local arizona art

Thank You, Full Moon Festival [GALLERY]

Thank you Full Moon Festival for providing a platform to give a glimpse into Arizona’s prolific music scene.

Thank you Jon, Colter, and AJ for supporting our vision.

Thank you WEB Art and Mark for building a massive fucking television.

Thank you Andrew’s Art Project for creating gorgeous, custom visuals to project on the massive fucking television.

Thank you Tom and Mike for being absolute studs, and running sound all night.

Thank you Like Diamonds for kicking off the psychedelic, moon-lit dance party.

Thank you Mute Swan for traveling from Tucson, blasting us with noise, and hanging around after the show.

Thank you T.O.S.O. for curing our lupophobia.

Thank you Slator Blacc for entrancing us with your superb flow.

Thank you M2FG for turnin’ the heat up a notch, and starting a mosh pit.

Thank you Lil Prada, D Rock and Lord Ra for the impromptu guest cyphers.

Thank you to The Color 8 for throwing down a cornucopia of groovy tunes.

Thank you Herbert Walker for your impeccable LP, which we can’t stop bumping.

Thank you Andrew and your drum circle team for connecting us through rhythmic symbiosis.

Thank you Katie for limbering us up with yoga before the festivities.

Thank you Omar and Michael for bringing droves of friends to the party.

Thank you Matt, Konnor, Christian and Wulf for the killer promotional designs.

Thank you Lee for making Mute Swan’s trip to Phoenix a more-than hospitable one.

Thank you Lucas for capturing the magic of Full Moon through film.

Thank you Alex for lending a helping hand, an extra pair of eyes, and kind words all night.

Thank you Sushi for help building the stage

Thank you Dak for loaning us a projector screen.

Thank you Kiah for assisting with artist communication.

Thank you to the security, bartenders, and Pressroom staff for staying up late to put on a successful event.

Thank you to the DJ’s, ravers, fire-spinners, breakers, and glowstick shakers.

Thank you, Arizona. Thank you for taking risks. Thank you for letting us take risks and thank you for believing in one another’s risks. Thank you for your art and your music. Thank you for your tasty grub, refreshing beers, potent cannabis, stylish clothes, relentless heat, attractive inhabitants, grid-based street system, hangout spots, refuges, and all the hidden nooks waiting to be unveiled.

We never thought we’d be where we are in year – but 7 months? Any attempt to express the overwhelming gratitude we have for you all wouldn’t scratch the surface.

The Deli started as a way to cure our boredom. To eat new food, hangout at new places, and meet new people. The brilliance blossoming within our young community is undeniable. You are all doing so much cool shit – without inhibitions, pushing boundaries, supporting one another – every day. And we thank you for that.

Arizona is amazing, and we’re excited to continue learning why.

Cheers,
The Deli

Like Diamonds on The Deli Stage at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Like Diamonds

The Color 8 on The Deli Stage at Full Moon Festival — The Color 8

M2FG at The Deli Stage at Full Moon Festival — M2FG

M2FG at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — M2FG

Lil Prada & M2FG at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Lil Prada (right) & M2FG (left)

Slator Blacc on The Deli Stage at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Slator Blacc

Slator Blacc at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Slator Blacc

Lord Ra at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Lord Ra

Slator Blacc and Lord Ra at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Slator Blacc (Left) & Lord Ra (Right)

Drum Circle at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Drum Circle

Mute Swan at Full Moon Festival Phoenix — Mute Swan

Delve Into The Work of Arizona Painter, Jesus Pieces

Jesus Pieces has been painting sheets of flash for three years. And entering his home to visit and chat, there was no indication he’s interested in stopping anytime soon. Seriously. Throughout our entire visit, he was poised and focused intently on his work, while we maneuvered around and prodded him with questions.

He sticks to classic designs from tattoo history. Anything from hard-as-nails dragons and panthers to playful pigs and Wile E. Coyotes. “I wanted to be a cartoonist growing up. I fucking loved the Looney Tunes! And that stuff is what I find the most fun to draw.”

Other than Saturday morning cartoons and the anime he grew up on – Bleach, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z – he draws inspiration from legendary tattooers. Bert Grimm, Rosie Camanga, and Mike Malone were a few names thrown around.

He’s open to sharing tips with other budding painters – what supplies to use, how to achieve a certain look, where to find designs. “I feel that I struggled through learning all this shit and I wanna pay forward by helping those I see who have that same dedication and passion I have. I’m not insecure about competition. Regardless of what I show or teach someone, the time I’ve put in will always outweigh the ‘how’.”

And it’s evident. His three-year old Instagram displays only paintings. No works in progress. No family. No day-to-day shenanigans. Paintings. “Your audience is here to see your work, not your life. Take pride in your brand and display a finished product.”

He has stacks of finished paintings. “My plan is to finish 3 sheets a week for the next few weeks.” His commitment to the craft perpetuates the traditions of iconic tattooers. Banging out dozens of designs daily – he’s proving not only to others, but also to himself – that tattooing is the path for him. Tattooing is not a simple task. Hunched over every day – dealing with stiffs, flakes, and squares – permanently altering their organs to earn your honest keep.

None of his work is hung in his home. “After one to two weeks, I’m sick of looking at it.” He hopes to hone his distinct style over time, and works on custom pieces sporadically, but realizes the difficulty in standing out amongst others.

