Zeni Geva Mini Interview (playing Shellac's ATP in December)
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Name Of Band: ZENI GEVA
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Year Formed: 1987
Bio:
"ZENI GEVA is a Japanese prog-hardcore band, led by singer and guitarist KK Null, one pioneering group of innovators and legends.
ZENI GEVA was founded in Tokyo in 1987 and quickly found a dedicated fan base in Europe and the US. Their popularity in the west enabled ZENI GEVA to be one of the first Japanese bands to tour in Europe and the US with bands like Bastro, Crash Worship, Dazzling Killmen, Don Caballero, Eyehategod, Melvins, Neurosis, Pain Teens, Shellac and more.
Steve Albini rates ZENI GEVA as one of his favorite bands. He highlights the band's wide range of influences for keeping the ZENI GEVA sound diverse and challenging. Steve also admires the way ZENI GEVA embrace the Japanese culture in their sound rather than trying to Westernize it.
Subsequent tours have comprehensively covered Europe, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, proving a fast emerging worldwide audience.
ZENI GEVA has released 12 albums (5 out of them produced by Steve Albini) on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles, Null's self label NUX Organization, Skin Graft, Neurosis' Neurot Recordings and more. Also ZENI GEVA recorded twice for John Peel Session on BBC.
In 2009 the 2nd original drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins) who had been playing in the band in 1989-90 and recorded the 1st CD "Maximum Money Monster", came back and brought the band with more complexity and hyper energy."
Do your best to describe the sound of your band in one sentence:
Progressive Hardcore
What are the most recent activities of your band?
We will be touring in Europe in October, playing 13 concerts including some festivals such as Supersonic in Birmingham, LUFF in Lausanne, NØDUTGANG in Bodø (Norway).
How excited are you to play this event?
Always a great honor and pleasure!!
Do you have a connection with Shellac / an idea why you were chosen to play?
We first met Steve Albini in 1991 and he recorded 5 of our albums, and when he came to Japan for his first time he joined ZENI GEVA and we played together live and also in the studio and recorded a couple of songs. Also, I organized the first Japan tour of Shellac.
Which of your releases do you feel ATP attendees should check out first?
"10,000 Light Years" on Neurot Recordings.
Is there one of your tracks you think specifically represents you best?
"10,000 Light Years"
ALL of them!!
If you were curating, name three bands you'd want to play your event...
Garmarna
Värttinä
Salif Keita & his band
If you could pick one record release in the last year which would you recommend?
"Cryptozoon" by KK Null
What have your previous experiences at ATP been like? Any favourite memories?
I had never thought that ZENI GEVA would play on the same stage where CHEAP TRICK plays!!
ZENI GEVA played in 2002 and it was the two week-end events, and so between the weekends we had a day offs and had some short trips along the coast which was very nice.
Thank you very much. See you at ATP in December!
All the best
Kazuyuki
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Zeni Geva play ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas festival curated by Shellac this November 30th-December 2nd. The event is sold out but interested parties can sign up to a waiting list in case of future ticket releases here.
Read some previous mini interviews with bands playing this event:
Dead Rider
Oxbow
Scrawl
Three Second Kiss
Bear Claw
Arcwelder
Mission Of Burma
Alix
Red Fang