OilCan....Guitar?

While doing a quick search on Ebay this morning I came across something that is pretty unique.

An Oil Can Guitar.

Some guy had the time and ingenuity to build something like this out in his garage! And, not only does it look totally unique, it even plays well.

He went so far as to post a YouTube video of himself playing his creation.



And, as the YouTube video states, this guitar is up for auction on Ebay.

So, what do you think? Does OilCan Drive need an Oil Can Guitar?

EDIT: After watching the OilCan Guitar I went into this guys YouTube videos and found he also makes guitars out of cigar boxes. The way the neck of this guitar is set up and the way it sounds just blows my mind.

I want to make a guitar!

OilCan Drive - It Ain't Me, Babe! - Part 2

Here is the original black and white and color art I created for the OilCan Drive CD cover.

I figured it might be nice to see how it originally looked before I threw it on the cover and distressed and aged the whole package.

This art is also the first time I've drawn the band together in one piece since I can't remember when. It felt good to "have them all in the same room" as it were. I definitely need to do more pieces like this and my notebook has more than a few sketch ideas in it where the band is all together and either posing for the shot or just having a good time. I can't wait to flesh those ideas out into finished pieces.

Also, like the last song I did last fall, "Walk Away", I posted the OilCan Drive version of Bob Dylan's song onto a few music forums. Where "Walk Away" got reactions like "you suck", "your song makes my ears bleed", and "why don't you just break your instruments, already?", "It Ain't Me, Babe" was met with mostly resounding silence. The most critical comment I got is that they didn't like my version simply because they liked the original too much. One site I posted it on got no comments at all. So, go figure...

And here I was looking forward to more "you suck!" comments. As much as those get under your skin I had planned to promote OilCan Drive's first album with quotes like that. I think there are far too many "this music will change your LIFE" comments out there trying to describe new music. A description filled with "critics say this band is the worst thing you're likely to hear this year. They should just smash there instruments right now and save us the bleeding ears. If you like good music, please, for your own sake, don't hit the button to the left and listen to this band's music!" would be refreshing.

A description like that I can't imagine anyone NOT pushing the button to hear what it sounds like.

So, yeah, I'm kind of dissapointed that no one really hated it. But, there is always next time.

It's the Small Things

Finally someone has mixed my loves of quirky British drama, underdog outcasts, midgets, choirs, and Blink 182 all in one place.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you various clips from BBC's "All the Small Things"

(by the way, if anyone finds this on DVD you now know what to give me for Christmas!)







And, one of my favorite parts...one of the main characters talking about his love of Tom Delonge from Blink 182. Who comes up with a show like this???

From The Vault - OilCan Drive 2001

I figured I'd keep in the theme of OilCan Drive for this installment of "From the Vault".

These were the three sketch pages I put in the back of the first OilCan Drive book I "published" back in 2001. And, when I say "published" I mean printed out at Kinkos and pretty much gave away to anyone who wanted one.

The purpose of these pages was to try and explain where OilCan Drive had come from. I conceived the idea in early 2001 and this hodge podge of art is some of the first images of my cartoon band. Each page pretty much speaks for itself, as I put little blurbs of information next to the drawings and sketches. Click on any one of them to enlarge and read for yourself.

Looking back now I can see how far I've come as an artist. I cringe while looking at some of the facial structures and proportions of the characters. But, I guess when the day comes and I look back at my old stuff and find I HAVEN'T gotten better then that's the day I should give it all up.

Still, the initial idea and concept for this band is sound and I love it to this day. It's brought a whole new world of characters to run around in my head, has me playing guitar, plucking bass, hitting drums, writing songs, and trying to figure out how to sing. This band brought music into my life and I thank them every day for it. I don't know where I'd be today if not for these characters and what they've shown me.

But, geez...looking at the drawings...thank the Heavens above that someone out there was willing to give me illustration work and a viable career. Looking back, I just don't see it. Thank God someone out there did.

OilCan Drive - It Ain't Me, Babe!

