Zinc

By Olwen Logan


How do five sophomore boys from Lyme and Old Lyme come to be the opening band at the Webster Theater/ Underground in Hartford this Saturday evening in front of an audience expected to exceed one thousand?

“It all started with a one song thing for ‘The Bizz,’” explains guitarist, saxophonist and vocalist Zach Thomas. ‘The Bizz’ is the talent show put on annually by the Lymes Youth Services Bureau, which showcases young performers from Lyme and Old Lyme. Thomas recalls that back in sixth grade, he and his friends, James McCawley, who plays bass guitar, and drummer Zach Lockwood, decided they would audition for a spot in the 2001 show.

When, at the start of the audition, Master of Ceremonies Ken Kitchings asked them what their band was called, the boys had to admit it was nameless. A short while later they declared to Kitchings that they had just become “Zinc.” Thomas can’t recall quite how they came up with the name, saying, “It was pretty random actually.”

Not only has the “random” name stuck, but the “one song thing” has grown into a full gig repertoire of both original works and cover songs. The band has played at the Pepsi Arena in New York, Toad’s Place in New Haven, and the Madison Arts Barn, as well as giving numerous performances at schools and youth agencies throughout southeastern Connecticut.

Describing Zinc’s style as “a little bit different from other bands of their age,” Thomas summed up their music as “pop-rock” or “lighter-sounding rock.” The band now has its own website at
www.ZincOnline.com and, more importantly, a growing fan base. Thomas notes with delight that they’re beginning to see many of the same faces at their concerts, meaning that some fans are “definitely starting to follow the band.”

Two new members have joined the band’s founding threesome. Steve Hackett, who, according to Thomas is “a fine piano player, really skilled,” came on board in his freshman year, while Tom Koski, “a great drummer” in Thomas’s opinion, signed on this past summer.

Lockwood, who is the prime writer of original music for the band, had traditionally played the drums and harmonica, as well as being lead vocalist. He became interested in making a switch to singing and playing the guitar, and Koski’s arrival has made that possible.
Doors to the show at the Webster on Saturday open at 6 p.m. and the lead performers are acoustic singer-songwriters Martin Sexton, Keller Williams, and Ari Hest, who will give separate performances.

Sexton is a nationally known vocalist and guitar player, who also plays pop rock music, with both blues and folk influences. Williams is a well-known musician currently on a coast-to coast tour through February, prior to playing in Amsterdam next March. Hest is also has a national reputation. He usually in front of a band and has a pop/rock aspect to his music.
Thomas explained, “We’re really excited to be playing this show. It will be quite an experience.” Tickets are $20 and available by e-mail from zincguitarist1@aol.com
Asked where he thought things might go with Zinc, Thomas expressed the hope that the band might undertake, “A small tour in the summer,” adding with a laugh, “…when we can all drive.
”Taking on a more serious tone, but still wearing a broad grin, Thomas concluded simply, “We’d like it to go as far as it will take us.”
- LymeLine