Keep On Moving: Riding The Third Rail: The Z-Boys’ new track talk

I recently heard Slash say new rock ‘n’ roll was dead till Greta Van Fleet came along. Fair enough, everyone has a right to their opinion. But most don’t have their own column to say that is bullshit. I do. I saw them last Columbus Day weekend and at first it was really amazing — the singer has the pipes to channel Led Zeppelin. But after that, it got stale; nostalgia is boring. Give me Deer Tick, 123 Astronaut, Blackletter, Big Hair Sluts, Jay Berndt and The Orphans, The Lincoln Tunnel (despite my well-established hatred of their singer), The Callouts, Jets Can’t Land, The Quahogs, and Hope Anchor over that any day.   

Spring is a rollercoaster ride for music. So let’s start with a band that literally sounds like a rollercoaster: The Z-Boys. I’m not telling you not to go to Six Flags, but one could listen to The Z-Boys and get the same rush. How to describe them? I lean on vocal melodies and The Z-Boys just go at light speed with little room for that. Maybe swinging surf rock meets punk in an organic rockabilly phase but in an endless quest to expand the universe? Maybe. But I just mentioned surf rock and it would be disrespectful not to acknowledge the passing of Dick Dale. May he rest in power.

The Z-Boys have Greg Burgess on guitar who has played with The Amazing Royal Crowns and more; his chops can be summed up as a guy who should have a cape. He is that damn DC Comics good. Bassist Amato Zinno from The Z-Boys was kind enough to answer some questions before Mr. Dale’s passing, so don’t judge him on not mentioning that. The Z-Boys are releasing a split inch with Muddy Ruckus with their contribution titled “Third Rail.” It is a fitting title as it just steamrolls like a subway train going down that tunnel that has been closed for years. But enough of me, let’s talk to Amato.

The Z-Boys — Split 7-inch Single with Muddy Ruckus

Marc Clarkin (Motif): There’s a lot of different things going on in The Z-Boys’ sound. What were some of the things that influenced you?

Amato Zinno: Our biggest influence when starting the band was old surf music — Dick Dale, The Ventures, and stuff like that. At this point, I think we’ve gone pretty far beyond that genre and drawn upon a lot of other styles that have influenced all of us. The two-beat style of “Third Rail” calls on some country influences, which is kind of Greg’s speed. Zig is very influenced by metal, and I love funk. Zig and I both have heavy jazz backgrounds and a deep affection for Steely Dan.

MC: The aptly titled new song, “Third Rail,” kind of has this feel of a crazy action scene from an old movie. When you guys create music, do you ever try to set it to a certain scene or situation?

AZ: I definitely envision certain situations for our songs, and I love the challenge of bringing the listener somewhere without using lyrics. It’s cool to see and hear an audience’s reaction. Our songs kind of solidify themselves over the course of several performances, so once we are getting a good reaction, they settle into a set form.  

MC: When The Z-Boys first got together and started jamming, did you plan on doing mostly instrumentals or did it just kind of happen that way?  

AZ: We did start by playing mostly instrumentals, and I think that’s in large part because we started by playing long gigs and needed to stretch out. We’ve stuck with it because it’s really fun. Our next series of recordings will feature more singing, though!

MC: You have the Columbus show and a few other shows in support of the 7-inch coming up. After that, what is next for The Z-Boys?

AZ: We are playing release shows with Muddy Ruckus at the Press Room in Portsmouth, NH, Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge, Mass, and One Longfellow Square in Portland, Me. After that, we are going to finish up a full-length album we recorded in January/February. I’m hoping we can put out a few more singles before the end of the year, but we are really going to take our time with this process to try and get it right. 

The Z-Boys and Muddy Ruckus will celebrate the release of their new 7-inch with a show at the Columbus Theatre in PVD on March 23. As an added bonus, The Low Cards are also on the bill!

Heather Rose In Clover – Canyons

The debut single, “Go Back To Ohio,” just blew me away. The “crashed my city, trashed my heart” lyrics are just fire. The pause and then boom and the intro almost has a Ramones borrowed from Cheap Trick thunder.  “Gasoline” is another kiss-off rocker, and I’m a sucker for lyrics like “no better day than today.”  I think my go-to jam off this record is “Satellites,” a freewheeling rocker with a folk singer’s heart. I read a review of Canyons before listening to the record and I thought they stole my thunder referencing obscure ’90s bands like Fuzzy and Velocity Girl. Then I listened, and the writer was just an old indie rock dude being lazy by trying to rattle off women-fronted bands. I guess there is some of that in there, but the most part is as good of a narrative as Springsteen with a passion that is their own. Most of the tunes have an acoustic base and just go where they go. Pop-punk, yeah a song, maybe two, singer-songwriter sure for a bit, but Canyons is like a Restaurant Week meal where it serves up a full course.

Heather Rose In Clover celebrate the release of their debut album, Canyons, with a release show at Askew on March 30 with Weakened Friends, Dream Job and Breachway.

Clarkin Jukebox:

Bob Mould – Sunshine Rock

Fair disclosure: I’ve been listening to Mr. Mould for almost 30 years, but this is right up there with Husker Du’s Flip Your Wig, the first Sugar album and the first album with his current power trio Silver Age. You want angry punk stompers, welp sure! There is “i Fought” and “Send Me A Postcard.”  What makes Sunshine Rock remarkable is a wistful nostalgia of “Camp Sunshine.” Mould started his solo career with an allall-acoustic album, but this comes from a different place. I’ve heard this album mentioned as the “Best of the Year” so far, which is generally a bullshit thing, but in this case I’m not inclined to argue.   

Guided By Voices –  Zeppelin Over China

Robert Pollard is the hardest working man in rock ‘n’ roll. Is this as good as Propeller, Bee Thousand or Alien Lanes? Hell, no! Pollard has no editor, which speaking of, mine is probably pissed at me (ed. Yup. Could you hit a deadline, Clarkin?!). The double album has enough to keep you engaged with tracks like “My Future in Barcelona” and “your Lights Are Out” that roll like classic late ’90s GBV. “Holy Rhythm” is a great song to crank in the car on the way to play hockey with lines like “broken dreams of broken men got to find a new place.”

5 Shows That Don’t Blow:

Westminster Yacht Club at Ogie’s Trailer Park in PVD on April 1.

Motif Music Awards at The Met Cafe in Pawtucket on March 25.  Happy Birthday LFC!

DBUK (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club) and Norman Westberg (Swans) are at Askew in PVD on March 26.

Los Lobos are at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on March 26.

Supersuckers with Diablogato will rock Alchemy in PVD on March 26.

My advice? Clone yourself for March 26.

Email music news to mclarkin33@gmail.com