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Ali and Adrian of Zebrahead · Caught on the Mike...

• 0:29
  SPEAKER_02: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Caught on the Mic.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: Three decades.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: Man, that's painful to say.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_02: More than two million albums sold, a Grammy nomination, countless tours around the world, and somehow Zebrahead still sounds like a band with something to prove.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: From the Orange County punk explosion to complete DIY control, lineup changes, and now the final chapter of their 3-2-1-0 EP series.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Ollie and Adrian are here to talk about while Zebrahead isn't looking back, they're still charging forward.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: I've been listening to you guys for 30 years.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: That's why I said 30 years sounds kind of painful to say, bros.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: It feels uh w way worse.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's weird.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: I I saw this meme not too long ago where it said something along the lines like, it's 2026, but I keep thinking that 2009 was five years ago, you know.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: Dude, it feels like it.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how the hell are you guys?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Good, man.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: We we've been uh we were overseas in Japan about a week ago, and so we're uh kind of recovering from our trip there.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Some of us managed to catch the flu, so um, we've we've been kind of uh recovering, but I'm feeling I'm feeling great now.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: Good, good, good, good, good.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you guys look great 30 years in.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: What the hell is it that keeps Zebrahead hungry?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's what I want to know.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: You guys have survived label changes, lineup changes, musical trends in an industry that has completely transformed.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: What is it about this band that still makes you want to get in the van, get on a plane, and make another record?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: I can speak for AJ and here too, but we just love what we do, man.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we we love being able to uh create music and and play shows all over the world.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we made so many friends throughout the years, and when we tour, it's like, you know, you get to go see friends that have become kind of like family, you know.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's not lost on us how lucky we are to be able to do this.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that is really like the reason we keep going is because we love it.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody in the band would rather do anything else, and so we just keep coming back.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: Adrian, five years in, is your head still kind of spinning, or is it become the new normal for you?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, honestly, I would say for there's always a uh amount of pressure when you join a band that's established and and a band that you love, you know, like because I I genuinely love zebrahead as a band and and uh am a fan.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that like the guys like it's just be it's been so easy.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't mean that in like like it was handed kind of way.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: I just think that the personalities and everybody's drive and everybody's focus is like everybody's on the same page.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it literally made it super easy, and it's just been that way.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the longer that we're together, the more we write together, the easier it has become.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: So everybody knows each other's routines and stuff, and and yeah, it's just it's it's awesome.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So you know, it's it's been pretty great.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So kind of like a flawless, kind of seamless transition, I think, almost.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Still stoked.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about zero and that countdown.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: You you guys went from three to two to one, now zero.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: Was there always a bigger conceptual plan behind this series, or did the idea evolve as you guys went?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_02: And what does reaching zero actually mean for Zebrahead going forward?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Well, initially um, we started with the EPs when the pandemic kind of happened.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we were at home and we were kind of losing our minds just like everybody else.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: And previously we done long albums, like full-length albums, and that process was writing 50 songs and then cutting them down to like recording 20 to 25 and then releasing 14 to 16.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: But during the pandemic, is when also Maddie left the band and we started working with Adrian.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we wanted to get new music out there so people could hear Adrian's voice.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, we were so excited to have him in the band.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: And he's got an amazing voice.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: So we're like, hey, let's do an EP, let's get some songs out with Adrian.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: And initially we labeled it three because it was like our third chapter with Adrian for the band.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then once we started working on the EP, we were we enjoyed it so much because it was such a like instant gratification thing of being able to write maybe six to eight songs and then release like five to six.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: So you didn't have time to get in your head.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Not saying we didn't work hard on the songs, it was just like we knew we wanted a limited amount of songs, finished them, released it, and we enjoyed that process so much.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's when we decided, you know, let's do three, two, one, zero and then feel it out because also people consume music differently now.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a lot more single-based, playlist-based rather than people listening to a full album.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: So all of that kind of worked together, and we, you know, did the three, two, one, zero, and that the zero EP just got released on the 12th.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And now we're kind of done with that cycle, and we have to kind of figure out you know, the next time are we gonna do another EP or we're gonna go back to long form, you know?
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: But it's been great, man.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: We we love it.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: What how what did you think, Adrian?
