Ryan is a cool, laid back dude, amazing guitar player and Chipotle lover.  I was fortunate enough to hang out with him for over a month while he was recording -or in his words “being punished”- the new For today’s album.

 Ryan packs a lot of meaning and thought into his tattoos, and he was so nice that he actually wrote a description for each one of them.  His sleeve and chest piece are the work of Billy White at Yellow Rose tattoo in Zanesville, Ohio.

“My sleeve is basically representative of the turning point in my life during which I realized that most of the things that I was seeking after and striving for had no longevity past my life, nothing I was doing had eternal value. This was the point that I became a follower of Christ in pursuit of truth with the desire to make an impact beyond myself and bigger than anything I can do apart from Him. The Koi is swimming upstream as is customary and representative of overcoming trails, the fish is quite a recognized symbol of Christianity as well, and that is the way to overcome sin and death. Which is why all the water in the tattoo I wanted to be black to signify death.”

“Everything as you go down the tattoo is being washed away in the current of life if you will. I have several things that are being washed away that commonly get in the way of life that I have described desiring. The coin purse is to signify pursuit of money that doesn’t go with you when you die, the flowers are withering to show that beauty fades, the bottle of moonshine is representative of quick fixes, be it escape in alcoholism or in lustful relationships. And the hourglass was a big one for me as it represents the desire to have your own time, more of it, and your time in the spotlight. In giving up my own time I have seen my life become overshadowed in a beautiful way by the work that God so graciously allows me to be included on that he is doing. Bringing hope to the nations, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, really changing the world and leaving a legacy that transcends my life.”

“My chest is a piece that I got thats based off of one of my favorite hymns “Nothing but the blood”. Its a pretty simple tattoo four flowers and a human skull to represent death. There is blood dripped on the tattoo to signify the Blood of Jesus covering death.”

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The best part of Ryan tattoos was when we decided to get some grub at Ryan’s favorite spot… and when it was time to pay, he graciously shows his wrist and gets free burritos.  ha-ha

I love it, he actually has a theory on how easy it will be depending on the person behind the cash registrar. Tattooed dude is a 95% chance of success, while old lady is only a 50%.  After years of touring, he has perfected his theory.


Thanks Ryan!

This week this blogs goes to  the very talented Justin Aufdemkantpronunceyourlastname -sorry dude-haha.

When I met Justin I swore he didn’t had any tattoos, that was until we were nerding out on star wars and voila, he took of his pants and showed me the best Han Solo portrait I’ve seen so far. He has a very cool collection of meaningful tattoos.

Apparently the artist who did this on Justin is a Miss May I fan and he asked Justin if he could tattoo him. (Lucky bastard!) This came out amazing.  Justin has been a Star Wars fan since he was a little kid.

Justin has both legs tattooed, his right leg has a World War II theme in a very old school/Americana style.  He loves anything that has to do with war stories, and places.

What makes this tattoos even cooler is whats on his foot.

Robert is Justin’s grandfather, who was in WWII. I think this is an amazing way to pay tribute to your grandpa.

On his other foot, there is a tribute to her grandmother.

The clock is my favorite part. It is on 12:24, that is Justin’s and his gradma’s birthday! (DEC 24). 

And lets finish with a bro-tat. Everyone in Miss May I was supposed to get this while they were on tour, but they ended up leaving and the artist never finished them all. currently only Jerod and Justin have it.

Thanks Justin!

This week’s post goes to Dr. BJ Shredkenstein of Miss May I.

Bj is a very chill character, and unlike most of miss may I, he is not covered in tattoos.

His right arm is a Pirate themed half sleeve. At the top you can see Black beard and in the bottom is his ship fighting a giant octopus. I love the contrast of the gray character and the purple background.

Bj also has some work on progress that will be shown here when it is done, so this is the first picture of it.

And lastly, everyone in Miss May I has a Kangaroo tattoo from Australia, Bj’s is the only one with a different background.

Thanks BJ!

This week’s post goes to Ryan NEff, a true rockstar that is covered in sick colorful tattoos. 

Meet Ryan, he loves to take walks on the beach, drinks piña colada, and enjoys skinny dippin. Not to mention, he is a master snacker.

Ryan has so much work on him that I had no idea where to begin. I guess this is a good start since this was what started his left sleeve. This is a family crest that he got in dedication to his father. The medieval theme started around this piece.

The next thing in mind was the knight fighting a dragon. A representation of overcoming obstacles. His friend Billy designed and did the whole sleeve. He came up with the idea of the castle and also the stony wizard.

Ryan’s right arm is my favorite, I’ve never seen colors so bright before….the mastermind behind this is Tim Knecht. Check his work HERE.

The idea behind this sleeve was mythology, Chris Rubey ( lead guitar from the devil wears prada) did the outline and Tim recollored it and came up with the tiger-stripes behind it.

Tim also worked on Ryan’s leg. They came up with this Egyptian themed tattoo.

The composition is incredible and again his colors are unreal.

Currently a work in progress. The Green Man. This is pagan representation of nature.

After hanging out with Ryan and nerding out on tattoo’s. I recomended him a great artist Joseph Michael. You can see his work HERE.

He just did this tattoo a couple days ago.

This is a representation of Miss May I’s success in the last 3 years. There is a lot change happening with the band, they are currently recording a new album that is rising the bar pretty high.

We can’t finish this with out the “bro/girl tattoos”…..
I’ve published before the G’day Mate tattoo that all members of Miss MAy I have, and the skull in Levi’s foot that shares with Ryan. There is one more.  The girlfriend tattoo. Knowing Ryan this has to be sweet and funny at the same time.

Voila! The skull ice cream.

Thanks Ryan!

This weeks it is Levi’s turn to be the face of Tattooed bands. Levi is a very deep and insightful dude. He is also an amazing designer. Check out his clothing company Vursa Limited.  His tattoos are full of family bonds, symbols and  personal ties. It is interesting how graphic they are and what part of Levi they speak of.

The lions on his left arm, represent Levi and his younger brothers. Every lion has a flower with the color of their birthstone. It also represents growing up. They go from crazy to noble.

Levi’s  Alter Ego

This piece is now under construction. It is getting recolored. The outline was recently redone by Tim Knecht. There will be a second post for Levi when this is finished.

Tour Tattoos:

Europe

Australia

Here is a hint of who is going to be in this blog next week.

Thanks Levi!

Jerod is by far the most interesting goofball I’ve ever meet. He has a strong personality that reflects perfectly in his tattoos. His skin is a recollection of memories, moments and relationships that have made him the man he is. As he told me the stories behind his tattoos I started taking mental notes and this tumblr was born.

The small guy is not the weakest. This tattoo is a reminder that the big guy isn’t going to take advantage of the smaller one all the time. There are different and smarter ways to confront difficult situations.

Thanks Jerod!

The idea of this blog started of a very interesting conversation with Jerod Boyd, drummer of Miss May I. In a way I owe him the concept of this blog and whatever comes with it. One night we were having Chinese and talking about his tattoos, he told me stories of each one of them.  Some were funny, some were personal and others were meaningful. I believe that behind every tattoo there is a story and this is a blog where music fans can appreciate  a different perspective of their idol’s tattoos.

The first post goes to Jerod.

PS- Thanks for Medieval times dude!