If word count is any measure, the New York and Los Angeles underground scenes of the late 1970s still get the lion's share of attention as punk's primary stomping grounds. But while there's no arguing the impact of all the acts that proliferated on the coasts, they likely would have stayed local phenomena if not for the various sub-scenes scattered across the country that supported and connected punk's spread. The vast Midwest could make its own fun, thank you very much, and the history books are finally beginning to reflect the rogue's gallery of pioneering punk and hardcore acts that cropped up everywhere from Chicago and Minneapolis to Cleveland and Indianapolis.
Yes, Indianapolis, birthplace of Zero Boys, Indiana's own brick in punk's foundation, and a pioneer in several other regards as well. While Johnny Cougar was first making his name, Zero Boys were starting their own label, Z-Disc, and recording the imprint's 7" EP debut Livin' in the '80s. Even as it garnered play on college radio, the EP was met with some of the usual flyover-country dismissals-- Indiana? Really?-- even as the group earned respect for holding its own against bands from hipper environs.
The 80s had barely begun, but with that EP, Zero Boys made their early bid for the decade. Of course, it was not to be. Like most punk bands, the group burned bright but fast, yet the limited Zero Boys legacy remains pretty impressive nonetheless, especially as heard on the original lineup's sole full-length, Vicious Circle, and the formerly cassette-only clearing house History Of, which between the two of them comprise the sum total of Zero Boys' '79 to '83 era.
The five-song Livin' in the '80s EP is included on History Of, and those tracks capture the group in its most formative (if already strikingly confident) stages. Vicious Circle, on the other hand, marks the great leap forward that went nowhere but still stands as one of punk's more consistent blasts of fun and fury. "Vicious Circle is practically unique among hardcore punk albums, since it was professionally recorded and performed by seasoned rock'n'roll musicians," blogged longtime fan John P. Strohm, formerly of the Lemonheads and Blake Babies, but back in 1981 a teenager in Bloomington whose mind was blown by Zero Boys.
Indeed, while hardcore was drumming the melodies out of punk, Zero Boys were capably pairing tunes with fast tempos. Not that the 40-second introductory title track doesn't hone to the loud 'n' fast rules, but by "Amphetamine Addiction" the band has blasted off into tight tangents equally informed by Black Flag's muscle, the cynical Dead Kennedys, and the madness of the Germs, with a hint of the rockabilly swing that propelled X. If most of the songs hover below the ultra-efficient two-minute mark, it's remarkable how good they sound, bearing few marks of punk's proud amateurishness. The group's still livin' in the 80s, as its snotty de rigueur anti-establishment subject matter reflects, but songs such as "Drug Free Youth", "Hightime", "Trying Harder", and "Down the Drain" (with its almost Minutemen-like bass runs) stand on the same level as that era's other punk high points. They're loud and fast, and yes, they rule.
The classic Zero Boys line-up disbanded in 1983 while recording what would be the follow-up to Vicious Circle, but what was salvaged from those sessions is collected on History Of. While not on par with the debut, this disc of long-lost leftovers isn't the sound of some flash in the pan struggling to come up with a sequel, either. The group's clearly full of good ideas, and as tight as ever. That Zero Boys never made it over this hump is a shame, if not an outright tragedy, but with the set-- and in particular songs such as "Inergy", "Seen That Movie Before", and "Amerika", the last of which actually tops three minutes-- fans new and old can now get a taste of what could have been.
