THE ZEROS

The Zeros from Chula Vista, California were one of the more interesting exponents in the early L.A. punk scene. Composed of Javier Escovedo (vocals/guitar), RobertLopez (guitar), Hector Penalosa (bass) and Baba Chanelle (drums), this band of youngsters got together in 1976 out of boredom more than anything else. They began rehearsing after school -- first in Javier's bedroom, later at a full-fledged recording studio. Questions of "What are we gonna sound like?" never entered The Zeros' mind.

Says Javier in the liner notes of the Bomp! retrospective Don't Push Me Around: "Our sound was influenced by all our favorite bands: The New York Dolls, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, Bowie, KISS, T. Rex, as well as sixties punk groups like The Seeds, The Standells and The Animals, who we also took our look from."

After playing a number of gigs in Mexico and the surrounding San Diego area, The Zeros abandoned Chula Vista for the developing L.A. scene. Their first L.A. show was with The Germs and The Weirdos at the Punk Palace. That gig made The Zeros a fixture in L.A., as they played other city venues like The Masque, The Whisky, The Starwood, etc.1977 saw the band release a pair of classic punk singles: "Wimp" b/w "Don't Push Me Around" and "Beat Your Heart Out" b/w "Wild Weekend." Ever the travelers, The Zerosdecided to move up north to San Francisco, after playing a series of successful shows at clubs like Mabuhay Gardens, Temple Beautiful, Grove Street, etc. Like in L.A., theyimmediately adjusted to the surroundings and befriended many San Franciscan bands (The Avengers and Nuns, to name two). It was during this time The Zeros played one oftheir most memorable shows (a benefit with The Clash in Feb. 1979).

Hector recalls this highlight in the Dec. '96 issue of Maximum Rock 'N' Roll: "So Negative Trend were supposed to open, then us, then The Clash. But Negative Trend got some kind of rock star complex and wanted to play in the middle. So we said whatever. There were 3,000-4,000 people there! It was nerve-racking, but we played our set. Then The Clash suddenly decided they wanted to go on in the middle. So they play, the place goes ga-ga, they finish, and the place just empties out in 5 minutes. Negative Trend comes onand nobody's there."

1980 had The Zeros opening for John Cale during the West Coast portion of his tour and recording three more songs ("They Say," "Girl On The Block" and "Getting Nowhere Fast"). Later that year, they played some gigs in NYC. Disastrous results there (stolen guitars, smashed vans, etc.) prompted a re-think for The Zeros, and they split up approx. June 1980.

Though they never recorded an album proper between '76-80, The Zeros' influence touched many (impressive for a band with a total output of three 45s in four years). Hoodoo Gurus regularly made "Wimp" a part of their live sets. The Muffs did a take of "Beat Your Heart Out" on a '92 single. Teengenerate's raw 'n' rippin' version of "Wild Weekend" can be found on their Smash Hits album.

Pick up Don't Push Me Around (which contains all aforementioned tracks, plus unreleased demos and live action), start practicing at the storage unit of your choice and maybe I'll see your band play "Handgrenade Heart" in the near future.