It seems like back in the day, people had a better idea of how to give someone the creeps on Halloween. Mostly, it seemed to involve wearing masks that, even on children, gave the wearer such a misshapen, terrifying visage that Halloween must have truly been a dark and disturbing holiday. Today, kids dress up as Princesses or Batman, but decades ago they were grotesque ghosts with gaping maws full of razor-sharp teeth. Parents didn’t think twice about dressing their child in a skull mask resembling a death’s head, putting their kids on the street in costumes that aimed to scare people. Looking through these awesome photos, it’s hard not to reflect on how corporate-consumer-culture has watered down this holiday, especially for children. It used to be about making your own paper-mache goblin face and throwing on an old robe, and now it’s about buying some cheap, tinselly version of a TV character. I offer you a gallery of creepy vintage Halloween photography to peruse for inspiration, then I think you should break out the balloons and newspaper and make yourself a mask that will offend and disgust all your neighbors, just like our forbearers did…
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Distort Fest Vol. VIII
Day Three!
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Posted In Art,Crust,Death Rock,Dis-beat,Events,Features,Music,Photography
All Photos: Ted Reckoning
Despite some unwelcome shenanigans on the 2nd night of Vancouver’s 8th annual DISTORT FEST, the third night went off well and featured performances by CRIMSON SCARLET, OUST, DERAS KRIG, DEATHCOUNT, SKABIIS, NIGHT NURSE, ASILE, BELLICOSE MINDS and WOLFBRIGADE. All bands killed it, and Ted Reckoning has provided us with photographic proof of it! Check out his gallery of photos after the jump, and start getting ready for next year’s fest!
Story Source Village Voice By Brad Cohan
Joe Carducci not only played a monumental role in helping run and co-own SST Records in its glorious 1980′s heyday when Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü and Meat Puppets were the reigning kings of the Amerindie underground, but he also famously penned the lyrics for the Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime classic “Jesus and Tequila,” and later on, wrote tunes for Mike Watt.
But above his legendary SST Records pedigree is Carducci, music scribe figurehead and film and political pundit. He penned the definitive manifesto sprawl of the history of rock music called Rock and the Pop Narcotic (originally released by Henry Rollins’ 2.13.61 imprint in 1991) and recently authored Enter Naomi: SST, L.A. and All That, an inspirational yet gut wrenching account of his SST friend and punk rock photographer Naomi Petersen, who tragically passed away from liver failure in obscurity in the mid-90′s.
Since 1995, Carducci has lived in Wyoming, banging out screenplays, short stories, keeping an extensive blog that hardcore godhead Keith Morris love and running Redoubt Press, his own DIY-operated publishing company. He just self-released Life Against Dementia: Essays, Reviews, Interviews 1975-2011, the comprehensive Carducci collection righteously on par with that of Richard Meltzer’s A Whore Just Like the Rest and Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung by Lester Bangs.
Sound of the City sat down with Carducci to talk about his new book, the SST days and the false reportage that he was averse to signing Sonic Youth to SST. He reads tonight from his latest book Life Against Dementia: Essays, Reviews, Interviews 1975-2011 (Redoubt Press) at BookThugNation at 7:30pm in Williamsburg (100 N. 3rd Street; between Berry St. and Wythe Ave.)
Did keeping your blog The New Vulgate serve as the inspiration to compile the content for your new book, Life Against Dementia?
I was thinking about the collection before we started the blog. But the Vulgate made me get productive and wound up providing about half of Life Against Dementia. It also allowed me to chop down the interview sections to just a short piece of the older interviews that haven’t been posted online.
Shocks & Massacre are two Italian photographers that take haunting urban photos. What I like about their work is that they focus on the everyday things around us, and shoot them in a way that makes you think of another world. Shocks & Massacre have the power to tell stories with their photos that might not be said with words. After the jump have a look at their word and see where it takes you…this might just be your normal state of mind…
The Art of Pain
Forever: The New Tattoo
Short Film Now Showing
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Posted In Art,Documentaries,Film,Tattoo
All Text & Video Gestalten
A new tattoo underground has emerged in recently years and their cutting-edge visuals go far beyond the tattoo mainstream. Visual artist Alex Binnie is a legend within the international tattoo scene and his Into You studio that he’s been running for 19 years in East London continues to foster countless talents and innovators including Curly, Thomas Hooper, Nick Schonberger and Duncan X to name but a few—all featured in Gestalten’s new Forever: The New Tattoo book. We met Duncan and Alex in London to talk about the current mass appeal of tattoos, its uniqueness as an art form and the “holy trinity” of tattooing styles.
