Wednesday 27 January 2010

More Robots and Turtles

Here's more Special Benny album artwork that didn't quite cut it - shame as conceptually I think I nailed it but you know how these new fangled bands are - they just want wrestling pandas and such.

This year has been frantic so far what with finding a new place to live, moving this up-coming weekend and unwelcome medical probes but I'm hoping to nail something down in the next week or so - I've got a few more drafts to work through yet. And I've had the first few zine contributions sent to me and they're looking brilliant - can't wait to start screen-printing the covers.

Sunday 24 January 2010

Field Trip: The Natural History Museum

Suffering from a severe bout of creative constipation I decided a field trip was in order and what better way to loosen the ol' doodling stool than an afternoon spent doing shitty sketches of birds and such. It's vaguely interesting to note that my need for creative laxatives comes at the peak of my sobriety having not drunk in 2010. Apologies for the A-level art sketches...

Many Crunchies were consumed and much beer pined for.

Shitty Bald Eagle

Polar [Beer] Bear

This feathery twat is called a 'Gurney's Pitta' - insert bad kebab joke here.

Another of the A-Level art class


Monday 18 January 2010

Earresponsible Mix

A fella who goes by the name of Pencilface just uploaded this mix and it's super duty tuff work yo - expect brain melting fuzzed up drum heavy nonsense from across the globe. Download here - nom nom nom. Another ten or so 45's for the ever growing wants list.

He's also contributing to the forthcoming zine I mentioned last week which still needs a decent name. Best suggestion in my comments get's a free print and copy of the zine when it's done. I've had the first few submissions in and they are aces - more later.



Tracklist is as follow:

1. BAYETE UMBRA - "don't need nobody" (Prestige LP)
2. THEO SCHUMANN COMBO - "luchs" (Amiga LP)
3. POLANIE - "i'll not return" (Muza LP)
4. CHICO ARNEZ - "reggae deck" (Gemini 45)
5. LES SURFS - "clac tape" (Festival 45)
6. CLAUDIA MORI - "chi non lavora non fa l'amore" (Clan 45)
7. TRAVIS WAMMACK - "scratchy" (Ara 45)
8. LOS RELAMPAGOS - "danza del fuego" (Zafiro 45)
9. THE SUN - "soul sync" (UA 45)
10. GARNELL COOPER - "long distance" (Jubilee 45)
11. HAROLD JOHNSON SEXTET - "sorry 'bout that" (Revue 45)
12. SOUL SURVIVOR - "jump back" (EMI LP)
13. SCOTT BRADFORD - "samsara" (Probe LP)
14. NORMAN CONNORS snippet
15. IRON VIRGIN - "rebels rule" (Deram 445)
16. DUMP - "annabella" (Fontana 45)
17. PRIMITIVE MAN - "animal love" (Decca 445)
18. THE TROLL - "satin city news" (Smash LP)
19. ALCEU VALENCA - "retrato 3x4" (Som Livre LP)
20. ANTONI CARLOS & JOCAFI - "glorioso santo antonio" (RCA LP)
21. OS NOVOS BAHIANOS - "baby consuelo" (Premier LP)
22. BARIS MANCO - "lambaya puf de" (Yavuz 45)
23. SAKIR ONER - "macir mahallesi" (Guven 45)
24. SELCUK ALAGOZ - "malabadi koprusu" (Polydor 45)
25. LES LUTINS - "la junglomanie" (Carousel LP)
26. ELPIDA - *greek title* (Pan-Vox LP)
27. ABACO DREAM - "cat woman" (A&M 45)
28. SILVER APPLES - "program" (Kapp LP)
29. LATA MANGESHKAR & ASHA BHOSLE - "pyar zindagi hai" (EMI LP)
30. LATA MANGESHKAR - "too kya jane o bewafa" (EMI LP)
31. ASHA BHOSLE & R.D. BURMAN - "piya tu ab to aja" (Odeon LP)
32. TORNADOS snippet
33. THE SIMONSOUND - "tour de mars" (Project Blue Book 45)
34. ROD HUNTER - "apache" (Decca 45)
35. ANTOINE - "popcorn" (Vogue 45)
36. BAPPI LAHIRI - "everybody dance with me" (Polydor LP)
37. ASHA BHOSLE & CHORUS - "aankh ladti hai" (EMI 45)
38. ASHA BHOSLE - "ae naujawan hai sub kuchh yahan" (Odeon 45)
39. ASHA BHOSLE - "chhup chhup" (EMI LP)
40. MOHD. RAFI - "jan pahechan ho" (EMI LP)
41. KALYANJI ANANDJI - "dance music" (HMV LP)
42. LOS COMANDOS - "moby dick" (Odeon 45)
43. ORANGE GROOVE - "troubled people" (Somerset LP)
44. CONJ. EL OPIO - "una bruja en el cuzco" (Odeon 45)
45. CLOCK - "hang on" (Dimension 45)
46. HAYSTACKS BALBOA - "spoiler" (Polydor 45)
47. THREE MAN ARMY - "polecat woman" (Reprise 45)