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: How how was it for you?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, like like Ali was saying, you know, when you work on an album, like a full-length record, it it's such a time-consuming thing, and and there's just so much that goes into it.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like when sometimes we have an idea of a song and it's like, man, we really want to release it.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's what's cool about EPs, because like it doesn't take long to do the EP and you can release it fast, and like you said, instant gratification.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And um, it lets us actually put out more music.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if we did a if we did a full-length album, you know, we'd probably torn that two years, you know, roughly.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, with EPs, we can put out an EP every six months if we wanted to, you know what I mean?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or or you know, every year, and then we're constantly putting out new music, which is fun because you know, I think that's part of being in a band.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, obviously, the the shows is like the most amazing part, but like being able to constantly write new music and be creative and let that outlet actually be consumed by other people.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's pretty cool.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, the EP thing is rad.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I definitely enjoy it.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_02: Well, there's a good call out that you guys made about how music is released currently.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I will ask an artist a question on camera, they'll give me one answer, and then once that record button stops, they gave me maybe a little bit different answer.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: That trickle out formula where you're kind of trickling out singles as opposed to releasing a full collection of songs.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_02: Some people love it, some people hate it.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: How do you guys feel about it?
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I love singles.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: The cool thing about singles, like you can release different styles of music, and that's the cool thing about Zebrahead too.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we have an incredible rapper, Ali, and an incredible artist.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Zebrahead as a band is lucky because we can actually do any genre we want.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that there's always gonna be those out there that love full-length records.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Here's my thing.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I find myself as well not listening to full-length records of new new music.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: I certain artists that I love, I'll just listen to the songs that I like.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: But obviously, I'll go back and listen to albums that I grew up loving front to back.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: But I just don't consume albums like long form anymore.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: I really, I really don't.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Everything's like singles because I want variety.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like if I'm listening to music, I want different different bands.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you make a playlist that has different artists and there's just different, you know, genres, maybe.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what's cool about the EPs is that you can kind of do that, you know, and like but yeah, there's also gonna be people out there that want the full-length record, and I we totally understand that.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um one of the things that I believe Ben, our our bass player, just had said is that you know, 3210, there's a big surprise at at the end of this of something that we've been planning to do with those EPs together.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: So for those that want the long form.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I get that.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_02: This particular EP sounds like you guys are pushing the formula rather than repeating it.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_02: As you mentioned, you guys are multifaceted with your genres.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: There's punk, there's metal, melody, hip hop, and some really interesting vocal dynamics.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: What were you guys consciously trying to do differently on zero that maybe you guys hadn't done before?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: We in general don't put out like a parameter of, hey, this time, this is what we're doing.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oftentimes, the way it works is I'll get a text from Adrian at three in the morning saying, Hey dude, I have this really cool lyric idea.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: And then that evolves into uh, hey, let's meet up at the studio, and then we start just brainstorming.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that, you know, oh, how about this guitar rifle?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, how about this?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: How about we change that note?
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: How about we change this melody?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: How about you change that rap part?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like everybody starts working together.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a combined effort with the five of us, and we just work through the song until people go, you know what?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love the song, I think it's done.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, the song's pretty cool.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: Why don't we put it to the side for now and focus on something else because it's not quite there?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And we just keep building on that.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: We don't try to restrict ourselves by saying, hey, this is gonna be a hip-hop song, or this is gonna be a punk song.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like it initially it is what it is.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: We start, we start feeling it out, and then it starts molding itself into whatever it turns out to be.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I think for us it really works because in my head, like if somebody goes, I you can't do that, it in my head, that's all I want to do now.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it just works backwards.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think for us, because we don't necessarily do that, it's it's a lot easier to be creative and and come up with cool ideas.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_02: Dude, I love that.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: I will say, from as being a longtime fan, first of all, I gotta give props to you, Adrian.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: Your voice is fantastic.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'll call that out, and there's just a different swagger to you guys watching all of your content online, the newer videos and such.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: There's just a different feel to Zebrahead now in all the right ways.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: And that's not playing down past versions by any means, because I love all iterations of the band, but the the swagger now is something that I just I really I dig.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Al, I know what you did last summer feels particularly interesting and like a really interesting zebrahead experiment.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: Adrian brought that song in and you guys talked about approaching the rap differently on it.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_02: What happens when somebody brings an idea in the room that forces zebrahead outside of its normal comfort zone?