Cover songs are always fun to do. You don't have to worry about coming up with the lyrics or song arrangements or chord changes or anything like that. You just have to figure out how to make an already great song your own.

One of the first things I did when I finished up the last round of Stone Arch kid's books was to set my sites on, yet again, the OilCan Drive project. I didn't want to just jump right into a huge project so I decided the band doing a cover song would be a nice way to ease myself back into the project.

Doing Bob Dylan covers are always a blast. His songs are always rock solid while at the same time simple enough to interpret parts in your own way. Doing "It Ain't Me, Babe" appealed to me for two simple reasons. One, I like the part at the end of the chorus where the line turns around and says, "it ain't me you're looking for, BABE..." right at the point where the musical phrase goes back to the one. And second, honestly, it was just too much fun to try and scream out, "NO NO NO" in as rock and roll a voice as I could muster.

The packaging for the final burned CD was a punk rock do-it-yourself project unto itself. Not only did I design the CD package to look like a well loved, beaten up, product but I like the actual design of the package itself. This was simple a piece of 11x17 cardstock that I printed, trimmed, flded up and then double stick taped together. For something that came out of a regular copy machine, the cover is something I'm really proud of. It doesn't get much more punk rock than sitting at a table for hours folding up your own packaging.

So, here for those of you who haven't heard it yet and those of you who I sent a CD but were too afraid to open up the nice plastic shrink wrap on it is OilCan Drive's live version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe":



And, if the embedded version above doesn't work, the direct link to the song can be found HERE.

Elizabeth Gilbert

I found this tonight over at JohnAugust.com

While I admit I don't know who Elizabeth Gilbert is or anything about the wonderful book she wrote, listening to her talk about creativity and how to celebrate the days when inspiration comes and survive the dark days when it doesn't is really worth twenty minutes of your time.

Just some great advice that I really took to heart.

From the Vault: EXIT 6 1997, 1989

In 1997 I self published a book called EXIT 6.

It was the story of two kids, Keith Howard and Courtney McKay. They were your average, every day kind of people. Except Keith was a vampire and his family of vampires had kidnapped Courtney's younger brother.

Hey, in this day and age you have to meet new friends somehow.

The series ran for three issues before I ran out of money and had to stop production. A fourth issue was completed and a fifth was fully pencilled but they never saw the light of day (ha ha vampire joke).

I had the initial idea for EXIT 6, or, what was then called "Keith Howard - Vampire" (I know, I know...with catchy titles like that how have I not won a Pulitzer yet?), when I was seventeen years old. It took me three years of art school, years as an assistant artist, more years working for Marvel Comics, and then a two month drive across the country to Boulder, Colorado before I'd finally get the story out there and into the hands of the public.

But, I finally got that first issue done and printed and put it out into the world.

And, the result?

Looking back on it now it's probably not as bad as it seemed at the time,. But, at the time, it felt like I had ultimately failed at a dream I had held for ten years. I had put a book out there into the world and, somehow, I hadn't become and overnight success.

Oh, I had some really nice people say some really nice things. I was considered for an Eisner Award but missed being nominated by just a little bit. I was nominated for the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, which was a great honor, but lost to another artist.

And, as for the sales? They just weren't there.

Like I said, looking back now it probably wasn't as bad as it seemed. Of course, I can look back now as a guy who has made a decent living as an artist, has a condo bought with money made from art, and a great woman in his life who thinks he's as talented as the day is long. But, back then I couldn't see the things I have now out on the horizon.

I only knew that I gave the dream my best shot and it didn't work. But, I'm still glad I gave it my all. I'd rather go through this life knowing I tried and failed than wonder what would have happened because I never tried at all.

I'm not sure if I'll ever revisit EXIT 6 or the characters in those pages. They lived with me for over ten years before I finally put them to rest. Maybe, in ten more years, I'll be ready to see if they have any new stories to tell me.

Here are a few of the first sketches I ever did of Keith Howard in a large, oversized art pad that I used to drag to school. I was seventeen years old. I still can't believe the way I drew back then. Oh, if only I knew what the world had in store for me!