So this is a neat thing...

At work today, I was searching for some words. I needed some interesting weird words that haven't been used too much before. I knew the vibe I was going for but couldn't find the words to match so I turned to the internet for inspiration. I was reading through Shins lyrics to get the juices flowing and I found this interesting line from their song "Phantom Limb."

"And we're off to Nemarca's porch again,
Another afternoon of the goat head tunes,
And pilfered booze."

I don't know why, but I kind of figured there was some mythology in that name, Nemarca. I figured it was a reference to some dark figure in history but I did some sleuthing and guess what I found out? It's some little girl who walked up to James at an autograph signing and asked if he would put her name in a song!

Look! Here's the proof!


Meeting The Shins.

Nemarca J | MySpace Video

Nice move, James! You never cease to impress...

And just so there is an image attached to this post, here is the hilarious cover of The Willamette Week from several months ago that features some of my polaroids in the background. If you squint hard enough, you can see James cutting his hair in a bathroom mirror.

Spiral Stairs 7"

For this bonus 7" that comes for free with the Spiral Stairs 12", I wanted to keep the design in the same family but move away from that poor raccoon. I think I did a fine job of finding complimentary, and still controversial, polaroids. No doctoring of the photos was done. These two billboards appeared in real life, a half mile or so apart, in one of my favorite places in the world, The San Joaquin Valley.

Speaking of controversy, the A side features a nice Bright Eyes dig.

The Real Feel on vinyl

Man, designing a gatefold is fun! Here's a couple of photos of the real thing. I'll post photos of the free 7" that is included soon. Anybody who wants me to concept and design albums for them are free to contact me at ashod@ashodsimonian.com





Also, I just bought the new Yo La Tengo on vinyl and boy howdy is it good.

Them's fightin' words!

I saw Spiral over the weekend and finaly got my hands on the final vinyl. It's super pretty and I'm really happy with the way the whole package turned out. I hope to take pictures soon and post here so that those of you who've only seen .jpgs of the cover can get a feel for the rest of the art. It also comes with a free 7" that I designed as well. Those of you who are offended by happy raccoons will likely also find the "boob" reference on that sleeve something to get all worked up about.

I'm looking at you Album Art Exchange!

For the record, and this may be hard to believe, but I had no intention of creating this cover for shock value. Sure, I figured that it might grab attention in a way that some album covers don't, but there is more of a story behind the photograph than just wanting to freak people out. I'll have to share that someday.

To add some balance to this post, I just received this ridiculously sweet email in my box so (thankfully) not everybody hates me.

"i found real fun in some random bookstore in austin, and i have to say it was the best book i've ever bought. your photography is incredible and everytime i look at these amazing photos, i find something new to appreciate. its absolutely incredible, and if theres anykind of follow up, please let me know as id buy it in a heartbeat. thank you, erika

ps. the cd was also awesome. it introduced me to some amazing music. you (and those bands) rock"

Perfect timing, Erika! Glad you liked it!

The rest of you, stuff of mine can still be nabbed at www.pantylions.com!