Speed Fetus by Lock Baer of Eastern Fabrications

The speed fetus is my attempt at capturing some of the Japanese Harley style. I have been amazed at the Jap style for years now and have tried to put my finger on what exactly makes their bikes so interesting. I wanted this bike to have a huge amount of "spirit". What I mean by that is attempting to engineer in a sense of
history, memories, wear and tear, wrenching, and patination. Making something look this way is a lot more complicated than just building a bike and then spraying a bunch of grime all over it! The majority of the bikes finishes are copper plating treated with an etching acid. This creates a depth to the finish. It almost looks as if there is no finish at all, just an oily rubbed look. Other finishes include actual oiled surfaces, leather treated a variety of ways, and as vast and array of metals as I could build with. This includes brass, bronze, copper, polished and dull mild and stainless steel, and some composites. The components themselves were also selected to have a sense of history, but not necessarily an easily recognizable one. For instance, the duel amal carbs on the knuckle, and the Indian chief transmission. The frame is about half Harley duoglide, half eastern fabrications. It holds the motor an eighth of an inch lower in the frame to allow for the dual backbone/sea tube setup. It is also a monoshock rear end now. Ohlins made a special monoshock for me. The bike is a blast to ride, and is very agile. The motor, at 61 inches, is not a monster by any means but pulls perfectly well, especially for a small bike with skinny tires. The flywheels were lightened significantly, which make the motor rev a lot faster than most knuckles. This, combined with the duel carbs and efficient exhaust, allow the bike to hold its own. Special thanks go out to my crew; Heyltje rose for the leather and Alex Lerner for the wiring. Other contributors were kiwi Indian, Ohlins, and allied metal finishing.

Lock Baer
www.easternfabrications.com

Low Brow 4 Life! The Art of Greg Vaughan aka VonPoot

Artistic INTOXICATION….”LOW~BROW 4 LIFE” and KILLER KRABS
The off the hook art of Greg Vaughan….aka..VonPoot

Article: Scott Fisk/Studio 669

I met Greg in person a few years ago at the World of Wheels show in Boston. I had previously heard of him as”this fellow” who lived out on the “arm of the cape” in a town called Brewster, Mass. “This guy” who krushed out some of the most insane artwork around, yet kept pretty much to himself like those pipe bomb builders that you read about who live in a shack in the woods…ya, you know the type. Prior to us meeting in person, we spent some time sharing email volleys of our artwork with one another and time~n~time again he’d pop my mind.

When we finally met one of the first things I noticed was his tattooed knuckles that read “LOW4 LIFE”. Yup he was a tall drink of water with a line backers build. You look at this cat with both arms fully sleeved and think that he’d be better suited as a bouncer at the door that no one would mess with…BUT, off those hands that looked like meat hooks spilled some of the most delicate and detailed work that I have ever laid my I’s on.

Real artists strive to mix it up every chance they get never wanting to be pigeon holed or pegged down for one particular style, always evolving. We all have our own “canvas” that we call home…just that some of his canvases happen to be sea creatures…ya, horse shoe crabs to be exact. You think you’ve seen it all?...you haven’t. “DIG” the tremendously unique flow of VonPOOT!



The Artist, the inspiration
A former pro hockey player, Greg spent many years with blades on his feet, checking guys with full blown body slams into the glass; cracking ribs and knocking out teeth. One day the skates got hung up because there was a “higher calling” for lack of a better definition, he had an itch that needed to be scratched.

“I played hockey most of my life and after a year of playing in the pros and a short stint traveling and playing all over Europe I got tired of life on the road. I needed something else, did a TOTAL180 and ended up at Butera School of Art in Boston on the advice of my Grandfather who used to see all my drawings and Rock Band logos that I had hanging up all over my room. He thought a sign painter might be a good idea based off what he saw me doing. My mom also had a big influence on me actually she was the first one to inspire me. She used to paint and I loved watching her with all those paints out..all the colors and the smell of turpentine. I was always doodling, she knew there was an “artist in me”…a creative mind in the works I guess.”

