Zeut

Four Points


Those will be the days again
By
Friday, April 1, 2005

To use a computer analogy, Zeut is like a flashing cursor waiting to write the next sentence. Zeut is a computer on standby, said the band's guitar player, Robert Eldridge. The band still exists, but it isn't always visible.

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Any information you find about Denver-based Zeut undoubtedly will date back to the late 1990s, during the band's heyday. In those days, its opening for String Cheese Incident, playing regularly across the Western United States and, in 1998, was named Backpacker Magazine's official band for its 25th anniversary celebration in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Those were the days, but if all goes well with a CD now in the works, those will be the days again.

"I think that CD is going to generate some momentum for us," Eldridge said. "We're not really on a hiatus. We've just been involved in other activities. We're building up gigs and ready to get back into the action."

Zeut has played in Steam-boat Springs before. The band used to play regular gigs at Murphy's Exchange and the Tugboat Grill & Pub. In the late 1990s, it played at the Steamboat Sheraton Resort Hotel with String Cheese.

Zeut has a world music, percussion-driven sound that mixes with Eldridge's bluesy guitar.

"We're an amalgamation of everyone's influence in the band," Eldridge said, and he began to list off individual member's influences, including the Indigo Girls, Medeski, Martin and Wood, and fIREHOSE.

- Autumn Phillips, Pilot & Today Staff

"Lion In A Bucket" - Zeut
self-releaed
review by Daniel Cullity
Denver's Zeut meld percussive acoustic guitar, flowing violin, boisterous bass lines, meshing drums and congas, and stately mandolin into a lively, organic sound that provides a home for the stimulating vocals of frontwoman Kris Vandewalker. Her hearty voice is rooted in the blues and brings depth to no-nonsense, self-examining lyrics. She sounds a bit like Natalie Merchant, roughened with the earthiness of Shannon Hoon. The band draws some immediate comparisons to Rusted Root - if not for its acoustic-based, energetic vibe, then for its mixed-gender lineup - but there is enough singularity in Robert Eldridge's offbeat guitar rhythms and Vandewalker's voice and lyrics to suggest that Zeut has its own path to carve. Furthermore, the interplay of Amy Moe's violin and Geoff Morris's mandolin weaves a rich blanket of sound that infuses the music with an age-old warmth that can only arise from such traditional instruments.

It is evident throughout "Lion In A Bucket" that Zeut are strongly committed to crafting concise songs, indulging in spirited jams only sparingly. Also, Vandewalker's wordy vocal style simply makes it difficult for the band to find open spaces in which to let it all hang out. Occasionally, they succeed in picking spots. On Another Close Spanish mandolin draws out some fierce fiddling during a brief interlude that leaves you begging for more. Gypsy is an aptly titled, yet brief (2:54) instrumental segue that showcases Zeut's playful side and Vandewalker's Ian Anderson turn on flute. Amply talented with the bow, Moe has no problem filling the vacancy left open by the lack of a substantial lead guitar sound. Her fiddling becomes the prevailing instrumental force throughout the disc, as it rises up to take shotgun beside Vandewalker's formidable delivery.

Although the majority of the songs fall somewhere within the three to five minute range, there are fifteen of them (two are strange recordings of Eldridge playing king of the jungle, which make the grand total seventeen). This is a staggering amount of music to swallow when unfamiliar with any new band's music, but you can't blame Zeut for giving the public their money's worth. Still, this album could have just as easily housed eleven or twelve songs and that would have sufficed. Though there are some gems here, no doubt. On Evil Twin Moe lends her pipes to the vocal mix, joining Vandewalker in an infectious ode to lovestruck nomads. The song is driven by Eldridge's relentless strumming and again colored by Moe's prolific fiddling. A deep, plodding guitar riff introduces No Excuses and leads into a relatively reserved offering, until the tempo picks up, and Zeut is off and running, fiddles and mandolins flying. Little Things is a simple, yet stirring, combination of plaintive acoustic guitar, heartfelt vocals, and resonant fretless bass that paints a picture of the harsh ironies of everyday life. "Lion in a Bucket" is a strong musical statement from an unpretentious band that seems at home within the pleasant confines of a developing sound.



- Daniel Cullity-Jamband.com

Zeüt is an eclectic group of talented musicians that reside in the city of Denver, Colorado. Their varied roots and world class views create provoking lyrics, diverse sounds and a captivating touch, while playing a high energy rhythmic folk funk type of music. Zeüt's current band members are Kris VanDeWalker, Rob Eldridge, Allen Burki, Mark Seratoni, and Herb Greene. Their tie to Southern Oregon is through VanDeWalker.

VanDeWalker is originally from Grants Pass, graduating from North Valley High School in 1988.

Zeüt's music is written by the collective voice of the band and brings together their divergent backgrounds of the seven members. The members of the band met in Denver in early 1996, and play throughout Colorado and regionally, regularly playing popular Denver venues and festivals. Their sound has expanded and matured over the years and they have played with Merle Saunders, String Cheese Incident, The Badlees and Zuba to name a few. Zeüt's music was used in the documentary Uncommon Goals about the US Women's Soccer World Cup team. It aired on the Discovery Channel several times in 1999. Zeüt was also Backpacker Magazine's official band for their 25th Anniversary held in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1998.

Zeüt was nominated for Best Pop-Rock Band for the Westword Music Showcase in 1998. Their debut CD Inaday (1997) was the #1 selling CD at Twist & Shout Records (Feb./'98), and ranked 15th in their annual sales.

Zeüt is also a band with a conscious, they have donated their time and talents to several causes throughout the US.

Zeüt sings with the soulful voice of VanDeWalker, speaks with the amazing vocabulary of Eldridge's guitar, struts to the big fat drums of Seratoni, dances with the fiery Latin percussion of Greene, and bites with the big mouth bass of Burki.

In 1999 Zeut released their long awaited sophomore CD "Lion In A Bucket." Currently, both are getting air time and due to their popularity have required subsequent reprintings.

You won't find a more friendly, versatile band anywhere. The folks that catch their random sets in the park or at a coffee house jump right into their infectious enthusiasm and groovy, dancey music. With their ever-growing repertoire, this a band you won't want to miss.

Zeüt is managed by a fellow Southern Oregonian, Jennifer Wheatley, a high school classmate of VanDeWalker.


- jaholt@scatcat.fhsu.edu