Alberta Bound Tattoo Arts Festival is underway at the Shaw Conference Centre until Sunday (Photo by Terry Gent)

By Eri Gayler (twitter/blog)

Tattoo culture from around the world has exploded into Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre, and there’s no exaggeration in the “around the world” part. I met artists tonight from Yamanashi, Japan; Ibiza and Madrid, Spain; Detroit, Michigan and Lockport, Illinois; and from cities all over Canada. They’ve come out in force for the Alberta Bound Tattoo & Arts Festival, which has taken over the Shaw for three colourful days.

Part trade show, part retail experience, and part giant artist-filled tattoo shop, the festival has just about everything you could want that relates to tattoos. Nearly every booth you walk past has at least one artist bent over a human canvas, but there are also clothing stores, curiosity shops, flash and tattoo supply stores, hand-made tattoo equipment, pin-up stickers, custom hot rods, personalized zombie portraits, and even a complimentary ink station, where the artists on scene can try out new colours and new brands that have been donated by the companies that make them.

Edmonton tattoo artists make a huge showing too, one that tattooed Edmontonians can be proud of. I honestly had no idea there were so many shops in our city, and that’s speaking as a tattooed person myself! Familiar names like Raptor, Urge, Strange City and Ritualistics are all there, but there are also newer shops and even established shops from other cities that have moved to Edmonton to set up business here, such as D&M from Fort McMurray.

Bear's Skin Art Booth (Photo by Terry Gent)

At the Bear’s Skin Art booth, five tattoo chairs sit under the largest banner at the festival, and all of them are occupied. Jordan, one of Bear’s staffers, tells us that right when the show opened at two o’clock, they booked solidly through until the end of the show on Sunday. For some eager festival-goers, it’s a way to beat the long wait you can have for an appointment with one of these talented artists. For others, it’s a chance to have a bit more work done on an existing piece, and let the crowds see what their artist has already created for them.

Photo by Terry Gent

If you’re a tattooed person yourself, artists and attendees alike will stop you to look at your tattoos, read them, and ask what they represent. As you’re surrounded by the buzz of tattoo guns, you can end up in the middle of fascinating, spontaneous conversations with people who tell you their tattoo experiences, show you their own favourite tattoos, and recommend the very best artists. At the Raptor Tattoo booth, one worker takes a moment to tease me about my first ever tattoo, which took about ten minutes, but it’s all good-natured and fun.

Lucky Diamond Rich (Photo by Terry Gent)

There’s a lot more to take in than just the tattoo shop environment, though, with entertainment and events running all weekend. Every day of the festival there are tattoo competitions, and at judging time prizes are awarded to the best tattoos by a prestigious group of artists – these convention awards come with serious bragging rights, too. Other entertainment includes the one and only Guinea Pig, and Lucky Diamond Rich, the most tattooed man in the world, who is truly a sight to behold – and mighty cute, too, in his shiny and dapper suit. And don’t forget the over-the-top, in your face Industry Dodgeball tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.

If you’re worried about finding a sitter, don’t be! The festival is entirely kid friendly. Exhibitors have displayed non-nude and mostly non-graphic images, and have covered up body parts that you might not want the young’uns to see, and a face-painting booth (arms, chests, and legs too!) can give them some realistic-looking tattoos of their own. Alberta Bound is also giving a tattoo-themed colouring book to each of the first 500 kids through the door, and the daily colouring contest gives them the chance to win a $100 Toys’R'Us gift certificate!

Local Artist Seven Beckham working on a patron at the Alberta Bound Tattoo Arts Festival (photo by Terry Gent)

There really is something for everyone at the Alberta Bound Tattoo & Arts festival, running at the Shaw Conference Centre from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Bocce and beer could be a good weekend mix.

It’s the weekend, baby. That means it’s time for fun, without the pressure of waking up early and acting all professional at a job. Thank you Saturday and Sunday, thank you.

We’ve already talked about the big Pin-Up Girl party happening tonight (and hinted at the Tattoo festival in that same story) but that’s not all that’s happening in this happening city.

The tattoo and arts fest is at the Shaw. Which is right by the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival, which has races in the river (obviously). They’re at Louise McKinney Park to be more specific.

The Fringe is going for new attendance records in its final weekend.

Blues Fest takes over Hawrelak Park.

Raising Spaces has an Eco Reno Demo Day, so you can learn about home renovations the green way.

You can pretend you know all about playing the ponies at the 80th running of the Canadian Derby at Northlands, Saturday.

Edmonton’s Chinatown and Little Italy combine forces for “East meets West.” Say “Hi” to Ted for us.

A great Winnipeg band, with a great name, Hot Live Guys plays New City Likwid Lounge with local greats Old Wives. See, I told you there was fun. The bill is rounded out with Regina rockers Hot Blood Bombers

Or you can get your Classic Rock on at the Century Casino with Chilliwack.

And on Monday, Mos Def rocks the house over at the Edmonton Event Centre.

By Eri Gayler

If there’s one thing the city of Edmonton has going for it (okay, it has a lot of things going for it, but this is a really great one), it’s a stylish and fashionable rockabilly scene. This scene is being celebrated tonight in a show worthy of any of our planet’s major cities, and it all started with a calendar.

When new local firm Flatbed Productions started out, they knew they needed to get things rolling with a bang, a big project that would catch Edmonton’s attention. After some brainstorming, what stood out was their love of rockabilly, tattoos, burlesque, and the whole related scene. The elements all came together to become Edmonton’s first all-local Pin-Up Girl Calendar.

Photographers and settings for the calendar photos are all local, and the girls who are posing are all either amateur models or even first-time models, from right here in the city. “The idea is that it would be hanging in tattoo shops and clothing stores,” explains Art Szabo, one half of Flatbed Productions. “People would see the calendar and say, ‘hey, I know that girl! Local girls that you might have seen around town.”

It followed soon after that a party to kick off the project, with rockabilly bands and pin-up girls galore, was just what they needed. Originally, Flatbed planned on renting a venue and putting on their own show, until Szabo took his project to work – by day, he’s a talent buyer for Edmonton’s Starlite Room. The Starlite’s GM caught Flatbed’s enthusiasm, and the show became an official partnership with the venue.

The Benders - performing tonight @ Starlite Room

Outside enthusiasm for the show didn’t end there, either. Once Szabo booked the first few bands, more bands kept phoning and asking to be part of the bill, which filled out to include five Alberta acts. Local psychobilly-surf outfit The Benders are excited about playing a show with such a diverse lineup of bands, all of whom they’ve shared billing with before. “Rockabilly bands go hand in hand with the tattoo and pin-up fans,” points out Jefftimus, drummer for The Benders. That being the case, tonight it will go hand-in-hand-in-hand-in-hand, with the five great bands that are playing: The Benders and Preying Saints from Edmonton, Grave Mistakes and Sam Hate & The Jackals from Jasper, and Calgary’s The Hardtails.

The Alberta Bound Tattoo Arts Festival even got in on the act, making the show the official afterparty of the trade show’s first day, where artists and VIPs can party well into the night, and see what Edmonton has to offer. The show gets underway tonight at 8pm at the Starlite Room. Tickets are $15 at the door, or enjoy free admission if you show your Tattoo Festival pass.