LOW~BROW 4 LIFE
“Low~Brow” art has become mainstream the past few years, seems like everyone is doing it like it’s the latest craze. However, not everyone can do it well. Nothing ever happens over night and if your goal is to be a “rock star” low~brow artist….well, it’s a short road if that is your only objective. It needs to come from your soul otherwise it’s as transparent as cling wrap!

“Big Daddy Roth, Robert Williams and VonFranco whom I am happy to call a friend were all low~brow before it became so mainstream and popular. I always enjoyed hearing from VonFranco all the stories about how he got into the scene as a kid painting on shirts and whatever else paint would stick to. Yup, he’s the “King of Kool” if you ask me. I like the fact that he keeps a low profile and lets his paintings speak for him, I like to think I do the same thing with my artwork. I paint because I love to paint…I am not looking to get rich, just want enough to take care of my family and buy whatever art supplies I need that week.”



Krazy Kanvas and cool gigs
You never know what’s around the next corner. You never know when you’ll simply fall upon something that hits you in the head like a flying brick! Living in Brewster, Mass. near the ocean you find yourself walking the shore. Who would have ever thought there would be an endless supply of “canvases” washing up with the tide on a daily basis?

“I bang out these “monster like” horseshoe crabs using 1-shot paints... These creatures have been around 350 million years and I finally get to give them an attitude with psycho eyes and razor sharp grins! I have painted a pile of these up, for clients all over the world. Get the Black Label Society or Disturbed cranking on the radio, no stopping now. My “Killer Krabs” take on a form all their own, no two alike. When I’m not painting on these “little creatures” I have an airbrush in my hand doing custom work…really dig it, I can go on all through the night…that’s what red bull is for! I figure in ten years I will either be on a first class stamp or the back of a milk carton.”



Fireworks and Glory…nah, it’s WAAAY deeper then that
As mentioned before, it’s about the art and the impact it has…it’s not a black light poster in the poster rack at a record store…or the “fame” of having that poster or the fancy black light bulb that makes it glow…Fame is cheap and comes at the price of selling your soul sometimes. Art is a DIRECT extension of the artist that produced it. A “story” is told in every piece, an emotion that was felt when the energy was spilling off the finger tips.



“I am pretty much in my shop slumped over a piece of art is where you can find me. I have no big plans for the future, just going to keep doing what I have been for the last 22 years since I decided to take a crack at this artist gig; which by the way I wouldn’t change for the world! I love my job so much that words cannot express it. I love painting more then anything else….especially my KILLER KRABS! I am not sure what my life would be like without the ability to talk with my paint brush. There have been some pretty rough spots in my life, paintings I did at the time when I was going through it. I can look at a particular piece and remember the pain or the joy….the emotions I was feeling at the time. The artwork became my therapy and my therapy, the artwork. You learn a lot about yourself when you dig down deep and pour it out raw on the canvas. I feel lucky to be able to identify with my artwork, it’s personal..it’s free expression…it’s mine….Ya, I may paint up a killer krab and now it’s hanging on some guys wall in Australia, but my soul is still connected to it even if it’s not in my possession anymore. It’s not about big fireworks or the glory…that will show up when it’s supposed to..... If that was my plan or agenda (to get famous) when I got this gig ramped up way back when...well I think we know how that story plays out….Ain’t no poser here..and FAME doesn’t drive me. Nah, Oprah will get wind of this one day I just know it..(grin) she’ll call me up on speed dial…it’ll blow the roof off the shop and get my ever so popular underwater arachnids in the brains of millions….meuhahahahahaaa!”



Every day the tide will come in, every day an artist will walk that coast line and collect his canvases; he’ll bring them home and dry them out..and ponder the possibilities while a bird sings on one of his shops window sills…..…ARRRRG!..!! YA RIGHT !!...THEN he’ll bust out the metal flake, shoot the BIRD and throw a mean haze over the carcasssss of that KRAB..drop flames all over it and whatever else grabs his DAMN FANCY!..Put that in your pipe and smoke it, DIG?!

