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Page 1: Prick July 2009
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JULY 2009 WWW.PRICKMAG.NET PRICK MAGAZINE 5

Wow this spring and summer season hasbeen awesome and it’s not even close toover yet. Lots of tattoo conventions and

travel, awesome bands, parties, and great tattoorelated time have been abound since last wespoke.Through thick and thin we here at PRICKhave tried to bring you a timely, high quality mag-azine every month without missing a beat.Sometimes we do get a bit rushed though.Thisnew format, our new printer routine, new mail-ing processes/guidelines, new convention obliga-tions, old obligations etc., etc. all add up tothings getting busier in the PRICK world.All thatbeing said sometimes we make mistakes. Lastmonth we butchered the names of the guys atLowrider Tattoos. They are world class artistsand people and have my most public and sincereapology for taglining the Jose Lopez photo in theNTA article as Jose Garcia and to Manny“Moonshine” Navarrette for mispelling his last name. You guys are awesome.(Now please stop breaking my balls.)

You know what else is awesome... this issue.More awesome-ness: the upcoming MiamiTattooLaPalooza and the Chattanooga TattooArts Fest.We’ll be covering both. See you there.

Enjoy this issue,Chuck B.

CONTENTS9 ART TRIPPIN’Retro Pop at HOWL Gallery/Tattoo

10 TATTOO SHOWMohawk Valley Xtreme Tattoo Expo

15 HOT INKJJ Diablo

18 TATTOO SHOWHell City Tattoo Festival

33 SHOP OF THE MONTHBlack 13 Tattoo Parlor

41 TATS AND TUNESDarkest Hour

47 ARTIST OF THE MONTHAnthony “Ant” Iannucci

55 MUSIC NOTES56 PRICK PICKS58 COOL STUFF61 ARTIST SPOTLIGHTThomas Pendelton of Tattoo Highway

63 BULLETIN BOARD

ON THE COVER: JJ Diablophotographed by Sylvia Hagar

PRICK MAGAZINE STAFFCEO / PUBLISHER / EDITOR IN CHIEF: CHARLES D. BRANK (AKA CHUCK B.)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: SUN RIM BRANK

VP OF OPERATIONS / ONLINE EDITOR: GEOFFREY STEPHENSON

MUSIC & MEDIA EDITOR / COPY EDITOR: LISA SHARER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: LISA SHARER, MAX BRAND, SEAN DETTMAN, CALU, LYNDSEY SARGENT, WILLIAM THIDEMANN, CHRIS SCHARFFENBERG, SYLVIA HAGAR,CASHEENA FRISON, GARRETT RANGE, KRISTIAN MISSER, ANDREW GREENBERG,ZAC HOBBS, PATRICIA VALERY, KALEY LUXE, SARAH CASEY

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: MAX BRAND, SYLVIA HAGAR, BRETT MAYFIELD,GREG TRUELOVE, JAMES LINDLEY, KRISTA NEWSOME, JENNA ERWIN, CHRIS FARMER

DISTRIBUTION / DEVELOPMENT: CRUDD, MAX BRAND, BRIAN FISCHER, OSSUR, CHRIS SCHARFFENBERG, SYLVIA HAGAR, RICHARD BAGUR (N.C.), JACOB LANCE

ADVERTISING: COURTNEY KING, LISA SHARER, CALU, SYLVIA HAGAR

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Publisher’s Note:

THE WORLD’S FIRST FREE TATTOO AND PIERCING LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION

ADVERTISERS INDEMNIFICATION: All advertising is subject to approval before acceptance. PRICK Magazine and Chuck B, Inc reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason whatsoever,without limit. All advertisers in PRICK Magazine, for fair and valuable consideration, including but not limited to the printing of each advertiser’s ad, the receipt and suffering of whichis hereby acknowledged, hereby agree ad hold PRICK Magazine harmless with respect to any claim made by a third party against PRICK Magazine, as a result of publishing said advertisementin said periodical. Said indemnity includes, but is not limited to, any claims by any party claiming that the publication of the ad violates any trademark, design mark or that it violates anindividuals likeness or violates any fair business practice act, and includes indemnification of PRICK Magazine for any and all expenses in incurs in defending any said claim, including attorneyfees and court costs whether said claim is successful or not successful plus any judgement that might be rendered and any settlement of such claim or judgement. Advertiser warrants and rep-resents that the description of the product or service advertised is true in all respects. PRICK Magazine and Chuck B, Inc, assume no responsibility for claims made by advertisers.PRICK Magazine makes no recommendations as to the quality of any service provided by any advertiser. All views expressed in all articles are those of the writers and are not necessarilythose of the publication and Chuck B, Inc. Publication assumes no responsibility and no liability for unsolicited materials. All letters and their contents sent to PRICK Magazine become thesole property of PRICK Magazine and december be used and produced in any manner whatsoever without limit and without obligation and liability to the writer thereof. Copyright© 2008 Chuck B, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part or storage in any data retrieval system or any transmission is totally prohibited and violates copyright law.

PRICK ADVERTISING & GENERAL INFO: (770) 723-9824CONTACT PUBLISHER CHUCK B. EMAIL: [email protected] OUT OUR AD RATES AND SPECS ONLINE AT: www.prickmag.netSEND CORRESPONDENCE TO: PO Box 381,Tucker, GA 30085

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retro pophowl gallery/tattoo

Fort Myers, Fla. got a jolt of energy whenAndy Howl and Alainna Zwiernik openedHOWL Gallery/Tattoo, in the newly

revamped Historic Downtown area. The gallery’s3rd full art show since opening in March, entitled“Retro Pop”, featured a solo exhibition of Howl’scomic book inspired paintings. The show broughtout over 1,500 attendees to the sweltering down-town scene on June 5th. In a truly all ages show,gray haired art collectors, tattooed hipsters, and sev-eral baby strollers all mingled to view the artwork for sale. The evening cul-minated with an after party at Spirits of Bacchus that the god of wine him-self would’ve been proud of.

Howl has been pumping out comic book inspired paintings and tattoossince graduating from Savannah College of Art & Design (with a degree incomics) in 1998. Howl’s art features an array of obscure and not-so obscureimages lifted off the pages of ‘60s and ‘70s era comics. He mixes in semi-monochromatic color schemes with foreign languages and a slightly subver-sive sense of humor. A painting of Thor,“Viking Proverb”, translates to read“No lamb for the lazy wolf” and hangs next to a painting of a grey cartoonrabbit talking backwards with a gloss op-art pattern in the background. Theart is grounded in Howl’s eye for line quality and love for pop art, psyche-delia, and flat screen printed imagery.