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Personally, I think that is the sweet spot for us.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, because we have been around for so long.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: If you can do something unique, you know, that maybe you haven't done it before, uh for me, I automatically love that.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's that I will love that song because, you know, we've been around for so long, you kind of do get tired of doing the same thing over and over again.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: So when something like that song, you know, is brought in and we start working on it, it's just like, oh my God, you know, like I thought we'd have done everything, you know, but uh apparently we haven't.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's very exciting.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And again, I I feel like because of our writing process, that we are completely open-minded to anybody coming up with anything, like it allows us to be creative that way.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, that song for me is one of my favorite songs because it's so unique.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I love the Adrian's cadence in his rap ideas because it's not in my head, my brain doesn't work that way.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: So when he brings in his rap idea, I'm like, oh shit, that is dope.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I want to do more of that.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: So like it's it's great as far as I'm concerned.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think like it's always helpful to be allowed to bring in ideas that maybe you know people haven't brought in before.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Because if initially you're like, no man, we don't really do that, then it really limits you, you know, like you are gonna keep writing the same songs over and over and over again, and people are gonna get bored.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I think like it's great.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you couldn't ask for anything else than to be inspired by something new to be creative around.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to sound like I'm asking a repeat question, but there is a weight involved with this.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_02: Adrian, you joined a band at the point you joined, it had nearly 25 years worth of history behind it.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: What was it like stepping into something that had already such an established identity?
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: And at what point did you stop feeling like the new guy and start feeling like you were helping divine the next version of Zebrahead?
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think, you know, I'll go off of what Dan told me.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: And Dan, you know, Dan still tells me this to this day.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like one of the first things he told me after he told me I was the new singer of the band, uh, he's all he said, Don't let me down, you know, and Dan's like, Don't let me down, Adrian.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, and every time we we have a show after the show, he's like, Thank you for not letting me down, man.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like definitely a lot of pressure, a lot of weight, and you know, for me, like I love music so much, and I always want it, I always want to do the best I possibly can.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so there was pressure to to join this uh iconic legendary band.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's also pressure for myself to to be able to be what they needed as uh as a vocalist and as a guitar player.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've always played guitar and I've always had like little cover bands, punk rock bands, or whatever.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, Dan's chops on guitar, man, they're like Dan is a beast.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of keeping up with Dan on on the guitar parts of things and making sure that I play the guitar parts perfectly along with the vocal part.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it's kind of like a there's double pressure there sometimes.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: But uh you know, I think that like like I said, the the guys welcomed me so so uh so amazingly into the band.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Dan, you know, would come over to my house and we'd go over the guitar parts, and you know, Al would be like, um, I messed up some lyrics.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um I was singing them wrong for whatever reason.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, Oh, this is the actual lyric, but I think it was on um rescue me.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was rescue me before I go uh before I grow grow up or old or you know, it's old, but there's all those things, but everybody was like, no one no one bullied me about it.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody was just so welcoming and and helping me transition into this band, and uh so grateful for that because you know, being the new guy in any band is always a hard spot because there is so much history before you join, and now you're you're this new puzzle piece that might create tension, might not, you know what I mean?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like it was just really flawless.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: I I would say, you know, the first show we ever played, I never got a warm-up show.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: They threw me right in the fire with two sold-out slam dunk shows in England.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I was a little bit nervous before the first show, but the moment we stepped on stage, it was like we'd been playing for for forever.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody moved in the right ways.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I had done my research on on a bunch of live shows that they played, so I would see on certain songs where Ali would move back uh towards towards Ed and hold his mic stand, or where where Dan would run over to the opposite side.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I I did a lot of homework on that kind of thing.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: So by the time I stepped on stage on that first show, it felt flawless.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh nobody bumped into each other.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we we had we found the groove pretty quick.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think by the second song we're just in it.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And uh but I would say man, I would say that first hometown show, I think, for me would probably be like all right, cool, you know, like new guy or not, I I I probably was in the band for like a year at that point or maybe a little bit less.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't feel like the new guy.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: I I felt like I was and they never made me feel like I'm the new guy, you know, like they just welcomed me in.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm very thankful for that, you know.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then the late night phone calls with with with Al and text message back and forth, so it just created this positive, uh just a positive environment.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: So so yeah.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: Love that.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: The one thing that I love about Zebrahead is your live reputation is almost its own identity, and you kind of cited that as being the newer guy, like and being able to kind of translate your new position in the band in the live setting.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: You guys have played Reading and Leeds, Download, Summer Sonic, Fuji Rock, Warp Tour, and seemingly every major festival imaginable.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: What is it about a zebrahead show that you think has allowed the band to build such a loyal international audience?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you ask me, I think uh in general, as the five of us go, we really have a good time together.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like even when we're, you know, just writing music or rehearsing or whatever, it's just fun for us.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: So and it's kind of always been that way.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: So when we play live, we try to bring that same energy to the live show of you know, high energy, everybody's there to have a good time and forget about all their issues for an hour to two hours, you know, and just bring bring a good vibe to for everyone to enjoy.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how we started the band.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think like that's kind of supported us throughout the years because we could always rely on our live show.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody coming into the band, Adrian, I don't know, like what's your vibe on it?
