zeerok

ZEEROK: “You Gotta See it For Yourself”
by Rachel Reynolds -- 3/10/2003

ZEEROK is no ordinary band, as front man Zhenya Rock puts it. And I have to say he’s right. How often do you see a rockabilly-influenced Russian artist leading a duo where he plays lead and bass on the same guitar?

What else could inspire a person to do this but what everyone craves -- freedom and power. Zhenya says he has “never sounded this huge.” But he was also looking for a new challenge when he decided to reinvent the guitar to play what he calls “alternabilly” music.

“I wanted to kind of stretch the limits.”

Zhenya added some bass strings to a guitar and hooked up a loop station that allows him to play both at once. Tony Whiting, the last drummer to record with the late Dee Dee Ramone of the “The Ramones,” picks up the beat.

Whiting said it is one of the most exciting projects he’s been involved in and he doesn’t even miss having a bass player.

“All the shows we’ve done we’ve literally blown people away,” said Whiting.

Zhenya describes the audience reaction at a recent show at the Whisky a GoGo: the confusion as the audience waited for a third person to appear, the shock once they realized no one was coming and then the surprise when a full band sound came through the speakers.

And when you hear the music you know it is more than a gimmick, with thoughtful lyrics that anyone can relate to. “Long Way Home,” off ZEEROK’s debut album “Slave,” is a hauntingly beautiful song with a strong beat about growing up, making the move to a big city and still not finding yourself.

Zhenya first came to America with a Russian rockabilly band in 1991 and said he “couldn’t stay away from it.” His given Russian last name means to sway or to rock, so he just made it official when he became a citizen. He says he thinks it is pretty obvious in his music that he grew up in a different country, but his themes are universal.

“Guy loves girl. Girl maybe doesn’t love him back. He writes a song about it,” said Rock.

Zhenya says he writes music for the average person, a stark contrast to his last band the “Red Elvises,” known for their wild costumes and surreal lyrics about space cowboys and such. They weren’t your ordinary band either, but Zhenya says he felt a need to make more serious music.

“With ZEEROK we sing about emotions, about life. A regular type of life.”

Zhenya says ZEEROK is something everyone needs to see for themselves. So much so, the duo is in the studio working on a DVD of a live show recorded at the Whiskey. They expect to release the DVD and a live album sometime in April.

- Rachel Reynolds