Art and tattoo enthusiasts visiting the Fort Myers area should stop intoHOWL Gallery/Tattoo and check out the gallery’s unique vibe, balancing atraditional art gallery with a modern, custom tattoo studio. H

For more information, go to www.howlgallery.com.

Courtesy of Übermedia

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mohawk valley

tattoo expo

The 2nd annual Mohawk Valley Xtreme Tattoo Expo was heldMay 29th-31st at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds inFrankfort, NY.The expo was a three-day event that hosted

four bands, two stunt bike crews, and over twenty artists.The first day of the expo opened with stunt shows by

Syracuse’s 315’s Most Hated and Full Tilt Crew.As the afternoonwent on, motorcycle gear and accessory vendors continued to filein among the expo patrons, setting up their wares in any space theycould find within the main building that housed the artists and theirtattoo setups. The motorcycle vendors offered everything fromclothing to bandanas to traditional beanies donned with not-so-traditional neon mohawks.

At 7pm, upstate New York band The Square Pegs took thestage, and performed covers from every genre imaginable. Twocrowd favorites during the show were “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” byJoan Jett and Missy Elliott’s “Work It.” After the show, artists andpatrons milled around the fairgrounds, noshed on Mr. McGill’schicken riggies and fried dough and dis-cussed their preexisting and new ink workand the much-anticipated wet t-shirt con-test that was to begin in a few short hours.The Utica Roller Girls served as bar-tenders for the event, pouring Budweiserand Bud Light ‘til the gates closed at mid-night.

Day two kicked off with anotherstunt show by 315’s Most Hated and FullTilt Crew.The sunny weather and headlin-ing band, DIGG, brought a large crowd tothe fairgrounds, just as Weller had antici-pated. UFC fighter Matt Hamill helpeddraw in the crowd by signing autographsand taking pictures with fans in the mainbuilding.

The mid-day motorcycle show drew

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tattoo showby sarah casey

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the crowd to the classic bikes that were in the running for five cate-gories: Best Paint, Best Custom, Best Rat Ride, Best of Show, and ClubParticipation. The day ended with a 9pm baby oil wrestling competi-tion under the main stage that carried a 200 dollar prize for the win-ner.

The third and final day of the Mohawk Valley Xtreme Tattoo Expoconsisted of artists and patrons doing the finishing touches on thepieces that would be in the tattoo competition that afternoon.

As the excitement for the competition grew, tensions flaredbetween some of the shops and artists. One artist from a local shop,Tattoo by Ray Rutherford (formerly IsItInYet Piercing Co.), said thatsome of the larger, urban shops were shooting down the abilities oflocal artists. It would all play itself out in the competition, though, shesaid.

At 4pm, the competition commenced and the artists finally gotto watch their hard work in action. Competitors were judged on anumber of categories, including: best portrait, best sleeve, best cover-up, best piercing in a tattoo, best upper body, best tribal, best collectionblack work, best small and large color, best small and large black andgray, best traditional and best tattoo of the weekend.The judges werethree former artists, and all members of the local Highwaymen.

First-place best female tribal winner Jen Bristol took home thetrophy for the second year in a row along with a first-place trophy forbest female collection black work, but the star of the competitionproved to be Sebastian DiCesare, who took home first-place trophiesfor best portrait, best large black and gray and best sleeve. MichaelBobik Jr. won best tattoo of the weekend with a black and gray graffitidesign done by George Labrada of Evil or Sacred Tattoo.

The competitors were not the only ones to get their fifteen min-utes of fame during the weekend, however. Many of the artists whocame to the expo gained a new fan base over the course of the three-day event, including Tod Del Duca, a 22-year-old artist from InfiniteVisions Tattoo in Utica, NY. Del Duca spent a large portion of theweekend creating a custom chest piece for triple-trophy-winnerSebastian DiCesare, and is definitely an artist to keep on the radar atfuture shows. H

mohawk valley tattoo expo

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jj diablohot ink

When I think of the word 'diablo', the first thingthat comes to mind is the devil. The secondthing that comes to mind is a snail, as in 'Diablo

Escargot' or literally 'Satan's Snail' but that is a different,much stranger story.

This month's Hot Ink, JJ Diablo, is anything but snail-like. She's outgoing, smart and attractive, and she eschewsnecessities like food and shelter to spend time convers-ing with us and modeling topless in a neighborhood park.Oh, the joys of freedom and the good life in America.

JJ’s tattoos were done by a mix of longstanding aswell as up and coming artists in the southeast. For thephoto shoot, Victoria Diaz from Toni & Guy Salons didthe hair and Michelle King from M.A.C. Cosmetics didthe make-up.And thanks to Solstice Cafe for keeping usquite full of caffeine.

So now we’ll starting talking professionally,or as professionally as this can be.I’ll try to keep the tangents to a minimum.

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by sean dettmanphotos by sylvia hagarhair by victoria diaz, make-up by Michelle king

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tattoo artist that I’ve seen, he works at East AtlantaTattoo.Mike Parsons who works at Doc Dog’s Las VegasTattoo Company in Florida.Also, Mikey Webb and JustinMaughmer (or ‘The Marm’) from Psycho Tattoo.

How tattooed do you want to be, you know,eventually?I think that I’ve hit the first milestone where I feel likeeverything is kind of balanced right now.There are stillplenty of ideas in my head, though.

You obviously enjoy modeling. What stylesare you having fun with right now?I’ve been doing a little bit of everything lately. I like pinupand fashion, which have been the two big ones for me.The fashion world has been more attracted to the tat-toos because I’m not covered in them. I don’t havesleeves and a chest piece. Non-alternativemodeling is a little more traditional.

Why did you decide to start getting tattooed?I had really wanted one since I was about fifteen. As soon as I turned eighteen, I found a placethat I was comfortable with. I really wanted to express myself.

Where did you go to get your first tattoo?I went to Stone Age Tattoo, to Jason Wires. I don’t know if he’s still tattooing now, I think he wentmore into action figures and stuff.

What was your first tattoo?It was Celtic knot-work on my lower back. It went from a small piece originally to something thatI added on to later.

Who are some artists that you’ve been tattooed by?Besides Jason, Miami Burgess did a tiny one on the back of my neck. Kenny Holland is the main

How long have you been modeling?About six months. It kind of came hand in handwith all the tattoos. I figured that I had all thisstuff, I might as well show it off.

Aside from modeling, you are also awriter. How did you get started?Writing is definitely something that I’m verypassionate about. I had always written since I

was a kid. I would write essays to my par-ents when I needed to get out of trouble.

I got into school for Public Relations,but there is no soul in sales andadvertising. I’d rather make less

money and feel like I have a spine.

