Dear Music Lovers,

Today’s release is an interview with Nicole Laurenne, singer and synths for

Zero Zero, (and also for the world acclaimed garage band The Love Me Nots).

Enjoy !

RockandRockets : What was the drive to put TLMN on hold for a while and get yourselves involved into Zero Zero ?

Nicole :The Love Me Nots haven't taken a proper break since it came into existence 6 years ago. Even when I was down with cancer, we were still recording and writing. So as we thought about whether we were ready to write a fifth Love Me Nots record, we all decided that it was a good time to breathe and recharge a little bit before we tackle the next album. Everyone needs to pause for inspiration sometimes! Michael and I are always working on other music, collaborating with lots of other musician friends, when we are not busy with TLMN, so when we realized we had a break coming up and that we really liked writing pop songs together, we figured it was a good time to explore that side of ourselves. After six straight years of eating nothing but chocolate, we're taking a moment to see what strawberry tastes like. So far it has been very refreshing.

RockandRockets : How & where did you meet Nick & why was he chosen for the side project ? vs Jay for instance (Jay Lien, drummer of TLMN).

Nicole :Jay lives on the other side of the country and works very hard to make TLMN tours and rehearsals happen despite his distance. We don't want to drag him around the world any more than we already are! One of Nick's other bands performed on a bill with TLMN. Nick was wearing a giant paper maché bunny costume and was pretty unforgettable. He came to a couple TLMN shows recently and we started chatting about all of our various projects. Nick is a very experienced touring musician and was really excited about the electro-pop ideas we had. So it seemed like a good fit, and good timing for all of us.

RockandRockets : Weren't you already on the tracks of Zero Zero while recordings parts of the Demon and the Devotee (TLMN's 4^th LP)?

Nicole :Michael and I have always worked on music outside of The Love Me Nots recordings. We submit a lot of tracks for consideration for commercial uses and collaborate with many of our musician friends around the world on their projects. So we are always dabbling in many different genres. Some of the sounds you will hear from Zero Zero were written over the past couple of years, while we worked on TLMN tracks also. But the writing and recording for Zero Zero started in earnest just in the last few months.

RockandRockets : You "do it yourself" if I understood well : need for more independance ? Wanting to get rid of the traditional distribution channels ? (please specify)

Nicole :We have always enjoyed creative freedom - which means Michael and I can design the artwork, the sounds, the lyrics, the tracklist, the tour, and everything else connected with our music. Although we collaborate with Bad Reputation in France for much of The Love Me Nots' distribution outside of the USA, we haven't yet found the perfect label fit for either of our bands yet. If the right fit presents itself, we would be all over it! In the meantime, we like the freedom to juggle as much or as little as we can handle, without having to answer to anyone but each other. It's a bit scary, and very expensive, and definitely more work than anything else either of us have ever experienced in any other field before, but it's also the most rewarding thing in our lives to the two of us.

RockandRockets : Do you mix at home ?

Nicole :These first Zero Zero tracks have been entirely recorded and mixed at home, by Michael himself. He has buried himself in learning the technical side of mixing and editing, while I have buried myself in writing and recording the basic tracks. Our soundman for The Love Me Nots, James Coleman, has been a big help to us along with our good friend and local tech genius Alex Otto. And all of the tracks are mastered off-site at SAE Mastering here in Phoenix.

RockandRockets : Who has got what role in the project (besides the singing and the playing + the 'communication manager' being Karen) ?

Nicole :Nick will be doing Zero Zero’s booking, at least in the beginning as it gets off the ground. Karen Walker is helping us tremendously with publicity. Kim Cerniglia and Ryan Kohlman (from Fender) are the creative force behind the upcoming music video for the single “Drug”. Michael is handling design and mixing. Jamie Lopez is our stage and tour manager. Jim Coleman will be helping us out with live sound. I am handling merchandise ordering and accounting. It’s a great team, made up of people we love and trust.

