THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The origin of this record is a weird one,” recounts Zig Zags singer-guitarist Jed Maheu. “In 2019, we had just returned from two long European tours when we decided to take a ‘little break’ from the road. You all know what happened next. That ‘little break”’ turned into a couple of years and during that time Dane, our drummer, decided to quit the band and music in general (no hard feelings).
Sean and I had a discussion and thought about ending the band as a whole, but I knew I had to go out on my own terms. I had an ace in the hole, though: Jeff Murray, drummer from L.A. rippers The Shrine. I had been friends with Jeff and The Shrine’s founder, Josh Landau, since our Scavenger 7” came out, around 2012. We had run into them in Berlin a few months back and I knew they weren’t playing anymore. I called Josh first, ’cause asking a dude if you can take his drummer is like asking your girlfriend’s dad if you can marry her. And Josh said “go for it.” And Jeff was in.
Honestly, if he had said no, that would have been the end. I had written a ton of stuff since our last album but I had shelved most of it. I was trying too hard, basically. Eventually Sean, Jeff and I said, ‘Fuck it, let’s make a ‘fake live’ record, like KISS or Slayer did. John Dwyer from Osees was opening his new studio Discount Mirrors, and it seemed like the perfect place to record it. We settled on re-recording a bunch of old stuff while simultaneously demoing our new material, as the three of us were now starting to really get in the groove. The result is Strange Masters Vol. 1.
These are not new songs. These are Zig Zags classics re-recorded with a ripping-ass band that’s old and angry and just wants to get on with it. We are already on to recording the next album of new songs. That one is coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this one… while you still can!”
