When BogusSlogan can play a gig in NY, they toss their everyday responsiblilties away. In this instance, BS cancelled a recording session with the 30 member Manadalla Spiritual Orchestra of ManaKai. They made amends by taking the whole troupe out to dinner at Prestos of Black Rust Canyon Beach, on their return to California.
The Silent Technology ConFab brings together, anyone who is working on removing mechanical noise from this Earth to compare notes, patents and processes. Afterwards the attendees break their own code with a music concert.
Opening acts included a doors cover band, The Carnival Dogs, who's specialty is recreating the famous Miami Concert. Blended Angels's lead singer, Kaci Rodgers, post concert party in her Brooklyn artists loft casued BS to miss their afternoon flight back to LA.
The poster's backdrop is a night view - looking into Central Park. Since the concert was off the cuff, the poster print run was only 250 and they were stacked in the lobby of the theatre as a souvenir to those who found them. 47 have been tracked down. Most have stickey tape residue on their corners. A recent public auction brought a price of $178.25.
Bogus Slogan Poster #18 - Inside View
Expressions: Pursuit of Money (2004)
Money and wealth...maybe a little power. The stuff of dreams. Pursuit of Money (2004) nicely represents the wonderful peer pressure we experience through out our lives. All of us collectively attached - collectively spaced to keep our identity. We gang up inside our cliques; working to best advance our interests. Our sanity instantly gratified through debt. So - Where's my Money?
Layer 1 uses David Nagel's series 6 brushes to develop an ethereal roughness for our community to float within. The PS polygon shape tool is used to generate dozens of entities (layer 2.) The same tool, at a different size, by subtraction, creates distortions in the shapes (layer 3). Different fills and patterns define our groups. In the final composition, another galaxy appears nearby, attracted by our aura of health.
At 6 feet by 4 feet, Expressions dominate any room they hang out in.
Of course now I see dozens and dozens of kites, lost underwater by three bright eyed children from... hmmm. Maybe an alien fleet converging on a gas nebula, tracking an enemy that just.. ahhh - Let's just look at the pretty painting and imagine for ourselves.
Bogus Slogan Poster #17 - Inside View
BSP #16 was used for the 2001 concert in Chicago. BSP #17 is a "softer" depiction of Faye from Cowboy BeBop. Her green eyes are sparkling & she seems very happy to see you - after all, she's pointing her gun with only one hand.
The Boys of Bogus Slogan believe in the ideal of a strong independent woman - so they chose the full frontal greeting of last week's poster. Only 15 of BSP #17 were printed. Three prints, used at the pre-concert staff meeting were shredded. Ten are in the archives of the Pacific Trust Collection of Laguna Beach. Two were smuggled out of ZenithPointStudio by ex-staff assistant Marcela, their whereabouts are unknown. Sheeesh. Not that independent.
Washes: Fluff in the Brain (2004)
Fluff in the Brain (2004) reminds me of a building with some wall advertisements, painted with dreamy hope and fresh capitol, now weathered.
Starting with David Nagel's chalk, charcoal and crayon Photoshop brushes (series 2 & series 13), I brushed a series of layers that merged (Layer 1) into a warm stucco wall which is losing control of its painted surface.
(Layer 2) gives an idea as to the original wall color. To show that rain & sun were effective in wearing away the paint, brushes (series 8) of purples, greens and pinks disguise, but do not destroy the sense of a center (Layer 3). A few more brush strokes around the edges completes this 9 foot x 6 foot wall of color.
It is human nature to apply a "meaning" to what we see. On a canvas - A face..a horse..dark things. Voila! Napoleon Bonaparte inspecting his troops.
_________________________________________________Washes are meant as an assault of color on your senses...
a physical distraction.
_________________________________________________
Bogus Slogan Poster #16 - Inside View
Women with guns - Ooooo - Women who know how to handle guns - Fanboy. Here's Faye from Cowboy Bebop. She is superb with firearms, a gambling spendthrift and is drawn/animated to perfection. She wants you to come to a Bogus Slogan Concert.
Uncredited on the poster are the "Sloganettes" from Chicago - Millie, Nicola, Mary, Janice & Elaine. Five singing angels. Bogus Slogan have used their vocal talents on every album since 1992. "Goof Me Up," is the title of the live album from this concert which has each girl performing her favorite BS song.
Pacific Trust Collection's Ninety-Seventh Annual American Natural Objects Competition
From over one thousand submissions in fifteen categories, the Pacific Trust Collection's executive committee has selected 105 artistic presentations for the Ninety-Seventh Annual American Natural Objects Competition gallery show. Exclusive to the installation, will be Joan Tolles' historic "Flash Runway" kinetic sculpture and Marco Torres' "lending" collages.
The 2006 ANO Competition Poster from ZenithPointStudio uses Robert Soelberg's Ruckus Amuckus (2006) digital graphic as its image centerpiece. This time, the ZPS logo is melting as it tries to absorb all the color it sees.
