The road trip blog has returned only a few weeks after I ended my Route 66 trip. This time I am headed to my favorite place on earth, the terrifying and amazing Gathering of the Juggalos! The Gathering is a horrifying music festival in the middle of nowhere filled with insane clowns, naked fat girls and Faygo covered drug crazed juggalos. Photographically there is no place better in the world.

This is my fourth year in a row and today I am flying to St. Louis before hitching a ride with Jason Shaltz as we head into the middle of no where. Cave In Rock is on the bank of the Ohio River in southern, IL on the Kentucky border. It’s three hours from any major city and the closest town with a hotel is an hour away. They are cutting back on press again this year and there is no press tent and no cell service so I might only be able to update the world when I get back to my “hotel” every night. I put hotel in quotes because I am staying at a cabin in a religious retreat 45 minutes away from the Gathering. Good times.

Hopefully I will be able to update this every night Thursday-Saturday with a few pictures and things before getting some serious posts up next week. Here are some highlights from years past. Get excited!

Gathering Of The Juggalos 2010

Gathering Of The Juggalos 2011

Gathering Of The Juggalos 2012

Today has been insane. I was in completely stopped traffic for well over two hours on the way from Chicago to Detroit where I am now. I found out that I had to get my rental car returned by midnight or my insurance wouldn’t cover the little ding I put in the fender because they only protect car rentals of 30 days or less for some reason. I made it to Hertz by 11:45pm and then had to take a rental car shuttle to the airport and then a hotel shuttle from there to my hotel. This insane trip is all over tomorrow when I fly back to NYC. I cannot fucking wait to get home.

Now, in other news, Sailor Jerry Cobrafest day three was awesome because there was a Yacht Rock party with a water slide in the back. Bands still played (Nones, Rainbow Gun Show, King Dude and my friends White Mystery) and Keith Underwood and Jason Hoodrich from Taylor St Tattoos did free Sailor Jerry tattoos and all that was clearly awesome, BUT the most awesome was a water slide and a LOT of Hall and Oates being played.

If you aren’t in the know, Yacht Rock is my favorite thing on the Internet, it is also a genre of smooth sailing music from the likes of Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross, Toto, etc. The Yacht Rock video series unearths the strange tails of very smooth hit songs of the 70s and 80s. The homie Hollywood Holt was DJing and he killed it. He and Francis from White Mystery got tattooed along with some hot babes I made friends with. It was all a really fun time.

I will get a TON of really fun water slide shots up with all the other Cobrafest at Cobra Lounge Pitchfork after party photos up in a couple of days. I just need a day or two to chill out after 31 days on the row. See you soon NYC!

Update: Click here for day 3 photos!

(Read the article)

Day two of Sailor Jerry’s Pitchfork after parties continued at Cobra Lounge last night. The Growlers headlined and got a bunch of tattoos by Keith Underwood. They have done several Sailor Jerry events and keep getting more tattoos. Always a good time with those dudes. Also performing were Toxie, Heavy Times and Denney & The Jets. Denney got a tattoo of his girlfriend topless with a rebel flag behind it. Well, it had her name in it at least. Heavy Times are a Chicago band and they brought out a good local crowd and Toxie was probably my favorite band of the night.

It was a good party and was still going when I left around 2:30am. There was a sweet dance party and Jason Hoodrich was still tattooing anyone who wanted to sign up for Sailor Jerry flash tattoos. It was a wild time and it all starts again tonight! One more day of Cobra Fest with King Dude headlining and my pals White Mystery rocking the fuck out as per always. If you are in Chicago come out!

Anyway, the full gallery will be posted next week when I get back, but until then here are a few shots for you to check out!

Update: Click for Cobrafest day two photos!

(Read the article)

So right now there is this Pitchfork Music Festival happening in Chicago. I went last year. I didn’t have a super great time so I don’t think I am going this year, although if someone gave me a pass it would be hard for me not to make an effort to see R Kelly. Anyway, not the point. The point is, my favorite client, Sailor Jerry Rum, is throwing after parties again. Cobrafest at the Cobra Lounge happened last year and it was a blast. Things kicked off last night and so far so good.

My girls Habibi were playing for the second year in a row and I love them. They all live in my neighborhood and they are all babes and they make awesome music. How can you not love them.

Sailor Jerry was giving out free tattoos again so Keith Underwood gave three of the four Habibis tattoos. He also hooked me up with one. I had him take a sweet drawing Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins did of a parrot and cut it’s head off and then tattoo that to my arm. I am pretty psyched about it.

The Bronx headlined and I was pretty psyched about that because I am friends with two of the dudes in that band but I have never seen them. I did see their Mariachi band once but never their proper punk band. They were fucking awesome and destroyed the place. There was crowd surfing and moshing and total madness for a full hour.

The People’s Temple and Thing also played and they were awesome but I didn’t really meet them or anything so I can’t tell you pointless stories about them. But yeah, rock and roll and stuff.

Here are a few photos for now, but I will post the full gallery when I get home next week.

Update: Day One photos here!

(Read the article)