One Nation Under, From Zero's Arista debut, was heavy enough to encourage moshing, yet ultra-musical and melodic, clearly the product of schooled musicians unafraid to deviate from the expected. Even before the release of One Nation Under, Metal Edge magazine raved about From Zero, praising their "pure hard rock menace.. pleasant melodies with skull-crushing intensity.Recording One Nation Under at Mad Dog Studios in Los Angeles, the band members, with extensive studio experience as both players and engineers, deftly laid down From Zero's taut, soaring but ultra-aggro sound. When Jett first heard the initial tracks, he was floored. "They make me feel like I'm not even part of the band, like it's something bigger than me, sort of 'wow, I did that?'" he confesses. "Like the songs 'Check Ya,'Circumstancesand 'The Other Side,I'm so proud. I feel like they're my kids!he laughs. "The band are such good musicians that when it came for me to do vocals, I felt pressure to match their talent and it really pushed me to excel.
It was a mere two hears from playing their first show in October 1998 to getting management, a deal and making their debut disc. But it was an inevitable chain of events, long in the works, as Joe notes: "When we first played together, we knew we had something really god and cool. We were able to let it go at it's own pace and take it's own form, and if it was meant to be, it would be. And I guess it was!However, fate played only a small part in From Zero's success to date, which includes an indie 1999 EP, airplay on Q101 in Chicago, opening dates with Nickelback, Amen, Nothingface and Disturbed and headlining gigs for 1,200 fans at Chicago's famed Metro. From Zero is a fortuitous collection of humble but hellacious players schooled in jazz, metal and studio work, able to jam to Chick Corea or Metallica.
And dues have been paid. Jett, at 5, began piano and stand-up bass lessons from his grandfather, a bassist with Big Bands. After high school, Jett moved to Hollywood, attending Musician's Institute as a bassist, then emigrating to Australia to tour for a year with a prog-rock band. Guitarist Joe, while digging Testament, Metallica and Billy Joel, played jazz trumpet from the age of 5, grooving to Al Hirt and Harry James. Then, in the mid-90s, Joe and Kid were toiling together in Chicago bands, while Jett, back from Australia, had hooked up in the Windy City with Pete via a classified ad and formed a power trio. While Joe and Kid already had a singer, after hearing Jett add vocals to one of their songs, the former singer was fired and Jett was hired. Shortly thereafter, Jett recruited old pal Peter, and From Zero was born. "The first time the five of us got together, it gelled. It was for real. It kept getting easier instead of harder, as it had in previous bands,recalls Joe. "We just looked at each other and grooved.The name, too, came effortlessly, thanks to drummer Kid. "Kid was reading a motorcycle magazine, and saw the phrase 'from zero to 60,'" explains Jett. "And he thought 'From Zerowould be a cool thing, because we were all starting this new band that had the 'from zero to sixtyintensity as well.
Like the band name, the music itself is distinct, rife with philosophies that guide From Zero and appeal to the soul. "If there's any theme to our records, it's reaching out to people,muses Jett. "People need to realize it's okay to fuck up and start from zero. No shame in it. We don't let anything get in our way, and if it does, we jump over or go around! That's why we've come this far, and can go further.Lyrics, too, are generally personal and self-possessed. "'Check Yais kinda about a relationship, from personal experience,describes Jett. "It's like giving your life and trusting somebody with it and they take it for granted. You realize and deal, but gotta make that clean break, 'checking them'"
From Zero are as focused as the intense music would suggest, but not quite as threatening as their hard-ass image might indicate, Yeah, they're streetwise guys from Chicago who look the part, "but there's a compassionate side that you can hear in our lyrics and harmonies,notes Jett. "I like doing what I do to myself as far as piercings and tats. And sure, I could be bitter and write about that all the time, but why? I mean, what comes around goes around, and you can hear that exact line in 'The Other Side,which is one of everyone's favorite songs, musically and lyrically, even though it's more to the commercial side of heavy. Oddly enough, it's the first one we wrote together, too. Yet as we made this record, we ran the gamut. From 'Smackto 'Gone,it's our different moods and characters, for us individually and collectively.
Now, with the release of their second Arista record, From Zero are ready for an even greater impact on fans than ever before. Recorded Summer 2002 at Morning View Studios, on the pleasant beaches of Malibu, California, Jett and the band feel that their messages will reach to all parts of the world, in a whole new way.
Source: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/tensecondsilence.htm