Zen Guerrilla - music group - Brief Article

Thrasher Magazine, Feb, 2002 by Wez Lundry

UNFORTUNATELY, MOST MIGHT KNOW OF ZEN GUERRILLA ONLY BY THE fact that one of their songs is on one of those Playstation video games. Don't get me wrong, the song kicks ass--"Empty Heart Swamp" by the way, off their first LP Positronic Raygun--but it just scratches the surface. They've put out two mare LPs since then with 1999's Trance States In Tongues and 2001's Shadows on the Sun, and have a slew of singles to back that shit up. They're often on the road so it shouldn't be too hard to catch 'em live. They're another one of those bands that is a little hard to pigeonhole. There's a punk urgency but it's overlapped with early '70s Detroit heavy/acid-rock and soul, and their tastes run the gamut (how can you explain a band that may play songs by such a wide range of bands as The Who, David Bowie, Otis Redding and Iron Maiden, but make them seamlessly consistent with all their originals?). Are they part of the "soul revival" indicated by bands such as The Bell Rays, The Now Time Delegation or The Detroit Cobra s? Well, sure, but they've been at it since 1990 so you can't say they're riding anyone's coattails. Take them for who they are and what they do, check out their recorded material, and for shit's sake, catch a show if you're lucky enough to have them roll through town. I spoke with guitarist Rich Millman after I finally got to see 'em play live.

So who does what?

Marc Durant sings, plays hormonica and plays a little guitar. Carl Horne plays bass. Andy Duvall plays drums, and I play guitar.

Is that the same lineup you've always had?

Yeah, we've been together since 1990. We all grew up in Delaware and met in college, moved to Philadelphia in '93 or '94, then moved from there to San Francisco. We've been in San Francisco going on seven years now. I got no complaints; I love California. I don't see myself going anywhere else. I do miss the East Coast and my family, but we get to go-back.

The Who, Bowie, Little Richard, Iron Maiden?

What about 'em?

You do songs by all those bands. It's just a little surprising. Do you ever play the Little Richard song "Mama's Little Rocket" live?

We used to. We were on tour in Europe, we were listening to this Little Richard live tape, and a lot of the songs he was just cranking it out; when we got back, man, we just kinda copied it, it wasn't exactly like a Little Richard song.

It seemed like you took people by surprise with an Iron Maiden song, if they even knew what it was. You go to shows and people who are 21, 22, 23 ... they've never heard that stuff.

Yep, no doubt. We'll play Otis Redding or Sam Cooke and then bust out some Iron Maiden. A lot of kids don't know what's up, but they'll figure it out. I'm 34. I used to go see Iron Maiden out in Delaware, man, I grew up in the sticks.

Did you ever rock a mullet? Don't flicking lie man!

Never had a mullet. Long ass hair and all that shit, but it's cool. You know, we try to mix it up, with all due respect to what rocks. People come up to us after the show and feel the same way. We never have people getting bummed.

Any of you guys skateboard?

I used to have the old Goofy Foot, with the ball bearing wheels. When I Was a kid I busted my head on that a few times. Marc has a longboard and he's getting into cruising. No serious skating, though. Lots of our friends in Newark are hardcore skaters. We did a tour with Nabula, and those guys all had longboards. Everynight we'd load out our stuff and those guys would bust out their longboards, all buzzed up just gliding around and having fun. I do appreciate Thrasher magazine, and the whole skate community They've always been good to us and straight up and honest. A lot of people do come out who skate.