Mom's Lil Mixtape...

Ah, back on the grind again--and I do mean GRIND! Now that I'm back from Japan and have things settled down (hahaha, what a joke!) I'm pushing like a mad man. So here's a new mixtape for ya--I've decided to just post it in the blog for now, instead of having people jump through hoops to download it, but if you DO want it, email me and I'll send ya the higher quality file . Again, this one is of the "Urban" flavor of sorts, but I promise all you hillbillies out there that a sweet-twanging one is on its way...!
To tell you the truth, the only reason I made this mix is so I can put the 1st song on something. Nas slips from time to time, but imma go on record and say that this song is my favorite song by him, period. His cadence and delivery is more stream-of-consciousness than i've ever heard it. Its my anthem as of late, and right now, I definitely need some truth to shine right now...
I also will be putting my new zine out in various places around LA if they can stock it (Skylight, SHeadquarters, Meltdown) so if you don't see it there, walk up and ask them why don't they have it? Hopefully they will...
Have a great weekend y'all!

MushiAtsuiiii!

Sorry for the long pause in updations, but the hectic life is just now starting to go into hypermode now! Im in Tokyo for the moment, and its super, uper, freaking HOTTER THAN HELL right now! This is just some of the panels from the new zine I did (Ink Poisoning #3) which I will be more than happy to post more of just as soon as I get back from the chaos that is Comiket (the biggest independent comic/videogame convention in the world) I have been awful on the updates, so if you are still following this blog, I sincerely thank you *smile*

Will definitely post some picks of this great city soon enough. Stay cool, and stay real...

Look at me look at me, my PEE has no COLOR!!

This is what I had for breakfast this morning:

Apparently I have been going about this the wrong way. When you are an artist, people are more interested in your lifestyle than your work--at least in terms of blogging. When someone told me this the other day, I scoffed--then I thought about all the blogs I follow, and how much more I cared about what was goingon with them than the work itself. I already know what their work looks like, I just want to more more about them. So Imma gonna talk about me more, mm'kaaay?

I am trying to get a new self-printed zine out by Comicon. It will be a continuation of the last two that I've done, but with some very specific differences: one, I am trying something new...loosening the fuck up. It'll follow the characters from the first "Ink Poisoning" zine, but I'm gonna just have fun with it--stream of consciousness an all that. I'm gonna document the process of Silkscreening the zine, in all of its insanity. And you can point and laugh at my misery. Isn't that what life is all about? Working on two new shirt designs for the website launch, and just general farting my life away. New Mixtape will be released around the same time. Living it up son, living it up!

Carts Before Horses...

This, my friends, is probably my greatest weakness. I tend to to this constantly...with everything. So much to accomplish, so much that I'm doing, all that the same time...that non of it gets done. How can I constantly say that I'm "hustling" and "scrambling", only to end up not not getting any of the hundreds of projects I've been working on done?

???!!!
So, I've actually decided to stop working on the book for a second *gasp!* There are mixtapes to be made, websites to get in order, blog whining to be whined. Plus, to tell you the truth...I miss ZINES. I miss making zines and putting out work that is simple and fun. That word, fun, has been missing from my work for a while, and that sucketh. If you're not having fun, then why are you doing it? Take that in as many contexts as you like...
Right now there is a plethora of amazing art made by equally amazing artist...and no one really has any money to buy any of it. Sad, but true. Well, maybe not totally; those that have money REALLY have money, so they buy regardless. The problem is that in order to survive, some artist have to cater to the more well-to-do collectors in order to make a decent buck. To survive. They always have, but it seems like now they have to do it even more so. Taking experimental chances right now in your style or output is incredibly risky...
Good thing I plan on putting out dick and fart jokes, eh?
At least I might get a chuckle...
So buy my shit when it comes out. And I'll buy yours. We'll just keep recycling that same dollar bill between us. Just put out what YOU want to put out and don't worry about if people are gonna like it or not. No one gets far that way. Ok, that's a lie--but whatever. Now I'm gonna post a video that has nothing to do with this post. Why?! Because I'm doing what I want!
See how easy that is?!

Blamo! Mixtape #3 for June...!

Finally! Something going on 'round these parts...
Here's a simple yet new mixtape for you all: Blamo Mixtape #3. My sincerest "bad" about not being around these parts as of late; I've been really putting the petal to the metal, and working on a whole slew of stuff--which may or may not be done by the year 3000, but dammit I'm on it! The thing is, I am not very goodabout blogging about "what I ate for breakfast/what shoes are the dopest/what size shit I gave the toilet bowl", but for those that have been following this blog, my apologies--im back among the living...at least in terms of online.
At least...I should be *smile*
This one is decidedly "Urban" (code word for Black, or Modern Negro Music, whatever you'd like to call it. ) For those of you that wanted to get your "hillypsychobilly" on don't fear! I got something in store for you as well...as always you can listen to it embedded in the video below, or download it HERE. Also, If you're in the LA area be sure to check out this VIDEO for the Codak/Kofie show @ Ronin Gallery tonight (Friday the 5th). It's gonna be amaaaaazing, son!

