Nearly 30 years after playing a three-night run at San Francisco’s venerable Great American Music Hall, Zero released a two-CD set capturing some of that magic from 1992 as Naught Again (Omnivore Recordings) hit the streets May 20.
The album, along with interviews with founding members drummer Greg Anton and guitarist Steve Kimock, was featured on the May 21 edition of Greasy Tracks.
Check out the archive by clicking here, while a playlist is here.
Hartford native Anton and Kimock trace their collaboration roots to early 1980 and The Heart of Gold Band, a short-lived line-up featuring ex-Grateful Dead members husband/wife Keith and Donna Godchaux along with bassist John Kahn.
The passing of Keith Godchaux, only days after the band’s debut appearance, hastened the breakup of the group, but Anton and Kimock continued working together in the studio and by 1984, with a somewhat loose aggregation of players, made their first appearance as Zero.
The early edition of the band featured guitarist John Cipollina who remained with Zero until his death in 1989. Core members over the years included bassist Bobby Vega, saxophonist Martin Fierro, keyboardists Banana and John Farey amongst others.
They released their debut studio album, Here Goes Nothing in 1987, followed by Nothing Goes Here (1989).
In 1992, the band, which had primarily played instrumentals since forming, started working with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Vocalist Judge Murphy soon joined and the Zero became a regular go-to for Hunter’s material.
Joined by a handful of special guests, Zero performed at the Great American Music Hall Oct. 14-16, 1992. A portion of those shows was released in 1994 on Chance In A Million. With keyboardist Pete Sears part of Zero during this period, the banded also had Nicky Hopkins and Vince Welnick alternating on piano during the run.
In addition to some spoken word moments provided by Hunter, 11 live tracks culled from the string of shows make up the new release. A two-LP set is planned for release this fall.
Zero — which is reportedly lining up East Coast dates for the fall — played a series of shows earlier this month on the West Coast and will play concerts in the Pacific Northwest in July. Kimock is on the road with Steve Kimock & Friends throughout June, including an appearance at Park City Music Hall in Bridgeport on June 18.