Quirky music pairs with a story arc in popular band's concerts
FALL RIVER – Zoink Zulag and the Galactic Shag may seem like it arrived here from another planet, but the Fall River-based homegrown band was the natural next step for the talented performers who got their start playing in cover bands.
Since Zoink Zulag set down on planet Earth over a year ago, they’ve become so popular around the region that venues are coming to them to book shows, they said.
Singer Jared Robinson, who goes by the stage name Zoink, heads up the band along with drummer Nate Goncalo (also known as Ninictus); bassist Elias Wheeler (Squeeb Lou, an out-of-space mechanic); keyboardist John Galleese (Kev 1, an android); guitarist Joseph Rebello (Zorbeyoide, an inter-galactic sex symbol); and guitarist Wayne Cabral, whose space role is a surprise in the plot-driven concerts.
“It’s sort of theatrical, but nothing too in-depth…. We like to have a loose story arc with every show,” said Goncalo.
The roots of the quirky band were “very much like Frank Zappa – there were no drugs or alcohol when we started,” said Robinson, who is also a well-known face in the local theater scene.
After playing in a cover band together for a couple years, they decided they should put their “weirdly creative ideas” into practice in their own band, playing original music, said Goncalo of the band’s start. “This is our creative outlet where we can make it our own.”
The band’s organic growth led them to sounds they never intended when they set out. “We get compared to David Bowie, Zappa, The Tubes,” said Goncalo. “But from playing cover music for so long we know what a good song sounds like so we’ve taken that formula and applied it to our songs.”
“Unfamiliar themes with familiar sounds,” added Robinson of the band’s songs that resonate with fans from a wide swath of generations. “We stressed about playing other people’s music for years and we just wanted to have fun and that’s what we’re doing.”
Part of that fun is the “nothing’s off the table” songwriting process that leads to a friendly process of everyone in the band being allowed to pitch into the process.
Recording on their own, they have about 20 songs that they’re looking to record professionally. “Orange Peel on a Bike Seat” (inspired by an orange peel on a bike seat), “Goldfish with a Second Chance at Life,” and “Area Fifty-Fun” are among their most popular tunes. “The most important part of our show is a goldfish – we have a song about a goldfish and a video on YouTube. His name is Flippy Pete, he comes to all of our shows. He took his second chance at life and went with it,” said Robinson.
After playing their first show last March, they’ve landed gigs around the area including Providence clubs The Met and The Parlour. “Boston is a goal for us. We live in cool area where we’re close enough to Providence, Boston and New York,” said Goncalo.
“An East Coast tour is possible – we’ll just pack up the UFO and go,” said Robinson, adding, “We’ve probably played 50 shows and we’ve only booked one of them.”
Most of the time, people really love the music or hate it, they said, adding most land on the side of loving the band. “It’s what we hoped for when we started this – people really loving us. We’re serious enough, but also fun enough for people to laugh along with us,” said Goncalo.
Check out Zoink Zulag and the Galactic Shag at the Narrows Center for the Arts on Feb. 7. For tickets, visit www.narrowscenter.org.
Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.