Thursday, March 13, 2008

"So who does your artwork?"

"So who does your artwork?" Here we go again! Can't tell you how many times I've been asked this question while standing at the merch table.
Not that I mind, it's an obvious question for someone to ask, but it's just humorous how many times we answer this question each night. Truth be told, I'm proud to tell people who these incredible artists are. And it keeps me from experiencing that awkward silence with people!

We've been lucky to to have been working with some of the most talented artists in the horror industry. These masters give our sound a visual presentation that gives the music a deeper dimension (dare I say the 3rd dimension?). But don’t take our word for it! Check out the tattoos people have branded themselves with! These people are certifiable! 
Anyone who's dealt with artists will tell you that they are not always the most professional, organized or sober. Once again, luck is our mistress, because not only have we worked with many different people over the last few years, but we have a solid core of highly professional artists aligned to the darkside!

First we have Big Tony O'Farrell (from Michigan). Tony been with us since the beginning. Big Tony created the artwork for our 1st EP, "Midnight Spookshow," and really set the tone and imagery for the band.
One of his main influences are pulp comics which really caught our attention. Here are some rarely seen CD covers for a Euro release of 13 Halloweens that didn't quite play out.
Next we have Andrew Barr (from Canada). Andrew created the legendary CD artwork for "13 Halloweens."
Ever wonder where our ever so popular, ever so tattooed, Cala-Bride comes from? This green bombshell was actually a little drawing Andrew added to our credit panel of the CD, which took on a life of her own.

Notice what t-shirt she's wearing? It's one of the first Calabrese shirts Andrew came up with -- the "Cala-Brains!"

Andrew is also our behind-the-scenes, "go to guy" when we need him for...well, just about anything. He's got the skills and will power to deal with our mundane requests, like putting together print ads, business cards, obituary notices and the like.

Someone needs to get a tattoo of this one.
Finally we have D.W. Frydendall (from California). We first found out about D.W. from artwork he did for 1313 Magazine. One look at his website let us know this guy needs therapy! Our first commission for DW was to create art for a defunct skateboard deal, but that art grew into our 18"x24" poster.
D.W. is also responsible for my favorite Cult t-shirt....
Tony, Andrew and D.W. have been our main artists (mostly because they return our e-mails and phone calls) and will hopefully keep working with us on future projects, until they smarten up!

While playing a show in Prescott, AZ, I was talking with the Wolf Brothers about the art they did for us.

Here's a preview of a soon to be released t-shirt.

They were telling me about how their office is located above a funeral home (the name of the place escapes me -- sorry, guys!) so of course I had to ask if anything happened while they were crafting our artwork. They mentioned that normally they experience strange happenings while working late at night, but the only incident they could recall while working on our project was the door opening up by itself. Now, this might not sound like much, but I'm told the door that moved is a door that needs to be pushed against the carpet to open or close. It makes you wonder how much of the art produced by the Wolf Brothers really came from them, and how much are the Spirits pushing their pens and pencils! Did I just creep you out? Oooo!

So a while back, someone suggested that I should take up drawing and come up with some art myself. And why not? If I can play music I can surely push a pencil around! I used to be a fairly good doodler back in the day.


Check this out! I did this back in 2000!
You know you love it!


So I got some sketch books and started doodling again. I figured, 'why try and teach myself when I can order a book from Amazon on the subject?' I ordered a perfectly matched book for my needs, called "Scared!: How to Draw Fantastic Horror Comic Characters" and when I got it I broke my pencil in half! One of the authors was none other than Bryan Baugh, the artist who created our Zombie Dance and Vampire Girl t-shirts, as well as our Zombie Pajama Party poster! Screw it, why waste my time when we're already working with the best horror artists in the biz?

But the story doesn't end here! If you know of a killer artist who would fit our style, let us know! Or even better, if YOU are a killer artist, send us a link to your site 'cause we'd love to check out your work.

Here's the official list of all the artist that have worked with us (as of today).

