ZibraZibra
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ZibraZibra

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"Ten Twin Cities Bands you need to know NOW"

Neil Zumwalde (Who goes by just the initial Z) may be completely insane, or at least that's the persona he's putting over onstage at ZibraZibra shows. These recent high-school graduates have crushed elements of mew wave, electro, and heavy metal in their mesh-gloved hands and poured the result into a pair of neon-pink stretch pants. Their two albums on Royalty Etc. Records (The End of the Lion and 777) don't quite live up to the flamboyant nuttiness of their live shows, but then again, little could. - The Onion (A. V. Club)


"ZibraZibra: 777 Album Review"

South American groups like Bonde do Role and CSS don't have a monopoly on '80s-inspired dance floor madness; you can be just as kitschy and electro in Finnish and German as you can in Portuguese. Just ask ZibraZibra, who drop a distinctly Scandinavian and Teutonic flavor into the tracks on 777, the follow-up to their debut album End of the Lion. The resulting collision of neon sensibility and cool calculation comes off a bit like a florid and overripe Kraftwerk, especially toward the album's end on more reserved tracks like "Spaceport" and "Cyberland."

ZibraZibra aren't just about blippy electronics and 808 kicks, though; they're equally enamored of that other '80s artifact, hair metal guitar. Squealing pinch harmonics and pointy headstocks that could put someone's eye out are in force on "The Earth Is a Clock," a track that wouldn't feel out of place on the Transformers soundtrack—the original cartoon version, not Michael Bay's recent summer blockbuster. The album's high point is "Cruisin'," an updated take on War's "Lowrider" overflowing with fuzzed-out synth bass, pitch-shifted baritone vocals, and singer Neil Zumwalde's breezy and aloof foreign language hook.
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So if ZibraZibra set out to make a record equal parts new wave, hair metal, space disco, and electro, 777 is a success. But it fails to transcend its component genres to create something truly new-sounding. Music that brazenly mines the past for inspiration (the Black Keys' take on garage blues, Wolfmother's gargantuan arena rock) is most successful when it can do more than just mimic or parody its source material. Maybe that's a lot to expect from recent high school graduates, though. There's no denying they already know how to put on an outrageous and exuberant live show, even if their recorded work remains, for the time, somewhat less than transcendent. - City Pages


"Minneapolis's super-hot techno-rockers/eighties revisionists ain't no joke"

The kind of euro-pop you thought was murdered in '80's Germany has been Frankensteined together with punk, techno, and about every other kind of music imaginable by the Minneapolis quartet ZibraZibra. With a slew of battle of band victories, a Minnesota Music Award, and gigs across the country, it appears the villagers have traded their torches and pitchforks for glow-sticks and dancing shoes. Armed with keyboards, guitars, and computers that generate blips and bloops that must have been pirated from Duck Hunt, ZibraZibra's music is laying down the cover-fire in the next phase of the digital revolution alongside such contemporaries as the Electric Six and countless dance-punk and new-new-wave bands. Though the music is a computer dependent trip-out that blurs the line between awesome and irony, the band keeps it real and doesn't have a some-guys-and-their-laptop aesthetic on stage. Simply put: The '80's are back, and ZibraZibra are one of the best bands reminding you. -Chris Henson - VolumeOne Magazine


"Leslie and the LY's with Zibra Zibra and Ice Rod at 7th Street Entry on 4/12/07"

--Fully amped and ready for more fun, Zibra Zibra brought the goods. These kids are great, and they have nicknames. You've got Z (the lead singer), Vanilla (guitars and additional vocals), The Atomic Wolf (synthesizing machines & computer sequencing) and Technosaurus Flex on synthesizing machines and electric voice. They have elements that remind me of a fun, Germany-loving The Faint. You are forced to love songs like, "A Robot Never Forgets" and "Arcade Catastrophe," a new song off their album in progress, "777" that'll be coming out this summer (can you guess what day?) that has that great video game feel to it. The funniest part being the following line...

"I got a pocket full of quarter dollars, at the arcade in '84..."

