Zeros bring New York-inspired, West Coast punk for Atlanta debut

Mexican-American punk legends the Zeros owed more to the East Coast punk sounds of the Ramones and New York Dolls than the proto-hardcore sound of its West Coast contemporaries. Tonight (Friday, April 26), after a storied first run from 1976-1980, and several comebacks, the band’s original lineup finally makes its first Atlanta appearance, headlining the opening night of the Atlanta Mess-Around. Vocalist and guitarist Javier Escovedo, took a few minutes to discuss the band’s storied past and its plans for the future.

You and your brother (the Nuns’ Alejandro Escovedo) were among the first Hispanic punks in California, if not the first. What was it like being on the ground level of an influential scene as someone with your ethnic background?

I never really thought about it. We came from a musical family, so it was natural for us to play music. The early days of punk were kind of frustrating, though. We couldn’t find a place to play, but through networking with other like-minded people, we got in touch with the Nerves and played our first show with the Germs and the Weirdos. After that, it just snowballed.

Musically, the Zeros sounded more like the Ramones and some contemporaries like the Avengers than hardcore forerunners like the Germs. What were some of your influences early on, and did the sonic changes in the scene shape your approach?

Our influences were the New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, the Modern Lovers, the Standells, and the Seeds. We were definitely influenced by bands around us, but maybe not musically, more like trying to be more professional like the Nuns and the Dils.