ZO2 - Showz 7-9
*
1/26/07: The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
By David Z
Ugh is all I can say. Not about the show but about the way I felt. I came down with a serious stomach virus the morning of the show and couldn't shake it until a couple of days later. I was uncomfortably playing the entire show with stomach cramps and nausea. I was out of breath every time I sang and felt like I was going to faint every time I moved; neither is conducive to putting on a killer rock show. I felt a little better later when the fans told me they couldn’t even tell that I was ill (well, at least my ego was better). After the show, I sought refuge in the upper part of the club where I got to lay down on the floor while listening to Facelift (the Alice In Chains tribute) play their set.
I want to make a special note about one of our fans who was in attendance that night. She was a devout ZO2 fan who traveled time and again to see us perform. Distance never mattered, we'd always look out and there would be a good chance that she would be in the audience cheering us on. Her name was Donna and sadly that was the last time we saw her. She passed away a few days later. We will all miss her. She had a lot of spirit and it is a great loss to the ZO2 family. In her last days she made a point of telling me that she wasn’t going to let her illness get the best of her.
“Your time’s unknown, so start living”: we wrote it but she taught us about living it. Donna, we'll think of you every time we sing that line.
*
1/27/07 - ZO2's Rock Asylum - Arlene's Grocery, NYC
By Paulie Z
What can I say - the greatest rock show on earth! Well, maybe in NYC at least. I always look forward to these shows because, to me, they truly embody the spirit of rock n' roll and a brotherhood between bands. Being the first Rock Asylum of the year and our first NY show since October, I knew that it would be an explosive night, but it was even better than I had expected!
The night started off with a band called KILL VAN KULL. A newcomer from Staten Island, this band just killed on stage (no pun intended). They successfully captured the classic rock sound (they even had a sax player - nice touch!) and really got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the night.
Next up was DADDY. The bass player in this band is an old friend of mine and was in a band with me before ZO2. Since they are currently looking for a new drummer, they played the show with a drum machine. I must admit I was skeptical, but let me tell you - they pulled it off. Their sound is a bit different from all the other bands that were on the night, but it somehow worked. They have a distinctive vibe that's hard to describe.
After their set came one of the highlights of every Rock Asylum show: BELLYESSENCE. It's amazing how much positive feedback I get for deciding to incorporate belly dancers into the show. And, after that performance, the crowd was definitely pumped up and ready for ZO2. We played a solid 60 minute set chock full of ZO2 classics and music from the new CD and the crowd seemed to love every minute of it. The room was alive and bursting with energy. What an amazing "welcome home" for us!
The rest of the night included a tantalizing burlesque performance by newcomer, Dazie Tomatoes (gotta love that name), as well as two hard-hitting sets by our Asylum regulars, Feff and Receptor - the night wouldn't be complete without them.
It was a great night as usual. We always enjoy these shows and I strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't been to a Rock Asylum show to "get up now" and get your ass over there! I don't care how far you have to travel, it's well worth the trip. It's the greatest show on earth - oops, I meant "in NYC" - because I can probably be sued for using that line, can't I?
*
2/1/07 - Cousin Larry's, Danbury, CT
By Paulie Z
This show was a little odd because it was a Thursday night and all the bands on the bill were out of town bands. An unusual choice for a local bar on a weeknight. From the start, we knew it would be an off-night. First, the girl who booked the night wasn't there so the staff had no idea who was playing and what time slot had been assigned to each band. This was bad because, naturally, all three bands wanted the middle spot at 11 pm. According to the confirmation e-mail I got it was supposed to be our spot. As I didn't think to print out an e-mail and bring it along, there was no way to prove anything. In the end we worked it out and since pretty much all the people in the place were there for ZO2, we got to play at the time we wanted. The next thing that threw me off was the fact that the sound man didn't want me to use my in-ear monitors. He felt his floor monitors were good enough. He was such a nice guy that I figured I'd try it his way, but something told me that I was making a mistake. Sure enough, as we were sound checking, I quickly realized that the monitors were not good enough so I insisted that he use my in-ears instead. That made all the difference in the world. I was singing my butt off while poor Dave and Joey couldn't hear anything they were singing. I have to have good sound to do what I do best. I guess I'm a little spoiled but, hey, I think you should do whatever is necessary to create the best performance possible. Don't you?
In the end, though it wasn't the best of circumstances, we did get to see our friends and fans and, as always, it was well worth the trip and trouble for that alone. The clubs can be rat holes and the sound can give us trouble but as long as our fans are there, it's a good gig for us. And we hope it's always a good gig for them too. Thank you everyone for coming out for a late gig on a weeknight.
*
Stayed tuned for next week’s journal.
SAME Z TIME…SAME Z CHANNEL…OR LINK FOR THAT MATTER!!!