Greetings! The event I've chosen for this project is:

Ok Productions/Tight Bros. Present
Tame Impala
6/17/13
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA

1. The Event

I'll be doing a poster for Australian pysch-rock band Tame Impala. A great starter on their music is this track and video for "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards." Their music sounds like a throwback to pyschodelic of the 1960's and 70's and they're one of my favorite live acts and bands around currently.

There's many who have already artistically interpreted Tame Impala's sound. As a band, their identity is kept incredibly consistent with the help of artists Leif Podhajsky. You maybe have seen his work with a lot of other bands, but his work for Tame Imapala is incredible and perfectly speaks for the music it is representing.

Identity for Tame Impala's Innerspeaker by Leif Podhajsky

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 1 - student project

Identity for Tame Impala's Lonerism by Leif Podhajsky

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 2 - student project

Various video interpretations of Tame Impala tracks for music videos:

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 3 - student project

As you can see, they have a very consistent identiy and the videos and works that represent them really tap into a lot of pyschodelic elements. I've begun sketching ideas and gathering moods and inspiration, but I wanted to start here by giving a basic feeling of who Tame Impala is.

2. Research/Sketches

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 4 - student project

The above is a mood-board and inspiration board of sorts. When I get into style I'll be looking more to retro colors and styles, but to give you a good idea of what I'm feeling I included it here.

"The Party is in full swing with our hero in the middle of it - A million miles away" - Kevin Parker, Tame Impala

The concepts:
1. Voices
2. Isolation
3. Trying to Connect
4. Anxiety

Kevin Parker is trying to connect more than physical isolation with Tame Impala tracks. There's fear, anxiety, voices and noise. He disguises alienation and lonliness as pop music.

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 5 - student project
One thing that is apparent in Tame Impala songs are the unknown voices and overwhelming voices you hear in the tracks. I was trying to come to a visual that summed up the compliation of hearing so many voices. With this i'm playing with a silhouette imagery and people and voices filling a figure's head, or imagery of soundwaves or overwhelming talk bubbles. Some of these have been done artistically in many ways, but I'm trying to find my own take on it.

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 6 - student project Isolation is very obvious with Tame Impala tracks, not just because of the title Lonerism. The way I'd love to reach out to Tame Impala fans with this poster is almost by making the poster itself a question. Tame Impala fans will instantly notice Kevin Parker's trend for having songs that ask questions ("Why Won't They Talk To Me" and "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind") so I'd love to have a poster that felt like it was asking the viewer a question. I'm working with concepts around isolation being obvious on the composition, but even lonliness when everyone around you is on their connected device and you're not to what if you feel so lonely that even your shadow rejects you. The last of these sketches shows a top-down view of folks talking, being social and there is one guy who is alone. I'm trying to come up with a concept that pushes isolation beyond physical isolation.

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 7 - student project It feels like Kevin Parker is trying to connect to lots of different things in Tame Impala tracks, so this theme explores that; what objects are disconnected and looking for connection. A paper cup phone, a USB cord with a human face icon instead of a USB icon, and a synth connection left alone.

Tame Impala at Tabernacle on 6/17 - image 8 - student project
The last theme is Anxiety. You can feel it by the compositon of the tracks and the sounds used, but the lyrics as well. These two sketches explore different anxieties; the first is a bunch of pill bottles used to try and balance out someone, but instead of being normal bottles, they address weirder things (pills for going backwards, dealing with runaway houses, clouds etc) that would resonate with Tame Impala fans who know the tracks really well. The second sketch is a brain waves chart that would list brain activity for unnormal activity relating to Tame Impala tracks.

These are just started sketches, but I'm trying to find some good ideas here. If anyone has suggestions, or things I should explore, I'm all open.

Tim Lampe

Art Director

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