CAGE'S "DEPART FROM ME" COVER ART REVEALED

"Leak, leak leak leak leak...."

It's been a long time in the making, musically, emotionally, and artistically, and I am more than proud to give you the first visual glimpse at the cover to the new full-length CAGE album, "DEPART FROM ME", that I did the entire package design for, and which will be in stores this July 7th, just in time for a Summer in Hell.






I know I have mentioned this album a LOT recently and there is good reason for that. Even though Cage is 4,000 miles away from me at most times, he is one of my best friends. We met through a couple of mutual Cardboard City friends during the production of his last album, Hells Winter, way back in the beginning of 2005, when I was just a random Cage superfan. Since we shared similar interests in film, influences, and imaginations, we started talking about working together in the future. I was ecstatic. Time went by and we kept in touch, worked on a couple of things with him, like merch, and posters, etc, but i was really just waiting to dive into one of his albums, knowing how descriptive and emotional his music was, and how demented his imagination was. I excitedly and patiently waited for his new album like Dracula counting the minutes to sundown, and about a year ago, he let me know it was finally coming together. We had verbally gone a visual journey of loose ideas back and forth in the months that his album was being molded, and with it changing lyrically and sonically so much during that time, the art direction did too. Some directions were weird, some were mean, some were fun, but overall, we both just knew that we need to wait until the album was done, then we can move on visually. So again, I patiently waited and pissed myself in excitement.

Finally, a couple of months ago he sent me the full finished album and i got to sit back, and for the first time in 4 years, just listen to my favorite musician skillfully and emotionally pour his melted heart out over the most ridiculously sinister drawling but catchy music orchestrated by F.Sean Martin of Hatebreed. That night was amazing for me. I listened to the album about 20 times by the next day when I started to sit down and come up with the visuals. And Cage trusted me and my imagination enough to just let me go nuts. So I did.

Above is the first glimpse at the album's visual side, which will actually include a fully illustrated 12-page booklet upon its release on July 9th, 2009.

If you havent heard any of Cage's music yet I really suggest checking it out. Not a fan of rap? I can tell you one thing. "Depart From Me" is almost indescribable as far as genre goes. It's not a rap album. And even with F.Sean's weird fused bass guitars and keyboards scaring every drum track on the album, it's not a rock album either. So I hope that you give yourself a chance to check it out in July. And here is a link to his myspace page:

CAGE'S MYSPACE PAGE

And here is a little breakdown of the evolution of the assembly of the cover, from the initial sketch that was about 2 inches by 2 inches, to "real" rough sketch, to the final piece. hope you enjoy.



















More soon;)

Alex

2.5 weeks of works and weaks

These last 2 weeks have been a lonely whirlwind for me, both emotionally and, well, emotionally. I mean, on one hand, I shut the entire world down, turned off my phone, and dove head first into finishing all of the packaging for CAGE's new album, "Depart From Me...", working 14-18 hours a day for about 16 days in a row, befriending only my TweetDeck, PeaSoupAnderson's Cheese (courtesy of Kelton Wolfe), occasional podcasts, Tales from the Darkside, and the amazing video-game competition reality show on Sci-fi called WCG Ultimate Gamer. On the other hand, you have EASTER falling right in the middle of my crunchtime. Now, you probably don't know this, as I have never really been too vocal about it, but Easter holds a place in my personal Hell, and not because I got forced to watch Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey while being humiliated by a gang of unshaven babysitters, thought that did happen, but I'm over it. No, the whole Easter thing was a little different. It went something like this:

It was Easter Eve, a saturday, if i remember correctly. My sisters and I were decorating the Easter Tree with our Mother. We were singing Easter Carols...happy, excited, waiting for Dad to get home from work.
A few hours passed, and we started to worry. Dad wasnt home yet. Mom called the office. The said he had left.
After about a week ,the police gave up.
It was snowing outside, even though it was clearly April. The house was cold. I threw some logs on the fire....thats when i noticed the smell.
The firemen came, they broke through the chimney top. We were all waiting, expecting them to pull out some dead cat, or a bird...
Instead, they pulled out my father.
He was dressed in an Easter Bunny costume. He had been climbing down the chimney on Easter Eve, his arms loaded with eggs and candy. He was going to surprise us.
Thats how i found out there was no Easter Bunny.

