Hunting Wildlife Down Under With ALI TABATABAEE From ZEBRAHEAD

If you look at their musical journey, it might appear that SoCal
pop/punk/rapcore outfit Zebrahead have led somewhat of a charmed
life. From their very inception through meeting at a practice room
to playing to a handful of people, where 12 of them were scouting
from record labels, a sceptical person could claim things have
fallen into place for the band. But if you know the band and know
their music, you would know that while luck - in any incarnation -
is always welcome, there is one core ingredient of Zebrahead's
collective musical psyche that has had more influence on their
trajectory than anything else.
Fun with a sense of humour. Listening to co-founding member and
vocalist Ali Tabatabaee run through Zebrahead's history, the one
common thread is their ability to laugh in the face of potential
adversity and brush any setbacks off with a shrug of the shoulders
and the knowledge of what to do better next time.
Their musical style is offbeat and eclectic, mixing a fusion of
pop/punk with hip hop and punk sensibilities to create an
ever-evolving and expansive sonic universe that is as endless as it
is unique. But there is one factor that has been essential to the
continued growth of Zebrahead, and that is their live performances.
Known and loved for their energetic output and on-stage banter,
Zebrahead bridge the gap between intensity and frivolity with
boundless energy, approaching each gig like a party with new best
friends that just haven't been met yet.
This October, after seven long years, Australian fans get to
witness this first hand when Zebrahead make their triumphant return
for five shows starting in Perth on October 7. Having heard the
hype but never speaking with the band, HEAVY jumped at the chance
to spend some quality time with Ali, and we're glad we did! We
started by asking what has changed with Zebrahead in the seven
years since their last visit.
"Man, I feel like the main thing is Adrian (Estrella) is in the
band now," he replied. "He's the other vocalist. We haven't been
back since before the pandemic, dude, so it's been a minute. We
have released three EPs since then - III, II, I - with Adrian, and
we're going to be playing some of those songs when we come over.
But also when we're not touring, we've been working on new music.
So we're excited to get back home after Australia and get into the
studio and record the songs that we've been working on. So that's
mainly it, man. And then once that's done, hopefully next summer,
start touring again."
Talk later turns to the early days of Zebrahead and the musical
climate that spawned the band.
"Man, at that time, Orange County was kind of popping off," he
recalled. "You know, we had bands like Offspring. We had bands like
No Doubt that were doing really well, so the record labels were
really focused on Orange County. We actually got very lucky because
of that. Our first show we played this Christmas show, and it was
just our girlfriends and the guy who ran the club who gave us the
show. He'd never heard of us. He came in to get the money from the
cash register or something, and he heard a song. Then after we were
done, nobody was there. It was empty. And he goes, 'Hey, I have a
friend who's a manager, and you guys are interesting because you
have hip hop and punk and stuff. I kind of want him to come and
watch you play. Is that something you'd be into?' And we're like,
sure, of course, who's gonna say no?"
In the full interview, Ali talks more about the Australian tour and
what to expect, their energetic live shows and how they will
translate to our crowds, having Thomas Nicolas Band as national
support, plus the early days of Zebrahead and where they fit
in.
We talked about Zebrahead getting signed and how their career grew
from there, the blending of genres in their music and how they came
about, musical experimentalisation and how they regulate it, future
music and more.


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