For fun, killer music, drinks, friends, kick-ass tattoos, and a rollicking good time, there’s well more than a handful of Californians that visit the annual Electric Ink Tattoo Festival, held this year on April 21 & 22 in Paso Robles, CA, USA.
Over fifty studios were represented this year with cumulative work from more than ninety tattoo artists and piercers, spanning California and beyond. Strange but true, tattooing is not legally allowed in the city of Paso Robles, CA. So how do they get away with such a great tattoo event each year? The expo is held on state property, at the Paso Robles Event Center. There is ample indoor and outdoor space at this venue, with tattooing and the judging stage inside, and music, custom bikes, and cars on display outside. One never feels cramped for space or overwhelmed by volume levels, which is refreshing at an event where conversation and communication float about endlessly.
The festival was moved to April this year to avoid the wet weather that has plagued it for years in late March, but unfortunately to no avail… “The weather fucks us again, but it will stay in April,” said Trace of Keen Entertainment, one of the event’s promoters. The dampness, however, didn’t seem to damper the spirits of the 3000 attendees… smiles adorned dancing bodies, beer flowed like water from an overwhelming number of sticky bar-tops, and fresh tattoos and piercings were abundant.
The judging process is always a jovial experience at this event, with fantastic awards presented to both the wearers and the artists. Photos are taken of each winning tattoo, printed on-site, and inserted into the award for an impressive and very personal final presentation.
Amidst my wandering, Jonny Trouble of Mothership Tattoo & Piercing unavoidably caught my eye again this year with piercings that somehow outdid what I had seen from him in years past. His explanation, “Well… I’m a sick fucker… that would be the best way to describe this… because putting 180 piercings in three beautiful young ladies is something only a madman could conceive.” Of his three vixens, Ivy donned the most piercings with 111 in a tightly knit star on her back, Dallas wore 34 in a double corset, and Tawni 39 in the shape of a bat. “My main goal is to blow everything out of the water… that was my main goal”. And I would say he did just that.
Ed, a first-timer to the event, arrived in his handsome 1948 Chevy Fleetline, and when I asked his opinion on the festival, he chuckled and said, “It’s a little weird, but it’s a good time.” Ha! I also got the grand tour of John Harris’ native Californian 1951 Mercury, followed by an overwhelming sound-check from Tazz and his custom Softail.
The promoters of the event, Trace and Riun of Keen Entertainment, outdid themselves yet again with a solid lineup of seventeen bands, performing on two stages for the entirety of the two-day festival. I enjoyed some great performances from 3 Bad Jacks, The Chop Tops, Lords of Altamont, and The Johns, along with too many others to mention. Quite possibly the most awe-inspiring set of the day came from Mad Max and the Wild Ones, a rockin’ family band made up of six year-old Duke on lead vocals, eleven year-old Cole on drums, fifteen year-old Wyatt on guitar, and Dad on the stand up base. Mom even hopped on stage to sing a few!
A couple local gals, festival-goers since the event’s inception five years back, commented that the music definitely continues to improve at this expo, and that it really sets this event apart from other shows. Agreed. People come here to have a good time – it’s apparent everywhere you look. Tom Allen, the ever-lovable and infamous MC for the event, concurred, “These smaller second market shows continue to bring in people who want to get tattooed and have some fun. We get new people each year, some of them looking to get their first tattoo… and others returning year after year.” And that’s really what it’s all about at this expo – this is very obviously one big happy family, ready for a good time and some good solid ink.
Electric Ink’s next event is the International Ink & Iron Festival, scheduled for June 8, 9 & 10 on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. It promises to be an international expo of epic proportions. More info can be found online at www.electricinked.com
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