Zero Boys

All Music Guide:

Admittedly, Indianapolis has never really been known for producing much in the way of bands, whether punk or pop or otherwise. But in the late '70s/early '80s, the Midwestern city produced a band whose short-lived first phase (more on that later) produced one of the more memorable full-length hardcore albums of all time. The band, dubbed the Zero Boys, was formed in the spring of 1979 when singer Paul Mahern "discovered" the Sex Pistols in Creem magazine and roped in guitarist Terry Hollywood, bassist John Mitchell, and drummer Mark Cutsinger. Within three weeks of their first practice -- in the grand tradition of most great hardcore bands -- the band was playing its first show, and six months later the bandmembers found themselves recording their first EP. That debut, Livin' in the '80s (released in 1980), was influenced by the more well-known groups of the time, such as the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and Dictators, who were on major labels and actually got some face time in the mainstream rock press.

The EP got some very minor attention, given that there were only 500 copies pressed, but forces both external and internal to the Zero Boys were to lay the groundwork for their follow-up, which was to be the acclaimed mark they had wished to leave. Internally, the band had a roster change in the form of bassist David "Tufty" Clough replacing John Mitchell. Clough was a faster, more frenetic player, taking the Zero Boys' sound to blazing new places. Externally, by the turn of the decade the West Coast hardcore scene had begun to fully develop, influencing new scenes in Minneapolis, Detroit, and -- more specifically -- Indianapolis. The speed and polemics of bands such as Black Flag and the Circle Jerks were backed up by an indie label and word of mouth network with zines like Flipside and Maximum Rock and Roll that would allow bands like the Zero Boys to play places as far as Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Zero Boys began rehearsing in the garage for recording sessions that were to begin in summer of 1981. Two days of recording and 16 songs later, the band's landmark full-length, Vicious Circle, was completed and released on minor-league label Nimrod Records in 1982. Even though the record was to garner critical acclaim and turn the band into one of the legends of early-'80s hardcore, the band was to fold a year later, citing being "landlocked" in Indianapolis in comparison to the larger national scene. Bassist Clough was to join up with Toxic Reasons, and Mahern formed two short-lived bands, Dandelion Abortion and Datura Seeds, before focusing his time as a producer and engineer. The band found new life after the positive reception the reissue of Vicious Circle (with bonus tracks) received upon its release in 1988 on the Toxic Shock label. Three-quarters of the band got back together (with guitarist Hollywood replaced by Vess Ruthenberg), and toured and released two further albums, 1991's Make It Stop and 1993's The Heimlich Maneuver (released on Bitzcore and Skyclad, respectively). The band would fade out, and by the turn of the 21st century had re-formed to tour in support of the release for History Of.

Wikipedia:

The Zero Boys are a hardcore punk quartet from Indianapolis, Indiana fronted by Paul Mahern. Other members include bassist David "Tufty" Clough, drummer Mark Cutsinger and guitarist Vess Ruhtenberg.

Their first release, Livin' in the '80s, was a 7" EP released by the band on their home-brew Z-Disc label. Their debut full length album, Vicious Circle, was released in 1982 with its distinctive bright yellow cover on the local label Nimrod Records. Many punk fans nationwide expressed surprise that a band like the Zero Boys originated in the Midwest; their polished intensity suggested the larger and more established scenes in Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York City and elsewhere. Indeed, their 1982 "Hell Tour" appearance at The Barn in Torrance, CA (with roadies Gary X Indiana and Marvin Goldstein in tow), on a bill with the Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat, demonstrated that the Zero Boys were a Midwestern punk rock force to be reckoned with.

The intelligent, ambitious lyrics of "Vicious Circle" tackled such themes as social stratification, teen angst, and political corruption. Mahern's clear tenor voice emerged like a rapid-fire war cry, well-suited to the message and material. These themes, set into a blazing, sonic buzzsaw with huge choruses and intricate changeups, set an influential stylistic precedent for hardcore punk which still resonates today.

Vicious Circle was reissued on Toxic Shock later in the 1980s, with added bonus tracks taken from the Affirmation Records compilations LPs The Master Tape and The Master Tapes 2. It was reissued again in 2000 by Lookout! Records, without the Master Tape tracks, but with two additional songs from the original album sessions, "She Said Goodbye" and "Slam and Worm", which had been given limited release on a 7" single.

It has occasionally been reported that the band never recorded further material after this. This is true only in the sense that the lineup of the band that made Vicious Circle never recorded new material. After David Clough left the band to join Toxic Reasons, the Zero Boys did manage to record a handful of tracks intended for a second LP, but broke up before the album could be finished. These tracks were released on the History of the Zero Boys cassette on Affirmation, along with the above mentioned compilation tracks and other demo tracks and outtakes.

Around 1990, Selfless released a 7" single featuring the Zero Boys on one side and Toxic Reasons on the other. The Zero Boys reformed in late 1987 with guitarist Vess Ruhtenberg and recorded two further albums, Make It Stop (released on Germany's Bitzcore label in 1992) and The Heimlich Maneuver (released on Skyclad in 1993.) In 2009, Secretly Canadian reissued both "Vicious Circle" (identical to the Lookout! edition in content and artwork) and "History Of", making the latter available on CD for the first time (appending the Livin' in the 80s EP, but omitting four tracks from the original cassette which had appears in different recordings on Vicious Circle.)

In the last couple of years, the band has reunited for the occasional gig, including a series of shows at CBGB's designed to raise money to help keep the club open, and a series of shows in 2006 where they performed the entire Vicious Circle album. They are also headlining a two day show at No Way Fest in Richmond, Virginia on June 20 and 21 2009. Paul Mahern went on to form the power pop band the Datura Seeds and has since become a producer in Bloomington, Indiana, where he also teaches yoga and owns the Affirmation Records label. Clough owns a punk clothing store in Indianapolis called Future Shock as well as a progressive music bar named Radio Radio. Mark Cutsinger continues to be an active drummer in the midwest and Vess Ruhtenberg plays guitar in The Pieces, The United States Three (Ruhtenberg's other band with Cutsinger), and Bass with The Lemonheads.