Top photo, THE ZEROS; above, THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES
Countering the sad rock deaths news of late, I catch up on the great gigs of last year with an evening of power pop punk supreme, THE ZEROS co-billed with THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES at The Bootleg Theatre, downtown L.A., 11.28.15.
Shakin' some action bigtime, The Flamin' Groovies sported three original members and one Zeros' drummer (their bassist actually!) on loan. Pre-punk fun, hard rock was in short supply in the early 1970s. In the U.K. its few practitioners called it "pub rock," while Stateside it evolved into "powerpop," with no one evolving faster than San Francisco's The Flamin' Groovies. Their "Teenage Head,""Shake Some Action" and "Slow Death" achieved substantial radio airplay, important for the time.
Founded in 1976 and even featured in my 1978 book Punk Rock and Roll, The Zeros (see LINK) rightly have been deemed Pioneers of West Coast Punk, and continue their strong rockin' reunion these decades later as a threesome with Javier, Hector and Baba. Songs like "Wimp,""Don't Push Me Around" and their cover of the Standells'"Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" sound just as terrific as the first time around.
The less said about the opening act for the Zeros and Flamin' Groovies, a misplaced, misbooked frat band, the better. If you can't write something nice...