This is the only picture i have of my father, its from the day they pulled him out. He looks so happy....







Actually, now that i think about it, it was Christmas, and with Santa Claus, and...yah, thats right, it wasnt me, it was Phoebe Cates, and she told me this story when she was in the middle of fighting little monsters. Oh well, you get the point. Maybe.

Regardless, this post is basically just a segue into getting me in the motion of blogging again, since, as I had holed myself in my studio, Twitter has become my only social life. Which i'm completely fine with as I have been getting bombarded with so many videos and articles that basically changed my life. Or didnt, but they could have if i paid attention to them. So thank you to everyone who kept me sane on Twitter while i was going INsane by myself.

Good news is, CAGE artwork and packaging is DONE DONE DONE, and it is the first time in my career that i have had complete freedom and trust from the musician and I think it will show when you finally see the work. The album is incredible and I am really proud of what we put together for the visual side of it.
I can't share too much with you right now, but take a look at an exclusive, highly detailed section of some of the art right below!







I know, its a little blurry, but it's super high rez so maybe if you just wait a while it will finish loading and become more clear.

Either way, I was glad to be a part of the album and I think this album is going to finally raise some eyebrows and get Cage the positive attention he has deserved for 10 years.

Now, with taxes done, Cage done, laundry done, maybe I'll take a day off? Or maybe i will just call Skinner tomorrow and we will paint all weekend until we pass out like my FAVORITE NEWSMAN, Dave Buckner:






Sorry this post was so jumbled. I'll straighten my life out someday. Hopefully soon.
Goodnight.

Alex
ps, follow me on twitter, now. cuz sometimes i'm funny. mostly not, but sometimes...

http://www.twitter.com/alexpardee

The FEED IS GETTING STRONGER

I am SOOOO close to finishing the Cage art. In the meantime, here is what my social life has been like via twitter:

Feeding you tweets till i get time to update again....:)

@FSEANCC yah man, a 20 minute nap when youre exhausted can be more damaging than AIDS #
• 03:27 There's nothin like walking up my porch after a long day only to accidentally step on 2 snails having slow sex. Goodnight. #
• 03:40 @AesopRockWins having wah wah pedals on my feet would actually be fitting in most situations in my life. Especially at funerals. #
• 03:43 The incredible new cop drama for old people, Antiques Roadshow, is actually also an amazing NTSC formatted sleeping pill. #
• 10:49 @nerdist I prefer to call magicians "wizards" especially in Santa rosa. It seems to boost their self esteem when they make balloon animals #
• 10:53 I don't understand the pizza whisperer commercial at ALL. I can't comprehend the idea of an "out of control pizza" in the first place. #
• 11:46 @cyborgturkey perhaps those ashes were actually the reMains of a guy named Mac who killed himself for being useless after only one year. #
• 12:29 @babydropper I can think of a better way. Starts with A, ends with Ntioch. #
• 12:54 Came out to my sisters house for Easter and uncomfortably realized that she moved. I should call my family more. #
• 13:00 Being friends w/ horror fans everyone is all stoked that Easter is "zombie day" But I hate beards on my zombies so fuck that Get a new day! #
• 13:58 My sister knows ill eat anything with cheese therefore everything has cheese so I won't complain about anything. Even the soda has cheese. #
• 14:00 Ps. I don't LIKE cheese, I just suffer from a disease that makes my mouth unfortunately magnetic to certain dairy products. Mainly cheese. #
• 14:10 My sister just proved that if you squish enough slices of cheese together, you can grate them. As shown here. [?] #
• 14:12 Why didn't the cheese picture work? Attempt 2. twitpic.com/38clo #
• 14:24 @yakballz haha and often times it does!! #
• 14:27 Holy shit my sisters new house has the most AWESOME furniture setup. Jealous I am. twitpic.com/38dpi #
• 14:35 @theOtter agreed, but we tried feeding the cheese sandwich to my grandma and she requested it be tinier and kind of chewed already. #
• 14:46 Damn, nick lachey is so amazingly witty and deep at the same time. Example: "who needs 31 flavors? I only need pistachio!" waka waka. Die. #
• 14:47 @lungpiece you dared. And I did. Done. #
• 15:14 @babydropper hey man I think u need your glasses, that's CW and Johnny. Jesuses would NEVER!!! #
• 15:34 My dad just took off his jacket to reveal his shirt that states "grumpy is my GOOD mood". I love my dad. #
• 15:44 Making 2 "kill myself" jokes within an hour at a family gathering is apparently not funny, even though my timing was perfect both times. #
• 15:57 I know why Tyler perry makes family movies. I see all the comedy around me here and Im imagining my grandma as a black guy and it IS funny! #
• 18:00 @Manazz probably the same magazine I was reading at my sisters house. #
• 18:08 Damn, Easter shaved off like 6 hours of my work day! Ok gonna fire myself! Finally back to work here: twitpic.com/38s3o #
• 18:19 in case you didnt see this 2 weeks ago, I broke into Shia LaBeoufs house and videotaped that shit. bit.ly/rMX5P #
• 18:31 @babydropper why are you wearing bunny ears? #
• 18:40 @Jayreason damn, you did that just to make me somehow hungry even though i just ate like a garbage bag full of cheese-potatoes. #

