Monday, December 16th:
Happy holiday season friends. Its been a long time since Barred For Life Dot Net was last updated, and I apologize for that. Since the last update a lot of amazing things have happened with the book and at least one very, very sad thing happened. Let's start with the good news:
For those of you who have been following things on BFL's FaceBook fan-page, you should know that the limited-edition, hand-screen-printed, Walsby (left) and Dean (right) hardcovers have arrived, and are for sale just in time for the holidays. There are 34 hand-numbered and signed (by me) copies of each cover. They are a one shot deal and will never be reprinted. Copies are $50 US Dollars. Shipping inside the US is $6 US Dollars, while shipping to exotic locations such as Europe and Australia (and I suppose most other places in the world) are $30 US Dollars. If you are unsure, and you live in just such an area (say, Romania for instance), email me at BARREDFORLIFE@gmail.com, and we will work it out together.
So, about the artists:
You may know Brian Walsby best for his drawing on the cover of 7-Second's epic "Walk Together Rock Together" LP. His cover is a collage of Black Flag's four frontmen singing their souls out to an audience of you. Buy a copy, look up Brian on the interwebs, send him your book, get him to autograph it, and then thank him repeatedly for everything that he's done for the scene that you love so much, please... He is a living Punk Rock legend, people...
Jeremy Dean is probably most well known for his involvement with House Industries. Lately, Jeremy has been gaining notoriety with the image he contributed for the project. In this image, the Grateful Dead's "Steal Your Face" skull has taken on a hardcore vibe by proudly wearing the bars inside. With the words, "We can discover the wonders of Black Flag," I believe that this is a nod over to Greg Ginn's love of all things Grateful Dead (and maybe Jeremy's, too..?).
As well, I still have some copies of the unprinted hardcovers sitting around my office, and they are, as they have always been, $40 US Dollars (plus shipping). There is word, however, that PM Press, my awesome publisher, is offering up the soft-cover (yes, the one with the middle finger) for half price until Christmas. At $12.50, get two or three for the Punk Rockers in your life for the holidays. Otherwise, if you want one of the limited-edition covers you will have to buy it right here
Now, for the very sad news:
In June of 2013, Barred For Life witnessed a very successful launch party at Bowery Electric. Besides the simple part of me selling the hot-off-the-presses copies of the book, numerous NYHC all-stars came out and played music with Todd Youth and Dez Cadena. I sold books, Black Flag songs were sung, people had a blast, and the whole event (every little part of it) was organized by my good friend Perla Cabral. Perla worked tirelessly, and most of the time had more enthusiasm for my efforts in getting BFL to the shelves than I did. I met up with Perla a few times in New York City to plan the events and every single time she was beaming. She was so in her element doing promotions of this sort, and I just sat there and watched her go, go, go. She was unstoppable.
That said, sadly (VERY SADLY), upon returning from a month long work trip after the show, I threw my suitcases on the floor and turned on my computer, I'd found out that earlier that day she had fallen during a hiking trip with her boyfriend and passed away (read more here). The news was devastating. One never expects to have a friend, a very young friend, pass away without having a chance to say good-bye. Everybody that knew her seemed to be in shock. In the end, all of her friends came together for a memorial service where we finally got to say our goodbyes. Not only will New York City be a less vibrant place without her, but everybody that ever met her will have been changed by her positivity. Barred For Life definitely benefitted from her tireless work on its behalf, and I, personally, will miss her as a friend and confidant.
Thanks for listening and have an incredible holiday season.
Regards,
Stewart Dean Ebersole
Project Creator and Photographer