Words by Jonathan Stout
The pandemic hit everything hard but it’s no secret that the music industry was one that got hit hardest. As things have slowly picked up and many industries have “returned to normal”, the ghost of the pandemic still looms large in the music world. Many bands who went on hiatus at the beginning of the pandemic have yet to return. Some have had to shuffle members and goals.
Such is the case with California’s longrunning punk metal titans, Zig-Zags, who decided to take a brief break in 2019 after a long European tour. Unfortunately, the pandemic decided to force the band into a longer break and saw the exit of drummer Dane Arnold. After remaining members Jed Maheu and Sean Hoffman discussed throwing in the towel, they instead decided to call upon the services of Jeff Murray, previously of Riding Easy labelmates, The Shrine. Things clicked and as the rehearsals picked up and songs began to take new life, they decided to lay the classics down once more with the new lineup. And who better to record and produce them but the one and only John Dwyer of the OSees?! So they headed into Dwyer’s ‘Discount Mirrors’ recording studio and scorched through their hits with more aggression than ever before.
The recordings on Strange Masters (Riding Easy) represent a rejuvenated and reenergized band. Although it doesn’t have the same DIY charm of their earlier albums, the guitars and drums sound huge and the vocal recording is clearer and more centered than in the past, with Jed’s snarling bark sounding tougher than before.
Off Shelf: You’ve assembled such a collection of rippers here, that all sound so revitalized. Were you able to gain a renewed appreciation of your past material through making this album or was it more to document your progress with your new drummer, Jeff Murray?
Jed Maheu: Thanks! Yeah, kind of both. I mean this album sorta morphed from one idea to the next. Honestly I was having a hard time writing songs, the riffs were there but not fully formed or very original in my mind. I think with the touring break we planned to take, mixed with COVID, and mixed with losing our drummer, my normal flow of ideas kinda got whacked out. Initially the idea was to test out some recording techniques using old songs, then make a “live” album but like a fake studio one and then when we started to really listen back and hear how the drums were sounding we just said, “Fuck it, let’s try to do these songs the best we can”. And there’s more that we recorded but they didn’t come out right. Sometimes redoing shit doesn’t work.
OS: You specifically sought out Jeff from The Shrine to take over on drums. What did you enjoy most about his playing that made you think he’d be a good fit for Zig-Zags?
JM: Well, playing for me is always secondary and that is not to say anything about Jeff’s playing because he is the best drummer Zig-Zags have had. But for me it’s more about the enthusiasm to do it. Are you cool to hang out with and can you hang with me? Jeff and I have known each other since almost the beginning of the band so it made the most sense.
OS: When Dane left the band, before you linked up with Jeff, you and Sean discussed disbanding entirely. What motivated you to press on?
JM: That was basically one phone call where I was like, “If we can’t get Jeff, I’m not really sure what to do and I don’t know who else really fits the band.” And Sean was like, “Well whatever you wanna do, if you wanna find someone we can or if you wanna call it we can call it.” And what he meant by that is being in a band with people and trying to deal with everyone’s shit and then finding new people who understand what it’s actually like is a pain in the ass. Not that we wanted to quit but after awhile you’re like, “What the fuck man!?”
OS: Sonically speaking, Strange Masters sounds huge! The guitars sound very full throughout, with a thick low end that easily sharpens up in time for solos. Do you have a current favorite distortion or overdrive pedal utilized during recording this album? Or an old faithful/tried and true set up?
JM: I used the same thing I always use, which is an old MusicMan HD150 head which is not my favorite sounding amp by far but it has this crazy built in Phaser which crushes and makes it hard for me to switch to any other amps. I use an OCD for the distortion and that gets boosted by a Tube Screamer. We ran that with a Mesa Studio Preamp which is similar to the old Metallica recording rig and we blended them together. I still didn’t get what I wanted but I’m not pacing around the bedroom at night and having my wife tell me to “come back to bed” because my tone sucks.
OS: How was your experience recording at Discount Mirrors? Was there anything specifically unique about John’s setup that you think defined the album’s sound?
JM: It was a blur and honestly I don’t remember much about any recording or any shows we have played for that matter. They were mixing very loudly in the room, which we do not. I’m also very focused and not the most fun to be around in the studio and I like to record long and fast with little to no breaks. Jeff and I just did a session for 14 hrs straight and we stopped once for an hour to eat. And that was just so he could get 70 different drum takes on 10 songs. Anyway, John came down and I don’t think I was in a very “fun” mood and then he was like “Okay, see ya.” [laughs] We’re always very prepared and know what we want but we always try to do too much at once.
OS: All of these renditions really pop with unbridled energy. Were these songs recorded live? There’s a very natural sound to it.
JM: Yes, they were totally live and then just overdubbed to beef things up. We were all in the same room and I was singing and playing guitar at the same time. The next record won’t be like that.
OS: So you’re currently recording a follow up of new material. Is this being recorded at Discount Mirrors as well?
JM: You’d have to look on Zillow but I’m not sure of the current status of Discount Mirrors. Right now we just have drums tracked and it’s a very long story as to how we got to where we got to but there are studios that are closing, studios that are being torn down, and studios that are being built, and we’re in the process of navigating all of them to make a record. When I say it out loud it, everyone always has a suggestion as to how I’m doing it wrong and I’d agree with them for the most part but it’s always a lot harder when you’re dealing with schedules and time and money.
OS: What can fans expect from the upcoming new material? Any left turns in style or approach?
JM: Hmm, not really any left turns on this record but there are some coming. I always start out with an idea that an album is going to sound a certain way and then it just ends up sounding like a Zig-Zags record. Some thrash, some punk stuff, doom stuff, there may be some more synth on here. I just like shit that sounds tough but that you can also sing along too. I love so many death metal bands and hardcore bands and bands with really over the top recordings whether it just be super trashy and lofi or crazy technical and tight but that’s not who we are. We’re pretty straightforward.
OS: You’ve described the band as “old and angry.” What angers you nowadays in comparison to the early days of the band? Is it the same or different?
JM: I’m very frustrated by the feeling of being forced to be connected to technology and disconnected from nature. I’m in the best shape of my life physically but mentally I feel old when every day I have to deal with anything computer or phone related. When I talk to younger people they feel it too. We were truly better when we were not hardwired to the world through the internet. The mystery of music and art is lost when you can just look everything up. The music is angry but we’re not. We get along really well with each other, our friends and family.
OS: What does the future of Zig Zags look like? What would you still like to accomplish as a band?
JM: We’re in the process of having our own place to record. I’d like to put out a record a year and then build a light touring schedule around it. Be consistent. Every week I try to eat right, lift weights, sleep well, run, record podcasts, write music, cook, spend time with my wife and dog, play baseball, make money… and every week I fall short of doing enough of what I want. The band is the same way. We try to practice multiple times a week and play as many good shows as we can. We try to stay on a similar path of consistency and creativity but because of life we always fall short of the goals that we have in our minds. We have to just keep going.
Zig Zags changed my life for the better. Thank you for the gift of your music.