Dave Quiggle is one of my favorite artists and I was super stoked to get a short interview with him for the zine! I have been a fan of Quiggle’s for years, beginning when I saw the album cover for No Blood, No Altar Now by his band at the time, xdisciplex. I was drawn to the artwork and the music was some of the best in the hardcore scene at the time. Dave has got to be one of the busiest guys in the business. He is the art director for Facedown Records, owns his own clothing line (Black Rose District clothes), tattoos at Soul Expressions tattoo in California, and is a current member of the veteran hardcore band No Innocent Victim. Dave has created album art for a myriad of bands from Bleeding Through and The Crucified to Living Sacrifice and War of Ages. He is multi-talented and the real deal! Out of all the tattoos I have, I have more Quiggle designs then any other artist, and of course, I need more!
Let me also plug Facedown records here. One of the things that I love about Facedown is not just the great bands they put out, but that they stick to the ethics of quality at a good price. All of their CD’s and merchandise are sold at exceptionally great prices. That is a rarity today in the music world, with labels making their money these days from the merch, but Facedown has done a great thing of keeping prices reasonable. Check them out and support their projects! Enjoy the conversation below.
– Artwork –
What are some of the things that motivate and inspire you in your designs?
I’m inspired by everything around me: other artists past and present, music, films, books, the Bible. My brain doesn’t stop filing away everything I see and hear towards future creative endeavors. Much of it is subconscious, but a lot of it I’ll store away to do with some sort of purpose. Of course there are times when the ocean of inspiration runs dry or low and then there are other days when I’m completely overwhelmed and I know that a lifetime of creating artwork isn’t enough to do all I want to do. I think it’s just all how my brain is wired. If I had to for some reason quit doing artwork for a living and do something completely different, I would be tortured daily by all the unfulfilled ideas swimming in my head. I’m very thankful for being able to live a life where I can do what I love day in and day out.
What first drew you into tattooing, how did you get started?
I’ve actually loved tattoo artwork for as long as I can remember. In middle school I got in trouble for drawing fake ones on my friends. One kid got in a lot of trouble because it looked real enough to shock his mother into a fit. Later when I played in hardcore bands I got really into traditional American Tattoo artwork and started incorporating it into the earliest t-shirt designs I was doing for my own band and some friend’s bands. I actually got started in tattooing much later after I was already somewhat well known for my tattoo designs. I was selling tattoo flash and so it was assumed that I tattooed as well. I avoided tattooing for some years until a couple friends of mine opened a tattoo shop and eventually it just all came together. I still tattoo but not full time.
I could be wrong here, but it seems you draw as well as use the computer with your designs? Which medium do you prefer and why?
My preference is to use them both together. The drawing is at the core of my illustrations and the computer is only the tool that enables me to experiment with color and texture etc. At the outset of any project I’ll draw a lot of thumbnails until I get one that I like. Then I’ll make a full scale version of it and try a lot of things out compositionally. After I’ve got a drawing I’m happy with I’ll bring it into the computer and take it from there. The ratio of how much drawing vs. how much digital depends on what style I’m going for or mood I’m in. It’s slightly different with each project.
Any new stuff planned for the future with BRD?
Definitely. Black Rose District is not a “Taking over the world” type of company so we pretty much release stuff at our leisure. There’s no huge seasonal rush for us or any kind of release schedule to maintain. Right now we’re talking about doing more series work like we have in the past and more stand alone concepts as well.
– Music –
What’s coming in the future as far as any new recordings or live shows?
It’s almost been a full year since I’ve last been on a stage playing music. After playing music live for over 16 years it feels strange to have not played for that long. At the same time I’m so busy that I can’t imagine squeezing that into my life right now. Even just the idea of it feels like too much. I do have a few band concepts I’m working on with some friends here and there but no concrete plans to do anything with them. Time is my enemy!
Being one of the originators in the HxC scene, or the Christian HxC scene, do you think the mainstream acceptance of HxC has hurt or helped? When I say hurt, I mean do you think the scene has grown weaker? Please elaborate:)
The line in the sand is so blurred. It’s almost impossible to even talk about. It’s been fractured, homogenized and sliced so many ways that it’s nearly unrecognizable to me. I feel like it’s a completely different animal now. I’m not trying to sound like one of those guys who say it was better “back in the day” but it’s hard for me to reconcile “the scene” I grew up in with whatever is going on now. There used to be a commonality between us at shows. Now there are a lot more people going to shows but people don’t have anything to connect them to one another more than at any other music event. That’s just my perspective.
What do you think about the digital age of music – how do you feel it has hurt/helped the music scene?
The digital age of music is fast and easy but has its obvious downsides. The joy of purchasing something tangible is definitely missing. The best answer I’ve found for that is the return of vinyl. I recently purchased a 12″ vinyl record and it came with a download card for the digital version and it’s the best of both worlds: large artwork, collectability, and then the digital for your practical listening needs. I’ve read that vinyl is making a comeback and I hope it’s true because I think that vinyl with a digital card would be incredible for the bands, labels and especially the consumer. I’m a big collector nerd when it comes to the things I love so it’s something I’m really getting back into right now.
Who are some of your musical influences, and who is in your iPod/CD player/turntable right now?
I listen to so many kinds of music. It’s hard to say. Today I listened to a lot of The Black Keys while I worked. I usually start my day with more chill music and work my way up to the hard stuff for the second half of the day starting at around 4pm. My favorite album in 2009 was White Lies To Lose My Life. As far as heavy music goes, the best thing I’ve heard in recent memory is The Sleeping Eye from Iron Age.
Leave a Reply