*scramblescramblescramble*...

(plex will be back soon enough--working his collective ass off--until then...:)

...

Kid A Skully...

Kid A submission + Ink/Paint piece on Vintage Ad. for the Skully show @ Chuckwa this Saturday (May 16). Woohoo! Now I gotta get some sleep...(yeah right, wishful thinking...)

Gasoline Dreams...

Saturday morning I woke up, made a thermos of coffee and headed out to Gasoline Gallery for their 4th Annual California Screaming Art and Hot Rod show. The weather was simply perfect, and some of the coolest cars (and a few bikes) I've seen in a great while were on display for your drooling pleasure.
The art was incredible. Better than a LOT of stuff I have seen being shown in "Lowbrow 'Pop' Galleries" over in the more, uh, "prestigious" one's around my way. Now, before everyone gets their panties inna bunch about what I mean, lets get one thing straight--I'm bias to a fault. I admit it with no shame. And whereas it IS a character issue that I'm working on, there is only so far that it'll go...so I'll say right here and now that I personally feel a lot of the artist in the show hands down had a hellova stronger technique and skill than the average "pop" artist. There wasn't a whole lotta "flash" to the work, admittedly, but that's really what did it for me. The majority of it was kind of a "you-get-what-you-see" aesthetic. Which might be a little too forward for the average art viewer, but to me was refreshing. You can't get too deep painting a hood of a car...well, I take that back. You can, but 9 times outta 10, your artwork is lost on everyone that views it.
The other thing that really struck me was how CHEAP everything was--in price, not pieces. There were works that would have been going 3 times as much in LA hanging, easy. I asked The Pizz "WTF?!" and he (who had one of the two biggest pieces there) politely explained 'tis the curse of the "Lowbrow" market. Most of the people that actually appreciate this stuff rarely can actually afford to buy it. Which is a crying shame, because there some really talented artist that will probably starve to death because they decided not to paint cute "happy-star-faces". Hopefully that will not be me. Mantra of every "rising" artist...eh? *sigh*
Was extremely lucky to hang out with Masato from COOLS in Little Tokyo, Yukalin (drummer for the Villainz) , and also the guys from Pin Up Garage Magazine, Nash from Burnout magazine not to mention Highway Trash, and of course The Pizz and Willie Pinstripe. All in all it was a fantastic and truly inspiring day. How often do I say that??
(Yeah, Yeah, I know--mixtape. it's coming, it's coming... )

Place holder...

There isn't enough time in the day. No, not really...there is. What I meant to say is that there isn't enough time in my day--the one that consists of work and going back and forth across town and getting something to eat and burying myself in my studio which usually means me slowly going crazy while I try and make something outta nothing...wait--this isn't fair--I'm sure you feel the exact same way...that you could do oh-s0-much-more if it wasn't for the fact you have a job/significant other/child/dominatrix stalker. But the truth is, I do. And probably so do you. It's just a matter of...(what's that word I had to google the definition?...oh yeah>>>) prioritizing.

I finally have the domain for knifexlife.com ("Under Construction" page above) and believe you me, it might not seem like such a big deal, but considering that I try to multitask even though i have seal-like flippers when it comes to organization and way too much I try and do at one time, this is pretty epic. But I'm excited--between this and the new Antikillers launch coming up, things seem to be moving in the right direction. Oh lookey lookey--Plex showing some optimism. Don't you worry--i'm sure that it'll disappear sure enough...!

I would like to say a few things: first, for those that are actually following this blog, thanks! Second, going to have a piece in the Skully show at Chuckwa, so that should be fun. Next, Yoskay's Yamamoto's solo's this week @ Lebasse Projects--it's gonna be nuts. Plus, I went to the La Luz gallery to see the 4(wo)man show: (Jaw Cooper, Lauren Gardiner, Miss Mindy and Lyle Motley) if you're in the area I urge you to check it out--I loved it. Finally I'll have a new mixtape for you next week--Yes, the TessarLo's collab one is coming up. Yes, Jim Mahfood will have another one up soon--I just want to do one...and hopefully I can figure out how to host it on my own domain now so that everyone can have access to it.

I leave you with this gem from a time past: god, I love vintage refrigerators!!

*Bleep*...

What goes through my line of sight when I enter the studio:

Why I have been so absent as of late, and things are taking
so g'damn long (no, I wouldn't sit through the entire thing either)

What I do for fun:
Best sticker I've seen in Lil' Tokyo recently:
Productive or die, right?

Cherries and Cream...(Kinda NFWS)...

(Heads up: this post is not completely work safe--I know how embarassing SEX might be to everyone...but please. If you are reading this post, chances are you are here because your parents bumped uglies. (Keyop and Jesus, my apologies. God, if you got that joke, please email me--because it means you just ascended Geek level #6...)