The new issue of TESTIMONIUM VERITATIS is out now and features awesome interviews from GIVE-UP, Ash Borer, Burial Invocation and much more. Check out some up close pictures of the zine after the jump! TESTIMONIUM VERITATIS can be picked up by emailing gnosis@hotmail.de.
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Photographer: Luana Magalhães
Site: luanamagalhaes.net
Based in: Lisboa
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Chelsea Wolfe
Chelsea is so beautiful that she would make for great photos even if she wasn’t playing at all. That’s why I tried to catch a few more relaxed shots of her during this show – right before the start of the concert, in between songs, just catching little details that sometimes pass you by when you’re looking for that one good “publishable” shot. I’m such a huge fan of her music that sometimes it was difficult to not just pack the camera and join the rest of the entranced crowd that filled the room completely.
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Distort Fest Volume 8
First Night
Vancouver gets gnarly!!!
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Posted In Art,Crust,Death Rock,Dis-beat,Events,Features,Music,Photography
Text and Photos: Andy Social Photography
Barely drinkable draft, studded leathers and ear-splitting decible levels… Distort Fest Volume 8 was everything a punk fest should be. After a late start the crowd was thirsty for more than booze when opening act Absurdist hit the stage, and shit got gnarly fast. Short sets were the order of the night and before I knew it, Rapid Loss was closing out the show with more fury than a wolverine on bath salts. It would be impossible to name any one band as a highlight, they were all rad and put on one hell of a show. I didn’t make it to the after show show because I had to move the next day, but if it was anywhere near as good as the show at Iron Road Studio I totally missed out. Unfortunately night two didn’t go down as expected… Some douche nozzle broke a car window near the venue which brought in all kinds of unwanted attention. By the time I got to the show the place was shut down and everyone was scattering with no clear idea where the show would be moved to. After hearing a few different possibilities I decided to grab a sixer and go home. Weak, I know. Here are my shots from night number one, check em out! My buddy Ted Reckoning did the work for night three and he’s awesome so check out his shots too (stay tuned for those on CVLT Nation…).
Pictorialist photographer William Mortensen created images of classic terror. He may be famous for his Hollywood portraits from the 1930s, but we appreciate him for his monsters, his depiction of the occult, and his social commentary. He lived through the Great Depression, and reading his thoughts on his 1932 piece “Human Relations,” depicting a man with someone’s fingers deep in his skull, his experience of events that happened 80 years ago sounds eerily familiar:
Hatred is frequently the emotion that lies behind grotesque art… These were the days when stocks were stopping dividends, when lives of thrift and industry were being wiped out by the foreclosing of mortgages and the closing of banks, when Japan was carving herself a large slice of China. Everywhere there was the spirit of ‘Take what you can, and to hell with your neighbor.’ Those who were strong seemed to be, in sheer wantonness, gouging the eyes of humanity.
His insight provides more depth of meaning to his imagery, which on the surface may look like scenes from cheesy early horror cinema. Regardless of how you look at his work, Mortensen was adept at conjuring humor and texture from his subjects. After the jump, check out a gallery of his works…
STRIFE Photo Essay +
Making of Witness A Rebirth
Documentary Now Showing!
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Posted In Art,Documentaries,Film,Hardcore,Photography
Cailifornia hardcore legends STRIFE are back, and are set to release a new album entitled Witness A Rebirth on Nov. 6th via via 6131 Records. They have recently put up a gallery show that examines their career. Read the words of Anthony Godinez below and peep his photos after the jump…plus we also have some very special video surprises!
A night of community, and tradition of the old ways. A rebirth of the past were everything was learned and shared through d.i.y. zines and writing to bands. The days before convenience of the internet were flyers were past out after shows, where blood of our hands were spilled into creating what we hold true to our hearts. The history and struggle to create the hardcore music scene was deeply displayed on the walls of Pop Up Records in Little Tokyo Los Angeles by photograph installments and years of flyers collected. Strife, a band that has dedicated their lives to holding whats true to the hardcore scene presents ” War Records, Witness A Rebirth. Also the name of their up incoming record on 6131 records. This record and gallery is for the youth to keep the fire and faith alive, War Records runs from Oct 6th through the 28th.
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