The Independents Day Fest

This weekend (Saturday) we will be participating in the annual Independents Day Festival held on Gay street in downtown Columbus. We will have some super sales going on so come visit our booth and pick up some swag for ten bones! We will have what is left of our Spring/Summer 09 line avaliable, and once this stuff is gone, it ain't comin back. We got's to make room for that hot new fresh Fall/Winter '10 line that's bouts to drop on October 9th. Here are some more deets about the show this weekend:

Music on three stages by:

Gay Street Stage
12 p.m. - Andy Shaw Band
1 p.m. - Bush League All Stars
2 p.m. - Burglar
3 p.m. - Moon High
4 p.m. - Brain Double
5 p.m. - You're So Bossy
6 p.m. - Sick Thrills
7 p.m. - Church of the Red Museum
8 p.m. - The Patsys
9 p.m. - The Lindsay

Pearl Alley Stage
12:30 p.m. - LES Crew
1:30 p.m. - Shin Tower Music
2:30 p.m. - Couch Forts
3:30 p.m. - Blastronauts
4:30 p.m. - Moondrones
5:30 p.m. - Floatation Walls
6:30 p.m. - Six Gallery
7:30 p.m. - D Rob
8:30 p.m. - Tin Armor
9:30 p.m. - Karate Coyote

Lynn Alley Stage
12:15 p.m. Mono to Mono
1:15 p.m. Vug Arakus & The Stallions
2:15 p.m. Available Light Theater Company
3:15 p.m. Old Worlds
4:15 p.m. Make Ready the Fleet
5:15 p.m. Curtis Cole
6:15 p.m. Super Desserts
7:15 p.m. Maza Blaska

go to www.thisisindependent.com for further details!

Frequently Asked Questions...

Umm...WTF is a Choonimal?

Choonimals are our own brand and creation of animals/creatures/abominations from an otherwise normal animal kingdom. Every one has fangs, eyes more crooked than Don Vito, and sometimes a spiked, sparkler-looking tail. They all look rabid and ravenous, but somehow still cute enough to share a pillow with.

When did all this start?

Most of us in Choonimals grew up together. We've known each other since 5th grade, some even before that. We started drawing these things in High School to pass time in class, make each other laugh, and entice our teacher's anger. At one point, they were taped all over the classroom walls because Drew and Matt said they couldn't do their homework unless the Choons were on the wall. Their teacher said to Drew's face, "I don't like you".

Where did the name "Choonimal" come from?

Again, during High School, we all went out to lunch together. One day we were at Arby's and their was an old lady taking our order and her name was "Choon". Drew thought it was hilarious, so the next time we drew one of these animals, we called it a "Choonimal". Seriously though. That's what happened.

What's with all the Sharpie™ marker tattoos you guys give out at your events?

So after High School we discovered girls and forgot about our little creatures for almost 3 years. Then one day during a hazy daze, we found an old birthday card Matt and Drew made for Chris out of cardboard with Choonimals all over it. We nailed it to our bathroom wall as a reminder, and every so often while we were partying, we would grab markers and draw Choons on people. It started happening on the regular, and pretty much blew up at a huge outdoor festival in college. We had LINES of complete strangers waiting for us to draw Choonimals on them. The marker tattoos we do at festivals are homage to that, as are all of our actual Choonimal tattoos (the kind that don't wash off).

Why did you decide to start a clothing line?

Honestly, a clothing company was one of the last pieces of the Choonimal puzzle. When most companies decide to start a clothing line, they first pick a name, then a theme (or vice versa), and roll with it. We did it completely backwards. We already had our creation, and a name for it. A clothing company was just our way of sharing Choonimals with the rest of the world.

Who draws all the Choonimals?

We all take our turns drawing them on people at events (except Alex because one time he drew a bat and it looked like a stealth bomber so we banned him from using our markers), but all of the designs for Choonimals Clothing Co. are drawn by Chris. Every design is an original piece of artwork that transcends from his sketchbook to your shirt.

What type of material do you guys print on?

All of our clothes are printed on American Apparel™ (AA). We are very conscious about where our clothes come from, and the means by which they are made. AA is in our mind, the ONLY option for us. It's all made sweat shop free, right here in the U.S. We could be making a lot more money by printing on low quality clothing, but supporting and encouraging fair work environments is more importance to us than any dollar amount you can throw. And yea it helps that all of AA's clothing feels like kissing clouds.

Any more questions? Anyone? Anyone? Email them to chris@choonimals.com

Choonimals 2 Year Anniversary

We are finalizing all the details for our 2 year anniversary, and wanted to let you know what's going on. On October 9th, 2009 we will be celebrating with Josh Fitzwater and the Shambles, Six Gallery and The Pinkertones, a Weezer tribute band playing songs from the Pinkerton and Blue albums at the Ravari Room here in Columbus, Oh. We also will be debuting our Fall/Winter line for 09/10! This will be your first chance to get some brand new Choons before anyone else. Check the flier for more details:

Skreened

Some dudes of ours in Columbus have this fantastic site called Skreened. They make all kinds of original printed t-shirts, and are making some very limited, custom Choonimals shirts. You can go to our profile page, www.Skreened.com/choonimals and pick from one of the three designs we currently have available. You can then customize what garment you would like it on:


These are just a few of the options you would have for our batty shirt. Our designs will change every month, so don't wait too long before these go extinct.

50% off Labor Day Snail

ALOHA! Fall is quickly approaching, our 2 year Chooniversary is on the horizon, and some new Choons are on their way. We will release our Fall/Winter line on October 9th 2009 at an epic bash in the Ravari Room in Columbus, Ohio (PINKERTONES ARE PLAYING!!!), and to make a little room in our cave and add some clothes to your bag for school, we will have a 50% off sale of all our spring items for LABOR DAY WEEKEND WOO WOO YAHHHH! Starting TODAY, all of this years spring items will be 50% off! And after this weekend, all of these items will be 25% off until October, so if you want the best bang for your boomerang, stock up on Choon gear now!! I also would like to point out that once these sale shirts are gone, they are gone forever! For-ev-er, forrrrr-evvvv-errrrr, forever!