ZAMBAMBANNER

This past week, I found/stole some time to make a banner for a wonderful band I play with, ZamBamBooGee.

I had come up with the logo design, right after we had chosen the name, which comes from an obscure Afro-American beatnik poem from the early 60’s, according to bandmate/bassist Bruce.

I didn’t have a particular brand identity in mind when drawing the logo, at least not quite consciously; I just started sketching, and this is what I came up with. I like it though, for a number of reasons.

When we played at UCLACC in February, I was invited by the owner, who placed a sharpy in my hand, to ceremoniously sign the wall with our bands name. Of all 10 of our collective hands, how had she know to put in this one? Thus, for the first time, this logo had its chance to be boldly born across that wall, 8 parts tactical assault, 2 parts scrawl.

And with our outdoor gig coming up to kick off the DownTown Sounds In Siler City 3^rd Friday Concert Series, and rumors of UNC TV’s plans to broadcast it, I thought this seemed like an opportunity not to be missed, for exposure, and just who to do the job than a banner.

My first step was to transpose/sketch the logo out on the back of an older banner I had scavenged years ago in Durham. I had since primed its surface with a light grayish purple, for the purpose of a face painting banner.

Sketching this logo design flowed very easily. Its funny, I guess I must have worked out most of its kinks during previous sketches, because it just flows so naturally from my hand. For me, at least, there is a very strong sensual component that has been worked out, by the hand, through the human body. And I wonder of this translates visually to others, as it does to me…

Once all of the edges and contours had generally found themselves on the format of the banner, it was time to take the leap, and cut them in in paint.

To begin, I layed in the black background. I was not completely commited to an all black background. In future incarnations, I might like to play with a little more depth and texture, sort of a washed out tan/sepiaed feel. But for this situation, I was on a tight deadline, and the black background seemed like the sureset bet.

My next move was to paint in the green bamboo. This required quite a bit of experimentation to achieve the dusky blue/grey/greens of bamboo culms, while also keeping the fresh lush green hue. Using several different tones, and colors to lend the pole the feel of roundness, I think I was finally able to strike a balance of the subtle color characters.

However, my gratifying seeming-virtuosity in giving the bamboo culm its cylinderic depth came back to haunt me later, when I added the letters on top of it. The varied background became just to busy to make the lettering very legible.

My next step was to go ahead and lay in the lettering in white.

My final destination color was to be a neon orange that I had pilfered from a closing Hungates sale (RIP). However, I knew that in order for this orange to truly sing its siren song, it would need a stage of white to perform from.

Laying in this white was gratifying, to see the letters take shape.

I found that painting white ontop of the black was much more fulfilling, than its opposite approach of cutting back in on the white, which I eventually had to do. It was just more difficult to achieve a full and natural roundness, and grace to the curves, cutting back in this way, perhaps not surprisingly.

However, I also found that it can be dangerous to be too zealous with this white underpainting, particularly ontop of the varied and complex surface of  the bamboo…

For my next step was to go ahead and lay in this bright orange color on top of the white. And while it did sing dutifully,

every edge where I shyied back with the orange from too-plump and blustery of a white underpainted edge, I was left with a screeching white line, that clawed at my eyes, and my knowledge that I would need to come back in with various shades of green. And remixing these shades, on such a tight time line was a daunting and costly mistake.

For the Z, I attempted a similar approach, laying in an orangy yellow, on which to spread some gold paint. However, after I had painted a sizable section of the Z with this orange, I discovered that the gold would not infact shimmer from this platform, but rather shrink into it, and I knew that I was doomed..for now the bright orange, and strong willed Z was competing with the neon orange lettering, and disharmony ensued..

So, with dwindling time on the clock, and juggling all sorts of band issues, I finally made the decision to return the Z to the light grayish purple it had incedentaly begun as, realizing that in fact, its subdued hue was its strength in the balance of the design, tempering the strength of the Z’s serpentine writhing.

I will continue to develop this banner, and this design. I might even enlist the superpowers of cohort/Muralist/Colorist extraordinaire, Stayce Leanza, for her two cents.

As Stacye smartly explained to a fan at the concert last night, it’s a work in progress, and thus, at every show, she can observe its transformations.

Sounds like a good model to me.

 And knowing Stacye, this things going to get a lot more colorful!

We did decide the banner, even in its unfinnished state.
The Gig was a BLAST!, and I am glad that we had a name to go with it, perfect or not.

In fact, a picture of the band made it into the Chatham News, and what was emblazoned right across the background, behind my bodacious bandmates? Da Banner, bearing our bequeethment. bedumdum. Well, that was a well invested(and rewarded) stretch of artistic capital!

 Here are a few shots I snapped from behind my drums, in the final minutes of set up, before we launched in to what was to be 2+ beautiful ours of music, humor, passion and ravenous dancing in downtown Siler City!

Rocker JoVonboogee

ZambamBruji

Studious Scooterzamboogee

and here, finally, is our lord, our Savior in action, Soundman ZambambooGeo

with ZambamBanner in background!

A priceless evening captured!
ZamBamBanner in Action in Siler City!
This striking image is courtesy of Suzanne White,
who creates visually arresting artwork from photos!
She sure makes us and our banner look and feel like rock stars!
Thanks Suzanne!