Tom Bagley - http://www.tom-bagley.com/
Andrew Barr - http://www.somethingagogo.com/
Bryan Baugh - http://www.cryptlogic.net/
Wolf Brothers - www.myspace.com/thewolfbrothers
Eric van den Boom - http://www.boomartwork.com/
Big Tony O'Farrell - http://www.rockfiend.net/rubberwolf/
D.W. Frydendall - www.dfrydendall.net
Szymon Kudranski - http://www.szymonkudranski.com/
Tony Parker - http://tonyparkerart.com/
Andrew Ritchie - http://www.andrewritchie.com/
James Rowe - www.rabidbadgerstudios.com
Jeremy Singer - www.myspace.com/famouszombies
Tjie Tsang - http://cadaver.perception.net/
Jeff Zornow - http://www.myspace.com/zornow

15 comments:

  1. Hey this blog is excellent!!

    Really I always wanted to know who makes the art of the band.

    Greets!

    Cristina Ramone ^v^

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  2. It's all great artwork, but I think my fav is the cover for The Traveling Vampire Show.

    -Viktor Martin Straker

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  3. Certifiable, huh? I think I resemble that remark, Jimmy.

    Such great artwork and I really love Big Tony's "Euro Release" version of the 13 Halloweens!

    It's all great stuff, thanks for sharing it!

    -kristen s.

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  4. Awesome... Calabrese is the only band I ever really get merch for, just because the art is so strong. Reminds me of my mom's old copies of Creepy & Eeerie from the 1970s, with all the great, dripping monsters!

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  5. All of the artwork you guys use is awesome - you have good taste! I think Andrew Barr is my favorite but they're all amazing. It's cool to hear about the artists and the history you guys have with them. I love that you're blogging now!

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  6. Kick-ass, guys! Keep up with the blogs! We love 'em!

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  7. Thank you for sharing the grave dirt on your artwork zombies. As a fellow creative cretin, I'm always inspired when I see such kool artwork. My work might not make the Calabrese cut but I'd certainly like to toss my hat into the ring for the opportunity to work with you. Check out http://www.artskull.com or http://www.myspace.com/artskull to see samples of similar gruesome projects I've done for indie bands, films and businesses. I'd definitely reply to your emails and return your calls. Thanks again and keep it creepy!

    Chris D.
    --
    Art Skull: Gruesome Graphic Design & Icky Illustrations
    PO Box 422
    Palmyra, NJ 08065
    http://www.artskull.com
    http://www.myspace.com/artskull

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  8. thanks for the blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  9. Geez I can't beleive you've kept all the rough art too. its fun seeing that stuff again.

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  10. Calabrese is the shit. Great to see that horror still has a home with so many people. I would love to do some work for you guys. Check me out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

    Keepin' it killer,
    RMHanson

    www.rmhanson.com
    www.skeleface.blogspot.com

    SKELEFACE OR DIE! NEVER ENDING HORROR!

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  11. THIS BLOG ROCK!!!

    I LOVE U GUYS!

    CRISTINA RAMONE ^v^

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  12. What's up guys? Well, just like everyone else, I love the band and really dig the artwork. I noticed you said to drop a line if you're an artist and you might dig the work. Here I am! You can check out my work at two places:

    www.halloweenartehibit.com

    Just look for Michael Holt in the artists section, or you can check out my myspace. My handle is HOLT. (We're already friends, lol..) Just look in my pics section. Let me know what you think.

    Your bro
    Michael Holt

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  13. Who did your forum and the spookshow records page? I know its not the same company listed as the main web sites.

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  14. One thing that I love about all of the Calabrese discs, website and merch is the incredible artwork. While I was a fan of Frydenhal and Baugh before, the rest were new to me. Amazing stuff, all around!

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  15. Thanks for the comments. Glad you like to hear about all the great artists we've worked with. I'll soon have to do an update about the new people we are working with.

    -Jimmy

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