2012 presents: The Dark Avengers

I bet Satan has an iPod. And I bet he's not evil-evil with Toby Kieth and Soulja Boy remixes, but cool-evil with a bunch of metal and David Bowie and stuff. And assuming we're dealing with this particular variety of Satan, his hip-hop section is probably pretty bare, with the exception of maybe GraveDiggaz and X-Raided (and A Tribe Called Quest, cause really, who doesn't love Tribe). Well Satan, you are in luck, cause 2012 just released a free album that you're probably gonna dig.

From Parts Unknown front-man (and stable-mate) Mr. Volcano spent most of 2010 collecting beats and verses for this compilation, reaching out to all of his contacts in the local rap scene.
The first plan was to release this as a 2-record vinyl set with a gigantic, 2 foot long blunt wrap, but free download just seemed more practical. WE'VE PASSED THE SAVINGS ON TO YOU! FPU is front and center, with many of the beer-soaked tracks coming straight from the various blackout sessions Dark Sage and DJ Joey Lisp have hosted over the last few years. And while we've always tended to inject a lot of dark humor into our lyrics, Volcano has generally selected some of the more violent and supernaturally-infused tracks for this project (where else do you go when you named your click after the apocalypse?).
What's more, a lot of of our guests get in on the act, with local deities like Mic Jordan, Mahtie Bush, Cash Dreed and Lefty Rose letting out their demons throughout the compilation.

Adding to the superstitious nature of things, Mr. V required that the comp feature only 13-tracks, so a lot of the tracks play out as midnight double-features. My particular favorite is the eight track, Wormwood / Sex & Violence, which sees Cash Dreed steal the show with what would have undoubtedly been the lead single and follows up with a Jason Equis and I taking the listener on a guided tour of your video store's horror movie section.

The album moves at a dizzying pace, stabbing you in the neck with the next track before you have a chance to settle in to the last. Strange, original, and completely listenable all the way through.

Download "The Dark Avengers"
Album Cover / Back

What if Batman was a Mexican Baby?

Hey-Zeus, what adorable little bastards! Lil' Batman and Tiny Robin here are part of the latest collaboration between myself and my prolific girlfriend, Ms. Anna Morales. This Halloween-inspired piece was a birthday gift for my "cuñado," Javier, who's birthday actually falls on 10/31, and features his sons Dom and Armand from their toddler years.
I was glad to capture these little hellions in the SpongeBob-and-sippycups stage of life, as they are quickly approaching the firecrackers-and-switchblades phase, and it'll do Javier good to remember these simpler, more innocent times.

We took turns on it, with Anna applying the cosmic, purple background, and me laying down a crap-load of stencil layers for the boys. Anna put the finishing touches to it, adding in some of her specialty ink-work and that snazzy elastic band that really sells the depth.

That actually raises an interesting point that some have brought up. Why would a Robin costume include a pirate's eye patch? Well, obviously his interpretation incorporates elements of the alternate-reality storyline from Detective Comics Annual #7 where Batman and Robin are, in fact, pirates.

See? These guys are hardcore! Happy belated Born Date, Javier.

16" x 20" Spraypaint / Ink / Elastic on canvas