What do you think ofthe devil?I think there's a littleDevil in all of us. H

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HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

Miss Sophie shows us this year’sHell City trophy

Joshua Carlton

Guy Aitchison at work on a new painting

By Sean Herman, winner of Tattoo of the Day on Friday

Tattoo by Mike Cole, winner ofBest Small Color

Art Fusion Experiment in full effect

Jeff Johnson

Although Hell City has become the tattooconvention that needs no introduction, we’regonna tell you about it anyway.This year, all of

the most fun people in the tattoo industry, and thebeautiful people of Columbus, Ohio gathered in thetwo story ballroom at the Hyatt RegencyDowntown on the weekend of May 29th. Theaccommodations of the Hyatt get two thumbs up,and all the local fun and food within a few blocks ofthe convention help make the trip to Hell City eveneasier to enjoy.

TATTOO SHOWby max brand

By Nathan Kostechko

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Stephanie Tomlinson

Don McDonald painting above,tattoo below

Orrin Hurley

Jeremiah Barba

Craig Beasley

Juan Salgado

By Anthony Dubois, winner of Best TraditionalBy Craig Beasley

This year Guy Aitchison and Michele Wortmancurated the Innerstate room where artists workedon paintings for more than four days in a dark com-fortable setting with a live DJ.A few of the artists wedidn't show you who spent the weekend paintingwere Marcus Pacheco, Kim Reed, Nikko Hortado,Damon Conklin, and Nate Beavers.The tattoo contest at Hell City is always a hugeattraction, and the last few years have gone

HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

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By TodoBy Aaron Is

Collaboration between Nathan Kostechko and Adrian Dominic

By Brian Brenner, winner of Tattoo of the Day on Saturday

Lenny Renken tattooing Lisa

By Josh WoodsBy Jesse Smith

smoothly with the assistance of computer tabulat-ed judging, using a program designed by a studentof Jeff Solin, MC of the show. Judges enter scoresinto laptop computers on several aspects of thetattoo being judged, and at the end of the contestthe scores are ready, and trophies can be handedout. No waiting, no counting, and amazingly no ties!But no matter how the scoring is done, someartists just bring out heat, and are able to rule atHell City. Jess Yen of My Tattoo swept the competi-tion, and not for the first time at Hell City, with atleast 11 trophies, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Best

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Lainey is from Avon, Ind. andhas tattoos by Chris Borchik,

Skot Sexton, Colin, and Jersey

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Asian, 1st and 2nd Best Sleeve, 1st and 3rdSmall B&G, 2nd and 3rd Large B&G, 2nd BestPortrait, and Best of Show.Wow, that was a lot.PRICK would also like to mention James Vaughnwho won Best Flash, 1st Overall Male, and 3rdOverall Female, and Kyle Cotterman who won1st and 3rd Best Portrait. H

This September 4th-6th, Hell City returns tothe Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix,Ariz.

For more information, go to www.hellcity.com.

Stomach and back by Dan Hazleton, the back winning Best Large Color

By Stefano Alcantara

By Tony Ciavarro

Some beautiful one of a kind machinesby Dano Collins

Jesse Smith

HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

By Half Pint By Aric “The Dark Horse” TaylorJULY 2009 WWW.PRICKMAG.NET PRICK MAGAZINE 25

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Andrea’s new tattoo by Ryan Hadley

Frolic and Radeo Suicide had their hands tattooed by Larry Bone...it’s a shark and an otter

Judges at the tattoo contest keep score on computers with a program designed by a student

of Jeff Solin, the event’s MCBy Russ Abbott By Andy Swarbrick

HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

Eva Huber By John Montgomery

By Orrin Hurley, winner of Tattoo of the Day on Sunday

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Winner of Most Unusual Tattoo enjoys the spotlight with a few SuicideGirls

View of the stage from the balcony in the Hell City Tattoo Convention

Jeff Solin is the MC at Hell City, and got tattooed onstage by Nathan Kostechko on Sunday while

finishing the tattoo contest

SuicideGirls!!

By Josh DuffeyJess Yen and the crew from My Tattoo

HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

By Joe Capobianco

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First class service for Philadelphia Eddie at the Chris LongoRoast, as Chris looks on in amusement

Chris and Durb enjoy Guy Aitchison’s best Chris Longoimpression at the Roast, ending with “There’s nothing more

attractive than a heavily tattooed female.” True words of wisdom

HELL CITY 09HELL CITY 09

By Dee Dee Seruga By Jess Yen

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Brainchild of a musician and a seasonedtattoo artist, Black 13 is one ofNashville, Tennessee’s most contempo-

rary tattoo parlors. Doy Gardner and JoshWoods were both looking for something differ-ent, and found it in a business partnership.Gardner knew Nashville could use a differenttype of shop and Woods could bring the artis-tic side to a new opportunity, and thus Black 13was born. With a few talented artists, one shopmanager, and one trusty apprentice, this parlorhas already begun to show some real promise.Creating custom tattoos and catering to alltypes of tattoo collectors, their service andunique experience is what is most important.Recently, PRICK got a chance to ask the twoowners of Black 13 a few questions.

Give us a breakdown of your shop:Employees and their specialties.Black 13 Tattoo Parlor consists of Josh Woods,Doy Gardner, Steve Martin, Lenny Renken, andapprentice Marty "Riet" McEwen. Woods andGardner own and operate the shop. DoyGardner is originally from Loxley, Ala. and has

been a Nashville based musician for tenyears now. He handles everything but tat-tooing – everything business related alongwith scheduling appointments and emails.Woods is originally from Alpena, Mich. andapprenticed under tattoo Don at NickelCity Tattoo in Buffalo, N.Y. He has beentattooing for seven years now and special-izes in good tattooing (cartoony illustra-tions with hints of realism and superbright colors). Martin is originally fromKingsport,Tenn. and has been tattooing forfive years now. He specializes in good tat-tooing as well (black and gray, portraits,bright bold color work, anything youwant). Renken is originally from Omaha,Neb. and has been tattooing for sevenyears. He also likes to partake in good tat-tooing (asian themed work, color repro-duction, anything you want).We know thatyoung apprentice,McEwen,will also partic-ipate in delivering great tattoos one daysoon, but for now he is learning and keep-ing the shop clean and sterile. He is origi-nally from Lavergne, Tenn. and has been Steve Martin

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with us for about nine months now. His art background is deeply rooted ingraffiti.

How did you come to own this shop?Gardner: Josh and I met through mutual friend and tattooer, Sean Herman.Josh was tattooing in Atlanta, Ga. and working with Sean. Sean and I grew uptogether in south Alabama. For years, I felt that Nashville needed a shop witha better atmosphere that excelled in extensive work and that was more cus-tomer service based then most shops. No one ever traveled to Nashville toget tattooed, and Nashville is too cool of a city for that to be the case.Aside

from that, almost everyone I had ever methere traveled outside of Nashville to getextensive tattoos. Once Josh and I met werealized we had a lot of the same ideas andwanted the same thing in the long run as faras a shop goes. Josh wanted out of wherehe was and I was over the instability of themusician lifestyle so Josh moved toNashville and we began work on the shopin May of 2008.