Friday 15 January 2010

Highlights 2009

In which I attempt to summarize 2009 in a few pop nuggets and in doing so worry that I should be doing more with my so called life.

1. Llama Festival.

Kills it every time and every year for the past three years. Sun, booze, a beautiful bunting filled seaside village surrounded by stunning English countryside with a heavy B Music presence. Throw in a triumphant set by the Cock Munchers (aka Samandtheplants) backed with full band and rolling scenic views, some 'Jig-a-jig' monkey arms nonsense and a sneaky post pub booze up with Andy Votel and Badly Drawn Boy discussing the relative merits of Pavement's early output and you're on to a winner. Even the hellish hangover of a drive home seems nothing more than a tiny bit of bother now.



2. Weddings.

Two of 'em no less. Both amazing. More monkey arms nonsense. Scotland having it's one hospitable sunny day of the year on the right day. Dancing like a massive spaz to Animal Collective's 'Brother Sport' as everyone else looks on feeling embarrassed for me and tumble-weed blows across the dance floor.



3. 'My Home is the Sea' and the OMG Posters! endorsement.

Early on in the year I went all nautical and produced four paintings which subsequently became two colour screen-prints. Mitch from OMG Posters! picked up on them and the run of 30 proceeded to sell-out in about 24 hours. Who needs overly cliquey poster shows huh?



4. San Francisco.

Twice. Cowafuckingbunga snow-boarding in Lake Tahoe. Riding cruisers round Santa Cruz in flip flops. Meeting Mike Giant and Alex Pardee at art shows. Record hunting all over. Falling off bar stalls, inappropriately stalking tattooed girls into the ladies and generally being silly drunk. Werd.



Other highlights included moving to North London, being No Face at the most disturbing Halloween party I've ever been to, lots of cycling round the city, record hunting but perhaps more significantly getting rid of 500 or so records and refining my collection to a point where I actually love it again rather than see it as unwanted ballast, growing a moustache, screen-printing and illustrating record sleeves for 2nd Drop Records, Budapest, featuring in the Beautiful Losers related DIY London Seen exhibition and lots of pub fun.

The end. See now I feel rubbish 'cos I haven't done nearly as much as I would've liked. Plus all this no booze January is getting tiresome. Stupid vacuous void left by no alcohol.

Friday 8 January 2010

Johnny Cash inspires zine from beyond the grave!

This was a Christmas present for Annie that took several attempts but I'm pretty happy with the final outcome - biggest thing for me when trying to draw more realistically is stepping away for a moment and not over-baking the detail.

It also got me thinking about a new project - 'draw your favourite musician/singer'. Granted the title needs work - it's not very punchy and I could probably do with making some kind of promotional etching or something but I've managed to rope in some of my favourite illustrators and designers already which is super-exciting. At this stage it looks like it's going to be an A5 portrait zine with a 2 colour screen-printed cover and greyscale laser printed innards but if I manage to sort out a make-shift screen-printing studio in my mum's garage quickly enough I may make it a small print collection instead. Oh and my contribution will not be Johnny Cash for he is Annie's favourite not mine.

If anyone is keen to contribute email me at mr.naga@gmail.com - more information to follow.


Sunday 3 January 2010

Robots and Turtles

These two fellas are well on their way to comic strip notoriety...