I love this, because I don't think any of the boys in the band are even old enough to be born in 1984. I felt as if I would have to jump over a 16-bit incline at any time, or jump up to collect my coins and/or one-up mushroom. Since this show, I have listened to this song way too many times to even count.--

-Jen Paulson - Howwastheshow.com


"Reviews: The End of the Lion (Smother Magazine)"

Growling synthesizers that sound as if they were pulled straight from the wonderful world of 8-bit Nintendo, ZibraZibra is an eclectic listen. Brilliant vocals with off-kilter lyrics and inflection, “The End of the Lion” is an electro New Wave punk rock album that has mastered all the cheat codes. The album sounds as if the group grew up watching nothing but the Rocky Horror Picture Show, learning all the quirks from a transsexual Tim Curry. Fantastical!

- J-Sin - Smother Magazine


"Reviews: The End of the Lion (Perfect Porridge)"

With influences ranging from The Faint’s New Wave synth (”A Robot Never Forgets”) to Mindless Self Indulgence’s vocal spasms mixed over beatbox overload (”ExtraTerrestrisex The Sextraferrestrial”), ZibraZibra’s debut album, The End of the Lion is awash with Atari blips, Casio rhythms, well-timed guitar solos and joyfully adolescent lyrics. This foursome definitely rode the short bus to school, but Wesley Willis don’t have nothing on ZibraZibra. Yet another totally unique group to come from the Minneapolis Royalty, Etc. label. - Perfect Porridge


"Battle-Tested, Fresh-Faced"

ZibraZibra
The End of the Lion
Royalty, Etc.

Major League Baseball has lately managed to reclaim the hearts and minds of millions of Americans, and fans can tell you the sport has rediscovered its essence. The Return of the Red Sox synthesized the sport's core components—compelling narrative and breathtaking gamesmanship—and this season, stories ranging from the triumphs of Minnesota's beloved boys to Detroit's remarkable reemergence jerked as many tears as The Natural. This return to form isn't unprecedented, as great American institutions continually witness their vitality and influence ebb and flow. However, despite stretches of creative vacuity and the fickle allegiances of the zeitgeist, there's never any doubt that these old stalwarts will come back.

But when it comes to that American institution called rock 'n' roll, one fears a looming threat. It's hard to shake the suspicion that rock is past its prime. Teenagers may forever pick up Stratocasters and practice stage dives from the living room couch. With regard to relevance and innovation, however, it seems all too possible that one of these days, Lazarus might just stay under the stone.

But I'm not ready to pack away my fishnets and fingerless gloves just yet, so I sought out some dedicated Twin Cities rock-o-philes to elicit insight. ZibraZibra, the Twin Cities' newest teen sensation, seemed like a great place to start. I looked to these recently graduated Arts High alums to provide clues in the search for the soul of rock 'n' roll. Even if I don't find it, there are worse ways to spend a day than with cute-as-buttons (but naughty buttons) 18- and 19-year-old-boys.
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First, a little background: This quartet, which formed in February, consists of Mr. Z (Neil Zumwalde), the Atomic Wolf (Aaron Baum), Vanilla (Henry Mikkonen), and Technosaurus Flex (Mitch McCarthy). They've won an impressive array of battles of the bands, including a Drive-105 competition that awarded them a slot opening for Soul Asylum at the Taste of Minnesota ("like five hours before they went on" according to Mikkonen), Radio-K's taste-making melee, and an early entry at Elk River High School that saw frontman Zumwalde strip down to flesh-colored hot pants. They signed with local label Royalty, Etc. on July 4 and released an album by Bastille Day. This fall, they took home a Minnesota Music Academy Award. Winter brings a gig for the RollerGirls, a West Coast tour, and "top secret exciting things [that are] in the works."

Winning an MMA may be no more prestigious than getting heralded for perfect attendance at school assembly, and most bands tout "top secret" projects ad nauseam, but still, ZibraZibra have been strong out of the gate. While their album, The End of the Lion, is fractured and all over the map (Zumwalde was quick to point out that while the material wasn't written to inhabit an album, they still felt it was strong enough to commit to disc), it's packed with catchy hooks, digital fireworks, and infectious pop melodies. Songs like "Sonic Fusion," "A Robot Never Forgets," and "Extraterrestrisex the Sextraterrestrial" invoke the age-old desire to shake that ass.

