The Zest Of Yore

Artist Information

Biography

The Zest of Yore are a rarity these days. We write and perform rock music that is ambitious yet artful. We love a great tune, but strive to write beyond the popular forms and styles of the day. We recorded a record called "Quality of Life" that we, Casey Diiorio and Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices) produced. Casey Diiorio (first Midlake EP) engineers. We love some long forgotten bands from yesteryear like The Move, Carbon Whales, The Pretenders, The Soft Boys, Robyn Hitchcock, and so many more....
Our live show blends rock n roll gusto with a musicality rarely heard in indie rock bands. We love harmony in the truest since of the word. We love and live in Austin Tx.

Instrumentation

Stephen Pierce - Vocals, Guitar, keyboards
John McCane - Vocals, Bass
Alex Maples - Drums
Alan Lauer - Drums

Discography

EPs: "Admit that it's Christmas (You've got to)"

LPs:"Quality of Life" (co-produced by Doug Gillard of GBV)

"Throw it at the moon"
MP3's available at our myspace page: www.myspace.com/zestofyore
or at our website: www.zestofyore.com
Some radio play on NPR and internet radio.
www.zestofyore.bandcamp.com (lots of free music here!)

Official Website

http://www.zestofyore.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• ZOY youtube channel
• zest of yore dot com

Audio

• I'll do the thinking
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• The Rejects
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• Already Lost
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• The Wizard became so Tall!
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• Oregon
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• Rock n' Roll Times (Two) Valve rough #1
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• Sept. 8 rough Rock and Roll x2!
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• Admit That It's Christmas (You've Got To)
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Lyrics

• Living Like the Dolphins
• You were Dead
• Admit that it's Christmas (You've Got To)

Video

The Rejects

Photo Gallery

Press

• High Bias [+ Show ]
  

  The sweet-voiced Texans make masterful guitar-pop here; short and to the point tunes undulate with h...The sweet-voiced Texans make masterful guitar-pop here; short and to the point tunes undulate with hooks wit and heart.

• Austinist [+ Show ]
  

  Quality of Life Review from Austinist.com:--- Many of the songs on the new album are as ‘zesty’ as t...Quality of Life Review from Austinist.com:--- Many of the songs on the new album are as ‘zesty’ as their name implies, with plenty of catchy indie pop that’s full of shimmering and crisp musicianship as well as bright and emotionally rich vocals. Hooky guitars and handsome chorus lines help make this album a welcomed cavity.Well into the album yields “I’ll Do the Thinking,” which is an unusually sugary rock tune that can even bring to mind groups like the Dandy Warhols circa “Heroin is so Passe,” maybe with a little more guitar and less chorus. “The Rejects” is a snappy number, you know, the kind you listen to at the show and just tap your foot and bob your head. It begins with acoustic guitar and ends with a bunch of “la la las”.
  
  

• Austin Sound [+ Show ]
  

  Quality of Life Review from Austinsound.net: It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Zest of Yore ha...Quality of Life Review from Austinsound.net:
  It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Zest of Yore has a shrine dedicated to Robert Pollard. The Guided By Voices influence permeates every aspect of their new record Quality Of Life (down to the liner notes - Doug Gillard of GBV produced and played on some of the tracks). There is a difference, however, between a band that is unoriginal and one that simply wears their influences proudly. Zest Of Yore is definitely the latter, taking the best schizophrenic-pop elements of GBV records like Alien Lanes and Isolation Drills, and mixing in their own sweet-voiced, jangley guitar-pop. The result is a sound wholly their own - a sound built on unpredictable melodies and structural weirdness, but one that never strays too far from the traditional rock aesthetic (think of the power pop giants of yesteryear like The Knack, Big Star, The Replacements, and so on). The album’s opening track, “Quality of Life,” is a microcosm of the album itself. It’s an arpeggiated indie-pop track that is instantly likable, but still melodically complex. This formula, the cornerstone of the band’s sound, is repeated throughout the record. “The Wizard Becomes So Tall”, builds from a stiff David Byrne sort of verse to a flowing sugary chorus. “She Comes From Good Stock” and “I’ll Do The Thinking” continue in the same vein - tight, well crafted hooks, that are bright, fun and quirky, without ever coming off as simple. “I’ll Do The Thinking” is the most immediately catchy song on the record, perhaps due to its more conventional verse / chorus structure. The second half crescendos into a massive driving rock progression that will have heads bobbing. “You Were Dead”, another highlight, is more raw and stripped down than other tracks, but still keeps with the flavor of the album (no doubt a product of vocalist Stephen Pierce’s delicate voice: a cross between James Mercer and Robert Schneider). Quality of Life demands more cerebral attention than most pop records. Listeners can’t just sit back and turn their brains off. Active listening is required to follow the winding, wandering melodies. The worst criticism I could levy against the band is to say the record seems front-loaded with all of the best songs sequenced in the first half. The later songs, while still good, lack some of the spunk and charm that the early part of the album had. That said, “too many awesome songs up front” is probably the kind of blistering criticism that most bands would kill for.
  