For the full she~BANG on VonPoot and his killer Krabs, visit his website direct @ www.VaughanArts.com or grab his ass on myspace/VonPoot. This interview is just a “blink” let your curiosity get the best of you like it did me…CHECK HIS ‘CHIT OUT!..get a good case of the CRABS….KILLER KRABS, that is.

ROD~ON!
669

Atomic Boogie - Slung A Rod CD Review

Atomic Boogie - Slung A Rod!
Hot damn it’s time to Boogie! Boogie Woogie all night long!
When I first slipped this disk into my cd player it was like I had
just slammed down four cans of Red Bull, and chased thewhite
lines! The engines was revving and the world was going
by at a blur, before I knew it I had totally forgot where I was
going and I didn’t care, I was just grooving to Atomic Boogies,
new disk “Slung A Rod”.
This three piece band sure can thump out some kickin’
tunes, with songs like Slung A Rod & ‘67 Ford Mustang, you
can tell they have a love for fast cars and faster women!
Hot rods, whiskey, wild women, honky tonks, dive bars and
Atomic Boogie go together like Jack & Coke.
This disk has you rocking from beginning to end with fast
paced rockers like the title track “Slung A Rod” to some kickin’
& grovin’ blues tunes like Broken Hearted Blues King Catfish.
Chad’s thumping bass along with the sweet twang of
John’s amazing guitar and Steve on the drums, these guys
just make you want to get up grab your woman, or someone
else’s girl and shake your ass on the dance floor, or wherever
you may be!
So next time you’re out cruising around on your scoot or
rumbling around in your mean hot rod, and you see Atomic
Boogie on the marquee of some little out of the way dive bar,
slam on the breaks and head inside for a cold beer, a hot
woman and boogie down!
If you would like to have your music or products reviewed
in Renegade, sand them to:
Renegade Magazine
163 Carswell Ave.,
Daytona Beach, FL 32117

Creepin' Cadavers Interview

Rotting Corpses and Concrete Shoes ….the HIGH VOLTAGE HEARTBEAT of the CREEPIN CADAVERS!

Article: Scott Fisk/Studio 669

Out of a DEVIOUS town in Massachusetts known as ARKHAM comes one of the most vicious, “out for fresh blood” bands to hit the Northeast…the band in mention? ….the“CREEPIN CADAVERS”.

I came upon this band in question on total accident…at a hot rod show..go figure. Their music is maddening, so maddening that if you drop one of their cd’s in your car stereo you’re guaranteed to have bruises on your forehead from smashing it against the steering wheel.. They also claim no responsibility if you get a speeding ticket…

“3 pieces” is all they need when on stage. As a spectator down on the floor you are most certain to have your ears bleeding, your nose bleeding…and anywhere else that can bleed….bleeding…(well its happened to me anyways). On stage they are quite the show, off stage they are very charismatic and genuine…and yes, very professional.

So sit back, grab that glass of jack and read on.

RM: What got the band started in the scene?

CC: “We've all been playing our instruments since we were just little cadavers; however Jeff is the only member who has actually been trained in guitar. He studied classical guitar for a few years. Jeff and Al were in a horror punk band and Scott was in a different band of the same nature. As luck would have it both bands broke up around the same time. Scott picked up a King Double Bass (ELECTRIC LIME GREEN) and called Jeff and Al with an idea of something different. Soon the fearsome three some were jamming out old rockabilly tunes such as Eddie Cochran, Elvis and more. After putting their horror punk twist on things the Creepin’ Cadavers were born and soon released their first CD "Welcome to Arkham" after only 3 months of being a band!”

RM: The inspiration behind the band?

CC: “We each have different inspirations...
Al's drumming is greatly inspired by the swinging sounds of Kurt Sodergren, with the originality of Nate Young and the punk rock beats of Adam Carson and a ton of others… too many to write.
Jeff, on the other hand grew up idolizing classic rock guitarists like Jimmy Page and Angus Young. However, his rockabilly guitar influences



are greatly inspired by Brian Setzer. Although, for the past 10 years Jeff has had a bit of a man crush on the guitar playing of Chris Cheney.
Scott's biggest double bass influences have to be Vic Victor, the great Kim Nekroman and Sting. All in all, The Misfits and The Damned are probably the biggest reasons Scott is playing music today.”