What do you think makes yourshop different from others in yourarea, in the country?Gardner: The thought process behindBlack 13 is to constantly create somethingthat benefits everyone.We wanted our par-lor to have an atmosphere that is comfort-able and more upscale, not your typicalstrip mall shop. Due to tight finances in thebeginning we did the entire build out our-selves. We knew we would be spending aLenny Renken

Josh WoodsLenny Renken

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hell of a lot of time here and that our clientele would not only befrom Nashville, but from out of state and out of country. It had tobe extremely comfortable and welcoming.We want to take careof people on every level. From the phone call, to email, to theactual experience in the shop and the tattoo, we want people tofeel like they are in a professional environment. No tough guymentality or egos.

We are inside of a huge building right in downtown Nashvillethat used to be the world’s largest train warehouse 100 years ago.It’s now called Cummins Station and its home to a wide range ofdifferent businesses from fortune 500 companies to yoga, 24 hourgym, lawyers, massage therapy, accountants, hair salons, live musicvenue and a few different places to eat. It’s a completely differentapproach for a tattoo parlor to be here. It’s been great becausewe get to break people’s negative stereotypes that have gonealong with tattooing and shops in the past.

Aside from the focus on clientele, Josh and I wanted to cre-ate a home for our artists.We want genuinely good people with agood heart that are amazing artists to be a part of our family.Wewant to take care of our guys to the point that they will neverwant to leave Black 13.We understand that the guys that are herewith us are helping us build something that will take care of us allin the long run.They play a huge factor in what we do and our goalwill always be to provide for them.

The business partnership between Josh and myself is

another thing that separates Black 13 from other shops. Iknow some people make remarks about the fact that I'mnot a tattooer, but it works great for Josh and I.Tattooingalone is a full time job and so is the business side. Ourpartnership allows us to both focus on our passion andmake sure we cover every aspect of owning and running ashop and taking care of everyone involved including cus-tomers. Josh and the guys here are super amazing artistsand they deserve the chance to focus solely on their art!

What is your favorite thing about owning yourown shop?Gardner: Our favorite thing has been seeing a dreambecome reality. It’s nice to see hard work pay off. Josh hasworked hard creating a name for himself in the industryand striving to become a better artist so this whole expe-rience has been rewarding for him. I've had a passion fortattooing for about twelve years now even though I'm nota tattooer. I've had the idea of creating Black 13 for aboutfour years after seeing Nashville's needs for a differentapproach to tattooing.To finally be here is exciting. It’s justnice to have control and invest everything you have intosomething that’s ultimately your own.

Josh Woods

Steve Martin

Steve Martin

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PAID ADVERTISMENT

What is your opinion on the current state of tattooing?Woods: The good - I love the fact that there are more and more greattattooers out there now more then ever. People are popping upworldwide and it's really cool.We need to weed out a lot of the neg-atives in our industry and push the positives. We all can help eachother do that.

The bad - I hate it for the followers...the people that are justdoing what someone else is doing and not pushing themselves.A lot ofpeople are in it more for financial status rather than doing what theylove. I don't like the egos of the tattooers who think they are rockstars.We are just tattooer’s man, artists, fuck all the drama.

We all have a lot of respect for tattooing and how it has pro-gressed. It gets super frustrating when young guys want to claim oldschool mentality and issue threats just based on opening a shop or hir-ing someone that used to work for them.

What advice would you give to a fellow tattoo artistlooking to open their own shop?Gardner: Don’t do it! [laughs] Honestly, make sure it’s really what youwant and make sure you are ready to bust ass. It’s a whole lot of non-stop work. Make sure you and anyone you intend to hire is capable.The last thing any city needs is another mediocre shop producing bust-ed work creating a negative experience for customers and giving tat-tooers a bad name.

What are your future plans?Gardner: As a shop we all want to continue to develop as artists andas family. We are surrounded by great talent here and we want to cre-ate other avenues besides tattooing to display it. We like to beinvolved in the arts here in Nashville and will continue to build on thatover the years to come.With all the amazing talent in the industry wewill continue to bring great guest artists to Black 13 so if you want todo a guest spot, send us an email ([email protected]).

Many thanks to Steve, Lenny and Marty for all of their hard workand great talent! H

Black 13 Tattoo, 209 10th Ave South Suite 218, Nashville,TN 37203(615) 750-3741

For more information, go to www.black13tattoo.com. Josh Woods

Lenny RenkenJosh Woods

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Like many of the great bands we have interviewed,Darkest Hour is the collaboration that emergedfrom a few high school buddies that were looking to

do something different. In 1995 Washington, DC., wheremuch of the hardcore scene originated from, DarkestHour was working on something that twisted the ele-ments of that sound with a more punk/death metal ver-sion. As the years went on there were a few memberchanges, the original members got older, new memberscame along, and their music became more powerful.Darkest Hour is highly regarded as an innovator andleader of a music genre that has become a following formany heavy music lovers today. What exactly makes themso special? They’ve been hitting the grindstone for years,working hard, and always making music for the right rea-sons. Guitarist, Mike Schleibaum, took a few minutes offfrom the band’s Summer Slaughter tour to tell us all aboutthe Darkest Hour adventures.

Five metal dudes leaning back in their camping chairswith beers, sweating in the Atlanta summer heat, andpreparing for some intrusive tattoo photos, is a sight forsore eyes. In a circle sat vocalist John Henry, guitarist MikeCarrigan, bassist Paul Burnette, guitarist Mike Schleibaum,and drummer Ryan Parrish. Though not all of them wereburdened with the task, they all sat together as pirates pre-pared to terrorize the stage. After fourteen years of

by lisa sharertattoo photos by geoffrey stephensongroup photos courtesy of adrenaline pr/darkest hour

John’s rose on left elbow by Scott Sylvia in San Francisco, Cali., right leg by JamesMarlowe, Go! tattoo by Amy Black in Richmond, Va., Crown on neck done in Sweden

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playing, recording, and touring, you might wonder what keeps theseguys going. Schleibaum tells us his favorite part of being in thisband, “it’s going to sound dumb, but it’s kind of like the momentsthat you get when you’re at the practice space and you’re all kindof hanging out, just playing with something new and it’s not reallyserious at first. You’re just kind of checking out a new riff or some-thing. No matter how old you get, it will make you feel youngwhenever you have that.” However there’s also those grandmoments that are solely reserved for crossing the country withyour friends. “I like the piratesque aspect of…like tomorrow Ithink we have a day off in Jacksonville, Fla. and we’re just going togo terrorize it.Drive over night, go to the beach, get out there witha couple cases of beer, fucking just kick it.”

