Zooluxx gunsling their way into town and we chat with Dan Cervantes - a podcast by Richard and Tobin: Self confessed music addicts
from 2019-10-19T22:00:52
It's all about Zooluxx this week. Psychedelic gunslingers straight from the Los Angeles Music scene and recording on the Blind Owl Records label. Zooluxx really do take us to Different Planets. This week Richard is In Conversation with founder of the label and frontman of Mrs Henry, Dan Cervantes. We discuss the label in general and some of its roster, including Zooluxx and Mike Pope among others. Dan Cervantes is down to earth and enthusiastic. Richard and Dan also touch on Mrs Henry's rendition of The Last Waltz and the documentary it spawned.
Tobin is bookending the show this week with oddly named The Japanese House. Rarely to be outwitted, Richard delves into the research books and unearths the story behind the name. But what does Richard really think about The Japanese House? Listen on to find out more. Also in Tobin's sights this week is another of his favourite "guess where this band is from" spins. Nérija do sound cool and very sexy indeed, can Richard rise to the challenge? Tobin tops it all off with Maye and her New Music release Tú. Originally broadcast on our Patreon channel 3 weeks ago, Maye finally makes it onto the show.
Blodwyn Pig tease us with a comedic intro. Finally, Richard introduces the Family Playlist and dives right in with the classic Russian Circles track, Ethel. Good old auntie Ethel.
Track Listing
- Face Like Thunder The Japanese House
- Different Planets Zooluxx
- Riverfest Nérija
- The Change Song Blodwyn Pig
- Ethel Russian Circles
- Tú Maye
- Saw You In A Dream The Japanese House
Zooluxx - two EP's coming January 2020
We call our music jazzadelic space groove, it's heavy funk.
Zooluxx frontman Troy Vincent
He's talking about Zooluxx, the psychedelic, genre-crossing band he shares with bassist Ned Casual, drummer Princess Frank, and percussionist Bertie Paradise. Formed in Los Angeles from the ashes of a locally-beloved blues outfit, Zooluxx makes raw, rhythmic music that nods to the band's influences — including 1960s rock & roll, electric blues, Parliament Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, and Afrobeat — while still sounding fresh and feral. It's spontaneous dance music rooted in grooves and guitars, both modern in its explosively eclectic approach and proudly old-school in its reverence for analog sound.
Appropriately, the guys sharpened the edges of their acclaimed live show with a weekly residency at Good Times at Davey Wayne's, a 1970s-themed bar in the middle of chic Hollywood. The place was an oddly fitting home for Zooluxx, whose songs mixed vintage cool with contemporary kick. Every Monday night for five years, Troy and Ned would hit the stage, piecing together their band's unique sonic stomp — as well as their ideal lineup — while members of the Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Paul McCartney and U2 circulated throughout the audience. It was a proper scene, with Zooluxx's co-founders serving as the ringleaders.
New releases for 2020
Ghetto Starship was released in June 2019, introducing Zooluxx's sound to those who had yet to catch the band in concert. Recorded to analog tape on Lynyrd Skynyrd's old API console in San Diego, the EP found the guys working with Karl Denson, a multi-instrumentalist and producer who currently tours as a member of the Rolling Stones. Arriving less than a year later, the follow-up EP Just a Little Bit shines a light on the spontaneity of a Zooluxx gig, even kicking off with an improvisational jam called Golden Gun Blues. With its mix of raw energy, sharp songcraft, and uplifting lyrics, Just a Little Bit will be released next year by Blind Owl both digitally and on vinyl on January 31st, with Ghetto Starship as the B-Side on the vinyl release.
Words courtesy of Blind Owl Records - click here for more
Further episodes of From the Bottom of the Record Box
Further podcasts by Richard and Tobin: Self confessed music addicts