Z.O.N.K.

Artist Information

Biography

Breaking out of the Bay Area as tour support for Concrete Blonde, the B-52's, De La Soul, Lyrics Born and The Pharcyde, Z.O.N.K.'s unique sound endears them to a fanbase as eclectic as the band itself: club owners, video gamers, stadium sound teams, rock legends and concert-goers from rock, hip-hop, electronic, and pop shows have all joined the legion of ZONKaholics.

This tribe has undergone quite a transformation since it�s beginnings�a story of diversity, drama, love, and serendipity. In 1999, Nic McFiendish, a singer/writer/drifter from Detroit whose claims to fame are a radio past, sharing a family tree with Edgar Allan Poe, and once judging at the annual Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, founds Z.O.N.K. with Uncle Bergie, a renaissance kid from Napa who developed his unique music style and eccentric sense of humor studying harmonica in Moscow, guitar in Sydney, and bass in Oakland.

Starting out as a funk/punk outfit inspired by groups like Funkadelic, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Brown, Beastie Boys, and Rage Against the Machine, McFiendish's onstage antics, powerful voice, and surprising lyrics land the group attention (MTV uses their music on episodes of �Undressed,� and Nic�s image ends up alongside folks like Perry Farrell at an SF gallery show), and Bergie�s charm keeps the panties flying onstage. Eager to capture the raw energy of their live shows, they record To Play Is To Win live at San Francisco's Radical House Studios and release it on Uncle Bergie's Mission Underground Records in 2000.
At the turn of the millennium, the two founders are fiending to create a more hybrid sound, so they court Red5�a Vallejo B-Boy turned DJ�for his eclectic turntable style and knack for humming catchy hooks and grooves. He joins on as Z.O.N.K. continues to pay their dues on the Northern California circuit while writing what will become the next album. It�s a period fraught with tension as the three amigos begin to take the group in a new direction to the displeasure of the other band members.

At the end of 2001, McFiendish has a random encounter on the internet. She starts talking music with someone named Dave L who claims he is a music producer. She heavily researches him and finds that, in fact, he is an experienced electronic music producer and sound designer (not to mention a gifted guitarist), having worked on over thirty titles ranging from music releases to video games, indie films, commercials, and live theater. After years of studio work, stints with various L.A. and San Francisco bands, and some solo electronic music releases, Dave L secretly desires to produce and write and perform with another band�destiny, perhaps?

Just as McFiendish and Dave fall madly in love, conflicts in the group reach a peak, members exit, and the remaining trio decide to continue on without a drummer. Tongue in Cheeks (Mission Underground, 2002) is released as McFiendish and Dave's bond becomes one of soulmates and writing partners. Dave expresses interest in working with the gang, and a new era of Z.O.N.K. begins. He produces beats to incorporate into their live show and performs with them (starting on bass and soon moving over to guitar and keys). The lovebirds marry and continue writing together, unsure of what they're going to do with the material, because it's so different from the band's previous music. But Bergie and Red5 dig it, and they all spend 2003 crafting new songs, as Dave and McFiendish launch their new production company/indie record label, Harmony Machine, and new life.

In January 2004, Z.O.N.K. releases Our Five Worst Songs on Harmony Machine. Shortly after, with much support from the ZONKaholics, they win a contest put on by Music For America and are flown to Boston to open for De La Soul. They also catch the ear of Konami, who features their music in the Dance Dance Revolution series, bringing Z.O.N.K. to the far reaches of the globe and requests for remixes. Johnette Napolitano chooses them to support Concrete Blonde on tour, they sign a digital distribution agreement with Redeye Distribution, and all the while write material for their next release.

Continuing the run of high-profile support slots, in early 2005 they perform with Lady Kier of Deee-Lite in San Francisco. Half Human is released on Harmony Machine, and they�re chosen to support the B-52's on a west coast summer tour. More requests come in: to license tracks from Half Human, for more remixes, and to sign a digital distribution and licensing agreement with San Francisco's INGrooves. Derek Sivers, CD Baby president, asks Z.O.N.K. to interpret Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" in their own haunting way which they do while continuing to perform and develop a new album.