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: I yeah, I mean, look, ever since I've joined the band, I always felt like, and I feel like this is like most musicians' mottos in a sense, but I feel like zebrahead's always like everybody still enjoys it and loves it so much.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's like when you go to a zebrahead show, I think us as a band, we try to make sure that every person there, no matter what you're going through thro through the week, through the month, through the day, that all of that is out of your head for that, like Al said, that hour, two hours.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: You are there in the moment, and and hopefully you walk away with that that feeling of man, I needed that.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I needed that that show, you know, to to just let go.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, I feel like once we hit the stage, we gave 100% of ourselves to our audience.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um we want to create uh uh just a happy party, fun time.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like the band is super successful at doing that.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that you know, that's the one thing we could play with any genre band, and we have.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we last minute got invited because one of our friends' bands uh had to drop off this festival and they're a metal band.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so they asked us, we had a day off, they asked us to play this metal festival.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say metal, I'm talking about bands that are in like like night armor type metal bands, you know, like Viking metal bands, like black metal bands, and and we, you know, we didn't know how we were gonna be received, and we were headlining this metal festival last minute, and every single person had the time of their lives, and I feel like that's that's what this band does.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we create a just a positive, happy, fun environment and full of energy, and and you know, that's why we love it so much, and we give 100% of ourselves every show.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, I feel like that's how the bands always spin.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: Love that.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: You know, leading into the whole concept of you guys as a live band, this DIY chapter has been absolutely fascinating.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: After spending years inside the traditional record label machine, Zebrahead eventually took control of the business and creative side yourselves.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: What did you learn about the music industry by becoming your own boss and is no boss as liberating as it sounds?
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like sometimes I get asked, like, hey, what you know, advice would you give to a young person starting a band?
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I always say, learn all the aspects of the business, not just writing, recording, and performing.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Learn the merch, learn how to uh book a tour, create um relationships with promoters, like all of that is just as important, I feel, to being a good artist because it allows you to have a longer um career in the music business.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: For us, we kind of learned and initially, like like you said, we were like, you know, major label, they did everything, we just showed up and and smiled, you know.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then as the time rolled on and you know, punk like punk music wasn't super popular in America anymore.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: We were like, okay, we need to take this into our own hands.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: I I remember the meeting, we we were like, we're getting all these offers in England and Europe.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Let's start going there.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: So for the last like 15, 20 years, we've really focused our energy in going over there, learning that the business, making our our own connections with the promoters, um, with the festivals, all of it.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really helped us.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's allowed us to have a career because if we didn't do that, we would have been done 15 years ago or whatever.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I can't put enough emphasis on how important it is to understand the business of music and not just how to write a song and how to perform live.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, a lot of that has to do with our bass player Ben, because he took the initiative to kind of dive headfirst into learning all that stuff.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: And the rest of us kind of just followed him like begrudgingly, like, come on, they do it.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: We don't, why do we need to learn this stuff, man?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to go play songs, you know.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: And eventually we're like, you know, I understand why Ben is being so focused on learning all these other aspects of the business.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: And uh again, if he hadn't done that, I think we would have been done.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: So it's very important to to learn all these things, and um, especially if you're serious and you want to have a long career, and it's been very beneficial for us.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I highly recommend it.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: You know, again, another good call out.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Because you guys have an extraordinary career in Japan, and it has become a massive part of the Zebrahead story.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: Uh MFZB went gold there.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: You've maintained an enormous relationship with Japanese fans, and you just played SummerSonic again.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: What do Japanese fans understand about Zebrahead that maybe fans elsewhere don't?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think it is because the fact that not so many bands get to tour in Japan, and Zebrahead is one of those bands where like they're I feel like we're a Japanese band in a sense because we're so welcome there.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that they appreciate us so much when when we go there.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they take the time to meet us at the airport and give us banners.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: They're just they're just very grateful.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, as to where like I think that sometimes like let's say in the States, I remember, you know, touring a lot.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like sometimes fans weigh back a little bit as to where like other fans like Japan, like they don't get to see us often.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: They appreciate it so much when we come over there and they welcome us so much.