“Rock and roll will never die,” the inscription beside a skull on one fourth grader’s shirt read. The full-body skeleton that held a flying-V electric guitar in his science classroom sparked an instinctual sketch on the blue-lined paper within his notebook only for the drawing to be torn from the spirals by his concerned teacher.
Cut to 2019 and Hoff, now a fourth-year art major at Georgia State who prefers to keep his full name undisclosed, creates his own T-shirts fit with original drawings that his fourth-grade teacher would likely send him to the principal’s office for.
Guitar player and merchandise designer for Upchuck, a local band described by Afropunk as a “new sound of garage punk,” Hoff aims to extend his full creativity in order to defy the ideology that had challenged his art in the first place.
Since playing their first show in November of last year at 529 Bar in East Atlanta Village, Upchuck has now performed 25 shows throughout the East Coast. Identifiable by their giant amplifiers and occasionally smashing their guitars on stage, they can also be recognized by Hoff’s unique, line-heavy style, greatly inspired by skateboard stickers and paraphernalia.
Whether an emblem of a middle finger vomiting with knives on the sleeves, or a cartoon boy, well, upchucking, Hoff wants to produce band-tees that he would have gotten in trouble for wearing at school when he was younger.
“Not to be edgy,” said Hoff, “but because I can do what I want now,” as a testament to artistic freedom.
Challenging the systemic ideals of high art as the most esteemed, Hoff explained his enthusiasm to be part of a movement bringing accessible art to the public through his shirts. The band-tees are not used for promotion.
Rather, Hoff wants to make the shirts for those that thoroughly enjoy the art represented. Similarly, the guitar player aims to separate his persona from his craft, allowing the work to speak for itself.
Hoff’s drive has always been motivated by music. Not raised on band culture, he sought out his personal music taste at the mere age of seven by playing any CD that he could find, noting that one of his favorite bands that has stuck with him from that time was Black Sabbath.
At 15, Hoff began photographing people playing music, leading him to develop relationships with local musicians and design cover art. He has since interned at Means Street Studio, founded by DJ Drama, creating merchandise and learning the ropes of recording as well.
Hoff encourages every student interested in pursuing a career in art to seek opportunities outside of classes.
“It’s important not to be indoctrinated too much by art school because there are professors who try to push their views on you,” he said. “I think they try to stop a lot of things that some people want to do and point them in a different direction.”
The fight against institutionalized perceptions of art from fourth grade to now just may prove the original mantra that rock and roll will never die.
