Art CVLT Interview Series:
Alex Heir of Death/Traitors

ALEX HEIR is an artist based out of Brooklyn, NYC. You may recognize his work from DEATH/TRAITORS, or from bands like KROMOSOM, MODERN LIFE IS WAR and HOAX. I was first introduced to Alex a few years back, and since then I’ve kept up with his artwork and his new band SURVIVAL. After briefly running into Alex this past weekend, I figured I’d get in touch to see what he’s been up to.

Q: What was it that got you into drawing and design? Did Punk and Hardcore have any bearing on the style you’ve eventually developed into? 

My father is a photographer-turned-painter, so art was always a large part of my life. I was taken to art museums and galleries since I was a baby… I remember being like 8 years old, and staring at Calder’s Circus sculptures at The Whitney. My discovery of punk definitely opened my eyes up to a whole new world of visual art as well as music, and it definitely had a large impact on me. I love the rawness that punk embraces, and it showed me that it’s not necessarily the technical skills that make a piece of art or music good, but the style and emotion that the works conveys.

Q: There is a strong connection between your artwork and the NJ hardcore/punk scene. Suburban Scum, Bible Thumper, Razorheads, GDP etc etc have all used your artwork. How did this originally come about? 

Growing up and attending shows in NJ, I still have a lot of ties there. I went to my first shows in Jersey and met a lot of people there that I’m still friends with and who are involved in the scene (even though most of us moved to NYC). I did some of my first band and flyer illustrations when I was in high school in NJ. I met Shawn Madden (who plays in Suburban Scum, Bible Thumper, Razorheads) and GDP years ago, when Death/Traitors was first starting out. I did artwork for Toxic State’s first 2 releases (Thriller and Fleshtemple) when they were still based in New Brunswick.

Q: I love the piece you did for Bible Thumper’s LP “Decimation”. Care to share any insight about how that came together? 

I think they requested some sort of executioner, but I can’t even remember at this point. That piece was heavily inspired by the Russian criminal tattoo art I was looking at a lot at the time. That was one of the first pieces I really started using the heavy stippling that I’ve been using in most of my drawings now.

 Q: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was told for the longest time you printed out of your apartment. I heard you recently moved into your own space strictly for design and print. How stoked are you to not breath in all of the printing chemicals all the time, and to be able to work somewhere other then your apartment? 

Yeah, I had my printing press set up in my apartment for 7 years! It wasn’t particularly pleasant to have it there all the time, but it WAS nice to be able to just roll out of bed and print something. When I first started out I didn’t have the budget to rent a studio on top of my regular rent, so I had to make the space I had work. I finally found a reasonably priced studio in my neighborhood, so I’ve moved my setup out of my apartment. It’s great to not have all that crap in my living room and be able to keep my printing work and home separate.

Q: How do you feel about the current state of the NYC Punk Scene? 

NYC punk is top notch right now. We’ve got so many quality bands doing new and original things, not just rehashing the same old sounds. New York punk has a history of being ground-breaking and doing things a little different from the rest of the country, from The Voidoids to The Cro-Mags, and I think bands like Dawn Of Humans, Anasazi, Crazy Spirit, La Misma etc are continuing that tradition by pushing punk forward and not being afraid to try new things. There is a lot of care given to all the flyer and album art, and all the smart punks are interested in and inspired by culture beyond the realm of “punk.” There is a good show almost every week, sometimes 2 or 3, which I really cherish. I know how temporary and volatile a scene can be, so I appreciate that there’s so much happening right now.

Q: Would you say that being from NYC and just constantly being engulfed in that culture is a main influence of your work? 

Absolutely. Living in NYC, you’re constantly barraged by a countless amount of different cultures and engaging with all different sorts of people. It puts a perspective on things that I think influences everyone that lives in New York, consciously or not. I’m also surrounded by so many creative people that I’m almost always in a discussion about art, music, politics or something else stimulating.

Q: Do you prefer showing your artistic direction through clothing, like what you do for Death/Traitors, or are you more into creating “pieces” like show flyers? What is displayed at your shows? 

I get something different out of both mediums, and the work I make differs depending on whether I’m designing a shirt, record, flyer or poster. I like to keep the designs I make for clothing simpler and more bold, and explore more intricate designs with my other art. The different mediums also help me reach different kinds of audiences…some people have little interest “art,” yet are very excited to pick up a cool t-shirt. Some people have no interest in t-shirts, yet are really excited to see a punk flyer.

Q: What does a typical playlist look like while you’re working on stuff? Are there any bands you’re currently into that people need to check out? 

Lots and lots of old episodes of Seinfeld, for sure, haha. Recently my favorite albums to listen to while drawing have been:

Q: In the flyer you did for the Casualties, you have Minnie Mouse sucking off a punk. What sparks your creativity to come up with something like that? 

That flyer was actually commissioned by Chi from Anasazi, he has a very strong creative vision, hahaha.

Q: If you could design for any band, whether it’s a current band or a band from the past, who would it be?

There are a ton of bands that I’d love to do work for, but I guess if I had to choose one it would be Motörhead…they’re the ultimate rock n roll band, and have a history of such sick artwork, I’d love to be a part of that.

Q: This is irrelevant to your design work, but what has Survival been up to? Anything in the works for the band?

Survival is getting ready to record some new songs for a 7 inch EP we’re self releasing, as well a flexi with Lexi’s Flexis. We’re playing a bunch of gigs in NYC this month, including an epic Halloween show with Dawn Of Humans, Anasazi, Goosebumps, La Misma, and more.

Q: That’s all I got for ya. Any shout outs? Artists we need to check out? Thanks for taking the time to do this! 

Shout out to Toxic State and all the Nuke York homies! Check out art by Sam Ryser, Heather Benjamin, Jess Poplawski, Dimoni, Eterno Works, Rafel Delalande, Dok Tor, and Simon Erl.