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The Feed continues....(test...kinda)

Feeding you tweets till i get time to update again....:)

• 22:31 COOL! I cut out fast food and soda for a week and i lost....wait, i gained 3 pounds?? What the fuck? Oh well, taco bell, here i come. #
• 22:33 RT @Jayreason: when farting turns ugly tr.im/iy3O #
• 23:57 how ironic. watching clive barkers midnight meat train exactly at midnight. hmm. #
• 00:38 RT @ChaunceyCC: I love all the new iPod technology. The next thing apple should do is make one that lasts more than 7 months That'd be sweet #
• 02:21 Thanks to @shabooty, I was finally able to put together a video review for WATCHMEN. Enjoy: bit.ly/fBA3Q #
• 03:42 late nite deli run turned into a run-IN as i literally ran into an angry hispanic crackhead who looked like a leper buttfucked her face. #
• 04:23 These late nights early mornings are killing me. I'm Danny Gloverin' this shit. Goodnight. See you in 5 hours. Maybe I'll shower. Prob not. #
• 04:43 Instead of sleep I guess I'm watching harpers island. Oh well, I DO need another drama featuring the guy who fucks furniture In my life. #
• 11:07 To my disappointment the movie "Affliction" isnt an action movie about the shittiest clothing line ever. Maybe the movie "Ed Hardy" wil be #
• 11:39 It takes one extra step to go from bathrobe to jacket so why would you go to 7-11 in your bathrobe? I'm asking YOU, creepy. #
• 12:26 #FollowFriday the zerofriends crew: @babydropper @thepizzadude @Pbustamante @austenrules @davecorreia @CRAOLA #
• 12:34 #FollowFriday the beautiful geeks: @cyborgturkey @Steve_Buscemi @ThatChrisGore @nerdist @MdellW @bonniegrrl @james_gunn @JhonenV #
• 12:38 #FollowFriday Lastly, the CCITY: @benngrimcc @Jayreason @therealelp @chrispalko @ChaunceyCC @FSEANCC @yakballz #
• 13:06 i just did the most amazing thing in this insanely important time of deadlines. I destroyed Photoshop. Accidentally. And regretfully. #
• 13:34 Getting mad at someone who Twitters too much is like getting mad at someone for TALKING in a CHAT ROOM. #
• 16:02 yah my twitter is fucked too. cant see anyones posts. gonna chill on it for a bit. wait it out, hope it fixes itself, like teenage pregnancy #
• 17:03 Thanks to @Cometbus my photoshop was saved, unlike Rob Schneider's future. #
• 17:05 Back to work, finishing up the @chrispalko album package. about 20 more hours of work on it and about negative 3 days until deadline. Nice. #
• 17:06 By the way, that wasnt a complaint. this album is incredible to work on. beware. #
• 17:11 Example of turning a negative into a positive: "This fucking bread is STALE.....but wait....MAYBE this is just a DELICIOUS and HUGE crouton" #
• 17:43 RT @Nebulon5: @alexpardee depart from me will be a great album. word. - INDEED IT WILL BE:) #
• 17:59 Awesome news! The first prototype for my officially licensed Bunnywith Dumb Potato Body came in today! Don't TELL! twitpic.com/34q6q #
• 19:33 RT @bonniegrrl: "Do you have any credit?" "No." "You have to see the Special Man!" tinyurl.com/bfescs #
• 19:58 At a buffalo wings spot In Novato with @rickywatts that I had no idea was here. #
• 21:39 Attention everyone, you're ice cream isn't nearly as SCARY as mine. twitpic.com/3529d #
• 21:40 Damnit, did the "you're" thing again. I HATE that. #
• 22:07 Yah, sometimes i'm Spiderman. You caught me. Die. RT @babydropper: twitpic.com/352yz - Let me introduce you to my arachnid friend. #

