

Kicking off the tour on March 29th, the 'I Heard It First' tour will take the bands across the States, including a slew of dates in Florida. For those that hadn't already guessed by the name (and the poster) the tour will give Oh, Sleeper fans a chance to catch a glimpse of the band's as yet unreleased album.

Full list of dates:

Tue, Mar 29

The Refuge, Fredricksburg, VA

Wed, Mar 30

Soapbox Laundro-Lounge, Wilmington, NC

Thu, Mar 31

Sector 7G, Augusta, GA

Fri, Apr 01

Murray Hill Theatre, Jacksonville, FL

Sat, Apr 02

The Nightlife, Sarasota, FL

Sun, Apr 03

Rocketown, Pompano Beach, FL

Mon, Apr 04

Toy World, Lake Wales, FL

Tue, Apr 05

1982 Bar, Gainesville, FL

Wed, Apr 06

The 7 Venue, Douglasville, GA

New material from Dying Fetus!

Relapse Records seem to have been paying a lot of attention to death metal titans Dying Fetus lately.

Unlike some extreme metal labels Relapse aren't particularly well known for their tendency to re-release records, so it's almost a surprise that they're reissuing the band's back catalogue over the next few months.

Of course, nobody really gets excited about reissues, unless the records are incredibly rare or you get a massively collectible extra (an actual dying fetus might be a stretch too far though...).

Fortunately for fans there's more exciting news, with Relapse announcing the release of a new D.F. record in autumn this year. If 2009's 'Descend Into Depravity' was anything to go by then things are looking good for the new release.

Not just that, but there's an EP of covers planned for spring. Of course I'm putting together a list of tracks I wish they'd cover, with anything by The Specials ranking pretty high. I'm not saying it'll happen, but ska-death metal with blastbeats and brass? Count me in...

Revival

After suffering a bit of a death, Musical Scares is making a comeback. That means frequent posts and better content.

I could blame a lot of things on the blog stalling, I made a move down the country to London, and I'm loving every minute of it. Plenty's been going on, including going to the London premier of Zombie Driftwood. If you like zombies, cheesy low-budget gore, metal and shameless plugs then this could be the perfect movie for you.

There've been a lot of reasons for my return to blogging, boredom, a renewed urge to write, and some things happening in the music, art and horror worlds that I can't help but write about (the production of a sequel to the chronically terrible A Nightmare on Elm Street remake is a prime example).

Aside from me complaining about the current state of horror, expect more in the way of music reviews, features and news, like the signing of Suffer Well (formerly Sorrows) to Century Media. The project, co-headed by Bleeding Through's Brandan Schieppati and Anaal Nathrakh's Mick Kenney has been piquing my interest for a while, so it's great to see that their work's getting released.

Anyway, expect some more focused posts soon, I just couldn't wait to get something up here and drag it out of the grave!

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.