ZERO ONE ZERO – AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES AND ROB
By Ralph Beauchamp
Zero One Zero are one of New England's premier hard rock bands. The hard hitting foursome have just released a new full length titled Traces of yesterday. The album is full of melodic groove laden gems. The songs have a spicy vigor while hitting the listener with an avalanche of pulverizing beats. Lead singer Rob “Boots' Zawisza's voice is monstrous. His turns are adorned with huge cinematic flourishes. It also has a dynamic and intense tone. James Ferentino on guitar slays with stellar licks and divine solos. His playing is fearless while still being completely reliable.
The backbeat by Mark Russell (Bass) and Mark Ahles (Drums) is extremely ambitious. Russell's bass slaps with a ravenous ferocity, while Ahles' drums have a unique character. Every hit is a monster engulfed in thunder. These two turn every track into an incendiary rush.
All songs Traces of yesterday they deliver barrages of sonic density. Tracks like 'It's Me Again' establish themselves Zero One Zero as rogue songwriters. The melody is aggressive while still having rich textured tones. Ferentino's solo absolutely destroys. Another bold track is “Crumble”. Zawisza's voice is boldly dirty with a beautifully addictive element. Ferrentino's guitar riffs catch fire while Russell's bass packs a heavy punch. The fiery ballad 'Fortunes Burn' shows another side of him Zero One Zero. The vocals are soulful and the beat is delightfully intense. Ahles' drums fill every corner with a righteous flare. The bluesy “You Knock Me Out” is another towering behemoth. Overall, His traces Yesterday it's a magical offering.
Rob Zawisza and James Ferrentino were kind enough to sit down with AMP for this exclusive interview.
AMP: We last spoke in 2020 and we see a lot has happened since then, including a new album, Traces of yesterdayjust released on Deko Records. How did this happen?
James: It was a long road. We started recording in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic. That certainly threw things into relief. We were going up to The Music Room in Yarmouth, right on Cape Cod. We started working with the late amazing producer, Paul Nelson. I think it was our drummer's brother, Charlie, who put us in touch with Paul. Paul produced his wife Charlie, who is a very well-respected blues guitarist, and Charlie shot one of our Who covers and Paul was blown away. He met with us and loved our new material. Paul also has deep roots in Ct. music stage.
ROB: Initially there were many hiccups in the studio. We are not new to recordings, but it was difficult at first. We finally smoothed things over. When we thought we were done, James and I came up with some new songs. Once Mark and Marc (our rhythm section) added their parts to the new material, we started playing it live and loved the response from the audience. So we decided to add them to the album. It took a while to convince Paul to set up a new session. We basically told him we weren't done yet. That's another reason it took so long. We just came up with better ideas and melodies.
AMP: Continuing with your producer Paul Nelson, he died unexpectedly this year. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. How influential was his input on the new album?
ROB: We first met through a Zoom meeting. Then we wrote a bunch of songs and sent them to him. In a later meeting, Paul mentioned that the songs were great but they were too long. He wanted us to cut some verses and cut some bridges. We did what he asked us to do. So it definitely helped with some of the structures that in turn helped us become better songwriters. At the next meeting, he was pleased with what he heard. I feel like he had a lot of influence.
James: Absolutely! His experience with adaptations helped us a lot. Especially for me, Paul is such a great guitar player. I have a little recording session here at my house and Paul came down, sat on the sofa while I recorded my parts and from there we went back and forth about how to improve my sound. I don't think he won a Grammy for nothing.
ROB: Paul was also so energetic. He was always so optimistic. That's why we were surprised to lose him so soon. He looked so healthy.
AMP: Can you give us some information about your new full length, Traces of yesterday?
ROB: When we connected with Paul, we had just been hit with COVID. We had little time to focus on songwriting. Plus, knowing that things were going to work out eventually gave us that fire inside. The four of us were giving off a lot of energy because of that spark. From there the songs came easily. Lyrically I don't like to write about things I don't know. So it tends to be about how I feel and my personal stuff. At my current age, my perception of the world is different than when I was 21. All I try to do is be honest. I try not to kid myself when I write.
AMP: We asked you last time “what were your musical goals” and you answered with a laugh “to be rich and famous”. Has this changed?
ROB: This is funny. it's still comedy to me. As I said before, we are all more mature. My goal is to sing in this band and be surrounded by these wonderful musicians. Whatever comes down the pike, so be it. We are not chasing anything. It's all about living in the moment. I'm just trying to write a better song.
James: It was always about the music. I just want people to hear our songs. At this point in the game, the other stuff really doesn't matter. I want to be able to play our music, have people come see us and have a good time.
AMP: Do you feel that these new songs are an evolution in musical style from your previous material?
James: If there's one thing I have to say about the band, it's the fact that it's hard to put a label on us because from one song to the next, the sound is completely different. It's not on purpose. That's just how we are. We all come from different backgrounds. This filters through in the songs. I can go from blues to jazz to metal riffs with no problem. Same with the rest of the band.
ROB: Also, the development of it all is the fact that James has a lot of guitars. When it comes to training, it's different with a different sound. This creates a whole new feeling. Even though we all come from these different backgrounds, because of time, the four of us understand each other a lot better. So as we grow as people, our music grows, but there are some gems in our back catalog that are still going strong. Plus we make music for us.
James: The next record could and should sound completely different from this one. As Rob said, what grows from within comes out in our songs.
AMP: How would you describe the internal energy of the band?
ROB: I think we are pretty high. It bothers us because it's so hard to get decent gigs, but when we play we all burn out. Together we are always on fire.
James: Sometimes we play with newer bands and we always keep the energy up. We have played with death metal, hardcore, nu metal and punk bands. We'll play anyone just to get out there to show off our stuff. All the people at these shows are always banging their heads with us.
ROB: One thing I have to say is that the current music scene in the Northeast is pretty cool. All the bands support each other. We are all human and we should look out for each other. I am proud of our positive relationships with many other amazing artists.
AMP: Collaboration is at a fever pitch in today's music scene. Who would the band like to work with?
ROB: Lee-Ann Lovelace. She is amazing.
AMP: Any tour plans?
James: No plan yet, but hopefully in the very near future. Our next step is to try to build a team to further our goals.
AMP: What's next for Zero One Zero?
ROB: Keep moving forward. Keep playing live and press the record.
James: Promote the album. Our last record opened a lot of doors for us and we hope it does the same Traces of yesterday. I want to play a lot more because that's where we really shine. We are professionals on stage and hit the audience with a ton of good music.
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