5th Annual Ink n Iron Tattoo Festival

5th Annual

Ink-N-Iron-Festival

By C.A.

We knew we were in for quite an experience when we heard that the 5th Annual Ink-N-Iron Festival was set to take place on the Queen Mary.

For those of you who don’t know what the hell the Queen Mary is, it's a spit image of the mighty Titanic.

The event was loaded with activities, way too much to cover it all. There were live bands performing everywhere, a stage here, and a stage there, freaks and sexy women everywhere.

There were people with tattoos on their heads and faces. We even met a girl who claimed she had a tattoo on her lips….the ones down stairs!

The bands were cool, and so were the several hundred show cars parked on the dock. The angry sound of tattoo pistols and the scent of blood filled the air of the Queen Mary. The sight of sexy pain freaks getting tats was interesting as well.

We met a guy named Ernie Belmonte of Santa Ana California. He had some of the nicest tattoos we’ve seen in a while.

He informed us that they were done by Jose Lopez, the owner of Lowrider Tattoo. Lowrider Tattoo really knows their shit.

Then we came across a familiar face in a tattoo booth along the way. It finally dawned on us that it was Paul Stottler, guitarist of the awesome band, The Invisible Humans. Those cats were at Musink Tattoo Festival a couple months back, and they impressed us enough we just had to feature their band. It turns out not only does Stottler know how to handle a guitar but he also knows how to sling ink. In fact he rolls with the artists of True Tattoo.

Well the buzzing sound of all of those tattoo pistols in action started making our ears ring so we decided to head outside for a breath of fresh air.

That’s when we came across this really attractive baby doll dressed as a sailor. Well she ended up reeling us in with her catchy eyes and jazzy smile. She told us her name was Lady Vampira, a pin-up girl for Pinup Angels.com.

Enjoy.

Tattoo Quotes

Enjoy!

I always look for a woman who has a tattoo. I see a woman with a tattoo, and I’m thinking, okay, here’s a gal who’s capable of making a decision she’ll regret in the future. -- Comedian Richard Jeni

I wouldn't care if they tattoo Festus all over. He's been good to me.
Ken Curtis - American singer and actor best known for his role as "Festus Haggen" on CBS' long-running western drama, Gunsmoke, which he portrayed from 1964 to 1975.

"You put a tattoo on yourself with the knowledge that this body is yours to have and enjoy while you're here. You have fun with it, and nobody else can control (supposedly) what you do with it. That's why tattooing is such a big thing in prison: it's an expression of freedom—one of the only expressions of freedom there. They can lock you down, control everything, but 'I've got my mind, and I can tattoo my body—alter it my way as an act of personal will.' " DON ED HARDY

The only difference between a tattooed person and a person who isn't tattooed is that a tattooed person doesn't care if you're tattooed or not.
(Sign often seen in tattoo shops)

Beauty is skin deep. A tattoo goes all the way to the bone.
Vince Hemingson