More than their album, however, the band is notable for their live show. They breathe lucid life into, as they put it, "a lot of ones and zeros." Bands that draw heavily from digital elements and drum machines threaten to devolve into the "it's just a guy with his laptop" syndrome when playing live. Not so with ZibraZibra. A recent Sunday night gig at Big V's recalled so many lonely Dome days of yore—a group of not boys/not yet men bravely stepped in front of a diminutive turnout and played balls-to-the-wall, complete with showy histrionics, oh so! pelvic thrusts, and occasional moments of inspiration. It was an impressive, if underattended, performance.

Regardless of turnout, however, ZibraZibra insist that what they're doing matters. When asked whether rock music today exists as mere vestiges of what once was, the band aggressively answers, "No." Baum acknowledges that a lot has already been done in the name of rock 'n' roll, but insists there's a lot more to do. He elucidates what drives them: "We want to make music that no one's made before," he says, brimming with optimism. "We want to create something totally new." Zumwalde goes a step further, suggesting that ZibraZibra is party to a groundswell of aesthetic import. "We're at the front end of something. The front end of a wave," he asserts. "Something totally new and exciting." When pressed for the specifics of this wave of innovation, they are less sure. Baum mentions maximizing the potential of the digital revolution, and Zumwalde outlines his desire to walk the line between irony and sincerity both musically and lyrically. At the very least, all four exhibit an obvious exuberance when contemplating the possibilities.

To be frank, I have doubts that donning windbreakers and wetsuits and singing about "The Rules to be - City Pages


"ZibraZibra live show Review 6/6/07"

...As I walked into the venue a few minutes before Zibra Zibra went on, I was not totally surprised to see only 10 people in the room. The guys took the stage and another 10 people filtered in as they started their set. Zibra Zibra are one of the premier young acts dominating the Twin Cities these days. With beats and synths stolen from the best of '80s dance pop fused with hair metal guitar riffs, Zibra Zibra have created a sound that is entirely their own. Lead guitarist Vanilla looks like the German foreign exchange student from a bad '90s sitcom. Huge and imposing while he shreds his short bridged Jackson guitar, he looks like he could bench 300 and play linebacker for an arena football team. Singing songs about intergalactic love and robots, front man Z shrieks and squeals the band's vocals while writhing around the stage and striking powerful poses. He was sexual and intense, serving as the focal point of his band's incredible level of energy. As they finished their set, Zibra Zibra left a permanent smile on everybody's faces. Sure, they only played to a handful of people, but what a lucky handful we were.

The Battle Royale, part of the Afternoon Records roster took the stage next. Sound-wise, the band was much of the same...

...Unfortunately, they simply don't have the chops or the "it" factor of the rising star that is Zibra Zibra. - Howwastheshow.com


"Interview with ZibraZibra, New 777 Album"

Minneapolis-based quartet ZibraZibra may be fresh out of high school, but if you call them “the Twin Cities’ newest teen sensation” again, they are going to TP your front lawn and egg your house.

Like a distant uncle you only see at Christmas, it seems the local Minneapolis media starts every review of the burgeoning rock group with, “Oh, you look so much bigger than the last time I saw you. You’ll be a grown-up soon, huh sonny boy?”

The real story, arguably more compelling, is a group of extremely talented, formally trained musicians who aren’t afraid to experiment and push the envelope when it comes to writing and performing music.

With influences ranging from The Faint’s New Wave synth to Mindless Self Indulgence’s vocal spasms mixed over beatbox overload, ZibraZibra is as disjointed as it gets — a refreshing puzzle for the ear that never gets boring.

July 7 (that’s 7/7/07 if you’re keeping score at home), marks the release of the MMA-winning group’s second full-length album, aptly named 777. The release will be digital, meaning audience members are asked to bring their iPods and other mp3 players to the show, plug them into the digi-merch ports at the tables, and enjoy their own personal copy of the album — FREE.

On top of that, audience members will be able to text message their email addresses to a secret email address that will automatically respond with a download link for their computer at home. More traditional (BORING) CDs will be available, as well.

