William Schaff

William J. Schaff Jr. is an artist and musician based in Providence, Rhode Island. He is known for artwork for the bands Okkervil River, Songs: Ohia, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Our Hands Have Been Used for Killing, My Lord by William Schaff. Scratchboard.

Art

Much of Schaff's art deals with debt and loss, as well as the consequences of, and responses to, human violence. Stories from the Old Testament and scenes from The Holocaust are recurrent in his art. Schaff works in paintings, drawings, collages, scratchboards, mail art, motion pictures, and comics.

A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Schaff has exhibited and lectured at numerous institutions, including the United States Air Force Academy, the Rhode Island School of Design, Amherst College, and East Carolina University.

Magnolia Electric Co. by William Schaff, for the Songs:Ohia album of the same name.

Music-Related Art

Schaff is a prolific artist for musicians and is best known for producing all the art for the Jagjaguwar releases of Okkervil River. He was the subject of Pitchfork's "Take Cover" feature in 2009. In 2012, a book of Schaff's artwork, featuring introductions by John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and Darren Jackson of Kid Dakota, will be published by Graveface Records. It will include a vinyl recording of previously unreleased songs by Jason Molina.

Art Discography

• 2011 Okkervil River, Your Past Life As a Blast, 7"
• 2011 Okkervil River, Rider, 7"
• 2011 Our Orthodox, We Are Not the Only Ones
• 2011 Okkervil River, Wake and Be Fine, 7"
• 2011 Brown Bird, Salt for Salt
• 2011 Okkervil River, Mermaid, 12"
• 2011 Kid Dakota, Listen To The Crows As They Take Flight
• 2011 Okkervil River, I Am Very Far
• 2011 Our Orthodox, Our Orthodox
• 2010 Monster Movie, Everyone Is a Ghost
• 2010 Dreamend, So I Ate Myself, Bite By Bite
• 2009 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Pin Points and Gin Joints
• 2008 Okkervil River, Lost Coastlines, 7"
• 2008 Kid Dakota, A Winner's Shadow
• 2008 Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
• 2007 Okkervil River, The Stage Names
• 2006 Okkervil River, Overboard & Down, EP
• 2006 Monster Movie, All Lost
• 2005 Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy Appendix
• 2005 Dreamend, Maybe We're Making God Sad and Lonely
• 2005 Okkervil River, For Real (There's Nothing Quite Like the Blinding Light)
• 2005 Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy
• 2004 Gravenhurst, Black Holes in the Sand
• 2004 Kid Dakota, The West Is the Future
• 2004 Sharron Kraus, Songs of Love and Loss
• 2003 Gravenhurst, Flashlight Seasons
• 2003 Kitchen Cynics, Parallel Dog Days
• 2003 Kid Dakota, Get Her Out of My Heart, 7"
• 2003 Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, Every Man for Himself and God Against All
• 2003 Okkervil River, Down the River of Golden Dreams
• 2002 Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, Bent at the Waist
• 2002 Okkervil River, Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See
• 2000 Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
• 1999 Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, May You Dine on Weeds Made Bitter by the Piss of Drunkards

Music

Schaff led two acts as vocalist and songwriter, Reformation and Noel the Coward, and was part of the musical ensemble I Love You and I Miss You. He also played guitar and percussion with The Eyesores, The Iditarod, and Black Forest/Black Sea. He now performs as the drumming ape “Dead Chop Chop” in the What Cheer? Brigade.

External links

• The Artwork of William Schaff.
• What Cheer? Marching Band.
• "About the Artist: William Schaff" from Austin Chronicle.
• "William Schaff - Lift Yr Skinny Fists" an interview in Stylus Magazine
• "Under the Covers" from Stylus Magazine
• "Unsettling Images/Artist's Images of Holocaust Horror Aim to Arouse" from The Gazette (Colorado Springs).
• "An Electric Turn with Literary Pop" Schaff's cover art for Okkervil River discussed in a Boston Globe article.
• "Take Cover: Will Schaff". December 2009 interview with Schaff on Pitchfork Media.