MEMBERS: Randy Coleman (lead vocals), Carlos “Charlie” Rivera (lead guitar), Kevin Shepard (drums), Nick Sample (bass).
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles.
ALBUM: “Come Out and Play” (3:33 Music Group; release date: June 2002).
THE SOUND: Soaring rock music.
PRODUCER: Gavin MacKillop (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Goo Goo Dolls).
FIRST SINGLE: “Star.”
OTHER TRACKS: “Bardo,” “Mantaray,” “Nothing Changes,” “M,” “Gorgeous,” “Intermission,” “If I Could Dream Like Francis,” “Chasing Zen,” “Blind Sympathy,” “She Don’t Care,” “Midnight Luna.”
WEB SITE: www.zoostory.net.
SOMETHING TO KNOW: “Star” is featured twice in the new Kevin Costner film “Dragonfly” (Universal Pictures), most notably over the closing credits. Also, Shephard was formerly in Tonic, and Sample is the son of jazz pianist Joe Sample.
SOMEBODY’S STANDING IN A CD STORE AND COMES ACROSS YOUR ALBUM. THEY’RE CURIOUS ABOUT BUYING IT; WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO CONVINCE THEM?:
Rivera – “Here is a rock album that builds on what the great old-school bands, such as Led Zeppelin, Queen and U2, have left behind.”
WHAT SONG DEFINES YOU?:
Rivera – “Let’s see, ‘Star,’ ‘Chasing Zen,’ ‘Midnight Luna.’ … Seriously, it feels to me as if each song has its own unique way of defining who we are as a group. ‘Star,’ however, displays a lot of the elements that each of us can do as musicians.”
WHAT WAS YOUR MANIFESTO FOR THIS ALBUM?:
Rivera – “Without a doubt, we all wanted to make the best album we could possibly make – in every sense, from Randy’s songwriting through to Gavin’s production. We each gave 110 percent of ourselves on this recording.”
WHAT’S YOUR GUT FEELING ON HOW YOUR ALBUM’S GOING TO DO?:
Rivera – “We are so proud of this record. We all just want the opportunity for these songs to be heard. If the audience gets that chance, to actually hear these tunes, the record should do well.”
YOUR PERSONAL MUSICAL HERO?:
Rivera – “Anyone who has inexplicably moved me by no other means than their art. Jeff Buckley, definitely.”
WHAT’S THE STATE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?:
Rivera – “It is not at all bad. MP3 piracy has given it a run for its dough, but this kind of thing is always good in the long run. Change is a good thing.”