This week we sat down with Kid Z to chat about the group, the new album and dinosaur safaris…

Congrats on all your success in the last year, man. Now that you’ve graduated high school, are you sick of being lumped into the “teen group” category?
We will DECIMATE anyone who calls us a TEEN GROUP!!!!!!!!! You may have noticed that other bands our age and younger are not generally fantastic at playing music, and have a much harder time than we do fitting in with adults at bars and clubs. A-Wolf has more back hair and a better mustache than Ron Jeremy, and the other two guys can collectively bench press almost 500 pounds. So we generally aren’t mistaken for children. Three of us WON’T Be teenagers by the time the MMA’s happen this year, so I hope to fucking god we aren’t nominated in the teen category again. I’m the youngest in the band, and I am really NOT looking forward to the 8 months when everyone else in the band can drink, and I just have to wait patiently for my 21st birthday to come around (2 years from now). We were really surprised we got labeled a “Teen” band in the first place, and it has been the most haunting and universally abhorred label we’ve received.


Tell us about the new album, 777.
Well, 777 is the tale of a young man’s journey to adulthood. It’s really a coming of age story. No, it’s not. We were inspired by the wave of sex that came upon us after we released the first record and started doing well. We set out to make a record that nobody else would have the balls to make. I am currently midway through a music production degree at McNally Smith, and Jon Greenlee let us use his studio “The Planets” to record our new album.

We started with a combination of my digital programming skills (MIDI, Digital Audio, and Frequency Modulation Synthesis) and tapping into my vocal experience with classical choral arrangements, and experience with Gregorian chant, A-Wolf’s Classical Arranging and composing skills (he went to the U for classical cello performance), V-Nil’s shredtastic guitar chops, in depth knowledge of jazz theory, and socially responsive nature, and Tflex’s circuit bending and synthesis.

Using these elements, we began constructing a new sound for the record, and 20 tracks later, we had enough material to assemble a record. We decided to go against the grain again when mastering the record. Most Records (indie and local records included) are mastered in such a way that the songs are smashed into one homogeneous dynamic. We decided to go with an 80’s prince sound and master it with some headroom, so that the songs can breathe, and will take the listener somewhere that they can take in the sounds rather than be bombarded with them.

Lyrically I was coming from a different place than with ‘the end of the lion’. I knew what I wanted to write about, and that made it harder. It’s more socially deconstructive, and less goofy. I wanted it to be spacey-er, sexier, and meaner. I was pissed off and at odds with myself the whole time we were writing the album, but my sense of humor and ability to repress outward signs of weakness got me through it productively.

You admitted in interviews that “The End of the Lion” was a tad disjointed. What approach did you take with the new record to help it feel more cohesive?
None. It’s just as disjointed and frantically searching for a place to fit in as the first record. That’s how we do it. That’s what ties our sound together; its not being able what to expect nex - Perfect Porridge


Discography

LP: The End of the Lion, 2006 Royalty Etc. Records
LP: 777, Royalty Etc. Records

Compilation: Royalty Etc. Records 2007 Sampler, 2007 Royalty Etc. Records
Compilation: Twin Town High Music Yearbook Vol. 9
Compilation: TC Electropunk Vol. 4

www.myspace.com/zibrazibra

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Bio

ZibraZibra's 2nd record entitled "777" is the jackpot record of the 21st century. It is your lucky number all the time, every time.
Some have said that a song like Lowrider comes every 25 years or so. Well, we're due, and ZibraZibra delivers the goods with their new record, which is a tribute to the psuedo-biblical arrival of the spacetime traveling comrades: ZIBRA. As exciting as a nostalgic and fast paced Nintendo Game, and as insightful and prophetic as Friedrich Nietzsche, It appeals, as is the traditional Roman way, to your body AND your mind.
With a live show that stays good and well to all, ZibraZibra will twist and distort your expectations of what a rock band can instill within a listener in the short period of one live set.

Somewhere between Peaches and Dragonforce, between Outkast and Kraftwerk, between Michael Jackson and The Flaming Lips, there lies ZibraZibra.