After photographing his tattoos and talking about the musicculture, we ask Schleibaum why he thinks the two things are sooften seen hand in hand. “I think it’s because people that are musi-cians tend to be pretty expressive people, and when you combinethat with the fact that people think it looks cool…” More specif-ically though,“artists are drawn to it because it’s just another wayof expressing themselves. You get on stage, and you can be loud asfuck, and play a blast beat, and scream, and throw beer at people.And then you can get a tattoo of somebody flicking somebody off.It’s just another form of expression. And some people think itlooks cool.” [laughs] With the vast array of tattoos that checker a

Mike Schleibaum’s left arm (bottom half) by Jef Whitehead in San Francisco, Cali. and BradyDuncan (top half), entire right arm and neck by Brady Duncan, shark tattoo done during Ozzfest,

snake on side done in Vancouver, right ankle by Big Frank

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few members of the band, there is definite-ly some expression going on. Betweenband tattoos, tour tattoos, hot dogs andmaple leaf tattoos, one can get a prettyinteresting read on Darkest Hour. Artistsmost likely, musicians surely, people thatkick the shit out of life—definitely. Theirartwork spans the world with tattoos fromSweden, some from Ecuador, and manyfrom right here at home.

Some of their tattoos are intricatepieces of art. Some are small commemora-tive tattoos that they all got together at the

Ozzfest. Some are cover-ups of the distant past where their lives mayhave been more straight edgy. While some are silly bits that were sim-ply done for a good laugh. “[Originally], I just got into tattoo culture, andI like traditional stuff. Then I stupidly realized, after I had an entiresleeve, that it’s way more fun when you’re fun with it. So, I think that atthis point, I get the tattoos that I get because it will symbolize some-thing. I tend to not go into really deeply interpretive tattoos, I like to bea little bit more fun and open to interpretation and just wild. So, that’swhat I pick now.”

So, tattoos are an expressive piece to have fun with. But, they arealso an art form. “It’s funny because I give my artist friends shit, becauseI say, ‘you’re a tracer. You just fucking trace.’ [But], I do think it’sabsolutely an art form, because I’ve seen really great, really amazing, intri-cate pieces on people, and you’ve got to remember you’re doing it withink and needles and blood. You know it’s fucking plastic surgery. So, it’sreally an art form to be able to draw, to carve up somebody’s flesh for-ever in a way that looks like a drawing, it’s art.” On the topic of fleshcarving, Schleibaum also warns against letting anyone other than a pro-fessional do your work. “I think doing your research and not focusingon cost are the two biggest things that a young [person] can do whenthinking about getting a tattoo. I mean, what it costs is so far down onthe list of what’s important. Because in the end, you’re gonna have it forfucking ever, and if you’re cheap about it and it looks like shit eventuallyyou’re going to wise up and say “I’ve gotta get this redone,” and you’regoing to have to pay for it again, and it’s gonna hurt again.”

Aside from all the tattoo art talk. There was also some discussion

Ryan’s right arm (above) by Jeff Eaton at River City Tattoo inRichmond, Va., Easy Lover done during Ozzfest, left leg by Lee Odum

about music. When thinking about a metal music life Schleibaum says,“you don’t really want to see the most calculated rock show of your life,sponsored by whatever energy drink, perfect to the tee. It’s not reallymetal, especially. Then we would just be metal boy bands. So, the biggest,biggest thing is focus on your priorities. You shouldn’t be making cash.You’re in the wrong industry to do that.” A big insight as to how DarkestHour has survived for so many years. It’s not about the money, and it’snot about the groupies (well maybe), and it’s not about the fame. It’sabout playing music, as expressive people, getting those moments at thepractice space, terrorizing any city in any country with some loud, in-your-face metal, and putting your all into it with four other fucked updudes that just want to do the same thing. So check out their newestalbum not because it will give the record labels another ten bucks intheir pockets, but because Darkest Hour put some real sweat into it, andthey are proud of it, and it will melt your face off. H

For more information, go to www.darkesthour.cc.

Mike Carrigan’s right arm by Greg Higgins at Sacred Heart Tattooin Houston, Tex., pentagram by Nina in Baltimore, right leg at

Electric Chair in Houston, Tex.

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This month’s featured tattoo artist Anthony “Ant” Iannucci isthe owner of Ascension Custom Dermagraphics with twolocations in Orlando, Fla. Born and raised on Long Island, in

N.Y., Ant has been a professional tattoo artist for roughly twelveyears “if you subtract two years of ‘kitchen table tattoos’,” he says.Ant has been a shop owner for nine years, and is also a digital andmixed media illustrator.We recently had the opportunity to ask Anta few questions.

How did you get your start in tattooing?Being artistic all my life, I knew a career in the arts was the path Iwas headed [down], though I did not at all expect it to be a careerin “dermagraphic customization.” I was going to college for adegree in General Illustration at F.I.T. and had the intention of prob-ably becoming a comic book artist or something along those lines.

ANTARTIST OF THE MONTH

BY stephen jefferson photos courtesy of ant

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That all changed the day my best friend, Sethdecided ‘we’ were going to become tattooartists and purchased a start-up kit from a pop-ular tattoo magazine. Looking back I am sure itwas not the best way to learn a craft, still weshared the same kit for a few months and I prac-ticed on my older brother and his courageousfriends. Needless to say there are still a few tat-toos out there I need to repair or cover. Soonenough our lofty goals took us down to Ft.Lauderdale where we were going to open upour very own tattoo studio. That didn’t go asplanned and luckily enough as we were notready for all that. Around the time this revela-tion came to us, a good friend introduced me toIan, the owner of Funhouse Tattoos. I showedhim my work; tattoos and illustrations, andthankfully enough I and later on Seth were hired.I never had a formal apprenticeship, but I surelearned a lot working with those guys down there like Rob Soli, Gilbert, Ian, andSicko. Crazy times too.

What about your dream to open your own studio?After a couple years in Ft. Lauderdale, Seth and I decided we were ready and withthe best wishes of the Funhouse crew, we moved out west, to San Diego, whichI’m pretty sure means “whale’s vagina” in German. Within two to three monthswe found a location in Pacific Beach and opened up the first Funhouse TattoosSD. We had a different name picked out at first but after some discussion andconsideration with Funhouse Fla., we made the decision to honor our beginningsand keep it in the family. Over the course of five years, Seth and I opened andwith great success operated, three locations around the beaches and downtownarea…and it was good.

