ZO2- NORTH STAR BAR, PHILADELPHIA 6/3/11

By Kevin Mercer

Ok so I know I’m new to OOT, but if you read my last article, you’d know by now that I tell it like it is & don’t pull any punches. Fortunately for ZO2, I have no punches to pull this time.      ZO2!! Haven’t heard of these guys? Well you should! Because they just happen to be the best new band out there today & potentially the saviors of Rock & Roll! In a musical landscape that’s dominated by American Idol-esque disposable pop & rap/hip hop dreck,  these boys fly the flag of Rock & Roll proudly! Formed in 2002, these three guys from Brooklyn have played all over the U.S.,  playing just about every place from the smallest little clubs to touring arenas with KISS & POISON. And it doesn’t matter if they’re playing in front of 20 people or 20,000, they always give 100%! And Saturday night’s show at the North Star Bar in Philly was no exception.        Kicking off the show with three songs from their latest release “Casino Logic”, guitarist/front man Paulie Z , Bassist David Z (brothers with a shortened surname which is virtually unpronounceable) & drummer Joey Cassata tore up the stage with an aggressive energy & excitement seldom seen from live bands these days. Paulie’s  vocal histrionics were mind-blowing as always, backed up by David’s rock solid bass thumping & tight backing vocals. Joeys arms akimbo & yet always in control drumming style is always entertaining as well.        They filled their set with songs from their other two albums  “Ain’t It Beautiful” &  “Tuesdays & Thursdays” as well – including  “She Believes”, Red Line Highway, title track “Ain’t It Beautiful”, & the show stopping “If You See Kay” (say that one 3 times real fast & you’ll get the title). Not only that but they peppered their set with the occasional cover songs from Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie & an awesome version of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”!  The only thing missing was their hit song “Isolate” which according to Joey is rarely absent from their set, but they were having so much fun messing around with the covers, it just got lost in the shuffle. And of course at the end of every show, they are more than happy to come out, & hang out with the fans, sign autographs & pose for pics.        In addition to being Road Warriors, ZO2 are busy recording songs for their upcoming release – some of which are already available for download on their website www.zo2.com.  Also they are currently negotiating with several networks for Season 3 of their hit TV series “Z ROCK”, which previously aired on cable network IFC, which featured guest stars Joan Rivers, Dee Snider, John Popper & Dave Navarro, among others. If you’re already a fan of Z Rock, be sure to “like” the We Want Z Rock fan page on Facebook.    Do yourself a favor- if you have not seen these guys yet, go see them!          Two devil horns up! \m/.