In an industry rife with musical resumés that lunge from "local store clerk" to "television contest winner" and performers who rely more on their locks than their chops, ZO2 is a clearly a breath of fresh, rarefied rock air.
A hard-working power trio from Brooklyn, brothers Paulie (guitar) and David Z (bass)—together with percussionist Joey Cassata—are proof positive that talent can still count as they weave sonic tapestries reminiscent of fellow sibling revelers Robert and Dean DeLeo of STP infamy.
Such proficiency—particularly when coupled with connections from the members' professional pasts (Cassata has donned the Blue Man hue; David has held down the bottom for the Trans Siberian Orchestra; Paulie has lent his vocal pipes to song parodies used in The Howard Stern Show)—has already helped this ZO2 inflate its status to levels heretofore reserved for national, signed acts. They've opened for Kiss. Then hit the road with Poison.
Now, like the former's Gene Simmons and the latter's Brett Michaels, they're even branching off into the world of reality TV.
"Actually, it's called a 'hybrid,' a sort of loosely scripted Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Entourage for the Independent Film Channel, with actors," explains Paulie Z.
"Plus, Gene has Shannon and Brett's choosing from a group of beautiful women," adds Cassata. "I'm stuck with Paulie and David, so who's got the short end of the stick?"
True enough, Joey. But considering that your ZO2 is pouring into Chicopee's Maximum Capacity this Friday, Nov. 23 as the opening act for the ultra-female-friendly Jovi—the Bon Jovi Tribute—a considerable uptick in scenery is in store for you soon!
Since ZO2 has us opening the table of rock elements, the mighty Led Zeppelin is scheduled to fly again at the O2 Arena in London on Monday, Dec. 10. On the day of the announcement, a reported 70 million hit—and crashed—the Zeppelin website in the dash for some of the coveted 22,000 admission tickets. Local drummer/my new best friend Matt Chirsky (Darik & The Funbags, Livintrust) reports that he was one of the chosen few who scored a pair. "I didn't even bother at first, but then I was like, 'Ah, just register and see what happens,'" Chirsky chirps.
To hear the tale in his own words, catch Chirsky live Dec. 7 on WCCC 106.9's Six Concert Questions segment from 2-3 p.m.
I guess the other 69 million-plus of us will have to get our Zep fix at The Elevens (www.elevensmusic.com) this Saturday, Nov. 24 in the form of tribute act Presence… though maybe someone should call the fire marshal first and check on the room's occupancy limit.
Rounding out this installment's chemical cocktail, The Alchemystics and Running With Karma are still in the mix for the second season of Bodog's Battle Of The Bands television series. The two local (Bo)dogs in the sonic struggle enter the fifth stage of the nine-step process with live, judged performances at The Middle East in Cambridge Nov. 25 and 26, respectively.
As previously reported in this column, the Valley's own Fear Nuttin' Band did not win season one of the series. They did, however, make it to the finals and, based largely on their fan popularity, were later signed to Bodog Music in addition to victors Fall From Grace—an accomplishment they will celebrate with roots/reggae heroes Soja, Fall From Grace and former castmates Burndown Allstars at the Hippodrome on Friday, Dec. 7.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
