Bianchi: It's Italian for "Stooge"

More often than not a Bianchi is found underneath a greased gooch and smuggled plums, but not this little gem. This bike has made its way in and out of my possession a few times, ridden by my Cuz, then his little duder, and now on to another good bud of mine.

I think everything on this bike is out of my parts stash. Stoke. Old school Haro Fatboy bars, some Promax levers, Gusset tensioner. That stem was on my Trek beer cruiser for years (RIP).

Mmm... look at that tire clearance. Sexy.

I live my life one trash build at a time.

Overdose - Two Wheels and Gone

 Also, here's some fresh jams. Highly recommended if you need rock and roll in your life. And who the fuck doesn't right now?

Rogue Trader Mini Exchange

So I've been trying to cut down the lead hoard a little bit these days. Blasphemy, I know. Remember, a miniature painter only dies when his last figure is painted. I. Will. Live. Forever. That being said, I've got a stupid stash of rad stuff, and I want to see it go to good use. My last post was pictures of some old school 40k stuff I did years ago, I got some good feedback, and it really got me to thinking.

I'd like to present a challenge. Maybe it's not really a challenge, it's more of just an offer. I have a major boner for old Rogue Trader stuff done in a modern style, and I have a large collection of classic Ork and Space Marine miniatures. I'll toss serious cats a mini from my collection if you paint it up and send me pictures. Postage is on me. I just want to see you sling some wicked paint. I would prefer to see some reference pictures of your stuff (i.e. I'd like evidence to prove you're not gonna be flipping this shit on the EvilBay), but all skill levels are welcome. I want to trust you guys, but sorry, I don't wanna see my collection weased for someone else's gain. I could sell this shit myself. Don't do it. I will track you down. I will hurt you. That is a promise.

Seriously, that's a drop in the bucket of my hoard. That's predominantly RT Orks and Marines.

So on an old school kick, I decided I should share some of the weirder and rarer stuff in my collection, and I snagged a few more pictures of some way old stuff I painted. I know there is more stuff kicking around here and there, but this is all I was motivated to find while drinking cheap beer at 3 a.m.

I still remember finding my copy of Rogue Trader when I was 18 years old, getting blazed outta my gourd, and flipping through that holy tome. So much killer art, so much weird. The Book of the Astronomican has some wicked artwork, and a huge catalog of painted RT goodness at the end. Somehow there are two copies of the book crammed between that cover. Weird. I still need to get a few pages framed to hang around the pad.

 

Bolt Thrower's Realm of Chaos on vinyl? Better believe I have that shit framed. Yeah. I know you want it. Ain't leavin' my collection. Absolutely amazing artwork. Gatefold. You need to see it all. I'll do up a whole article about it eventually. I still remember the first time I found a Bolt Thrower album. Again, I think I was 18, and it was Honor Valor Pride. I saw the 40k inspired album cover and I was hooked. Can I just say how awesome early Earache Records was? Like when Carcass appeared on Red Dwarf? Worlds collide.

 

Ratspike and an early Fantasy Miniatures book. Blanche and Miller. So stoked to find those both. I found them at a convention a few years ago, and I scored both for cheap. I assume if you are reading this you know of the genius that is Blanche, but if not, he's one of the primary creative forces behind the evolution of the dark and moody feeling of the Warhammer worlds. He's kind of a big deal.

 I will say my tastes have changed over the years, and I don't really have the urge to paint up any more Space Marines. I've done too many. Sorry, dudes. That being said, I've always been a fan of Space Wolves. Vikings in space? Bring it. I had almost a full squad of these guys painted at one point, but as I said in my last post, some disappeared over time. I particularly love devil lock plasma gunner. His shoulder pad declares his name is Sven, but I really should have named him Glenn. I wasn't so clever in my youth.

I've painted two versions of the Imperial Fist dude. One was originally in the Wolves squad, and he departed into the void. I kept the Fist because painting yellow sucks. Especially clean and precise black lined yellow. I don't know how I had the patience to do that shit back in the day.

So here is a little rant for you. One of the beautiful things about early 40k is the shameless ripping off of all that was good in sci-fi and fantasy at the time. Like Star Wars mixed with Tolkien with a little flavor of B-movies and punk rock, and some history in there as well. It's really unfortunate Games Workshop has come down to what it is these days. Bitch, bitch, bitch. We all know they are now an evil empire, but they still occasionally put out a good kit. I still need to snag the new Knight Titan. That being said, why GW, why? You've abandoned pewter. It hurts my soul. I know GW being huge dickholes is a big point of consternation in the miniatures community these days, so I'm gonna let it go at that. Trust me, I could go on.