So what brought you from San Diego to Orlando? Funhouse toAscension?San Diego was awesome, buts it’s a different game out there for sure. You have

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space and translating them to skin.Who or what are your inspirations?I get inspired by so many random things; it’s hard to list them all.I’ve always been more inspired by other art forms, such as sci-fiand fantasy illustration, comic books, anime…than with tattooart. The visionary work of painter Alex Grey, comic book artistslike Joe Madureira and Marko Djurdjevic, Japanese artistMasamune Shiro. Big influences. There are so many phenomenaltattoo artists that I respect and admire their work. James Kernand Tim Kern, Hoffa, Nate Banuelos,Adrian Lee,Adrian Dominic,Rob Soli, Nikko, and Mike Cole just to name a small few. I try toadmire the work and take what I can from it inspiration wise,without trying to bite a style. I am of the opinion that there are

tattoo studio across the street from tattoo studio, next door to tattoo stu-dio. It’s way over saturated in my opinion. But I also started doing some ofmy best work out there. Clients were willing to go big and let me let looseon them which was different from what I experienced before; living in Ft.Lauderdale. I met my wife; my muse, out there. She’s originally fromOrlando so after we got married we planned to move back to the east coastto be closer to both our families. I got bought out of the business and didthe move. After traveling around Europe for a few months and working guestspots at awesome studios like Mo Coppoletta’s Family Business in Londonand Amazon Tattoo in Germany to name a few, we finally settled and set upshop near downtown Orlando.We named it Ascension because the word has always resonated with me,both on a spiritual level and on the basis of something to strive for on all lev-els. It’s about constantly growing, overcoming, learning…both as an artist butalso as a person and perhaps affect society through that…whole vibe. I tryto “inject” that vibe into my art.The original shop,Ascension alpha, has beenopen now for almost four years and this past December we opened a sec-ond location,Ascension omega, with another partner, Ryan. We have an awe-some crew, and I am honored and blessed to work side by side with them.

How would you describe your style?I’m not sure how to label my style. I definitely would not consider myself oldschool. I like to do a lot of bright color, tight detail, and experiment with dif-ferent line width. I also like to do portraits and black and gray. When leftto my own devices, most of my work is infused with esoteric or spiritual con-cepts and a tinge techno-organics and the cosmos. I love images of outer

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picture that hangs on a wall, and people can stare at it and possibly feelsomething…but you know that tattoo means something to the body wear-ing it, along with the possible viewer.

What do you like to do outside of tattooing?Well, besides various artistic endeavors in all of its various mediums, I justlike to chill. I used to party a lot. Not so much anymore, though our shophosts a lot of events at various venues around Orlando. One of my pas-sions is travel and seeing and experiencing new things in life and hope todo more guest spots before I spawn a mini me. I also like to read and studyon a lot; mostly spiritual/metaphysical subjects, and actually wrote and illus-trated a graphic novel a few years ago called ION:The Isness of Now. It wasquite the project for me, taking almost five years from idea to finally pub-lishing.

Any future plans or final words?Future plans? The future is a dream, the past a memory...there is only now.H

Ascension Alpha, 2510 N. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804 (407) 898-2013Ascension Omega, 114 Semoran Blvd, Ste 5,Winter Park, FL 32792(321) 972-8930

For more information, go to www.ascensiontattoo.com.

too many “copycat” tattooartists out there. I want tofind ways to do somethingdifferent with each tattooyet still keep a cohesive styleof my own. Be artistic andtrue to yourself as an artist.After being in the tat-too industry for over adecade, how do youstay creative?Video games and comicbooks. I'm a bit of a geek inthat sense, but I find thesethings stimulate me mental-ly and creatively. Beyondthat, I really don't knowwhere it all comes from.So many things inspire meto create, though for a long

time now tattooing has taken up most of my time and creative energy.Clients shoot me theirideas and then I runwith it. After a full dayof drawing tattoos andlaying them to flesh,the last thing I want todo is work on thatpainting I startedmonths ago. Digitalmedia is much easierfor me to focus myenergy on. I like thealmost instant gratifi-cation and the lack ofa mess...and if I messup I can simply pressundo.

What do youlike about theart of tattooingin general?I for one believethat if done with theproper intent andintention, on boththe part of the artist and the client, that tattoos can be empow-ering and totemic. Another thing I love is how much impact you can beon a person’s life by creating this art on their body. Sure, I can paint a

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ANTI-FLAGThe People or the Gun [SideOneDummy] Whether you approved or vehemently disapproved oflast year’s Bright Lights of America, one thing can be saidabout Anti-Flag’s latest release, it’s a politically chargedpunk rock kick in the nads.This band caught a lot of slackin ’08 for trying to expand their sound. The People or theGun shows them getting back to basics with a boatloadof anger and aggression.The harsh opening track,“Sodom, Gomorrah,WashingtonD.C. (Sheep in Shepherds Clothing)” gets mad props for the long title and its bla-tant attack on fundamentalism that’s sure to keep these boys out of lots of peo-ples’ prayers for a long time. - Patricia Valery (Evilneedles.com)

THEE OH SEESHelp [In The Red Records] If you aren't already familiar, San Francisco's Thee OhSees, have been showing their appreciation for rockabilly-psych/avant-garde for twelve years now. Lead singer, JohnDwyer, is former member of garage acts Coachwhips,Pink and Brown,The Hospitals, etc. Help starts out strongin "Enemy Destruct" with distorted lyrics, heavy guitar,and a repetitive bass line you can't forget that’s similar to The Stooges' "I WannaBe Your Dog." A lot of fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll and harmonics between Dwyer andBrigid Dawson in "Ruby Go Home," "Meat Step Lively," "Rainbow," and "I Can'tGet No." Dwyer's voice reminds you of a mix between Fred Schneider and LuxInterior. Top pick for this record is the charging and experimental drone of"Destroyed Fortress Reappears." This release is pretty satisfying from top to bottom. - Casheena Frison

boozedOne Mile [Chorus of One] Back in the day kids in Trans-Ams and customized vanscruised the local strip blaring Deep Purple and TedNugent. Granted, the customized van is not likely tomake a comeback, but one thing that will always be instyle is ass kickin’ rock ‘n’ roll. Boozed definitely fits thebill and their latest effort, One Mile rocks like a bat outtahell with big time guitars, over the top vocals and just a touch of punk.This Italianband has mastered everything that makes classic rock classic and have brought itup to modern standards. - Patricia Valery (Evilneedles.com)

the paper chaseSomeday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1[Kill Rock Stars] The hum of coming trains, the buzz of a billion bees, noneof these things really fit when you’re trying to explain ThePaper Chase’s new album, Someday This Will All Be Yours,Vol. 1, to someone who’s never heard of the band before.If you are one of those people, you may have a hard time understanding this bandat first.All the songs are interpolated, seething works of music-based art that taketime to become comfortable with, possibly after days of repeated listening. I hap-pen to be someone who likes that sort of thing because it’s intelligent and sub-stantive, two things that are increasingly unfashionable as far as music goes in theworld right now.Thematically, this album touches on things like quantum mechan-ics, natural disasters, God and religion, and of course death and destruction.Thisis out now on Kill Rock Stars and the band is currently touring to support it. Lookfor Vol. 2, which is as yet unnamed, as early as later this year. - Sean Dettman

