Neckst Level (OI OI!)

Artist Statement:

For Neckst Level (Oi, Oi) I wanted to do something really personal. I grew up in a small town just outside of a big city in the prairies of Canada. There was shit to do. So, I did what many kids at the time did with a billion school bus lengths of fairly empty roads, I started street skating.
Along with street skating came ramp skating, posturing for the girls, trying to land a kick-flip outside 7-11 and PUNK ROCK. Not the pop-punk era Blink 182 punk most people are comfortable with, but the independent, no label, 4-track garage band punk that fills a social hall with 200 smelly kids jostling each other to be the most anti-social we could be before dinner.
As a 14 year old skate-punk, I was mohawked, 6'1" (and growing) and 165lbs if i was lucky. My first "real" show was seeing Suicidal Tendencies with Gang Green in a venue that held way more people than it should have. I loved being in the pit, getting out all those hyper-justified buckets of anger out of my system.
I have tons of fond memories of the people I met through punk rock, the support they delivered and the Neo-Natzee Skinheads we mocked and booted out of shows. I also have some very fuzzy memories involving learning why being a tall Giraffe in a mosh pit is a bad idea some days. You're slamming around, loving the show, picking some kid up off the floor and as you stand up "wham" some guy in zippered plaid pants and 20 hole Docs lands on your head giving you a concussion and possible spinal compression.
This "self-portrait" stamp is a reminder to myself of what youth was like, how community and acceptance are important, and that when you are the tallest one in the pit, it's okay to duck once in a while... if only so you can keep moshing until the show is done.
Nowadays, (at a full grown 6'4"), I am more of a pot-bellied Giraffe who watches from the back of the venue, but I still get up to help the fallen kid in the pit.
You don't need to overthink the stamp, but if you enjoy it that's awesome. If you don't, whatever, that's fine too.

These came out awesome. Lots of 165-169 this month with a couple hundred 170-175 thrown in. Color blends were all over the place, but the more popular colors were orange, white, and blue!