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think that, you know, again, Zebrahead being zebrahead, we we always give back, you know, we take the time with our fans and and you know, uh if fans want to talk to us, we talk to them, you know, for however long it takes, and you know, we put that effort, we make sure that they know that we're we're we're very thankful for their support.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And but yeah, I feel like you can't say zebrahead without Japan in it, you know, and and Japan's just a magical place, too.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: So plus the food's amazing.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: We just had the craziest food excursion ever.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm still trying to cook a bunch of Japanese food while I'm home.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there's a there's an anomalous thing called proximity bias, and you know, I don't want to get into the whole psychology around that, but even back in the day when I was playing bands, sometimes I would go to a different market and have a better response in a different market than I did my home market.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it's because the people that are around you, they get like this bias, they have this vision of you that is totally different than the reality of the success that you're experiencing, almost like you're taking it for granted in your home market.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, do you guys kind of feel a little bit of that psychology along with what you guys have experienced elsewhere?
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: To be fair, we have started playing more shows here.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're gonna increase the number of shows in the upcoming year.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but there was a minute there where like punk music wasn't quite the vibe anymore here.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when we were like, you know, let's start hitting Europe, let's start hitting England, because our style of music was still popular there.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that actually allowed us to continue doing this, you know, for a living.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know, there is something to be said about playing your home, you know, cry to to a home crowd or to the to the home country being able to play in America, which we love doing.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: We just didn't have the opportunity as much before.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like we didn't want to do it, you know what I mean?
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: But we just, you know, we knew where our opportunities were and we really treated it like a business and we hit those opportunities as hard as we could.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: And now there's more opportunities for us in America because of that.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we're starting to go back and do more US shows and you know, with with some of our friends and like, you know, Goldfinger, MXPX, we're we're gonna be playing some more shows with them, hopefully.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, you know, it's a career, it's a long, it's like a marathon.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: You just gotta figure out how to keep going, you know.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like for anybody in any career, that does happen.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: And you just you have to, you know, at some at certain times focus on your next move, you know, and and plan out your next five years, you know, so that you're not not blindsided by things as much.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that allows you to, you know, have the opportunity to have a career for as long as we have.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there is something to be said about genres kind of fading in and out and everything kind of coming back around over time.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: One anomalous thing that I've noticed recently, specifically over this last summer, and people are have even been cited about this in different interviews, podcasts, what have you.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_02: Wes Borland talked about it famously uh just past couple of months, where he talked about how Limp Biscuit now might be more famous now than they were at the peak of their fame because of that nostalgia bubble coming around.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: To where my only counterpoint to that is maybe this is another benefit or silver lining.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: For as much as we want to shit on streaming services, maybe this is another silver lining to streaming services, to where the aspect of discovery is much different than it used to be, and people are coming back around to things because there are not so many guardrails around genre anymore like there used to be.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: So people are a little bit more open-minded and they're just consuming music for the sake of consuming music.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: Do you guys have thoughts on that?
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think the beautiful part about music is it's meant for everyone, you know what I mean?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're open and willing to discover new music, you don't know what you might find.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: And if you look at the genres, let's say look at what country's been doing, you know, with with with rap and hip-hop genre blending, look at uh a lot of pop punk genre blending.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you look at Machine Gun Kelly and artists like Suaco, you know, I I feel like people are so much more open to different genres now because they're they're they're being they're being shown more genres now.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: As to back in the day, like you'd either listen to the rock radio, rap radio, country radio, whatever it is, nowadays music is so blended in a beautiful way that it's just out there for everyone.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it you know it it definitely makes it easier.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I saw that interview where Wes Borland said that it is crazy because you know, seeing their festivals in Europe and it's like they're playing Woodstock almost every night again, you know, which is crazy.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I yeah, I think that's the beautiful thing about the streaming services, um and and the apps like TikTok and and and all these social media apps, you know, people share things and you might discover something that you would have never back in the day, you know, because you didn't have those means of discovery.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's pretty awesome, you know, and and uh, you know, again, uh kind of fortunate that the timeline has hit the way it has, uh and it's only helping us as well.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I'm very grateful for all of it.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you kind of fell into my trap there because I was gonna say, how do you feel that this applies to Zebrahead, a band that has historically blended genres and historically been boundless?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_02: Does this give you some optimism for what the future of the band may hold?
