“Good things come to those who wait.”
That old adage came to fruition this past Sunday evening (10/30) in Baltimore, MD as the highly esteemed psych/jazz rock pioneers Zero returned to Charm City for the first time since 1996 to deliver a pair of memorable sets rife with their usual brand of top-shelf musicianship and remarkable group dynamics.
Zero was originally conceived in the early ’80s by Steve Kimock and Greg Anton after the pair had performed together in the short-lived Grateful Dead spin-off group the Heart of Gold Band, which also featured Dead alumni Keith & Donna Godchaux. Along the way, Zero has developed a rabid fanbase nationwide, despite only playing a handful of shows outside of California since 1998, thanks to the group’s trademark west coast-infused psychedelic sound that blends elements of jazz, blues, and rock with a daring sense of musical adventure that has led to a well-deserved reputation as one of jazz/psych rock’s most sought after ensembles.
Among the group’s litany of legendary live performances was a particularly hot three-night stand at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall in 1992, a series of concerts so strong that the group has now officially released two full-length live albums highlighting the best moments from that fabled weekend, beginning with the highly-acclaimed LP Chance in a Million in 1994, and more recently, Naught Again, released earlier this year.
Seemingly invigorated by rediscovering some of their best archival material; Kimock & Anton decided to commemorate the release of Naught Again with a brief, but highly anticipated, east coast tour, the group’s first such excursion in nearly twenty-five years.
Joining the newly-formed core lineup featuring the illustrious Pete Sears on bass, along with trumpeter Hadi Al-Saadoon, who has recorded on previous Zero albums, and newcomer Spencer Burrows on keys & vocals, was John Morgan Kimock on double drums as well as jazz icon Ron Holloway, whose renowned saxophone work has garnered him near-mythical status in Baltimore & Washington D.C.’s fertile live music scene.
As fans filtered into Baltimore Soundstage, an otherwise non-descript club abutting the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor which sports a notably intimate vibe, one could hear the strains of the musicians warming up backstage prior to Zero’s triumphant return which kicked off with “Tangled Hangers”, a beloved Kimock-composed instrumental from the group’s 1989 album Nothin’ Goes Here.
“Tangled Hangers” ostensibly set the tone for the rest of the evening as the band took their time settling in, particularly Kimock, whose patience as a guitar player is unrivaled and especially welcome in a genre littered with flashy tension-and-release-filled solos that oftentimes seem to lack any real sense of depth.
After several minutes of the musicians meticulously feeling each other out, the group seemingly morphed into a psychedelic jazz collective. Sears’ thumping bass lines, coupled with the imposing percussive duo of (John Morgan) Kimock & Anton, led to a compelling groove with distinct Weather Report vibes and culminated with both Kimock & Holloway firing off a slew of impressive runs.
There was a brief moment of levity in between songs with the somewhat rare occurrence of Steve addressing the crowd – he’s not necessarily known for on-stage candor – including a shout-out to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles which did not go over well followed up with a few shots at Republican voters which unsurprisingly fared much better.
Among the opening set’s numerous highlights were a pair of tracks with typically poignant lyrics from Robert Hunter – the late Grateful Dead wordsmith who contributed a handful of songs to the group beginning in the early 90’s – including “Catalina”, a breezy jaunt originally released on Chance in a Million and “Pits of Thunder”, a swampy rocker from their 1997 self-titled album, both of which featured Burrows on lead vocals.
Kimock broke out his lap steel guitar and preceded to mesmerize the crowd with some beautiful melodies on “Forever is Nowhere” before bringing the just-over-an-hour set to an energetic conclusion with a rocking version of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” which included an endearing warts-and-all moment when Burrows’ attempt to invoke some audience participation during the song’s anthemic refrain fell flat on its face, though the moment was quickly salvaged in memorable fashion.
The band returned after a brief respite with a unique instrumental take on Aretha Franklin’s “Baby Baby” (originally entitled “Baby, I Love You”), a bluesy number that featured some of Kimock’s most dramatic guitar work of the evening as he conjured up an onslaught of fiery guitar lines that would have made the “Queen of Soul” proud.
“Big Love”, a somewhat oddly placed power ballad, still managed to shine thanks to some impactful gospel-infused three-part vocal harmonies from Burrows, Sears, and Al-Saadoon and eventually segued gracefully into another of the evening’s standout moments, “Greg’s Eggs”. An Anton instrumental originally recorded on Nothin’ Goes Here, this jazzy odyssey stretched for nearly twenty minutes and included segments that rivaled the dark intonations of Pink Floyd’s “One Of These Days” before dissolving into a spacy jam that elicited a brief appearance from Kimock’s pedal steel guitar.
Burrows continued his role as lead vocalist with another Hunter lyrical product, “End of the World Blues”. While the keyboardist’s more refined vocal delivery may not translate quite as well as the grittier and more authentic timbre of Zero’s original vocalist Judge Murphy, especially on bluesier numbers such as this, there’s no denying that the newcomer is doing a stalwart job of putting his own touches on some of Zero’s most beloved material, while continuing to honor the original arrangements.
A funky take on The Meters’ “Rigor Mortis”, from their 1969 album Look-Ka Py Py preceded a spirited rendition of one of Zero’s most cherished songs, “Golden Road”, which ended the set on an emphatic note.
After a few heartwarming words from Anton about the recent passing of Robin Sylvester, a beloved member of the greater Zero family who had performed with Kimock in a number of projects, most notably Bob Weir’s Ratdog, the band closed the evening out with a profoundly emotional rendition of Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew”, in Sylvester’s memory, for just the third time ever.
While there’s no official word on whether Zero plans to continue touring or recording beyond 2022, it’s clear that this newly revamped lineup is already a force to be reckoned with. One can only hope we won’t have to wait another twenty-plus years to do so.
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> Zero returned to Charm City for the first time since 1996<
4-19-2007 Zero played the Rams Head