ONE WIN CHOICEDefine/Redefine 7”/EP [JumpStart Records]Hardcore is a dangerous genre to dabble in these days, ashardcore bands have, at times, dug themselves into their owngrave of mediocrity and pinned themselves in a corner of all-of-these-bands-sound-the-same-ness that is nearly impossibleto get out of. Honestly, how many Bane’s, Converge’s andComeback Kid’s does the music world really need? Jersey’s

One Win Choice balance this line very well, drawing heavily from the bands that influ-ence them while still putting enough of their own spin on the style without soundingtoo much like the aforementioned bands. Define/Redefine actually leans more to thepunk side of things, but don’t be confused, there are plenty of gang vocals, and quasi-breakdowns. Define/Redefine somehow manages to find a way to take linear and atonalstyle of songwriting and somehow inject melody and complexity into the songs thatmake up the EP.This EP is proof positive that One Win Choice has all the potential tomake a huge dent in the hardcore world for years to come. - Zac Hobbs

FUTURE OF THE LEFTTravels With Myself and Another [4AD Records]To be honest, Future of The Left is the most exciting band toenter the music scene in ten years.That is, of course, if you dis-count singer/guitar player Andrew Falkous and drummer JackEggleston’s previous act, Mclusky. Future of The Left’s newesteffort Travels With Myself and Another sounds much more con-scious and defined than previous releases while still managing

to maintain the frantic and unpredictable sound-craft that listeners have come to expectfrom Falkous. After hours of deliberation, my friends and I could only cite Queens ofthe Stone Age as a close comparison. Still, this decision was only concluded based onboth bands’ ability to execute stop-and-start rhythms on a dime.Track after track on thisalbum continues to provide exciting and interesting twists and turns musically and withtimeless lyrics like,“Only the good die young, except for when they don’t. It’s not exact-ly fair” or “Stand by/ your manatee” to “If I eat what I fuck and I fuck what I eat, am Iworth it?” and “I am civil service,” among others. Future of The Left’s Travels with myselfand another is a perfect record for the music listener that craves more from the artist.The boring and bland need not apply. - Garret Range

PEACHESI Feel Cream [XL Recordings]Listening to Peaches is, personally, like a steamy guzzle of hotPBR at three in the morning. It usually indicates raunchy,debacherous behavior and obvious neglect for my own well-being., which is hands down the best description for the foulmouthed Canadian’s new release, I Feel Cream.At the ripe oldage of forty (pun intended), Peaches is still spitting the same

venomous, techno-dirty dance music that fans expect.The first singles,“Talk to Me” and“More,” bleed summer sex appeal and the whole album leaves nary a disappointed earor filthy mind in the house. - Lyndsey Sargent

EVERYONE EVERYWHEREA Lot of Weird People Standing Around 7”[Evil Weevil Records]Remember when emo wasn’t such a dirty word that conjuredup images of guys with bad haircuts and mascara? Well,Philadelphia’s Everyone Everywhere surely does, and it could-n’t be more apparent than on their A Lot of Weird PeopleStanding Around EP. Drawing heavily from the likes of the

Promise Ring and other ‘90s emo and power pop, Everyone Everywhere certainly high-light all of the magnificent elements of the genre emo without becoming redundant.Thesongs are short and punchy, chalk full of enough quirkiness and sing-along-ness to keepyour attention from beginning to end. With songs talking about pool parties and theawkwardness of being surrounded by people you don’t know, A Lot Of Weird PeopleStanding Around is the perfect summer anthem for anyone looking to not take every-thing so seriously this year. - Zac Hobbs

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July 17-19

PITCHFORK MUSICFESTIVALGrant Park - Chicago, Il.

For $35 a day, you too can pack inwith 45,000 other fans for the 4thannual Pitchfork Music Festival in

Chicago’s Grant Park.The festival, which aims to give concert goers a positive, fun,and comfortable experience, will showcase the likes of The Flaming Lips, Yo LaTengo, Jesus Lizard [pictured], and tons of indie rock heavyweights. Surely GrantPark hasn’t seen this much action since election night! [Lyndsey Sargent]

July 18-19

MILE HIGH MUSIC

FESTIVALMilehighmusicfestival.com

A massive crowd of music enthusiastswill take over Dick’s Sporting GoodsPark outside of Denver, Colorado, onthe weekend of July 18th for the MileHigh Music Festival. Mile High will feature the talents of Tool [pictured],Widespread Panic, Ani DiFranco, Incubus and more. Tickets are $90 for a singleday and $162.50 for a two day pass to the all ages show.Also, anybody who showsup with 10 cans of food to donate gets a free concert poster and helps theConscious Alliance with their food drive. [Lyndsey Sargent]

July 18

SIREN MUSIC FESTIVALConey Island - Bowerypresents.com

The 9th Annual Siren Music Festival returnsto Coney Island on Saturday, July 18. Siren isa free, all day, all ages music festival on twostages in historic Coney Island. The lineupfeatures performances by Built To Spill,TheRaveonettes [pictured], Future of the Left,Thee Oh Sees, Spank Rock, Grand Duchy, and more.The 2nd Annual Official SirenAfter Party returns to Music Hall of Williamsburg that same night; Francis and theLights, and Gordon Voidwell are scheduled to perform. Check it out.

CLUB TATTOO GRAND OPENING PARTYLas Vegas, Nev. - Clubtattoo.com

On the Fourth of July, Club Tattoo is host-ing a great day of events at their newestlocation inside the Miracle Mile Shops atthe Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino

in Las Vegas, Nev.The grand opening party will feature an autograph signing sessionwith Chester Bennington, co-owner of Club Tattoo and Linkin Park band member,in celebration of opening their only Las Vegas location. Free tickets will be availableto pick up during the session for a special performance by Bennington’s new band,Dead by Sunrise, later that evening inside the Steve Wyrick Theater. The flagshipMiracle Mile Shops location features an extremely talented group of tattoo artistsand body piercers. In addition, the store features a full boutique of Club Tattoobrand apparel, fine fashion jewelry and many other unique brands.

