thePULSEBands You May Not Have Heard of Yet… But You Will!
We here at thePULSE are committed to giving local bands who are just under the radar, who haven’t quite broken through yet, a little push. There’s a catch, though ~ we’ll only feature a band if they first nominate a band for the next issue, and so on. So check out this section to read more about some talented musicians who might just be the next big thing!
Hot Day at the Zoo
January 2006 – “I woke up today on the wrong side of the bed. With a terrible ache inside my head. I went to the doctor, and he told me the news. He said “Son… YOUR BRAIN NEEDS MORE HOT DAY AT THE ZOO!!!”
Tonight marked the anniversary of John Lennon’s death. “Where could I possibly go,” I asked myself, “to ease my mourning soul?!” I opted for Tammany Hall. There was a bluegrass band playing that I’d been told I “just had to see for myself.” But bluegrass on my Beatles night?! How could such two opposites ever merge? But, I’ll have to admit, everything was perfect ~ The banjo, the beats, the bathrooms (Okay. I’m sorry, but when you’re a girl, a clean bathroom is of the utmost importance). Anyway, where was I? Oh yes ~ the band.
When you hear a name like Hot Day at the Zoo, you’re going to be curious. HDatZ is definitely not your typical five member boy band. Their weapons of choice aren’t perfectly choreographed dance moves but rather a nylon string guitar, an harmonica, a Dobro, a mandolin, and an upright bass. Their poison of choice? Miller Lite beer. And as for that southern twang that occasionally creeps into their vocals? Well, it’s from Central MA. Go figure. Says guitarist and lead vocalist Mike Dion, “Most people get funny looks on their faces when they hear we are a ‘bluegrass band.’ But we are not your traditional bluegrass group. We definitely have an edge.” “I like to consider us a rock band that happens to rock out with bluegrass instruments,” added mandolin player Dave Cleaves.
And oh yeah, rock out they certainly do! With the five guys on stage, semi-circle style, their energy ricochets off of each other and quickly consumes the entire room. While they mostly played originals, they did manage to sneak in a few covers, including a Lennon original. They play at least two sets per night, with only one intermission to “…give their lungs a break and refill their beer.” With influences ranging from Beethoven to N.W.A, these guys should not be missed. “We are just a bunch of guys hanging out and doing what we like to do,” said Jed Rosen, the upright bass player of HDatZ. “But it is different [than what you would think]. That’s why we have lasted three years… Because we are working on something that not everyone else is doing.”
Well, I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised, and neither should you. Coming from a state that managed to produce both New Kids on the Block and Aerosmith within the same ten mile radius, we should have been prepared for the day when five nice Massachusetts boys would rock out with bluegrass instruments and form a band that’s destined to become a powerful musical demigod: HOT DAY AT THE ZOO.
For lots of cool info on the band, head to www.hotdayatthezoo.com.
