monster makers

ART OF THE HALLOWEEN MASK!

Sculptor, precison striker, mask-smith and full time Halloweener Mikey Rotella is bringing the Halloween Mask out of the Woolworth’s and into the Gallery at Lethal Amounts.

See!

Original Don Posts, Top Stone, Distoritions Unlimited and Be Something Studios masks. Most older than you!

Consider!

A whole plastic pumpkin’s worth of brand new, modern masks from famous mask-makers like Jordu Schell, Norman Cabrera, Pete Infelise, Graham Schofield, Wayne Anderson and more. All up for sale!

Shriek!

At the horrifying mask-related 2D art!

Gasp!

At a special Halloween montage!

and

Jam!

To musical accompaniment from the Halloween Shindig vault brought to you live by DJ Easy C!

 

It’s a Halloween Extravaganza of festive proportions for the ages!

It all starts Saturday Night

October 15th @ Lethal Amounts in L.A.

Come get your latex fix this October!

 

Check out the Official Lethal Amounts page.

and

Check in at the Art of the Halloween Mask Event Page!

 

Monster Makers: John Fasano

On July 19th of 2014, writer, director, producer, actor, artist, monster maker and all-around nice guy John Fasano, passed away in his home near Los Angeles California.

John was a purveyor of that which molds the very foundations of the Shindig; rock ‘n roll horror. The man behind such 80’s cult staples as Zombie Nightmare, Black Roses and The Edge of Hell (aka Rock N Roll Nightmare), John understood exactly why metal and horror went together so well, and added much to this unfortunately thin sub-genre.

Having been a fan of his work, it was surreal to meet and become friends with his son, John Cody, through my network of special effectsery out here in LA.

Though I only met him a few times, on those occasions John was the nicest guy you could imagine, and truly gracious for every fan he had.

Our condolences go out to John Cody and the entire Fasano family.

Without a doubt John left his mark on the world of Horror, and horror fans will continue to celebrate his work for as long as there are horror fans to do so.

For our part, The Shindig will honor John the only way it knows how; through kick-ass horror songs and gifs. We’ll cram all the Fasano hits already spread throughout the playlist into one blistering block of rock ‘n roll remembrance.

Thank you John Fasano for your work, without which, my life and this blog would be a lot less awesome.

R.I.P. John Fasano 1961 – 2014

Monster Makers: Graham C. Schofield

Monster Makers: Graham C. Schofield

Professional Make-up artist, mold-maker, teacher, sculptor, painter, voice-over actor, impressionist, part time science-scientist and full time weirdo, Graham C. Schofield is one bizarre dude.

From Man-Thing to life-casting, from materials to methods, from ghost removal to the canopies of Old India and from The Twilight Zone to The Twilight Zone, Graham’s a guy who can drop some serious knowledge bombs on the Hiroshima in your head. Don’t let em do this. At least not without a little preparation.

Graham also happens to be a really good friend of mine, a Halloweener for life and a huge fan of The Shindig. +3 to relevance.

What’s more? All you gorehounds can catch a glimpse of this madman in action as a cast member of the newest season of Face/Off.

Tune in each week to see the strange creations of Graham and company Tuesdays @ 9/8c on the Syfy Channel.

If your gratification is a bit more immediate, you can head down to the International Make-Up Artists Trade Show  in Los Angeles today, where Graham and fellow Make-Up artist and Face/Offer Corinne Foster will be demonstrating a silicone prosthetic application on none other than my girlfriend Rachel.

You can check out more of Graham’s work @ GCSFX.com or hear the sound of his ridiculous voice @ realiveradio.com.

But, let’s be honest. All I really care about is this; What’s his favorite Shindigger? Well, while it’s hard to speak for a man like Graham, I can say with confidence he’d probably select Track 3: Halloween by King Diamond. Though I’m sure Whodini’s Haunted House of Rock might take a close second.

Be sure to check out this season of Face/Off for some bold and extreme nonsense from Mr. Graham.

Now, as my lawyer he advises you to take 2 hits from the little brown jar in his bag. Not too much though. Just a taste.

Monster Makers: Mikey Rotella

Monster Makers: Mikey Rotella

Jubojitsu Expert Strikesman and sculptor extraordinaire Mikey Rotella is one monster makin’ sonofabitch. Hell, there’s 7 different monsters right behind him, in this photo from last year’s Monsterpalooza.

He’s such a monster makering scumbag that you can even see him on a TV show called “Making Monsters.”

He’s also a damn good friend and a huge fan of the Shindig. A musical prick and horror goofball himself, Mikey’s been instrumental in helping me inflate the playlist from its adequate 5 hour run time to the almost unnecessary 10 hour juggernaut it is today.

Currently, he’s probably singing the Cannibal Holocaust theme as loud as he possibly can while waiting impatiently for the doors to open up at this year’s Monsterpalooza, April 12th, 13th, 14th @ the Burbank Marriott.

SoCal followers, head on down and check out Mikey’s masks and all kinds of art from tons of other incredibly talented horror industry professionals all weekend long. They serve booze!

Tell ‘em Halloween Shindig sent ya and he’ll sing you Dream Warriors absolutely FREE!

I’ll be posting some more photos of Mikey’s work, but you can check out his portfolio here and see even more monsters.