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With his band Thunderboltz, Zeus threw country, folk, rock, and three flavors of the blues (from Chicago, Memphis, and Texas) into his musical stew pot. He stirred briefly, then ladled the concoction into bowls. The five-song EP Texas Thunder is the result. You'll taste some of each genre in every song, but in vastly difference proportions. The disc kicks off with the mostly acoustic tribute to the
thrills of new love, "Sunshine Road." This cut is
predominately country with a liberal dose of folk. The other
genres are barely present with their flavors almost overpowered
by the main ingredients. Cat Verdell and Lisa Novak share background
and harmony vocal duties on the disc. On "Sunshine Road"
the backing vocals are so subtle you almost don't realize they're
there, really more humming than singing. Kristen Jensen, who
along with Zeus also worked on Novak's solo release, Perfect
Mess, shows her stuff on fiddle. One of the background vocalists gets her chance to let it fly on "Watch Ya Move." Electric guitarist Pat Neifert (Tequila Cowboys) also takes advantage of his opportunity to shine on this blues stomper. Jensen's fiddle provides a twist to the otherwise typical electric blues instrumentation. In this song, Zeus has spotted a girl from the stage. Even though they haven't talked he loves the way she moves and is determined that they'll hookup before the night ends. "Broke Down in Memphis" is a multi-layered love song. On the surface it's a blues-rock song about being broke down while "only halfway home." His "baby" misses him and eagerly awaits his return. The feeling is mutual and he's desperately looking for alternative transportation. Peel back the outside layer and you'll find an homage to Memphis, "the cradle of the southern blues," with some subtle references to Memphis music and artists. Elvis Presley should be obvious, but listen closely and you might catch allusions to others including Memphis gospel and Sun Records rockabilly. The music slows down and turns more serious on "Blue Horizon." Zeus wakes up one day realizing that his relationship is over. He doesn't understand how this happened without him noticing the relationship deteriorating. Now his basic beliefs are called into question, afraid that he's taken too much on faith. What is love, what is faith? What am I, who are you Zeus and Thunderboltz finish with the rocking "Ashes," about those we love who violate our trust. As these lyrics illustrate ("Don't want to talk about it / I'm gonna live without it / ashes to ashes and dust to dust / I said the one you love should be the one you trust"), this isn't a situation Zeus can forgive. While fundamentally a rock song, Jensen's fiddle expands the song beyond typical rock parameters. This coupled with Zeus' ominous sounding vocals enhances the darkness of the lyrics, giving the tune an eerie undertone. Texas Thunder has a lot of variety for a five-song EP. Lyrically it varies from upbeat and relatively simple in "Sunshine Road" to the complex, multi-layered "Broke Down in Memphis," ending with the darker lyrics of "Ashes." Texas Thunder is lyrically solid, but where Zeus and Thunderboltz really excel is musically, traversing a wide range of genres from mostly country-folk to mostly rock while mixing the styles enough to avoid the predictable or passé. Most importantly they cover this ground without the EP feeling scattered or unfocused. Not an easy accomplishment. *Zeus gigs regularly (solo and with the Thunderboltz) in Houston
and tries to perform in his native Chicago as often as possible.
Pick up your own bowl of Texas Thunder at a show or visit www.markzeus.com where you'll
find ordering directions and lots of biographical information. |
Mark Zeus's music
reminds me of a big pot of poorly made stew. One that hasn't
been mixed well or simmered enough. Ladle it out and one bowl
will be full of carrots or potatoes, another will have more pepper
or be saltier. Not a good way to make stew, but a great way
to make music.
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