Getting back on track, anyone who legitimately want to wreck some old school style will have a classic 40k mini shipped to them. You can suggest what you want, but I'll pick it. Obviously there's gotta be a limit, so if this gets too popular I'll have to bail on some people. Heh, that is assuming people actually read this blog. Post in the comments section if you're interested, and if possible, leave a link with some of your work. I'll email you for details. You can also try using that nifty little contact box I added on the right hand side of the page. I'd like to see them done in a month or so. Shoot me some pictures back. Lets bring it. Drink beers. Break out the Bolt Thrower. Let us show how old school minis can still hang.

Here's your stupid roll call

Some of you may remember me bitching in my last post. If you don't recall, I hate when newer bands refer to themselves as power-violence. Regardless, I logged into the book of faces recently and saw a post from crucial mid 90's Cali PxVx blasters, Despise You. They were pimping some rad new shirts, and crusty old grinders gotta make some scrilla, too. I jumped at the chance to snag West Side Horizons, an LP of a large majority of their early releases. Poking around at Discogs, I see there was a pressing on Dodger blue vinyl, and an edition on purple or gold vinyl. If you don't get it, purple and gold are the old school colors of LA's Canadian soccer (otherwise known as hockey) team, the Kings. I dig that kind of shit. It's a gatefold, and I should have snagged a shot of the inside. Lots of pictures of homemade DxYx shirts, Suicidal Tendencies style. Props for that. Highly recommended LP.

Feelings are for pussies, bro!

I also own the DxYx split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed, which is a rad listen. Roll Call. Destinial. I believe Chris Dodge from Slap-a-Ham/Spazz fame diddled the bass on that recording. Cool stuff. You should probably just dedicate and order both albums. I also finally got around to ordering the Possessed to Skate comp off eBay, which I've been lusting after for years. Stoked.

Other than dicking around with my record collection, I've been working on my bikes a lot lately. I use the term working pretty loosely, cause mostly I just hang in the garage and drink beer and listen to punk rock, but hey, it makes me feel productive.

In case you give a shit, and I don't blame you if you don't, I've been building a sweet Surly 1x1 mountain bike. I'm waiting for a few more parts from the local bike shop, but she's just about done. I'm 6'5 and somewhere around 210 lbs, so she has to be built like a tank. If it can break, I'll probably break it. I don't know if you've noticed, but I kinda have a thing for lime green, so I have some limited edition RaceFace Green Monster cranks and bars coming in. I haven't got to take her out since I tossed some meaty Continental Mountain King tires on her, but they should help on the sloppy Pennsyltuckey winter trails.

Surly.

I'm also trying to get an old Haro bmx in shape for my cousin's little dude. I know there is some beef between skaters and bmx'ers out there, but whatever. Hows about we all just pick on fruitbooters and be happy with that? I'm running into major issues finding parts that fit it. It requires old school 1/2 inch thread pedals, and the axle bolts are smaller than modern bmx's use. The rear wheel is cracked, and the frame unfortunately has a big dent in the downtube. The kiddo is 7, though, so I don't think that is gonna be an issue for a while. I have some sweet blue grips to toss on it, and I have the original anodized blue rear brake. He'll be styling when its done.

 

Here is an old Bianchi Ocelot I've been wrenching on as well. It is hopefully going to be another single speed trail bike, however this guy is really pissing me off. The threads stripped out of the drive side crank arm when I tried to pull it. Out came the hammer to no avail. I may have thrown some tools that night.

 

That's all for now. I'll catch you hosers next time.

EXTORTION

Over the past few years I've been into this killer Aussie hardcore band, Extortion. You'll probably find that people refer to them as power-violence, but I disagree with that sentiment. Sorry broseph, it isn't the 90's anymore. Sure, calling your band power-violence makes you sound tough, but its a dead scene. It isn't a thing anymore. Live in the now! Glad I got that outta my system. End crotchety old man rant.

I originally came across them when I snagged a reissue of the Extortion/Agents of Abhorrence split. I picked it up solely based on the artwork, and if you've never picked up an album based on the art, you're missing out. Look at that sleeve in the bottom right of the picture.

Speaking of artwork, all of Extortion's album art and merch is done by their vocalist, Rohan. Throw them some love and buy their shit. The links are at the end of this post. For you anal retentive collectors out there, Extortion does have a habit of doing their first pressings on colored vinyl, which very quickly reach ridiculous prices.

My (meager) collection.

I'm not gonna lie, on that first 7" I picked up, I wasn't as impressed with Extortion as I was with Agents, but when I later came across Sick, I still picked it up. Crank this shit up and stomp around your living room. I'm not gonna recommend any standout tracks, 'cause you should just listen to the full album. I also highly recommend their 10" ep, Loose Screws. I feel crucial tracks are Regrets, Blindspot, and Grind to a Halt. I really haven't listened to Degenerate as much as I should, but here is the link anyways. Do it.

Extortion at Discogs
Merch at Warlord Clothing
Merch at Big Cartel
Book of Faces