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Twitter Feed (me Seymour)

I have been too busy to do any real updates in a week or so, i apologize, been working on the CAGE album, DEPART FROM ME... nonstop, its almost done. In the meantime, i have been rocking the Twitterverse pretty hard, so until i can do a better update, there will be a couple of twitter feeds in case you dont follow me. and if you dont use twitter you will probably look at this post like Keanu did the first time he saw that the matrix was just a bunch of retarded numbers.....
word.

21:28 tired of shitty streaming movies. Going to go rent some, forget to take them back and fucking pay for them like god intended me to. #
21:38 Let's play "what does blockbuster smell like today"? Answer: the underside of a piece of deer shit. #
22:31 COOL! I cut out fast food and soda for a week and i lost....wait, i gained 3 pounds?? What the fuck? Oh well, taco bell, here i come. #
22:33 RT @Jayreason: when farting turns ugly tr.im/iy3O #
23:57 how ironic. watching clive barkers midnight meat train exactly at midnight. hmm. #
00:38 RT @ChaunceyCC: I love all the new iPod technology. The next thing apple should do is make one that lasts more than 7 months That'd be sweet #
02:21 Thanks to @shabooty, I was finally able to put together a video review for WATCHMEN. Enjoy: bit.ly/fBA3Q #
03:42 late nite deli run turned into a run-IN as i literally ran into an angry hispanic crackhead who looked like a leper buttfucked her face. #
04:23 These late nights early mornings are killing me. I'm Danny Gloverin' this shit. Goodnight. See you in 5 hours. Maybe I'll shower. Prob not. #
04:43 Instead of sleep I guess I'm watching harpers island. Oh well, I DO need another drama featuring the guy who fucks furniture In my life. #
11:07 To my disappointment the movie "Affliction" isnt an action movie about the shittiest clothing line ever. Maybe the movie "Ed Hardy" wil be #
11:39 It takes one extra step to go from bathrobe to jacket so why would you go to 7-11 in your bathrobe? I'm asking YOU, creepy. #
12:26 #FollowFriday the zerofriends crew: @babydropper @thepizzadude @Pbustamante @austenrules @davecorreia @CRAOLA #
12:34 #FollowFriday the beautiful geeks: @cyborgturkey @Steve_Buscemi @ThatChrisGore @nerdist @MdellW @bonniegrrl @james_gunn @JhonenV #
12:38 #FollowFriday Lastly, the CCITY: @benngrimcc @Jayreason @therealelp @chrispalko @ChaunceyCC @FSEANCC @yakballz #
13:06 i just did the most amazing thing in this insanely important time of deadlines. I destroyed Photoshop. Accidentally. And regretfully. #
13:34 Getting mad at someone who Twitters too much is like getting mad at someone for TALKING in a CHAT ROOM. #
16:02 yah my twitter is fucked too. cant see anyones posts. gonna chill on it for a bit. wait it out, hope it fixes itself, like teenage pregnancy #
17:03 Thanks to @Cometbus my photoshop was saved, unlike Rob Schneider's future. #
17:05 Back to work, finishing up the @chrispalko album package. about 20 more hours of work on it and about negative 3 days until deadline. Nice. #
17:06 By the way, that wasnt a complaint. this album is incredible to work on. beware. #
17:11 Example of turning a negative into a positive: "This fucking bread is STALE.....but wait....MAYBE this is just a DELICIOUS and HUGE crouton" #
17:43 RT @Nebulon5: @alexpardee depart from me will be a great album. word. - INDEED IT WILL BE:) #
17:59 Awesome news! The first prototype for my officially licensed Bunnywith Dumb Potato Body came in today! Don't TELL! twitpic.com/34q6q #
19:33 RT @bonniegrrl: "Do you have any credit?" "No." "You have to see the Special Man!" tinyurl.com/bfescs #
19:58 At a buffalo wings spot In Novato with @rickywatts that I had no idea was here. #