Instrumentation

Mcfiendish - lead vocals and gadgets
Uncle Bergie - bass, guitar, harmonica, vocals
DJ Red 5 - turntables, laptop, CDJs, vocals
Dave L - production, guitar, bass, keys, vocals

Discography

2006 - "You Oughta Know" (Single - Harmony Machine)
2005 - "Half Human" (Harmony Machine)
2004 - "Our Five Worst Songs" (Harmony Machine)
2002 - "Tongue In Cheeks" (Mission Underground)
2000 - "To Play Is To Win" (Mission Underground)

Audio

Lyrics

• Urban Paradise
• Audio Caffeine
• Tittle Tattle

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde
  

  "ZONK....hmmm...fresh from some other planet. We love 'em."

• Alice 97.3 FM, San Francisco
  

  "Prepare yourselves everyone. This is a great band..."

• CD Baby
  

  "I love this! Right up my alley."

• Electronic Musician Magazine
  

  "An alternative pop band on the rise..."

• San Francisco Examiner [+ Show ]
  

  "Local trip-hop foursome Zonk turns the characteristically languorous and melancholy style's perma-f..."Local trip-hop foursome Zonk turns the characteristically languorous and melancholy style's perma-frown upside down. Frontlady McFiendish's sex-dripping vocals lend a sultry air to the band's quirky, beat-driven blend of turntable, laptop, live guitar and bass and harmonica, yes, harmonica. Earlier this year, Zonk won the Music for America download contest, earning them an opening slot for boho hip-hoppers De La Soul. And "Tittle Tattle," one of the tracks off their latest EP, "Our Five Worst Songs" (Harmony Machine), will be featured on the next installment of the popular "Dance Dance Revolution -- Ultra Mix" video game series. Read more at www.zonkaholics.com."

• Live 105, San Francisco
  

  "I'm very impressed..."

• Great American Music Hall, San Francisco [+ Show ]
  

  ZONK with Concrete Blonde August 28, 2004 "More stage presence than most of the big name acts we...ZONK with Concrete Blonde
  August 28, 2004
  
  "More stage presence than most of the big name acts we bring in."

• TheOwlMag.com [+ Show ]
  

  "ZONK's 'Our Five Worst Songs' is a DJ-driven, electronic patchwork of nocturnal mood, progressive r..."ZONK's 'Our Five Worst Songs' is a DJ-driven, electronic patchwork of nocturnal mood, progressive rock, hip-hop and even big band arrangements. Extensively mixed and highly danceable, the trance-inducing cuts melt over the mind like the club drugs that permeate the music.
  
  Laid over the top of it all are the sultry vocals and urban songwriting of McFiendish, the centerpiece of this obviously rising collection of local talent. Checkout tracks like 'The Grind' and '3:05 AM' for glimpses into the highs and lows of the modern industrial existence, and the merits of sleep deprivation."

• CNET's music.download.com [+ Show ]
  

  "After one listen of ZONK's sultry trip-hop, you may wonder why you haven't been Zonked before. Sure..."After one listen of ZONK's sultry trip-hop, you may wonder why you haven't been Zonked before. Surely, in a just world, such a sparkling mix of moody synths, funky drum machines, and sexy vocals would be signed up pronto by a major label. "Urban Paradise" is a perfect example of electronica that ought to be played on pop radio right now: it's hummable, danceable, and fun. And once it lodges itself in your brain, it's hard to get rid of -- a sure sign of pop music greatness."

• Boston College Heights [+ Show ]
  

  ZONK with De La Soul February 29, 2004 "The band was filled with vibrant energy and played an ex...ZONK with De La Soul
  February 29, 2004
  
  "The band was filled with vibrant energy and played an excited set of diverse music, with lead singer Nic McFiendish bouncing across the stage with the microphone stand straddled between her legs the entire time. The highlight of Zonk's performance was when two emcees, Bolo of Pawray and Mic Kaos, came up to give the band some hip-hop flavor. Like De La Soul in the '80s, Zonk's most enjoyable quality was that it seemed like they were having a good time along with the crowd on stage."

Setlist

NERVOUS, EXCITED, DELIGHTED
AUDIO CAFFEINE
TITTLE TATTLE
RADIO ME
URBAN PARADISE
THE GRIND
3:05 AM
SOLD IT FOR A SONG
HALF HUMAN
DARK AND LIGHT
EVERYDAY HOODOO
YOU OUGHTA KNOW
SO GO
WE BOUNCE
THE FALL
(45 min. to 1 hour)

Basic Requirements

Calendar