  

• Big Takeover [+ Show ]
  

  Quality of Life review from "The Big Takeover"--- Now this is what I always thought Death Cab for Cu...Quality of Life review from "The Big Takeover"--- Now this is what I always thought Death Cab for Cutie should sound like. The Denton, Tx band's third disc boasts catchy tunes that occasionally hint at postpunk abrasion, enigmatic lyrics that betray a Beatlesque whimsy in place of ironic self-absorption, a sensitive-guy-next-door voice that doesn't annoy within two songs, and an emotional forthrightness that comes across despite the often puzzling libretto. Even if none of that strums a chord, the strong melodies should. "The Wizard became so Tall," "Shrimp and Flies," and "Mad Moves" perfectly balance hooks and cleverness, and "I'll do the Thinking" is the kind of peppy pop tune that inspires sing alongs without irony. If only all indie rock was this good. (Michael Toland)
  
  

• Review from Denton publication "The Fold"
  

  Smart sophisticated songwriting, clever lyrical content and hooks that go on for days.

• Splendid [+ Show ]
  

  Mid-paced major chord guitar jangle gleaned from the likes of The Beatles, The Posies, Big Star, Gui...Mid-paced major chord guitar jangle gleaned from the likes of The Beatles, The Posies, Big Star, Guided by Voices... There's some neat Grandaddy like structural trickiness on the likes of "A Cultivated Sensibility" and "I'll do the thinking"

• Shmat reviews [+ Show ]
  

  The group is really great at writing a tuneful track. The kind I like, weird enough to rise above st...The group is really great at writing a tuneful track. The kind I like, weird enough to rise above standard pop on the radio, but accessible enough in chord structure to please a wider pallette of fans.

• Expect great things... [+ Show ]
  

  A too brief ass-kick of atmospheric pop and indie-rock. Sometimes they remind me of GBV, sometimes G...A too brief ass-kick of atmospheric pop and indie-rock. Sometimes they remind me of GBV, sometimes Grandaddy, but mostly they own their own sound. Expect great things from this baby band.

• The Fire Note [+ Show ]
  

  Here is a Texas band that has completely flown under the radar with their infectious brand of indie ...Here is a Texas band that has completely flown under the radar with their infectious brand of indie power pop. They have a laundry list of bands they cite as influences in the genre but really have their own sound and Quality Of Life consistes of simple song structures with catchy melodies. The record was co-produced by Doug Gillard (GBV, Cobra Verde) and also has him playing all over it, which gives Zest Of Yore and increased indie cred and keeps them in the guitar driven power pop zone for an enjoyable 34 minutes!

Setlist

We tend to play one set that lasts 30-45 minutes. The songs vary from show to show, but are mainly original. We currently rotate in and out two cover songs periodically. They are "Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincolud" by GBV and "Purple Rain" by Prince!

Our current Set List:
Everybody Thinks I'm a Raincloud (when I'm not looking)
Himself to Himself Alone
The Catapulting Zoo
Back to Ash
Steam
I'll do the Thinking
The Rejects
She Comes From Good Stock
Paying Off Nature's Bequest (No Interest)
Your Diagram
Purple Rain (on rare occasions)

Basic Requirements

Calendar