Admission to the gallery is free, but photography is not allowed. Cameras and cell phones must be checked at the courtesy desk.
Catalina Island 2006.02.07
Smoke from the fire in the Cleveland National Forest has been blown out to sea by the Santa Ana winds. The northern third of Catalina Island is obscured by the plume trail.
Bogus Slogan Poster #15 - Inside View
You can not find a bad angle to photograph the U.S.S. Missouri. Most modern battleships look top heavy. Older battleships were flatirons. The Iowa Class BB were drop dead gorgeous. BSP #15 shows that the girls like this fighting lady too.
BogusSlogan had completed a five month southern hemisphere tour of Australia, India, China...After a two week bachanal in Las Vegas, the Slogan began a four month assault of North America; ending with an October residency at the "Purple Wall" in Reno, Nevada.
The DownTown Seattle Capitol Theatre concert was filmed for possible play on television, but every network censor who screened the footage said no. Their loss.
Get the DVD.
CityView Gallery
Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, the CityView Gallery has hosted the aspirations of local, national and world artists for nearly a century of human expression.
The award winning gallery has provided a starting point for many emerging artistic movements. Recent successes include the "Color Recovery" school led by Swiss painter Olivia Alder; Joel Paige's "Urban Legacy" series and the beautiful atmospheres of Glendon Foss.
Beginning March 16, 2006, the Ninety-Seventh Annual American Natural Object Competition will open to the public. Exclusive to the installation, will be Joan Tolles' historic "Flash Runway" kinetic sculpture and Marco Torres' "lending" collages.
Admission to the gallery is free, but photography is not allowed. Cameras and cell phones must be checked at the courtesy desk.
SysOps Notice 2006.02.01
Stuart Davis (1892..1964) A part of America's transition from Form, Shape and Color, to self designed Form, Shape and Color. His descriptions of how he constructed his compositions made him a lovable, chain-smoking curmudgeon. I like his self-portraits. Davis, who painted his entire life, saw "Modern" art at the 1913 Armory Show of European artists in NY. By the mid 1920's, he had merged on to his new path. He lived a year in France (1928), and a father at 62.
Report from Rockport (1940)
Lucky Strike (1921)
He never knew fame (We know the names of others). But he was thoroughly recognized. And I think his answer following the question below, although not fully inclusive, properly states what an artist's motivation should be.
_________________________________________________-do you care what the so-called average man in the street thinks, or sees, of that painting?"
SD: "Not when I make it, but the more men in the street who enjoy it after I do it, well, the happier I"ll be..."
_________________________________________________
Garage no. 1 (1917)
Bogus Slogan Poster #14 - Inside View
Can you fall in love with eight hundred & eighty seven feet of armored steel. Nine 16" guns that can propel 2000lb+ projectiles over 20 miles. Drive through the ocean at 30+ knots. Has three, just as beautiful, sisters. I sure can. If any one ever makes a detailed plushy of the last American battleship, the U.S.S. Missouri, I'll buy it.
Since most humans love Peace ("Can't we all just get along"). And even the ones with hatred in their hearts love their Peace ("Your God is Insecure, Our God is Bogus Slogan™"). A tool like the "Mighty Mo" should not exist.
And though air power made this battleship obsolete before its keel was laid in January 1941 (read the fates of the Yamato and the Bismarck), the men and women of its crew used its war making capabilities to stop aggression for nearly fifty years. Thank you.
Here comes the launch; Bogus Slogan will make sure everyone has a good time.
Our Complicated World
Here is a lovely picture of a sunset over Goff Island, Laguna Beach, California. A man-made barrier prevents the ocean from surrounding this spit of land. In the Laguna Beach soap opera opening credits, a helicopter run over the island is used to show the beauty of the coastline. They got one thing right.
ZenithPointStudio placed this pic as a backdrop for a Bogus Slogan Concert Poster.
Vertex World Crime League
Vertex can be defined as "the highest point of something." In this case, the something is media promotions. All the mechanical things necessary to put on an event. Venue, play date, permits, stage crew... The Vertex World Crime League covers, clears & collects. In a world, where no one wants to be responsible, but will still attempt to skim or skirt; Vertex imposes it's corporate will. It's business records division is legendary. Go ahead, try them, we dare you, really. Dare.
Before a concert, VWCL doubles its onsite working staff, so that no problem goes unsolved. A staff attorney attends the performance. In all the years, Bogus Slogan has used the Vertex World Crime League, not one extra cent has been necessary. We love these peoples.
Bogus Slogan Poster #13 - Inside View
The "Jubilee" is one of the more rare of the Bogus Slogan posters. Raymond "Open Pockets" Barden promoted the concert with all the mis-mangagement capabilities you would expect from a pathological liar. The band, "A Truth Disguised," did not exist; "the Ragged Joy Boys" was a single musician named Blind Davey. "Problems with Duane" was an all girl semi-pro quintet that borrowed their instruments from Bogus Slogan.
