THE ZEROS x FATAL JAMZ 12.29.23

Pop star, Marion Belle, came down from LA to open for this one and it was magnificent. Glammy delectable pop music! 3 piece with a drum machine and executed smoothly. I would love to see them come again with a drummer to experience the difference of live drums vs drum machine. As you can see, the aesthetics of Fatal Jamz was really conducive to the atmosphere of Gonzo! Absolute star power!

The Zeros formed in 1976, and are still rocking. There is something very special in their sound. Primitive, raw, and youthful. Punk? Sure, whatever you want to call it. It's just great music really.. The original members are Javier Escovedo and Baba Chenelle. So much charisma from the two and really fascinating talking story with them. We talked about why good rock n roll bands from SD gravitate towards LA (perhaps because down here it is more of a Navy town?), the 2 different versions of 'Beat Your Heart Out' and how cool Greg Shaw was. I forgot to catch the younger guy's name playing guitar but he was a great balance in the current lineup. Victor Penalosa was on bass/vocals (also used to play drums for Flamin' Groovies) indefatigable in his life's work to rock and roll. Beside The Dils, one of the few cool SD bands and we were honored with their presence!

-Justin Murphy