RockandRockets : No usual merch should be expected : could you be more specific ?

Nicole :Not yet….but Zero Zero will not be pressing CDs. Stay tuned !

RockandRockets : When will the video teasers be fully released ?

Nicole :Our first video debuts September 13.

RockandRockets : A word about Tim would be welcome.

Nicole :Tim Sabic is an amazing graphic artist and videographer in Los Angeles. We met him while he was shooting a piece on The Love Me Nots for Rebel Music TV. Tim has been graciously putting together all kinds of video to help support Zero Zero – not only for video teasers and publicity, but also for our live show. We can’t wait to show off his work in this project also.

Thank you very much Nicole for this “long-distance interview”.

Zero Zero release party : The Roxy Lounge, Scottsdale, AZ, on 10/5

The Love Me Nots will be in France this week-end @ Eco-Festival du Cabaret Vert in Charleveille, France. They play on Saturday 8/25.

Don’t miss them ! Next time you see Nicole & Michael on stage, It will be as Zero Zero and not before April 2013.

@+ / bye / bis bald / saludos

Guillaume / Rockandrockets

PS : Buy music or bye-bye music !

Credits to James Patrick for the photo used in this article.

Zero Zero Logo design by Michael Johnny Walker

Links to Tim Sabic's video teasers of “Drug” and “Tear it Up” you will find on the Band's FB page :)

You want to know more about Zero Zero & The Love Me Nots, buy their music and merch, subscribe to their newsletters ?

Here you Go and please yourselves :

Zero Zero
www.zerozero00.com
www.facebook.com/ZeroZero00Official

Atomic A Go Go Records
atomicagogorecords@gmail.com

Bad Reputation Records

http://www.badreputation.fr/artiste?id=136

The Love Me Nots
www.thelovemenots.com
www.facebook.com/TheLoveMeNotsOfficial
www.youtube.com/user/thelovemenots
www.twitter.com/thelovemenots

Three, Two, One, Zero Zero !

Dear music fans,

 Next fall, the « sound of surprise » will definitely come from Phoenix, AZ, when a strike of decibels will flood the airwaves across the world. Code name : Zero Zero.

The sound invasion started as an early demo of « Drug » unexpectedly went into rotation on Phoenix radio when it was aired during a live interview on KWSS 106.7 FM in May 2012. A second demo, « Tear it Up », aired on August,1rst 2012.

The demo recordings are now aired regularly in San Francisco, Boise, Phoenix and Berlin. And also in the ears of a few lucky ones who signed up for Zero Zero's newsletter soon enough and who have been granted the privilege to freely download the demo of « Drug ».

« Drug » will blast the dancefloors during next quarter. To start with.

Get ready for the Love pill that will spin your heads off.

Talking about the demo of « Drug », KWSS' DJ said : « we have a trifecta. We 're spinning it for the third time in a row right now ».

I was also able to listen to « Tear it up » :)

(Thanks to Karen Walker, the band's communication manager)

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!

Complete surprise was achieved, as pilots of Zero Zero are Nicole Laurenne & Michael Johnny Walker from The Love Me Nots, thumpingly joined by Nick Ramirez for this electro-fuzz-pop side project.

Original tracks are currently in production, all written and performed by the band and produced by Michael Johnny Walker. The three piece will begin performing live this fall with Nicole on synths and vocals, Michael on guitars and Nick on drums.

The newly formed band say the project draws influences from «Sleigh Bells, The Sneaker Pimps, Santigold, Beck and the Tings Tings ».

For the electro-pop part of it, I can also feel a touch of the B-52's and Cocteau Twins in the demo of « Tear it Up ». For the fuzz and heavier guitars, leave it to Michael.

« Drug » reveals another sensual aspect of Nicole's voice.

Turns a guitar-based approach on its head, with sexy grooves and downtempo beats, the Phoenix New Times wrote in June : if that does not catch your ears, what would...