RM: Does the band belong to any cool organizations…kicked out of any states?

CC: “Al owns his own production company, "Kirby Productions" and we all sort of help out. He has a degree in digital filmmaking and will shoot and edit anything from music videos to feature length films and more. We've been kicked out of quite a few bars for playing too loud, spitting on the ceiling, taking off our clothes and walking on the bar. We almost got arrested on tour in Texas by the border patrol at 7 am because the drug dogs wouldn't stop barking at our van.”

RM: Coolest gig that comes to mind?

CC: “I would have to say the “Double Down Saloon” in Las Vegas. One of the coolest dive bars we've ever been to. All the way across the country and people went nutty for us! It was great plus in Vegas you can rock and party 24/7 there is no “last call” so we had a lot of fun. Try the "ASS JUICE" and "BACON MARTINI" you are in for a treat.”

RM: Where does the band see itself in 5 to 10 years?

CC: “Hopefully we'll be touring the majority of the year whether it be the US or Europe or wherever people want us. We love to play and we love inspiring people with new ideas. If we can live off of touring and playing our music then that’s what we want to do.”

RM: Europe and the U.S. sound cool, but where can we find you now?

CC: “RENEGADE readers can find us all over the country, however it would be easiest to find us somewhere in New England. We play everywhere and anywhere we can. Be it a giant concert theatre or a tiny dive bar, if there are people willing to hear us rock our undead hearts out we are willing to play!”

The CREEPIN CADAVERS have melted many brains, they’ve even inspired me to bust out my yu~ka~lay~lee and wax paper/harmonica on occasion, though I keep the beat like a cracker. Check out this “Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream meets Chocolate Cadaver Blood Blast with extra NUTZ!” band. Their latest album out now is called “THE LAST RIDE”…bring a cushion for the steering wheel, or use the air bag…your choice!.. And hey, if you’re a “gamer”; then listen to their krushing music featured in the video game “WET” from Bethesda and A2M for Xbox and PS3.

ROD~ON!
669

You can visit the Bastard Sons of Psychobilly on Myspace/CreepinCadavers for tour dates and locations. SO GIT OFF YER ASS and check them OUT!


* RENEGADE disclaimer* No animals or corpses were harmed during this interview.

The Art of Adam Mulcahy

Post industrial wastelands and the smell of welding fumes..the art of ADAM MULCAHY

Article: Scott Fisk/ Studio 669

As with any artist there is a pile of “mediums” to choose from when we create. Whether it’s paint, a tattoo machine or even a pencil; there is a “comfort zone” that we call home and establish it as our own. However one artist in particular chooses none of the above and uses a wire feed and welding mask. With his “weapons” he grabs various pieces of post industrial waste like old nuts, bolts, expanded metal, even old phones…stuff you’d toss in the bin…you name it, he turns it into a 3 dimensional “vision” for lack of a better word. Adam Mulcahy of Holyoke, Mass. never wanted to be “normal”, as with most artists’ he wanted to break a fresh path seldom taken. For this direction taken he has become highly recognized in the north east as an incredible sculptor.

The Artist
There is a `46 Willy’s Jeep that sits outside a crowded work shop, where smoke and fumes drizzle from out of the beaten and weathered door. Birds drop out of the sky from the toxins in the air as they fly by.. inside the mad scientist blows a haze glow well into the night. Pieces of “material” from the stock pile are chosen at random…actually they aren’t chosen at random…rather they are laid out skillfully. Every object that is to be implemented into the finished piece has many sides, many angles where you can’t simply place it “anywhere.” There is a concrete direction to where this is going…borderline “visionary” kinda’ stuff where it all just seems to come together with fluidity.
Grabbing a respirator that was hanging from a rusty nail, I put it on and found a milk crate in a cool dimly lit corner of Adam’s shop to sit a spell and take it all in. There has to be an inspiration to all of this, a reason he does what he does…my gears were instantly turning, so if your curiosity gets to you like it does to me….then read on cuz I had a handful of questions~



