It has only been a few months since the Zolas played Lethbridge in October, so they have something new planned for their opening slot with the Dudes at Bo Diddly’s, April 9.
“ This one is going to be interesting. It will be a different format and a different dynamic,” said guitarist/ vocalist Zach Gray or the Vancouver based keyboard powered indie rock band.
“There's going to be a lot more electronic music but it’s also going to be more intimate. It will be very cool, he continued.
The set will mostly focus on their latest CD “Ancient Mars,” which was released last October.
“The last tour was the official CD release tour. This two week tour will give us a chance to experiment,” he said adding band mate keyboardist/ vocalist Tom Dobrzanski has been busy in his new studio as a producer and working on projects like the new Said the Whale album, so the Zolas have been on a bit of a break.
He said response to Ancient Mars has been very positive.
ˆ“It’s been crazy. Not American Idol crazy, but crazy. I don’t read reviews, but the people who do tell me it has been really good, but then that’s what they get paid for,” he laughed.
“But there seem to be more and more people who come to the shows and want to hear the music,” he said.
The band just returned from Austin, where they were enjoying the South by Southwest music festival for the first time.
“ If you go down there and expect to be famous, then you will be really disappointed. But if you go to just play a couple shows and have fun, then you will,” he summarized adding they only played one show at a bar called Maggie Mae’s.
“ I know lot of guys who played six or seven shows. But I know a guy who played 16, but by the end he just wanted to shoot somebody,” he said.
“I’ve never seen so much diverse music,” he said.
“At something like North by North East (in Toronto every Spring) , it is pretty much all 20 something middle class white males with guitars,” he continued adding South By Southwest is completely different.
“There is music everywhere. Even pizza places become venues and you’ll get a really great band playing there,” he continued.
“You’ll have a band like us in one place and right next door there will be some sort of goth hip hop band.”
He is excited about returning to Lethbridge.
“I’m kind of bummed we‘re not playing the Slice again, because I love those guys, but it’s not our show so it‘s not our call,” he said.
Tickets for the April 9 show at Bo Diddly’s cost $20. The show is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