Finally, my WATCHMEN review

So, ive been too swamped to type more than 140 characters at a time, so i decided to set up my webcam and actually TALK to you and tell you my thoughts about Watchmen....its my first review so be easy. i get nervous;)







a big thank you to Shabooty.com for helping me get this review done.

Introducing my new favorite human...

When I get the funds to finance the movie adaptation of my Walrus Rider Toy (as seen below, in my vision) this is who I am going to paint pink, cover in fur, slap a unicorn horn on and get to play the Rider.
I introduce to you, my new favorite human. Enjoy.






PS, i got this thanks to one of my favorite blogs, IGNORED PRAYERS which has changed my life more than once.

Protect your chest with a WALRUS...

Still brushing up on my Spanish, so forgive me if this sounds a bit forward, but,
"Feliz, lunes, odio a su perro."

So yah, happy monday. Not too many updates and I apologize, I am really working night and day on the Cage album art and the deadline is soon. But there IS something that was released over the weekend that I wanted to tell you about, and no, DMX wasn't released from prison yet, thats not for a couple more weeks.

However, the good folks over at TOYCYTE have teamed up with Upper Playground for an exclusive T-shirt release getting you all ready for the onslaught of my WALRUS RIDER VINYL TOY which will be coming out in May! So if you have ever needed to have your chest guarded by a legless, vengeful unicorn-guy riding a long-legged walrus, now thanks to ToyCyte and Upper Playground, you CAN!

This shirt is EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE ON TOYCYTE for a limited time. Pics of the shirt and the toy are below in case you havent seen it yet;)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON PURCHASING THE SHIRT, or here's a
Direct link to ToyCytes info about the shirt and how to purchase:
http://www.toycyte.com/toycyte-exclusive-alex-pardee-x-upperplayground-walrus-rider-t-shirt

Twit that shit from the back...

I have had a Twitter account for a while, I set it up last year before comic con basically to keep mental notes and share with you any sightings of overweight Iron Man costumes or any run-ins with old wrestlers or quasi-celebs (yah im looking at you, Wishmaster guy). Then I kind of stopped using it, but it recently grew on me like a wart after a questionable night, so I have been using it a lot more lately, and sometimes i say funny stuff that you probably won't understand because I have a lot of in-jokes with myself. But nonetheless, if you have an account, you should follow me for a while....
I'll try to make you smile.
My twitter profile is

HERE

and here is a direct link:
http://twitter.com/alexpardee


and this is what its like the past few mornings waking up....

Like A Boss

Quite possibly the greatest video for the perfect song....
Holy shit.

Win a FREE Painting from me....FOR FREE! IT'S FREE!

First off, if you were one of the few hundred who helped out Jon last week and entered to win a free tiny print, here is the deal. If you received a "CONGRATS" email, then you will still get your print in mid-April. If not, I am sorry, we actually extended the print run to 500 because we got such a great response but we had to stop there. So yah, congrats, and THANK YOU.

Secondly, in what might be the greatest giveaway in history, other than when Lady Gaga gave her virginity away to a 13 year old raver, UPPER PLAYGROUND is GIVING AWAY A SIX-FOOT-TALL ORIGINAL PAINTING BY ME, FOR FREE! Not like. even "kinda" free, but really just for free. Go check out the contest rules and see all that good stuff over at UPPER PLAYGROUND.



Direct link to contest info and rules:
http://upperplayground.com/feature/story/up_10_year_anniversary_register_your_email_for_a_chance_to_win_an_alex_pardee_painting_88

Here is the painting you are gonna be forced to put up in your igloo (yah, i'm talking to you, too, Eskimos! Even YOU can win!) It's 4 Feet x 6 Feet and was painted in Atlanta when I was on the SPARKS tour.