.. Dimly lit corners
As you sit there confusion sets in, randomly I’d watch him hold a part up to the light…spinning it….digging it….heavy ponder and then a slight smile would grow on his mug. “What the hell inspires you, how did you know that was the piece you were looking for?!” I ask like the pain in the ass kid that you hated in gym class because he needed directions on how to do jumping~jacks….where’s that kid now?...he ain’t here. “First off, that’s a 2 part question…what are you, that kid from gym class?!” Adam muddled..”I’ll tell you what inspires me. First off I fell into this without even knowing. I grew up reading all of my Dad’s hot rod magazines and drawing rat fink on all my notebooks at school. Skateboarding was a huge influence, the art, the movement and danger. It all just seemed to fit into what I do now; it just makes us who we are.” (Still having only part of my 2 part question answered I squeaked out the word “AND?”) with a sigh he continued..”I’m pretty much self taught, I tried school but honestly I couldn’t sit still for any period of time unless I was making something. The lessons I learned at the school of hard knocks always seemed to last longer anyways. The things I see, how I’m feeling..HELL, even if I see someone who did something different on a car or bike that I haven’t seen before..well to me that’s “INSPIRATION”….better then a trip to the museum. As for “knowing what piece I was looking for” when I am putting something together, well that comes over time. We progress, we learn, we evolve.”



..pieces~n~parts…music
As time was being spent in the shop you couldn’t help but notice all that there was to choose from. There were various piles of salvaged metals in the shop with no rhyme or reason for their placement. I felt another question coming on. “What’s with all the stuff lying around” I muttered. “Stuff, it isn’t stuff..some of these parts are older then me and have a sense of history about them. Sometimes I get to use someone’s great grandfather’s wrenches or a fender from someone’s first bike. It’s really cool to actually know some of that history. If those pieces could talk they would have quite the story to tell, I try to tell that story with my art..not just what it looks like visually; BUT what it’s actually made of when you really study it. The music really helps out the process too, really enjoy a lot of older punk, 50’s rock and roll…you know, the kind of stuff that gets you speeding tickets.”…he laughed…”SO the pieces, the history and the music all melt into one…is that right?”…”sure, something like that.”

Well it was all starting to come together.

5-10 with no parole…
With all this madness about there was also a sense of calm like this “CAT” had already walked down several side streets and knew which garbage cans to knock over and which ones to leave alone. There is no such thing as a free ride, no ticket to the sure thing. When you stand on the edge of that cliff and watch the stones fall from beneath your feet, that if when the dust settles and you’re still there?….well then it was meant to be. It takes major courage to do what we love and “luck” has nothing to do with it. Follow your path, knock over the cans that are right and stay true to yourself. He was proud of what he was doing and passionate when he held the part up to the light for inspection. It all seemed to be a journey I reckon.
“The people I have met through my artwork have been amazing. Trading work with other artist’s that I have looked up to for years. Bartering artwork for access to junkyards, it’s always something different. Random piles of parts that “mysteriously” get dropped off in the driveway at home. When people do stuff like that, it’s like them saying that they know who I am and know what I do..that I will take those parts and show them respect by making something amazing out of them. I figure in 5 to 10 years, SHIT 30 years even! I will still be doing what I do. I’ll be a bit heavier, maybe less hair, traveling to shows in the north east…definitely a lot more tattoos. I never want to be paroled from this..this is what I am and what I want to do…forever. I’m just gonna keep doing what I do and let it lead me where it leads me. Out west, down south…really couldn’t tell ya.”

Stayed late into the night watching the latest creation evolve, periodically going out doors for some air and to see if any more birds dropped out of the sky from the previous time. “Yup, there were 4 out here before, now there are 7.” Burning the wire feed late into the night seemed to be the normal fashion for this fine sculptor. “If you really dig what you do, you’ll feel like you never worked a day in your life.”

ROD~ON!
~669

To have your very own Adam Mulcahy artwork (like I do..yee~haw), or to simply per~ooze his stuff you can hit him up on myspace.com/jeeppunk49 or email mulcahyjunkart@yahoo.com