EMQ’s with ZOË
EMQ’s with ZOË
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with French Stoner Rock band, ZOË. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Aldo (guitar): My name is Aldo and I play guitar. With Fred we are the 2 founding members of ZOË. The band started in the late 90’s. Our current musical style started in 2002. Since 2006 we have released 4 albums. Our style is a mix of Hard Rock, Stoner, Rock’n’roll with a small dose of Punk.
How did you come up with your band name?
Aldo: The name of the group is from 1997. We wanted a short name for maximum visibility and reminiscent of the 70’s
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Aldo: We are from the north of France. There are many groups in our region and in our country, as well as around the world. But very few Hard Rock, Metal or Punk bands make a living from their music. France is a country of French songs with a particular history and playing Anglo-Saxon music is not the best thing to do to sell albums or make yourself known.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Aldo: Our latest album is called “Back Into The Light” and it came out in the middle of the Covid crisis. It’s pure ZOË a good mix of Hard Rock and Stoner! And earlier this week we released our second clip ‘White Trash’ from this album. You can see it on YouTube.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Aldo: ZOË’s music has been influenced by many bands in different styles of rock music. But if I have to quote 5 groups: AC/DC, Queens Of The Stone Age, Motorhead, Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet.
What first got you into music?
Clément (bass): Personally it was my music teacher in high school and a bunch of friends at the same time, they were all really good, and I wanted to play stuff with them so I bought a bass guitar, and started doing as much music as I could!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Clément: we have some friends in bands like Dunwich, Poncharello or Mama Youth, I think it would be cool make them participate to some of ZOË’s material.
Aldo: If we could choose famous musicians to write a new ZOË album I would like to collaborate with Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury of the Cult.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Clément: It would be great to perform at the infamous Hellfest, which we did back in the day, Pinkpop or Lollapalooza would be cool too!
Aldo: On the Hellfest Valley stage! For me, this is my favourite scene of all venues and festivals. We would be in our place! Second, the London Desertfest, because the Doom and Stoner style programming is the best (after the Hellfest Valley).
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Fred (voice-guitar): The weirdest, I’m not sure. Maybe a bra in Spain, Spanish girls are the hottest. But it has to be confirmed, I don’t remember. However, not long ago, a friend of ours Wouter from the Belgian band Bacon Fat offered me a reefer, it was so full charged that I was so high and I asked my friend to stop the truck on the road.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Clément: Play music as much as you can, don’t quit, great things take a lot of time.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Fred: Chuck Berry
Aldo: Malcolm Young
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Clément: I think the thrill to be on stage, seeing people have fun, and enjoy the show to songs we have written is one of the best feelings in the world, for what we hate, it would be the road, hours, and hours, and HOURS of road.
Aldo: I love to compose with my friends from ZOË and the adrenaline of concerts. I don’t like to pose for pictures.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Clément: I think I would change the fact that it’s a business as it is, musician should be the one to choose what they do with their music and not some money people who don’t know anything about music.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Clément: For me it would be “The Shape of Punk to Come” by Refused, a true revolution in music.
Aldo: “Exile On Main Street” by The Rolling Stones.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
Fred: I loved cassettes. It was a pleasure to spend hours in front of the record tape to make compilations for friends. Vinyl is the best quality, CD is good but fragile, and download is very useful. I would say cassettes for the nostalgic side.
Aldo: The vinyl, for the warmth of the sound and its large sleeve that highlights the artwork.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Fred: There are a lot of good memories of gigs. Big and small, but the first comes to my mind is a gig with Nine Pound Hammer in a little club in Lille in France. The audience was totally insane. People shout and slam from the little stage. That was totally inordinate for a place like this.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Aldo: Porn Actor
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Aldo: What is a dinner party? I know about sex parties! Seriously my friends from ZOË but they are often very busy.
What’s next for the band?
Aldo: We will tour again for the promotion of “Back Into The Light”, until the summer of 2023 and then we will compose our fifth album which may be the last. During the pandemic we composed a few songs that can be on this last album and we will go back for a last tour. In 2026 it will be 20 years since we released our first album, at which time the circle will be completed.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Fred: You can go to our Bandcamp and YouTube pages, here : https://zoestonerrock.bandcamp.com and here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt23bvMMfUORSYCbkdcZkdQ
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Fred: Ah so British! I would say cake as the name suggest it. Even if in France we’d rather use the word biscuit.
Clément: These are a biscuit, a shit biscuit if you ask me, but still a biscuit!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Fred: Thanks for your questions. Hope to see you at our shows.Aldo: Yeah, thank you for your questions, which are different and original.
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