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Personally, you know, I feel like as a band, we don't really focus too much on, oh, our style music is popping off right now on TikTok.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we're gonna be we're we're gonna be set.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we never think it like that, honestly.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: We just try to like create songs that we like to listen to ourselves that inspire us, and then hopefully people relate to it.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, man, it's great.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: When we first started out, there were bands that were, you know, BC boys were doing kind of like punk hip-hop stuff.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: There was a lot of rap metal, not so much punk metal, which is a little bit more popular now.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: But for us, I think we always kind of stood out because we were blending these genres back in the day, and that that's what allowed us to get a record deal and all these opportunities and to have a career as long as we have, but it's never like intentional, I guess.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like we, it's just what that's all we know how to write is this style of music, is because everybody listens to different things.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: And when you work on music with five people, everybody's gonna have different ideas, different influences, and you mash that together, and it's a zebrahead song.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: So we just kind of focus on trying to write a good song.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: We don't really like try to put too much emphasis on you know what's happening right now, or oh my god, this is popular again, you know.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, um, I feel like you're always chasing if you do that, you're always behind uh if you start doing that.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we try not to think about it that way.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_02: Dude, that's very encouraging, and I love hearing that because it's a very holistic art for the sake of art answer, and that's that's absolutely amazing.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, looking forward to the future, what happens after zero?
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: The countdown is complete, you're celebrating 30 years, you said these could be some of the best songs that you guys have ever written.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: What does the next chapter of Zebrahead look like then?
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_02: And what would you still like this band to accomplish that you haven't checked off the list yet?
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: I like the nod.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think you know, the next chapter is we gotta, you know, we gotta break that polka punk rock metal, you know, genre.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: We gotta break that barrier now.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: We gotta get to polka in this bitch.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: No, I think, you know, with zero, I think, you know, we have uh a big tour coming up in Europe.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it is anniversary tour as well, you know.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um so our sites are super focused on that right now.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: And our sites have also been focused on because we understand the business and especially today's business, uh, you know, we're we're much more focused on creating content and and funny things and just letting our our personalities kind of like shine through and make that connection.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I think right now the focus is our our big tour November, you know, uh it's we're probably one of the bigger tours, I think, that we've done.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: Then big venues are selling out, they're being upgraded, which is incredible.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: Which is shows like uh a little bit of the growth that the band just keeps on growing, which is always the focus.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: If we can keep on growing, you know, at whatever pace, but as long as we're growing, and uh I think that's the focus, you know, just to keep on growing as a band and uh to keep on writing music that we enjoy writing, you know, and to not limit ourselves.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, again, like Ali always says it best, it's like, you know, we never try to to go in and be like, like, let's write this same song.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: We go in to have fun, and if it's interesting, we're like, cool, that's an interesting song.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: How can we make it more interesting?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_00: How can we make it more weird?
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how can we just make this our our own and make it cool and different?