As for the poster, ZenithPointStudio sent the separations to Barden's Kansas City "printer" - Wheelock Print & Pattern. When Terri, of the advance team went to pick them up, she found herself in a residential garage, 30 miles east. The printer did not "remember" the order. Three hours later, the templates were found, unopened, in a 55 gallon trash barrel at back of the property. Terri stopped crying.
With the payment lost in Barden's open pocket, Terri only had enough cash to afford the printing of 50 posters on a moldy cardboard rag, 7 still exist. The best condition is poor. The last public sale was in March 2005. Probable value: $215.
Pacific Trust Collection
As America began to fill in its physical spaces, an artist colony developed on the coastal edge of the Pacific Ocean. Later to be an incorporated city, Laguna Beach was home to a collection of artists who gained international fame depicting the California Region. Founded at the turn of the 20th Century, the Pacific Trust Collection of Laguna Beach originally was a small co-operative involved with local art promotion.
Starting in 1909, the PTC, organized the annual American Natural Objects Competition to expand the scope of artistic expression on the West Coast. The success of these events led the PTC to become a repository for artists, national and international. Works from all medias are procured and protected in the Pacific Trust Collection's museum quality archives. The PTC has continued as title sponsor, exclusively retaining ZenithPointStudio to create posters to publicize the ANOC.
Located in Laguna Beach's Capitol Building CityView Gallery, the American Natural Objects Competition is presented in the 8,000 sq. ft. A.R. Powell wing. The Pacific Trust Collection also maintains a permanent installation from their holdings in the CityView Gallery's main salon. Gallery hours are 10am - 4pm, Monday through Friday; 1pm - 5pm, Saturday; Gallery is closed Sundays. Admission is free, photography is not allowed.
Bogus Slogan Poster #12 - Inside View
Bogus Slogan's preferred method of travel is the railroad. In the early days, the band would rent a whole sleeper car from Amtrak, and like the Duke Ellington Orchestra, used the railcar as a central base in touring America & Canada. When abundant record sales and tour revenues arrived, the band assembled their own 7 car private train. All the band members lobbied for a steam engine, but the FRA said no.
The Jumping Puppets were on a BS playbill this one time only. Their lead singer, "Fledgling," planted his feet on either side of the microphone stand, began a slow circular sway of his hips, and warbled unintelligible lyrics, nonstop, for the next 35 minutes. His bandmates started and stopped their songs as best they could.
From the print run of 250 posters, 53 are known and registered. 75 "Southern Winter" posters burned in a delivery truck fire. The last public sale was in November 2005. Probable value: $325.
Bogus Slogan Poster #11 - Inside View
1967. San Francisco. The Filmore Auditorium. Bogus Slogan's setlist included "Good World Outside" for the first time. GWO, a 30 minute epic that left, anyone brave enough to dance, lying quietly on the floor. No encore was needed.
The poster uses the difficult to read HENDRIX font. "BrightHand" coloring (a ZenithPointStudio technique) brings a sheen to the lettering. Even in its original size, (27" x 40"), the viewer needed a minute or two to decipher the names of the bands. Bogus Slogan spent the summer of 1967 touring North America pursuing the hip ideal of "free love". Of course, they brought their own. Drummer Benjamin Owen met his first wife at the Denver, CO concert. The supporting bands were not signed to recording contracts. All were local SF bands, trying to make their music a success during the Summer of Love.
Of the original print run of 450 posters, only 83 are known to be in the hands of collectors. The last public sale was in July 2004. Probable value: $850.
Bogus Slogan Poster #11 - Inside View
Media, Marketing & Sales Growth; Politics, Spinning & Votes. Nothing new. Humankind has sought power, control & wealth from it's first steps. Bogus Slogan, the rock band, now that is new! Actually... the original members have been touring worldwide for over 40 years.
BogusSlogan.com is revisiting history, by pulling from the ZenithPointStudio archives, long treasured rock posters created to promote the band's concerts. Using cultural initiatives, these works of art were meant to get bodies through the door. Commercialism at its best. Each week another poster is uploaded. Come back to Physical Distractions for the inside view.
Music
At the end of 2004, long time friend from high school and fellow musician, Peter Day, gave me a homemade music CD. Combine that event with Apple's GarageBand loop based music software and I now had the inspiration and tools to create and record music without a traditional music studio. The first EP is Trial Balloon.
The second EP is Attractive Moments. Both are 30 minutes of adventure - rock & jazz & experiential instrumentals in nine individual songs. The musical results are complex sound collages that swing.
Abstracts
Abstracts - usually two feet by three feet - are color rhythms in a contained space.
Haven't Got a Worry (2004)
Black Pool, No Bottom (2004)
Such a Pill (2004)
Vibrant graphical images in motion.