 That will be all for now, but wait till next release to read an exclusive interview with Nicole.

@+ / bye / bis bad / saludos

Guillaume / Rockandrockets

PS : Buy music, or bye-bye music !

The Vooduo

This duo of rockers hail from Long Beach, CA.

Neidi Night plays drums & Eerie Powers is the singer and guitar player.

(Guest appearance on keyboard & theremin by producer and mixer Dave Klein, from the Ghastly Ones and Bomboras).

The duo's sound is primitive, getting its roots from long gone rock ghosts, somehow tribal to bewitch any soul passing by. Beware !

When she thumps on her drums, Neidi makes all the ghouls haunting the surrounding graveyards rise, tantalizing them with the hope of getting more alive than dead. Her enchanted rythms will make your head go Bang !

Eerie's garage & rockabilly chants are supported by his guitar riffs, heavy enough to warm any zombie's cold blood who'd have wanted to play this record.

There's a jinx on that 50's rock style, don't fall into their hands, don't let your ears get voodooed, you won't recover, becoming a living-rocker yourself.

Who said Rock and Roll  was....dead ?

Hahahahahahahhahahahahaahhahaha

" Rock and Roll Creatures who stopped living and became mixed up zombies", the LP's full title, is a play on the cult horror film "The Incredibly strange creatures who stopped living and became mixed-up zombies", which was filmed in'Terrorama' at The Pike amusement park in their hometown of Long Beach, CA in 1964. The LP cover itself is a living-dead as it is a resurrection of the film poster !

The Vooduo's Discog :

7" vinyl "Howlin'" b/w "Drivin' on Your Ass"

"Mad Monster Party" CD

"Have Voodoo Will Travel" CD

"Rock n Roll Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies" CD

"Gothabilly - Wakin' the Dead" compilation as the Witching Hour "The Spooky, Swingin' Sounds of Kreepsville Manor" compilation

"Exotic, Erotic Reverb Vol 2" compilation

The Vooduo have already started recording their new CD, to be released in 2012.

Record Label : Beelzebop records

W-site links :

@+/bis bald/bye/saludos,

Guillaume / Rockandrockets

PS : Buy music, or bye-bye music

Dear music lovers from around the world and beyond,

Please find hereafter week 24 charts, with a special E.T. N° 1 !

# 1 (Mars) The Martian Boyfriends -  Red Planet Groove Attack, track n°3 from their S/T LP @ Lost in Tyme Records

# 2 (MEX) Los Explosivos – Zapatos Dorados, track n°2 from Primeras Grabaciones @ Boss Hoss Records

# 3 (USA) Fuck Knights – Kristina, track n°1from Let It Bleed @ Boss Hoss Records

# 4 (UK/AUS) The Kits – Wild at Heart, track n°2 from Lead Us Into Temptation @ Pop Crime Records

# 5 (USA) The Dirtbombs – Underdog, track n° 3 from Ultraglide in Black @ In The Red

# 6 (UK) The Masonics – I Cheated I confess, track n°6 from In Your Night of Dreams and Ohter Foreboding Pleasures @ Dirty Water Records

# 7 (A) The Incredible Staggers – Unlike You, track n°3 from Zombies of Love @ Wohnzimmer

# 8 (USA) Cage The Elephant – Aberdeen, track n° 2 from Thank you Happy Birthday @Jive Records

# 9 (DE) The X-Ray Harpoons – Faster Pussycat Kill Kill from their S/T EP @ Cargo Records

# 10 UK) The Branded – Black Gold, track n° 6 from their S/T LP @ Dirty Water Records

11 - USA - Sonny Vincent / Rocket from the crypt – Sick on Yesterday – 15 – Live in San Diego playing 'Testors' songs @ Cargo records

Have no fears, open your ears, & Enjoy !

@+/bis bald/bye/saludos

Guillaume / Rockandrockets

PS : Buy music or bye-bye music