I’m a big fan of anything within the rock/punk genre, so I was very excited to discover Zeta Zeroes and their amazing EP, 11:01. Those into their heavier rock should get a kick out of the track – you can find out more about them below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released an EP titled 11:01, which we reviewed. What can you tell us about the EP and what does the title refer to?
The EP was written over a decade ago when I was a teenager, same track order as well. That first version was done in Apple GarageBand with no real audio interface – just a Shure SM57 mic on my guitar and bass speakers going into an XLR-to-USB converter – so the quality was pretty trash and there were no vocals at all. The arrangements were quite basic, and the tempos were slower and more static.
On 11:01, I fixed those issues thanks to a new interface, some new perspective on my arranging, and the willingness to write lyrics and do vocals for the first time. I wanted to make the final version of that EP that teenage me wanted to make all along. I’m not a stranger to straightforward punk, but I also wanted to make something that had an outsider vibe and was more interesting to me as a metalhead.
I chose the title 11:01 because 1) It’s 11 minutes and 1 second of runtime 2) I have engineering and math degrees so I’m a numbers dork 3) I wanted to reflect on time in some ways. It’s been 11 or so years since I had come up with the ideas for these songs. I’ve been struggling to wake up for work or school for years so that glowing, wretched clock on the cover art was often a sign of dread for me if I were to sleep in or not hear the alarm go off.
How has the reception been so far, and where can 11:01 be purchased?
The reception has been overwhelmingly positive. It hasn’t gotten around tremendously beyond a few blogs, playlists and my own friends and family, so my goal for the next project is to get far and wide enough to get a few haters at least.
11:01 can be purchased as a lossless WAV download on my Bandcamp for a name your own price (including free, no sign up for email lists required or anything). Or just rip it off YouTube, I don’t care.
You released Toxic Rob as a single. Why did you pick that song to be a single?
It was the first song I finished, that’s why! I also thought it was energetic and fun and kind of a middle ground for the EP. The New Influence was too heavy, Black Friday too experimental, Westerfield too easygoing.
Has the pandemic hindered your work much?
It was actually the main reason I was able to get steady progress. I was working remotely, so on lunch breaks or long lulls in work I would switch over to my DAW to record or mix during the day and continue working in the evening and on the weekends. With limited opportunities to socialize or go to bars with friends, that left a lot of free time for me as well.
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
I don’t think so. However…
Do you have plans to release another album or EP anytime soon or is it too soon?
I think I’m going to do a metal EP in 2023. I have 2 brutal, groovy thrash/death/metalcore songs I wrote from high school I really like, and another that I’ve started writing that I’m a bit obsessed with. I have a beautiful new vocal mic and killer LTD and Jackson guitars that I can’t wait to track with. I’ve been doing tons of multitrack mixing practice, so combined with the lessons learned from doing 11:01, I think production quality-wise it’s going to be a huge improvement and really impress those that did like 11:01.
It’s just three tracks and I think I want to just release it all in one go instead of doing singles for it. After this I need to hide away for a while and start working on a proper album – which will definitely have singles – but that will take at least a couple years to materialize. My favorite original material has consistently been kind of alternative metal/post-hardcore. I have over a dozen songs to record and cut down to a powerful 35-40 minutes that I think will be a really sensational experience, so stay tuned.
Your music is based within the punk genre. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
For 11:01, I was influenced by the punk bands that got me out of being exclusively a metalhead around age 14-16: Rise Against, Chuck-era Sum 41, Defeater and later more punky metalcore bands like Every Time I Die and Converge. The epicness of classic thrash acts like Metallica and Testament were huge influences around this time too.
I’ve been listening to lots of indie and shoegaze – the new Alvvays album, Grouper, Big Thief, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Beach House. On the heavy side, I’ve been loving the new Ashenspire, Gospel, and KEN mode albums.
You’re from Long Island. What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
Long Island is home to many artists and bands I grew up on. Billy Joel, Glassjaw, Brand New (pre-allegations). It has great music venues like The Paramount and we had a stop on Warped Tour annually, plus we were an hour away from NYC, so lots of great punk, hardcore and metal shows were always going on growing up there.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
I do not – Zeta Zeroes is just a recording project for now. I haven’t gigged in any capacity since 2013, really. I think music is meant to be a shared experience, so I would love to get out and play live again. I’ve got to start locally here in the US and get some serious traction before I venture across the pond. Playing internationally is many a musician’s dream, including mine.
Any last words for the fans?
If you’re an artist with a song that needs mixing, hit me up @zetazeroes on Instagram!
I’m taking mixing work free of charge because I absolutely love doing it, and it’s one of the most expensive parts of the production process. The cost is a huge barrier for artists to get their music out in the world – which is why I taught myself for my music – and I’d love to help other artists avoid that financial barrier and get results they’re in love with. I specialize in heavy rock but I can work with anything you throw at me. I’ve got ears with years of mixes under my belt, lots of pro-level plugins, and some great headphones and monitoring to get into the details.
Similarly, I’d love to collaborate with other artists. I think I can lend myself best on harsh vocals and bass, so @zetazeroes on Instagram if you want to collaborate!
I’ve got some pretty fantastic music in the works over the next few years. I’m always trying to grow as an artist and producer so I’m not going to stop until I have genre-defining classics out there. I think underground music needs more novelty and fresh ideas right now, too many bands are staying comfortable doing the same thing year-after-year and playing it safe sitting comfortably in their subgenre scene and relying on tropes to attract fans and attention. I always make music from my perspective as a fan and what gets me genuinely excited.