New York’s Zs have always reminded me of a carnival in the way they deliver their somewhat-controlled musical mayhem. Like a scene from a Baz Luhrmann film, the result is madness on a grand scale, yet the execution maintains a sense of striking beauty. Take this, for example.
In tune with said carnival-like tendency, the band has gone and pulled the ol’ switcheroo with two-thirds of its crew, making tenor sax man Sam Hillmer the only remaining member from the old setup. The new group now consists of a quartet of musicians, with new members Charlie Looker on guitar, WFMU’s Brandon ‘Marty McSorley’ Perry on DJ and electronics, and none other than eternal percussion wunderkind Weasel Walter on the kit. Some of you might be saying to yourselves, “fuckin’ A, what happened to the bros who conjured up Music of the Modern White (TMT Review) and New Slaves (TMT Review)?” Well have no fear, youngins. According to the band’s website, this classic incarnation of the band is still able and willing to perform on demand, and they hope to be able to reproduce those albums live on a regular basis.
Capitalizing on this new shift in the band’s direction, Zs already have a new record in the works! Well, sorta. The quartet will be reinterpreting and remixing tracks from New Slaves for The Social Registry on the all-too-likely-titled New Slaves II: Essence Implosion!, which is also going to feature a fairly stellar list of guest producers — folks like Genesis P. Orridge, Jim Thirwell, Dutty Artz, and Gabe Andruzzi (The Rapture).
11.16.10 - Oakland, CA - The Shooting Range
11.17.10 - San Francisco, CA - Milk Bar
11.18.10 - Sacramento, CA - The Hub
11.19.10 - Irvine, CA - Acrobatics Everyday
11.20.10 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
11.21.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell #
11.22.10 - Isla Vista, CA - Biko Garage
11.23.10 - Hollywood, CA - Hustle House in North
* all dates are with Arrington De Dionyso
# featuring TMT’s Ben Pearson in the crowd!
• Zs: http://www.zzzsss.com
• The Social Registry: http://www.thesocialregistry.com
