Think of any battle of the bands contest (at least those here in Minnesota) and it's safe to say most of the bands playing will offer up their version of straightforward rock and nothing much different.
ZibraZibra, on the other hand, is quickly shattering that mold with their mix of electronic, '80s pop and hair metal, and it's no surprise ZibraZibra is the 2006 king – or maybe queen – of Radio K's Battle of the Underage Underground.
The band's live shows are a bouncy, flamboyant, entertaining affair. If lead singer Z's bright fluorescent shirts don't make you take notice, then the way he'll jump into the audience at a moment's notice probably will. ZibraZibra's live shows are filled with solid songs and a chemistry making them seem like they've been playing together for years, when in fact, they played their first live show back in February 2006. And the band members are all 18 years old and 2006 graduates of Perpich Arts High School.
ZibraZibra is Z (Neil Zumwalde), vocals, programming, guitar and synth; The Atomic Wolf (Aaron Baum), synth, bass and vocals; Vanilla (Henry Olavi Mikkonen), guitar and vocals; and McMayhem (Mitch McCarthy), synth and guitar.
Z discovered dorm roommates McMayhem and Vanilla at the same time; the two were harmonizing guitar lines, metal style.
"I found myself fascinated with their style, basking warmly in the cheese of it all," Z said. "I quickly realized Vanilla had a fascination with guitar heroes, such as Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai."
McMayhem, on the other hand, worshipped Jimmy Page, but found himself drawn into the mysterious world of synthetic sound, becoming a skilled circuit bender and keyboard player. The Atomic Wolf had a soft spot for classical cello and pursued it vigorously. He was also a member of Towers Thick Walls, a fiercely aggressive indie rock band signed to Afternoon Records. Z's primary influences include art pop bands such as the Animal Collective and Belle and Sebastian.
"At first, our styles didn't seem compatible, but trial after trial, we combined Motley Crue with Kraftwerk and finally found our sound: '80s hair/glam metal/techno/pop," Z said. "We had a sound we all agreed was unique and fun. It's a combination that in less than five months propelled us to being regarded by many as the 'band to watch.'"
The name ZibraZibra comes from a Greek phrase, "zebra zebra," which means just how it sounds – two zebras – but the band felt it had it a deeper meaning for them.
"We thought the imagery was appropriate. We see the zebras – two creatures of indiscernible sex – as a good metaphor for sexual ambiguity; it ties in nicely with our sexually deviant themes," Z explained.
In one of their songs, Z strongly shouts out "I'm gay." I asked Z about the band's sexual orientation and if there'd been any adverse affects since that proclamation.
"Homosexuality versus heterosexuality is a concept that will hopefully be obliterated in the future," he said. "In the meantime, we'll play on the audience's expectations, announcing that being gay is really fucking badass! Which members of ZibraZibra are gay? That's for us to know and for you to speculate about. As for homophobia, don't fuck with me – call me a fag and I'll kick your sorry, straight ass."
The live show is important to the band, but the music is equally important and they believe they couldn't put on the quality show they do without the music being good.
"Our live shows are outrageous because the narrative structure of many of our songs insists on being acted out with ferocious intensity, and the arrangement makes for concise songs to be mulled over and analyzed, or just danced to," Z said. "We've been criticized as being all show and no depth musically, but I'm certain our songs stand up on their own. Yes, our live show is important and we want people to have fun and remember us, but ultimately, ZibraZibra is what you make of it and we're leaving it up to you to decide whether the music or the show is better."
ZibraZibra's already played at First Avenue, released a CD and won three battle of the band contests. So what does the future hold as its band members head to college?
"We're all going to various colleges around Minnesota, so ZibraZibra will continue recording and playing. We'd operate best as a national act playing arenas rather than bars. That's not to say we don't like playing small venues, but we'd like to have the budget and fan base to perform outrageous stage acts and incorporate multimedia visual effects such as film, theatre, the cyber arts, dance and television into our stage show. Doing that could potentially conceptualize ZibraZibra far beyond the confines of the word 'band,'" Z said.
"But for now, we're starting small," he continued. "We just signed a record contract with local indie label Royalty Etc. Records and we'll be releasing a second LP spring 2007, then touring the country on our days off from school. Class of '06 fuckazzz!"
www.myspace.com/zibrazibra |
