During the discovery phase of compiling the upcoming Positive Influence anthology, I cam across a drawing I did for Against the Wall back in 1988. This thin marker sketch with a bit of stippling and a bit of cross hatching is very indicative of my style at that period. The simple black and white designs xeroxed well thus were perfect to use for zines and flyers. This is the same drawing style I used for the New Age Records logo graphic. If memory serves, this drawing was done as a potential cover for the first Against the Wall single that was going to be released by New Age, the label of Against the Wall member, Mike Hartsfield. The ‘Identify Me‘ single ended up being released by Nemesis Records in 1989 with a completely different cover.

1989 was the year I started moving away from the hardcore punk scene and I fell out of touch with folks like Mike, so I never heard anything more about my artwork. A post of my original drawing — actually a copy of the drawing, because I gave the original to the band — on my new Positive Influence Instagram account provided an update this week. Orhun Oner of LIFE.LOVE.SHIRTS.: A COLLECTION OF HARDCORE CLOTHING fame sent me a photo of the mystery shirt! He also mentioned that he thought it was printed by Hardcore Grafix.