“With the abundance of tattooers and painters doing [traditional] style, standing out in any way is fairly difficult. So, for me – at least this early in my overall understanding and skill of the art – my style is always changing and developing. Hopefully over time I’ll find my way. Every painting is a learning process, even if I’ve painted that particular design 100 times. It always changes a bit, so I figure the more I paint, the better I’ll get.”

We think he’s killing it. Check for yourself.

You can find him painting sheets at Arizona Classic Tattoo Co. They’ve got him running aux cord duties…and we’ve gotta say…the man’s got eclectic taste. Here’s some of the heat he’s been throwing in the shop:

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Itchin’ for Ink? Swing by Arizona Classic Tattoo Company

“Getting the keys was the f*cking most nerve-wracking moment of my life.”

Drew Brockhoff, owner of Arizona Classic Tattoo Company (ACTC), opened the shop in North Phoenix nearly two years ago. There’s four artists at ACTC: “JBoi” Roth, Kyle Grand, Phil Everhard, and Brockhoff.

They each sprinkle personal flavor to the traditional, American motif…but you can’t deny one simple fact – they all bang out badass, no bullsh*t tattoos.

kyle grand arizona classic tattoo company — Kyle Grand settin’ up shop

Jboi Roth arizona classic tattoo company — “JBoi” Roth

Phil Everhard arizona classic tattoo company — Phil Everhard snappin’ a pic of a fresh snake eyes jammer

“We’re doing something different. We got something going here. We wanna do sh*t off the wall every damn day,” Drew proudly shouts.

Yeah, you heard him right. Paying for tattoos off the wall.

Anyone’s who’s been to a tattoo shop has seen flash. The framed drawings plastered on every conceivable portion of the wall. We’re familiar with these legendary designs, from powerful, crawling panthers to regal, authoritative eagles.

flash tattoos at arizona classic tattoo company — Wall of flash

flash tattoos — Pick a design, any design

Brockhoff begins working on his client’s second piece of the session, a menacing Kabuki mask from one of Phil Everhard’s sheets. Yes. Both were snatched from the wall. “These tattoos have so much strength in them. They’re iconic. Taking off the wall became such a dirty thing. I don’t like that.”

We agree. Custom, one-of-a-kind pieces are special – we can’t deny it. They’re the true testament to the symbiosis between artist and canvas. A relationship that only exists in the tattoo realm.

View this post on Instagram

🙏🏼OFF MY FLASH!!!🙏🏼 Thank you so much for making the drive and sharing your time with me Salvador! I am truly humbled! Made this tat-a-tat at @arizona_classic_tattoo_co If you'd like to set up an appointment to be tattooed, DM or email: kylexgrand@gmail.com ༀ🙏🏼ༀ #kylexgrand #arizonaclassictattooco #phoenix #arizona #blackwork #findinggodthroughpain #loveislaw

A post shared by KYLEॐGRAND (@kylexgrand) on Jan 23, 2018 at 8:39am PST

But there’s no shame in snagging a heart with “Mom” scrolled across it (‘Mom-hearts’ as we so affectionately dub them. Shoutout moms).

Mom heart tattoo phil everhard — Tattoo by Phil Everhard

Why be embarrassed seeing someone across the bar with a red rose on their right inner-arm symbolizing an undying passion for life, because you’ve got a red rose on your right inn…you get where we’re going with this.

There’s three undeniable truths about the dudes at ACTC:

They tattoo clean.
They tattoo quick.
They have a good time while doing so.

You can tell they are friends before they are co-workers. They crack jokes, lending tips for each other’s designs, and blasting tunes all day long. We’ve heard everything from some gritty Mötley Crüe to that one funkadelic disco track your parents always played but you have no idea what it’s called.

Drew Brockhoff arizona classic tattoo company — Drew Brockhoff

J Boi, Drew’s apprentice and the designer of our brand-spankin’-new dawg design, asks Drew questions from “How do I shade this spot?” to “How much black should I add here?”

Apprenticeships are a right of passage for any respectable artist. “Little secrets are handed down from person to person,” Brockhoff reflects. More-important than the tattoing itself, an apprenticeship is meant to prove that an artist wants to be there.

It shows a true desire to tattoo if you show up day after day, wiping down chairs, handling paperwork, and taking a fair amount of (loving) heat along the way. It’s all in good fun. And it’s a sign of respect.

jboi roth tattooing at arizona classic tattoo company — “JBoi” Roth working on a chest piece

drew brockhofff teaching arizona classic tattoo company — Drew Brockhoff dishin’ some tips

Now, we grew up in North Phoenix, so ACTC is right in our backyard. You might be thinking, “seems like an odd place for a bare-bones, hard-nosed tattoo shop.” Drew tells us he wanted to plant some energy back into the once-poppin’ area.

“Cave Creek Road was the lifeblood of the 80’s. Now we’ve got a badass BBQ joint across the street. The homie Tom opened up a bar down the road.”

Truth is – they’ve got no problem getting people through the door. “Our first week, three dudes drove from San Diego just to get tattooed. Turnaround trip.”

inside arizona classic tattoo company — Behave or Be Gone!

So…what are you waiting for? Hit up ACTC and tell ‘em The Deli sent ya.

Their Instagrams are found below, but they’d prefer you come in and say what’s up. Drew sarcastically pokes, “God forbid you actually have to come in and look at books.”

tattoo books arizona classic tattoo company — Portfolios

Drew Brockhoff | Phil Everhard | Kyle Grand | “JBoi” Roth

~ Thanks for stoppin’ in ~

Oh, one more thing. Throw out your Sunday best, there’s a new shirt in town.

Shoot us a message on Instagram to get one of these for yourself.