Narcocoriddo

While I've fiddled with Blogs before, this is my latest attempt to make an organized shot at it. On this blog you'll find posts for new artwork and music I've created as well as more in depth musings and more explanation as to why I do what I do. Sometimes my art can be very eccentric and I feel its time I start detailing more of my thought process for everyone. This Blog can be considered an extension of the blog I was running though my website here, but I wanted to move it somewhere where I could hopefully generate more traffic.

Because of my insistence that all posts have content I'll include my final image from the Illustration: Series Class I just finished. Its titled "Narcocoriddo" and is an image inspired by the article "Musica De La Muerte" From the April 2009 Issue of Vibe magazine. The article describes how Mexican musicians are becoming the target of cartel violence in the drug fueled civil war south of the border. This violence also played a part in inspiring musicians to write narcocorrido's, ballads about the drug sumgglers and the cartel life. Similar to Gangster Rap, these songs are often used to detail real life events or boast about ones prowess. Although the article is not available online, heres an article about the article. .

Before I started this project I felt the need to get in the right frame of mind. To do this I spent a few hours recording a sphaghetti western influenced song titled "Mexican Lullaby". There are no lyrics or even lead instruments in the song, but it does capture the slow galloping feel of an old western. The song also translates well in its sense of impending conflict. The calm before the storm.