Interview with ELI V MANUSCRIPT in the Providence Phoenix


Here's a enlightening interview with Eli V Manuscript, AKA Eli Milholland-- lifelong best friend, performer in Humanbeast/ V Manuscript/ Tem Eyos Ki/ Soophie Nun Squad, and in recent years a writer as well.

Eli has a new book of writings out, Madness Of The Canary, available here, and is finishing work on a new Humanbeast album entitled Pantheon (with his other half, Maralie Armstrong-Rial) to be released in coming months on Load Records, while releasing more music on his own Gross Domestic Product label.

(here are some Humanbeast photos I took from 2009-2010 as well.)

Pilgrimage to Alabama's civil rights landmarks with John Lewis.

Photo by Sandi Villarreal.
In early March, I had the honor of participating in a pilgrimage to historic civil rights landmarks throughout Alabama, hosted by John Lewis and organized by the Faith & Politics Institute. It was a very powerful and at times revelatory experience (and it was really nice to see prominent lawmakers put their bullshit aside), and here's my collection of photos from that journey.

 John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and I are collaborators on Lewis' graphic novel memoir trilogy, March-- the first book will be released at San Diego Comic Con this July, and will be available everywhere on August 13th.  

MARCH: BOOK ONE is complete!


Last night I wrapped up the pages of March: Book One! Excited to see how everything comes together in the final published form... it'll be out at San Diego Comic Con in July, and available everywhere on August 13th!

No time for rest, though: I have two more volumes of March to work through, as well as art for Rick Riordan's The Heroes Of Olympus: The Lost Hero (Hyperion, 2014), a few new short stories for You Don't Say (Top Shelf, 2014), my own graphic novel Cover (Top Shelf, 2017), record art for a Bad Years/ Crooked Roots split 7" (Max Recordings), The Bomb LP (No Idea Records), and a Holy Angell LP/cassette, along with a Henry & Glenn pinup and a new cover to the German translation of The Silence Of Our Friends.

THE SILENCE OF OUR FRIENDS in CBR's Top Books of 2012!

The Silence Of Our Friends (written by Mark Long & Jim Demonakos, and drawn by me) landed at #59 on Comic Book Resources' Top 100 Books of 2012, sharing company with powerhouses Becky Cloonan (Conan The Barbarian), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Katie Skelly (Nurse Nurse), Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), Jeff Smith (RASL), Julia Wertz (The Infinite Wait), Raina Telgemeier (Drama), Faith Erin Hicks (Friends With Boys), Gabriel Ba (Casanova), Noah Van Sciver (The Hypo), and Ed Piskor (Wizzywig).

Congratulations to all these talented comics friends!

Official announcement for MARCH trilogy with John Lewis!


Here's today's official announcement from Top Shelf-- that March (written by Rep. John Lewis & Andrew Aydin, and drawn by me) will be a graphic novel trilogy, with March: Book One debuting at San Diego Comic-Con on July 18th, and available in stores everywhere August 13th.

Lots of events, signings, discussions, and artwork exhibits are in the works too-- more updates as they come in!

New review of THE SILENCE OF OUR FRIENDS at Scapegoats And Panaceas

Here's a thoughtful and thorough review of The Silence Of Our Friends up at Scapegoats And Panaceas.

"There are few indications that well-intentioned white southerners or noble white activists, while present in the historical record and active during the movement, are actually representative of the Black Freedom Struggle. Yet Long’s account succeeds admirably in fleshing out the intimate and thorny exigencies of interracial friendship during difficult times. He and his co-authors succeed by not white-washing complexity."

New poster by Erin Tobey for Bloomington Sex Salon!


Here's an awesome new poster by versatile drawing-mate Erin Tobey for the first Bloomington Sex Salon, hosted by sex researcher and educator Dr. Debby Herbenick, and featuring Dr. Bryant Paul discussing his research related to the nature and effects of sexually explicit media. It's happening at The Bishop on Sunday, February 17th-- here's the FB page.

Check out more of Erin Tobey's work here, her solo musical project and previous band Fat Shadow, and her label Houseplant Records.

Tem Eyos Ki's remastered LP masterpiece now available digitally!

 
I am honored to announce that, after being out-of-print for 9 years, North Little Rock punk/speed metal/chamber folk powerhouse Tem Eyos Ki has digitally reissued their classic 2002 LP on my Harlan Records site!

(download/listen here!)

The album is completely remixed and remastered by drummer/engineer Kevin Rains, and features a previously unreleased song as well. If you haven't heard this band (or this album), you're missing out on something powerful, visionary, and heartfelt. My favorite band of all time! Besides sharing membership with Soophie Nun Squad, members have gone on to perform in Humanbeast, Bloodhuff, V Manuscript, Universe, Divorce Chord, Holy Angell, and Zucura. Vocalist Maralie Armstrong-Rial is a multimedia performance artist, guitarist Eli Milholland runs the Gross Domestic Product cassette label, and guitarist Michael Lierly is an accomplished painter.

Here's a collection of Tem Eyos Ki photos up on my Flickr site.

You can also download digital versions of their 7", split 7" with Hundred Years War, and tour CDR.

Tem Eyos Ki in Richmond VA, June 2001. Photos by Chris Boarts Larson.

R.I.P. Mason Mauldin

Sugar And The Raw, 2008 (Mason seated at center). Photo by Matthew Martin.
Little Rock lost another good fellow too soon-- Mason Mauldin, a solid fellow best known as frontman for Sugar And The Raw and Big Boots and more recently a skilled airplane pilot, passed away yesterday in a terrible accident. Thoughts and love going out to all those affected, and all the intertwined friends in our community. You are sorely missed, Mason!

Here's a clip from KTHV news on Mason and the LR music scene's reaction to his loss.

And here's a clip of Big Boots playing in 2007:

new comic with AL BURIAN in RUNNER RUNNER this spring!

I'm pleased to announce that work is finished on a new 10-page comic called "Unchained", written by beloved writer/musician/cartoonist Al Burian (Burn Collector, Natural Disaster, Milemarker, Challenger, Hellbender) and drawn by me. It'll be published by Tugboat Press in the spring, as part of their Runner Runner anthology.

This story marks the first time Al and I have collaborated since the story "Scrubs" from Walkie Talkie #1 back in 2000 (reprinted in Sounds Of Your Name). Back in 1997, Al's comic The Long Walk Nowhere (now reprinted in Things Are Meaning Less) completely opened up my perspective on what stories to tell with comics, how, and why. Make it count. Pay attention to the surroundings that made you who you are. I'm honored to work together again!

My top graphic novel & album pairings up at CBC!

Recently I wrote a piece about five near-perfect teamups of graphic novels and albums-- check it out here! 

You'll find Moss Icon, Lungfish, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Tristeza, and Harold Budd/Brian Eno represented in the mix, along with comics by Katie Skelly, Eric Drooker, Gabriella Giandelli, Kolbeinn Karlsson, and yours truly.

new Harlan Records archive site is up!



From 1994-2010 I ran a small DIY punk label called Harlan Records. That label (and its accompanying site) and defunct, so I thought I'd start up a new site to document all of those moldy old releases and bands.

I'm still working out the kinks-- but the first release is up now. Soophie Nun Squad's "We Ate Slayer" demo tape from 1994! 

Please email me at seemybrotherdance@yahoo.com if you have any photos or videos of any of the bands. Thanks!