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it's always a gamble because you just don't know how it's gonna go.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: But like songs like I think uh I don't know, uh, last summer, you know, like that song is totally different, and then you got like a punk rock song, like I don't know how to put this on kind of a big deal, super punk rock, and then the outro sounds like a Fallout Boy hip hop mash.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know, you know what I mean?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like we're just gonna keep on growing, we're gonna keep on playing, and uh hopefully, you know, people keep on coming out to the shows and keep on enjoying, and it's a generational thing, they keep on bringing their kids, and maybe one day their kids can bring their kids, we'll be ancient by that point, but you know, just having fun, man, you know, and just always focus on the future and you know, just growing, I think.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_02: Well, guys, my closing question for everybody that does the show.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_02: If you've ever listened to my show or watched my show, you know what's coming.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_02: I like everybody's individual perspectives on this, and I want to know through your eyes and your experience, one at a time, what's your advice for making the world a better place tomorrow than what it is today through the things that you guys have individually experienced?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like because we have a very unique opportunity in touring for the last 30 years, everywhere we go, people are the same.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: People just want to have a good time, they want to be able to take care of their families, they want to be, you know, successful in whatever career they have, they want to have good friends.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like everybody is the same.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like the way things have kind of gone lately is there's so so much like hatred and animosity when somebody doesn't agree with you.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like if there's anything we can do to temper that a little bit and try to maybe see other people's perspective before getting angry, before having judgment, just kind of acting like, hey, that's my best friend who just told me that blah, blah, blah, blah, which I don't agree with, treating them like that.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how would you, how would you talk to your best friend who said that to you rather than, man, like all the worst things you can say on their comments or you know, threatening people stuff.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: I just uh hope, I don't know how that would happen, but people would take a step back and just kind of realize, dude, if I hung out with that guy or that girl, we would have way more in common than stuff that we have that we disagree on.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: Music has always been something that connects, uh has has connected me to other people, whether it's like, you know, testing somebody, hey, have you listened to the new Bizarre Face album, or like, you know, hey, you want to meet and go to the real big fish show coming up in Anaheim.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like that community, where when you're enjoying music together, people are a little bit more open-minded to other people, people's like ideas and stuff.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like music does that.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's always done that for me.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: And my hope would be that music continues to like rather than divide people, like bring people together and establish an understanding where it's not immediate judgment, it's more of trying to figure out what we have in common rather than try to figure out what divides us.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: How about you, Adrian?
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: Cheesy, but you know, I think that's true.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: I I'm the same way.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's like it's like honestly, it would be really nice if everybody would start trending back towards nuance.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like instead of extreme.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like nuance matters.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_02: So what about you, Adrian?
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: I j I mean, just like Ali said, I think that's probably one of the best descriptions of, you know, I feel like how I feel as well.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: I feel I think that people should just be a little bit more conscious of other people and be aware of the people around them and and just know that, you know, like you said, we all have bad days, we all have good days, we all can be sad, we all can be happy.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: You just don't know what anybody else is going through.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: So just be more aware of of the people around you and you know, and and I I feel like just treating everybody with kindness and and and yeah, just we're all on this this planet hauling ass through the galaxies, you know, through space and time together, and it's limited, you know.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: We're everybody has a shelf life, and we don't know how much time we have with each other.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you know, the world is truly a beautiful place, and I think that our differences make us beautiful.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we were all the same, you know, could you imagine how boring that would be?
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I think that what makes us beautiful is that we are all different, you know, and we believe different things and we can have different conversations, and um, I think just being more conscious of each other and being more kind, you know, being more kind and just understanding that look, we're all the same, you know?
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like no matter where you go in the world, like Ali said earlier, you know, we all deal with it, we all go through it, it's life, and and just being here for each other.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: Could you imagine if if everyone just rallied up together versus being so divided?
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, I just hope that we can come to that place one day, you know, and and I don't think that we're far off, you know, honestly.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think that I think that in a few years I think we're gonna get pretty close to to something super beautiful.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that's uh all I could hope.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I love it.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_02: Guys, why don't you tell anybody that's listening to this or watching this where they can find you and your music online?
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, if you go to our Instagram, Zebrahead on Instagram, Twitter, X, and then Zebrahead.com, we announce everything there to our fans in America.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: We are coming to play more shows uh in the upcoming year.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: So and we we are in the midst of like figuring that out, but we will announce it once it's a hundred percent.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: So check back on those sites.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: What would you like to say, bud?
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I was gonna say you could always call our zebrahead hotline at uh 8675309, you know, either one.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: And uh but yeah, check out all our uh social media and we're gonna keep on posting stuff.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: So by the way, have you ever called that number?
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, but um first thing I'm doing when I'm hanging up.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: 8675309.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually a number, so if you call it a funny little voicemail.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: So but yeah, check out all our stuff, and we're gonna be constantly posting uh more content and more information.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: Well, guys, uh, I'm a longtime fan.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a fan of your past stuff, I'm a fan of your new stuff.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_02: I want you guys to know that you have an ally in me anytime you guys want to come back on, shoot the shit, hang out for a little while.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_02: I I'm all ears, and uh thank you guys so much for doing the show.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_02: The world's a much better place with you guys in it.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate you, bud.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Come have a beer with us if we're in in a town nearby you.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe two or ten.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.