September 2012 Charity Shirt. Only 64 will be made. Artist and Charity info are posted below. Shirt by Will Blood. Money going to help the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
www.coldcutsmerch.com/shallowwater
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I’m going to be honest, I hate bees. My first clear memory from my childhood was stepping on a beehive in my grandmom’s backyard and getting stung all over by a swarm of them. I kind of think they’re dicks. I mean, I get it; protect the hive and everything but I was two and you put your hive where I was walking so is it really my fault?! The reality of it though is that we need bees. They pollinate our crops and without them, we’d realistically not be able to grow all the fruits and vegetables that we need to survive and things would get really rough for humanity. Sadly (keeping in mind the pollinating side of the bee and not the stinging jerk side) bee populations are crashing and that’s kind of a scary thing. Not like atomic-bomb-scary, more like slow-train-to-famine scary. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is working to prevent the decline in bee population and instead, impact habitat and policy changes that would encourage population growth. I say we get behind them, again, not because we like bees because fuck getting stung, but because we kind of, sort of really need them.
Artist: Will Blood
Where are you from?
Brighton, UK
How long have you been designing?
I’ve been freelance as an artist/designer for a couple of years now. I drew loads as a kid but lost the love after some bad experiences with art teachers at school. I started doing stuff again for my old band, then started drawing for friends bands, then turned it into a full time job.
What connection did you feel with your charity?
I grew up in front of acres of woods and spent pretty much my entire childhood with mud on my face, making tree houses and collecting bugs in jars. After seeing some news reports on the plight of the honey bee, it dawned on me how little I’ve seen any this summer. It really saddened me as they were everywhere when I was a kid and they’re so important to our world in so many ways.
Tell us about the design? How did it come to be? What inspired it?
I just wanted to draw a cool looking bee so pi picked up my ‘insects of britain’ book and found one I thought was cool for reference. I though the skull wings and the exclamation mark would portray the message? ‘Help I’m dying’ yes?
How would you describe your style of design work?
No idea really. I guess it changes depending on the vibe of what I’m doing.
What do you do outside of art?
if I’m not drawing I’m generally hanging out with my girlfriend and/or cats, or singing in my band eager teeth. That’s about it.
Where should people go to check out your work?
William blood on facebook or willblood.tumblr.com. I’ve been building a website for the last 6 months, maybe one day willblood.com will be live, who knows…
August 2012 Charity Shirt. Only 100 will be made. Artist and Charity info are posted below. Shirt by James Heimer. Money going to help Livengrin. RIP MFP.
This month’s shirt comes with a special edition authenticity card.
www.coldcutsmerch.com/shallowwater
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Two years ago this month, one of my best friends passed away after a long battle with drug addiction. He was a cornerstone of our music scene, a supportive friend and an all around hilarious person to be around. In his memory, I reached out to another close friend, James Heimer to design a shirt. No other artist on earth would be applicable. James and I discussed charity options and narrowed down
what we were looking for. We found it in Livengrin, a network of seven drug and alcohol rehab centers local to us. All of the donation goes to helping patients that couldn’t otherwise afford the help. There’s a lot of things I want to say this month but I don’t want this to get too personal so I’ll just leave it at this; addiction is a powerful illness. We lost a great man to it. I’m sure many of you reading this know someone that has struggled, does struggle or will struggle. We’re hoping to lessen the burden.
Artist: James Heimer
Where are you from?
Born in Norristown, raised in Lansdale, I currently live in a super secret part of South Philadelphia called Girard Estate.
How long have you been designing?
I don’t have any formal design training but I’ve drawing for as long as I can remember. I tend to think if you handle typography in the same way that you compose an image you’ll be ok.
What connection did you feel with your charity?
Seeing as how this is in memory of a friend who died of a drug overdose I wanted to keep it local and in the area of drug treatment. After a bunch of research Livegrin seemed like the obvious choice.
Tell us about the design? How did it come to be? What inspired it?
Soupy mentioned he wanted to do a shirt in memory of our friend Mike Pelone. Anyway, I listen to the Replacements frequently when driving and whenever Bastards of Young pops on it always reminds me of Mike. I can’t really explain it, it’s weird how we make mental connections like that. The idea itself came to fruition in my sketch book and then was refined from there.
How would you describe your style of design work?
My buddy Jeffro once described me as a “Blunt Instrument.” I think that’s pretty accurate. I keep my lines chunky and gritty as hell. It’s all about the dirt.
What do you do outside of art?
I read mostly. Lately, David Goodis, Fredric Brown, Lionel White and Charles Willeford. My comics pull list reads something like Batman, Daredevil, Fatale, Haunt, Manhattan Projects, Prophet, Secret Avengers, Uncanny X-Force, there’s a bunch more I can’t remember right now.
July 2012 Charity Shirt. Only 68 will be made. Artist and Charity info are posted below. Shirt by Chris No Sleep. Money going to help the Music For a Cure.
www.coldcutsmerch.com/shallowwater
Say word.
I was skeptical, or maybe I should say ignorant, when Chris approached me about Music For a Cure. I think I pictured something ridiculous like an amp pressed against a tumor and a bass player on the other side playing a cancer-ending groove. I was clearly mistaken. I was missing a huge chunk of the point. Music therapy is a strategy used to help those with mental disabilities, Alzheimer’s, learning disabilities and more. It’s expressive and communicative. It’s soothing and helps ease anxiety, pain and fear. It’s used in hospitals all over the world, primarily to help children and the elderly and Music For a Cure is helping to make it possible. Check it out and support: www.musicforacure.org
Artist: Chris No Sleep
Where are you from?
Im am from Huntington Beach, CA - good ol’ Orange County.
How long have you been designing?
I have been drawing/doodling ever since i was a kid - id copy comic book pages on paper, covers, whatever and then i think i did my FIRST design for a band in 2002, maybe 2003. For awhile i did just that, worked as an art director for a now defunct NJ record label - and after taking No Sleep on full time, slowed down the design side some, but slowly trying to get back into it more.
What connection did you feel with your charity?
Music For A Cure just seemed like the right charity to do this for - the only thing besides animals i especially care about/wanted to help would be children and Music For A Cure mixes Music which is something i love dearly, with helping kids to take their mind off life threatening issues while in the hospital, etc.
Tell us about the design? How did it come to be? What inspired it?
Soupy asked me if i wanted to do the next shirt for Shallow Water, and i said sure so pretty much the next day i just started messing around.. and this is what came to be! I have the Morton Salt (Jawbreaker Poster Girl to some) tattooed on my arm with a coke bottle in her arm, sleeved legs, etc, and i LOVE coffee as most know. So this is just what came about.
How would you describe your style of design work?
“I make shit that looks cool” - Evan from Xerxes describing my design work… But really, i just design things that i like and in a style that i think is usually unique to myself, sometimes inspired by others and all that but in the end its something that is me.
What do you do outside of art?
I run a west coast based independent record label called No Sleep Records as well as a side thing called Drink Coffee Inc., i eat vegan food, drink a lot of coffee and hang out with my puppy.
Where should people go to check out your work?
Check me out at nosleeprecords.com or drinkcoffeinc.com. Party.
June 2012 Charity Shirt. Only 75 will be made. Artist and Charity info are posted below. Shirt by Marky Glamour Kills. Money going to help the Kristin Brooks Hope Center.
www.coldcutsmerch.com/products/lincoln-shirt
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