And here is the an in-progress shot so you can see, in comparison to all 7-feet of Nate Van Dyke, how big the piece is....





And lastly, if you STILL need more proof why you should want it, here is some video footage of what went into the creation of it. Answer: Latex, spray paint, Sparks, acrylics, and fucking SHENNANIGANS...

New Def Jux/Alex Pardee interview up...

Above photo by Todd Wetphal / ishootamerica.com

Independent label extraordinaire, Definitive Jux, just posted a brand new interview with me to coincide with the artwork release of Cage's new E.P, "I Never Knew You", which i am designing alongside Cage's new Full Length release, "Depart From Me..."

You can check out the interview HERE to read about things like me being sad, my original connection to Carboard City, and how much I love Cage and going to the post office in my day dreams.

Direct link to interview:
http://www.definitivejux.net/news/cage/1184

And just for shits, here is a little progress montage of the "I.N.K.Y" cover, from the original super loose concept on the wacom to the finished cover.

Update 2: Revenge of the Black Nerd

Tomorrow, April 2nd, marks the opening of "IDIOT BOX", a group show that I am a part of at GALLERY 1988 LA that is honoring the guilty pleasures of television. The event is going to be insane, i have seen a handful of the pieces and they are incredible, and to top it all off, you can share a beer with Mr. Fucking BELDING, who is hosting the thing!
Unfortunately for me, I won't be able to make it to the opening, but I will definitely be there in spirit, as GALLERY 1988 is releasing a super-limited edition print of my "S.Urkel Jerk" Piece that I contributed for the show.
The print is 16" x 20", limited to an edition of 30, and the price is ridiculously low (i'm not 100% sure on the price, but the gallery will know;).

I really wish i could go down there. 1988 usually does some rad shows, partly because they are right next store to Golden Apple Comics so it turns into a huge party of art, nerds and booze and it's amazing.



INFO FOR SHOW:
"IDIOT BOX"
@ GALLERY 1988 LA
Corner of Melrose and LaBrea
April 2nd, from 7pm-11pm
Free, all ages, etc.





And, additionally, the gallery, along with GELASKINS, is doing something really cool. They took the Urkel image and made a bunch of skins for random devices, like iphones, macbooks, etc, and are giving out about 100 of them FOR FREE! So get there early and maybe grab one for me;)

Check em out:












And lastly, if you missed the TELEVISED MESSY BIRTH OF THIS NERD, here it is:






Thank you all.
Word.

Seattle: Weekend Update Part 1...

Been brushing up on my Spanish, learned to say "Hello, Friends", so "Cago en tu leche, amigos!"
So quick update, ZEROFRIENDS will be appearing/exhibiting at a couple of conventions in SEATTLE, WA within the next week.

First up is the EMERALD CITY CON, on April 4th & 5th at the Washington State Convention Center. We will be sharing a booth with SNAFU-COMICS at Booth #306.
Click HERE for more info.

Direct link to convention info:
http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/index.php

And the following weekend, April 10-12, we will be at SAKURA CON, also at the Washington State Convention Center. And we will be once again sharing a booth with SNAFU-COMICS at Booth #602.
Click HERE for more info.

Direct link to convention info:
http://www.sakuracon.org/index.php

A week-long rendezvous with Snafu-Dave, coffee, rain, and Cosplay? I smell a documentary waiting to happen, and it smells like Naruto's headband.

Anyway, if you are in the area in the next week or so, come by and say hi, and remember that we are offering a nice little 8 x 10 print at these conventions that you can only get by going and seeing us in person;)

it looks like this:


direct link to view print:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/lasagnacassidy/GoodnightLavaCon.jpg

Unfortunately, I WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE. I am dick-deep in finishing the new CAGE album art so I will not be able to go, but instead, my almost-as-handsome standin, Captain Shotgun, Sean Leonard, will be there to channel me and say hi to all of you and sell you some Zerofriends stuffs.
This is what you will see, possibly minus the kinda-beard.



Hope you can come by to say hi.