PICKSTattoo, music,art events, contests & more that you can’t miss!

H H

SEE MORE news & eventS AT PRICkmag.net

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By Carol Clerk$29.95 - Universe - Rizzoliusa.com

vintage tattoosthe book of old-school skin art

Beginning with a brief history of the craft, Vintage Tattoosexplores the trade from its earliest days to the rise inpopularity during the 1940s and 50s.Author Carol Clerkalso highlights a few tattoo legends whose names havebecome synonymous with this specialized trade. Repletewith hundreds of flash images and archival photographs,this is sure to be coveted by anyone who has an appreci-ation for this truly original art form.

$20.00 - Retroagogo.com

retro-a-go-gohellraiser patch

Retro-a-go-go presents this large “Hellraiser”patch, measuring 10” high and 8 1/2” wide. Fromthe silver metallic highlights in her pistols to herflaming red sombrero and jet black hair, this pistolpacking mama is as dangerous as she is beautiful.This patch is comprised of 12 vibrant colors with avery high thread count, which means top qualityand best finished look.

By Tiffany Godoy and Ivan Vartanian$27.50 - Universe - Rizzoliusa.com

japanese goth

Japan’s impact on the fashion word is undeniable.Tiffany Godoy uses examples of the mostdynamic fashion, music, art and design to presentthe world of Japanese Goth. Taking elementsfrom mythology, contemporary and classic art, aswell as literature – these many influences aremeshed together to provide a delicate balancebetween the beautiful and the macabre that isJapanese Goth.

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$199.00 - Apple.com

appleiphone 3gs

If you haven’t already heard the news, Apple has come out with the new andimproved version of the iPhone. The biggest improvements are the camerawhich now records video and the voice control.While it may not seem like ahuge difference, you should ask the people who waited all day in line to get one.

$14.00 - $50.00 - Inkdish.com

ink dishirezumi dinnerware set

With help from her American husband, tableware designer Caroline Pople andPaul Timman, a Los Angeles-based tattoo artist, came together to create theaward-winning Irezumi dinnerware set composed of plates, bowls and mugs. Pricesrange from $14 for single pieces all the way up to $50 for gift sets.

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photo courtesy of apple

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cool stuff # prick approved

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Many people know Pendelton from his stint asan artist on Inked and it comes as no surprise thatA&E decided that the world needed more showsdevoted to the lifestyle. This time, however, theshop is mobile and the clients are spread wide andfar. The shop is a former tour bus from the ‘70s,revamped into a mobile studio that ferriesPendelton, his wife Monica, and their “Ministry ofInk” cross country to the holy grails and hell holesin the world of tattooing.

As a fifteen-year veteran of the trade and askilled artist, it is safe say that Pendelton knows hisway around a tattoo gun. It is undeniable that he isprofessional, enthusiastic, and talented. His degree

Thomas Pendelton has noqualms about voicing hisopinion. He doesn’t sugar-

coat. Pussyfoot. Beat around thebush. Instead, he tells you what he isgoing to do and why it will be betterthan what you wanted.Welcome toTattoo Highway.

by lyndsey sargentphotos courtesy of electric artists

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of craftsmanship and discerning eye are called into play during TattooHighway, though, as customers come to him with an idea or a drawingand Pendelton overhauls it into something different, yet in his opinion,better.A young girl getting her first tattoo requests something ghoulishripping out of her skin and ends up with a spookish Virgin Mary andchild because Pendelton thought it would be more appropriate. So whatdoes this make him, narcissistic or experienced?

Perhaps a bit of both, but it is well deserved.Working tirelessly foryears to master a skill allows for a certain amount of cockiness and atti-

tude, while knowledge and know-how make it easy to quickly identify atattoo faux pas waiting to happen.There are times, though, when the cus-tomer gets it right and the tattoo they have requested or sketched out iswhat they get.There is no objection when a widowed husband wants thecremated ashes of his wife mixed into the ink that will be used in amemorial portrait or the Apache stars on the forehead of an elderlywoman. Sometimes they just get it right. When they don’t, ThomasPendelton is there to step in. “From the creation of the art, to the envi-ronment that I tattooed in, it has always been about my customers’

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experience,” says Pendelton. “In astreet shop it was easy to forget justhow personal that experienceshould be. Rolling up and parkingthe shop right in the middle ofsomeone's life, well, there is nothingmore personal than that.”

Before you start thinking thattraveling the country and tattooing for weeks is all good times andlaughs, there are also chaos and uncertainty.Thomas and Monica haveto leave their three small children behind, prompting heartache andlonging. The bus, while immaculate on the inside, doesn’t always runlike a charm.These things, along with the uncertainty of being out oftheir comfort zone and on someone else’s block, create some tensemoments during the trip. So while it’s great to travel, meet new friends,and revisit the old ones, it goes to show that every job, no matter howamazing it may be, has its downside.

From Las Vegas to Phoenix, here and there, Tattoo Highway haseverything you want from a tattoo show: stories, characters, history,good times, and bad times. The show has a thirteen week run thissummer in A&E’s 10 pm time slot on Wednesdays. If this isn’t enoughfor you, you can always check out more of Pendelton’s “Ministry ofInk” at www.ministryofink.com or his personal blog atwww.thomaspendelton.com. H

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ALL THINGS PRICK,tattoo conventions, events & morePRICK BULLETIN BOARD

SEE MORE AT PRICKMAG.NET

H H

JULY

July 10-12, 2009TattooLaPalooza

Miami Beach Convention CenterMiami Beach, Fla.

July 16-19, 20094th Annual

APT Tattoo Rendezvous ConventionEmbassy Suites-Tiffany Springs

Kansas City, Mo.

July 24-26, 20093rd Annual

Chattanooga Tattoo Arts FestivalChattanooga Choo Choo

Holiday InnChattanooga,Tenn.

August 7-9, 2009Seattle Tattoo Expo

Seattle,Wash.

August 14-16, 200914th Annual

South Florida Tattoo ExpoDeerfield Beach HiltonDeerfield Beach, Fla.

August 14-16, 2009Alberta Bound Tattoo

& Arts FestivalThe Stampede Round Up Centre

Calgary,Alberta - Canada

August 21-23, 2009Alberta Bound Tattoo

& Arts FestivalThe Shaw Conference CentreEdmonton,Alberta - Canada

August 21-23, 2009Denver Body Art Expo

Denver Merchandise MartDenver, Co.

PRICK on InkedNationVisit our spot on InkedNation at

Inkednation.com/prickmag

PRICK on MySpaceVisit our spot on MySpace at

Myspace.com/prickmag

PRICK Girls on MySpaceVisit our PRICK Girls spot on MySpace at

Myspace.com/prickgirls

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