Everyone that sees my work always make the similarity to Archie comics...and rightfully so. I definitely wanted to channel Dan Decarlo's style in some fashion. I don't want to be Decarlo though; there are a few other great comic artist that influenced me, though admittedly most of them are from an era past. And I will definitely get to them in the future, to be sure. But the main reason I decided to draw the way I do is definitely intentional...even though older manga storytelling is what greatly influenced me when I was younger, I want what I do to be particularly American. An older, more mature, yet timeless America. And nothing screamed more American than Archie. But I also want to reflect the America that I live in too--one that isn't just inhabited by WASP's. So I guess I wanted my work to be a spin on that style... minorities, gays, the working class: they get a voice too. Maybe not the one that they want to have, but they would get one. Ooooohhh...subversive! How deep!

Of course, I wasn't the only one that thought of this:
Larry Welz created Cherry Poptart in 1984, and he and his wife (god bless her) started self publishing it to contribute to the underground comix community. He wanted to have fun--sexy, awesome fun--and he did it as an homage of the style that he grew up and loved, . Obviously he got a lot of flack from Archie Comics, but fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. Or don't have sex.
Now, anyone that knows me knows that this was like a double whammy to me--Sex, or better put eroticism, is what I live and die for. I stumble upon Cherry about a decade ago, and I was hooked. It wasn't the art so much, or even the sex--it was the wholehearted lightheartedness of it. Welz realized sometimes jokes aren't funny when they're too long to tell, or orgies aren't much fun when you painstakingly plan every detail. Sometimes it's gotta just...happen.

Woohoo!

Special Edition! Jim Mahfood Mixtape #1

Say WHAAAT! Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I present to you Food One Mix Vol. One by none other than Jim Mahfood himself. In case you've been living under a rock, he's the guy that did stuff like, you know...illustrated Kevin Smith's Clerks comics, several Spider-Man books for Marvel, ad campaigns for Colt 45, the murals in the Sarah Silverman Program as well as a plethora of other amazingness. Here's Jim:
"This is the first volume of my mixtape series. I made a huge series of these, with 7 or 8 volumes in it, and gave them out to friends and family. I made this first one about 4 years ago, so it's a bit old, but screw it, I still stand behind the selections. Kick back, dig, and get your funk on, fool. Love- Food One."
I've followed his work for years, and I am super stoked to host a mix by him on Knifexlife *sniffle sniffle* You should definitely check out his blog by clicking his name at the top--his stuff is sick. As always you can download the entire mp3 mix file here, or you can listen to it in this post by playing the video below...
UPDATED: Sorry for the delay folks, but the old link wasn't letting people direct to the download--I fixed the link to mediafire, so it should be all good!

Simply simple...

Ladies and Gentlemen...I'm over it. No seriously, this time I'm for real--I'm over it. This rat race; this constant accumulation of things that give us a false sense of self worth. The need for things we obviously don't need to live--even buying things we don't even like, just to fit a mold. I thought I was beyond that, but this weekend proved to myself that I'm not. And so yet again I'm going to purge my shizit and find some truth.
In other words, simplify.
Now anyone that knows me already knows that I don't own much--at least, not like the average person. But the truth of it is, whereas I don't own a lot of stuff, my process of things is anything but simple. My comics are something that could be much more rewarding and flowing, if I wasn't obsessing on every little detail. I actually had an hr. conversation about a hypothetical question on halftones. An hour. If I would have spent that hour emailing the printer or trying it out myself, I probably would have found the answer quicker. That, my friends, was an hour that could have been better spent talking to my friend about pertinent shit.
No, I'm not saying get rid of your twitter page--I'm not getting rid of my blog, and plus I'm sure that what you have to say on any given moment is super important and the world is a better place because we can hear what you have to say instantly...I just know that this weekend, we simply just went to the beach and enjoyed life for a bit. Something that I seem to have forgotten in all of the rush and chaos that is LA; in all of the rush and chaos that is life. I mean REAL life. I forgot how much more efficient things are when they are...simple.
Sorry about the rant people, but here's some quickies: Jim Mahfood's mixtape will be up this week--hurray!! Ronin Gallery has new 2H silkscreen prints up--hurray!! Tessar Lo's solo show is this weekend--hurray!! I'm getting rid of some magazines--you can have 'em for free, just email me--hurray!
Remember...the more complicated the system, the more chance it has to break down and be complicated to fix. Think bicycles vs. Space Shuttles...

Why Won't You Live For Me*...

Forgive this post, but I feel like if I open my mouth to say something, nothing but pure, unfiltered bile will flow out of it. Been feeling like that for the past few days, and it's been a bitch to shake. Next week is going to be great though: the world famous Jim Mahfood will be guest DJing a mixtape for the blog! Until then, keep your head up--'cause if it's down too long, you might run into something you wish you hadn't...
*Ex-Factor. Lauren Hill