The Zeros are an American
punk rock band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
, formed in 1976 in
Chula Vista
Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popul ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The band was originally composed of
Javier Escovedo (younger brother of
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including punk ...
, older brother of
Mario Escovedo of
The Dragons) on vocals/guitar and Robert Lopez (later known as
El Vez
Robert Alan Lopez (born 1960),"El Vez", ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture'', Thomson Gale 2005–2006reproduced online at BookRags.comand accessed online 28 April 2007. better known by his stage name El Vez, is an American singer-songwrit ...
) on guitar, who were both attending
Chula Vista High School
Chula Vista High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in Chula Vista, California. Founded in 1947, it is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District.
History
Chula Vista first opened in the summer of 1947, operating out of a tempor ...
; Hector Penalosa, (bass), and Baba Chenelle, (drums), who attended
Sweetwater High School. Sometimes compared to
the Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
, the band was considered a pioneer of punk rock on the West Coast.
Biography
In 1977, The Zeros played their first major gig in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
at the
Orpheum. Opening the show was the first performance by The
Germs, followed by The Zeros and then
The Weirdos
The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and bright ...
. The gig was promoted by
Peter Case
Peter Case (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His career is wide-ranging, from rock n' roll and blues, to folk rock and solo acoustic performance.
Biography
Early career
Case was born in Buffalo, New York, B ...
of
The Nerves
The Nerves were an American power pop trio formed in 1974 and based in Los Angeles, California featuring guitarist Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins. All three members composed songs and sang. They managed an internation ...
, who later served as the
frontman
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
of The Breakaways and
The Plimsouls
The Plimsouls are an American rock band known for their hit single "A Million Miles Away" which was featured in the movie ''Valley Girl''.
History
The band was formed in Paramount, California in 1978. They recorded two full-length albums and an ...
. The Zeros' first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
release, "Wimp" b/w "Don't Push Me Around", was released in 1977 on
Bomp! Records.
In 1978, Penalosa left the band briefly to live and play in Los Angeles, and was replaced by Guy Lopez, Robert Lopez's brother. Soon after, Robert left to live in Los Angeles as well, and his brother quit the Zeros. Penalosa rejoined the band and they continued as a
trio, and eventually relocated to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. In March 1979,
UK music magazine ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' reported that "punk riots had come to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, when Los Angeles police broke up a Zeros' gig at Elks Hall."
In 1980, the band
recorded a new single, including the songs "They Say That (Everything's Alright)," "Girl on the Block" and "Getting Nowhere Fast." After more
touring that led to
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, the band fizzled out.
The band is infamous for playing an entire set consisting of eight replays of "Beat Your Heart Out" in San Francisco.
In 1995, the band resurfaced with a new album, ''Knockin' Me Dead''. More recently, the Zeros reunited to tour in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
in early 2007. All four members reunited again for a short West Coast tour that began in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
in June 2009. In October 2010, The Zeros embarked on a short tour of the East Coast.
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of songs by The Zeros have been released by amongst others
The Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...
,
Mono Men
The Mono Men were an American garage punk band, based in Bellingham, Washington. Their sound contained elements of grunge (distortion-heavy guitars, sneering vocals), but the Mono Men filtered these through a mimicry of 1960s Washington proto-p ...
,
The Nomads (Swedish band)
The Nomads are a Swedish garage punk band founded in 1981 by Hans Östlund, Nick Vahlberg, Joakim Tärnström, and Ed Johnson. Today, Östlund and Vahlberg are the only members left of the original line-up.
The band plays music influenced by th ...
("Wimp"), Brazilian band Periferia S.A. (Reality),
Wednesday Week
"Wednesday Week" is the seventh single released by the Undertones. The song was written in December 1979 by the band's rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter, John O' Neill, during a Christmas break the band had taken while recording their ...
("They Say That Everything's Alright"),
The Muffs
The Muffs were an American pop punk band based in Southern California, formed in 1991. Led by singer and guitarist Kim Shattuck, the band released four full-length studio albums in the 1990s, as well as numerous singles including "Lucky Guy" and ...
("Beat Your Heart Out"), and the Swedish band
Sator ("Black and White").
Discography
Singles
*1977 - "Wimp" b/w "Don't Push Me Around" -
Bomp! Records
*1978 - "Beat Your Heart Out" b/w "Wild Weekend" - Bomp!
*1980 - "Getting Nowhere Fast" b/w "They Say That (Everything's Alright)" -
Test Tube Records
*1992 - "I Don't Wanna" b/w "Li'l Latin Lupe Lu" -
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' LP ...
*1992 - "Bottoms Up" b/w "Sneakin' Out" - Rockville
*1994 - "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" b/w "Knockin' Me Dead" (acoustic) - Munster Records
*1995 - "Yo No Quiero" b/w "Siamese Tease" - Munster Records
*1995 - "Black 'n' White" b/w "Pushin' Too Hard" - Planet of Noise Records
*1998 - "You, Me, Us" b/w "Talkin'" - Penniman
*2010 - "Mainstreet Brat" b/w "Handgrenade Heart" -
Last Laugh Records
EP's
*1989 - "The Zeros" -
Munster Records
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
- 4 tracks 7" vinyl
Albums
*1991 - "Don't Push Me Around" - Bomp! - collection of rare and live tracks
*1994 - "Knocking Me Dead" - Rockville - also released in Spain / Munster Records
*1995 - "Over the Sun" - Imposible - live recording
*1999 - "Right Now!"
- Bomp! also released in Spain / Houston Party, Germany / Empty Records
Compilation appearances
*1993 - "Don't Push Me Around" - ''We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79)'' (
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
)
See also
*
Latino punk
Latino punk is punk music created by Latino people in Latin America and the United States. The angst and protest qualities of punk music and style have had a strong appeal to Latino youth in the U.S., and to the people in Latin America. It is im ...
*
The Dils
The Dils were an American punk rock band formed 1976 and active until 1980, originally from Carlsbad, California, and fronted by the brothers Chip Kinman and Tony Kinman. They appeared as the second act in the "battle of the bands" sequence i ...
*
Battalion of Saints
Battalion of Saints was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, that was founded in 1980.
The band went through numerous lineup changes before touring the United States and Canada from 1984–1985 with George Anthony, Chris ...
References
External links
The Modpopunk Archives*Chris Ziegler
"The Zeros: One of my Proudest Moments Ever" ''
L.A. Record
''L.A. Record'' is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In Mar ...
'', July 16, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeros, The
Punk rock groups from California
Musical groups from San Diego
Musical groups established in 1976
1976 establishments in California
Musical quartets