“RING IN THE NEW YEAR” POSTER
For ZamBamBooGee’s performance at the Pittsboro Roadhouse
and General Store’s 2012 New Years Eve Party, Pittsboro, NC
One of my favorite and most exciting graphic design projects
of 2012, coincidentally, came at that year’s culmination.
PITTSBORO ROADHOUSE
The newly reopened Pittsboro Roadhouse And General Store had
just that summer invited us to play for the grand reopening of their new
restaurant. (In fact, some thanks and credit should probably go to the keen ear
of local music Legend Tommy Edwards, who has been assisting this venue with
booking). For this momentous occasion and honor, I had also seen fit to concoct
a noteworthy poster (LINK)
SPECIAL INVITATION!
But now, via Tommy and the Roadhouse Crew, came another
special opportunity-
An invitation to come and play the coveted New Years Eve
party at the Roadhouse.
No doubt, such a nomination to herald in the New Year at the
newly reformed Pittsboro Roadhouse, with their good, food, staff and guests,
and our fans and music was such a great peach of an honor, that indeed it
certainly warranted a special poster to commemorate the event.
And for such a poster, I had just the idea….
A SOURCE FOR INSPIRATION
You see, we our band, ZBBG practices at the home of Bruce
and Sue Saunders, who regularly, graciously open their home to us.
And the halls of this home, indeed the very walls of it, are
‘encrusted’ in the jewels of Bruce Saunders’ making.
Since the 1960’s, Bruce has been creating mandalas that draw
the viewer in, and set them down in a state of inspiration and serenity. Bruce
used to hand draw and color these, and mount them on circular disks of wood,
and sell them on the streets of Berkeley, during the height, and right at the
epicenter of, the Cultural Revolution, which ripped through the West Coast 50
years ago (and has only just now arrived in Siler City…).
And, as he did some 50 years ago, Bruce still begins these
mandalas by hand.
Yet, now, changing with the times, Bruce has harnessed the
awesome power of the digital, just a twinkle in Steve Job’s eye in the 60’s
(probably around the corner).
And with this tool, Bruce weaves imagery of every kind into
his mandalas, the likes of which I have never seen. To get a peek, check out www.New Earth Gallery.com
As a regular guest at the Saunders’ household, I enjoy the
rare pleasure of getting to watch an ever-moving flow of these images pass
across the walls of their home.
I have been enamoured by my, and have really fallen in love
with a few.
One that really knocked my socks off, you sees on the poster
before you.
I’m not sure exactly when or how the idea came to me.
“RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR”
To me, the image was just so resonant. It seemed to be a
depiction of resonance and vibration itself.
And so it was this artwork that I wanted to use, as an
emblem for that which I thought we could offer to the people of Chatham County-
the chance to ceremoniously ‘Ring in the New Year”.
OUR LOGO
Part of the Challenge was getting our logo together.
This had been something that I had been developing for a
long time, really since we first decided on the name Zambamboogee.
I just started playing around with it, on paper, and it
really came almost instantly.
This logo got its very first chance to peek its head out and
shine at UCLACC.
After our long and cathartic gig there, once our many fans
had filtered on out the door,, Marj placed a heavy black permanent market in my
hand, and invited me to sign our name on the walls of that great institution.
Now, at that point in the evening, I thought that I was
pretty well wrung out of creative energy like a sponge. But with some high
spirited encouragement of my bandmates, I stood upon a chair, and proceeded to
lay that logo’s lettering out in its debut to the world. Jah Bless Marj and my
good bandmates, for what was, for me, one of the more glorious moments in my
graffitti career.
So, getting a hand drawn logo up on cinder block is one
thing. Getting it digitized and onto a poster another….
Stayed up late at Bruce and Sue’s
Of course, another part of the design process was obtained
all of the up to date information about the event from the Venue, as well as
their logo to use. Nicole and Amber were both great to work with in supplying
me with these.
It was a little bit of a challenge for me to place the
Roadhouse’s round logo in the black poster, as it has a square around it,
particularly as Photoshop is not my native program.
However, with Bruce’s help, I was able to devise a way to
cover this witeness, which in the end worked even better than I expected.
BUMPERSTICKER CHILLIN’s
Diane and Scotty took it a step further, and got bumper
stickers made.
POSTER AFTERMATH
Reputedly, this poster was coveted by storeowners such as
Tony Sullivan (of Sullivan’s Music, also on the circle) and (mostly deservedly)
Tommy Edwards, who helped to arrange the gig. I think that it is interesting
that musicians responded so strongly to Bruce’s image. I think I would chalk
this up to essence of it, which is the notion of vibration, which of course is
the material that musicians work in, the means by which they ply their trade.
(a visual communication by a musician (Bruce) that other musicians recognize?)
SELF AGGRANDIZEMENT
Speaking of plying trades, I need to take a moment to do a
little bit of self-agrandizement /promotion (isn’t that what you were already
doing? you might ask..).
Part of what I believe makes this event poster as strong as
it as (and coveted, and thus rembered), besides the use of Bruce’s strong
imagery, is the mating, the synthesis of
meaningful words and images, into conceptual whole, whose parts work well with
one another, and speak to their intended audience.
I think it is important to recognize this element of a good
design, as apposed to a bad design, which is conceptually somewhat jangled and
disjointed, and as a result, comes across as such.
This ‘robustness’ of concept; a seamlessness of words,
images and ideas, is what I am always striving for in graphic design. It is at
the pit of what I believe I hope to offer as visual communicator.
THE EVENT
Was a huge success. We managed to help the Roadhouse sell
out, and packed the house with ZBBG
and Roadhouse fans!
And we had a blast! We all really ‘Rolled out the barrel of
fun’! (as Joey Howell led us in singing).
Many thanks to the Roadhouse for hosting this party for the
community, and keeping it affordable! It was a night to be remembered!
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