Ian hints at the creative process

A few days back I teased an image by artist and photographer Ian Sokoliwski. It's a great image, created as part of a text and visual narrative we're developing. He recently said of the project:

Combining these photos with an actual narrative got me thinking in a different way, and I really like the results.

You can check out Ian's comments on his blog.

PITCHED2: Ace Starstruck

Another art preview snagged from the upcoming second volume of Pitched, my series of comic anthologies. This one is the opening page of an Ace Starstruck story, a Buck Roger-meets-super-fun concept created by my buddy Frank Saxon. Frank asked if I'd like to write his characters. When I saw how fun they looked, I couldn't say no. This is the opening page (unlettered, of course) of our story:

Click image for full-sized

Eric's new album: Happy Life

This is my new album. I sing on it and stuff. You can download it and everything. So that's neat.



X-Sweet
Happy Life

DOWNLOAD FULL ALBUM (or get songs individually below)

1) The Key to a Happy Life
2) Went Away
3) Down Down
4) So Much Blood
5) We Are Walking Avatars
6) Magic Nights
7) Summer Bottles
8) Ma vie est terminée
9) The First is Last
10) At the Window

PITCHED 2: Something a little different

And now for something a little different.

I've wanted to work with artist, colorist, and photographer Ian Sokoliwski for some time now. He's not just a very talented guy, he's also funny and wacky and unusual in all the right ways. (Check out my interview with Ian to see what makes Ian the Professional Colorist tick.)

So needless to say, I was pleased when he agreed to jump on board for Pitched 2, the second in my series of comic anthologies. Ian has paying work that has to take priority, you see, so I'm honored he carved out time for me. I was inspired by his Gothic photography, specifically his series of doll pictures, and had a story in mind based on the visuals he was creating.

But I wanted something that wasn't very traditional. Maybe wasn't even comics, exactly, but rather something that merged his evocative images with my words in a way that managed to be its own thing. Something along the line of the text-and-images pieces in Dave Sim's brilliant Jaka's Story. Ian liked the idea and the rest is history.

Will we succeed in creating something great? I don't know. It will be a challenge. I'm setting lofty standards for myself. Ian sure isn't making living up to my end of the bargain easy when he creates images as amazing as this one:

Click image for full-sized

That's good stuff right there, featuring Ian's assistant, Kelsie, who helped stage the images. I've got me some writin' to do.

This is the reason I do these Pitched anthologies. Because it gives me a chance to push myself in unexpected directions, driven by talented people like Ian and Kelsie.

PITCHED 2: Happily Ever After

Here's a neat one for you. "Happily Ever After" is a humorous swashbuckling tale first conceived as a short story, then plotted for the first Pitched! anthology, then dropped only to be resurrected for the upcoming second installment. The talented Trevor Giberson dove into the art and captured the tone of the story perfectly. Below is a preview page of his art. The awesome John Mietus, who lettered stories like "The Homecoming of Carlos Ruiz" in the first volume, will only add to the fun. This script has been a trip to write; I look forward to folks getting a chance to read it.

Click image for full-sized

Soon. New Eric music. Very soon.

When recording music, self-indulgence is a huge sin -- and one I commit time and again. Can't help it. It's not like it's musician wank. I'm not anywhere CLOSE to a good enough musician for that. It's sound wank. Noise, big sound, layered drones, guitar feedback. Stuff no one wants to hear.

But I like to hear it, so I do it.

So anyway, I'm recording a new X-Sweet album, right? And X-Sweet tends to be my more traditional musical project, what with me singing reg'lar ol' songs and all that. I'm not claiming it's good, as you can see for yourself, I'm just saying it exists. I like doing honest to goodness songs, but I'm objective enough to admit my guitar soundscapes are far better conceived (though not for everyone) and are better at what they aspire to do -- even if only because my limited skills can accomplish the one and not necessarily the other.

Yet here I am, trying to merge the two.

That's been my goal on the almost-completed-new-album. To merge that dense sonic assault with actual songs and singing and stuff. I think I may have gotten close. I feel like I may have recorded some stuff that is close to what I hear in my head. Wrote and recorded about 18 songs, narrowed the final tracklist down to nine that I didn't hate, now I'm just making tweaks to the final mixes and making sure all is well.

So in the next few days, I'll probably start uploading some tracks. Maybe even the whole damn thing, assuming I can get the album cover done. As I type this, I have a very busy week ahead of me. I have to edit another one of those goddamn podcasts, finish some scripting on Pitched 2, create a web page for the same, and a host of other crap.

But soon. Very soon. Music.

Please do listen.

PITCHED 2: Some Time with the Family

We're getting close to the finish line on the second volume of Pitched, my series of comic anthologies, so I thought I'd throw some more preview art out there.

These are the first two pages of a story called "Some Time with the Family," a horror story (obviously) penciled by Logan Reilly, inked by James Pipik (who did the art on "The End of All Summers" for the first volume of Pitched), and written by yours truly.

Despite the art being unfinished, I think it looks quite nice, and so will you:

Click image for full-sized

Click image for full-sized

Standing in the middle of the road

Three paces, then four, then five, and you're in the middle of the road, watching it stretch out in either direction, no cars for as far as you can see, just blacktop and you. And somehow, it manages to make you feel freer than you've felt since you were 12 and were allowed to ride your bike around the neighborhood on your own; like nothing in the world can contain you.

It might be a remnant from childhood. The unspoken knowledge that you're breaking a Rule. That you're doing something you're not supposed to do. After all, you don't just walk out into the middle of the road. That's dangerous. We all know this. And you certainly don't just stand there. You cross quickly and move on.

But that one time when you DO just stand there, when you have an opportunity on what is usually a busy road, you stop and look around and maybe, if you're sure no one is looking, you throw your arms in the air. Maybe even turn around, veering ever so close to spinning, and you feel like you're standing on the edge of a precipice, delicately balanced on the cusp of danger and yet in total control. You're there, just you and the road, and you're breaking the rules and floating in a space that doesn't belong to you.

Then a car comes into view, humming along towards you, and your brief, glorious moment of freedom is over.

Everyone should stand in the middle of the road when they get a chance.