Zolar-X Preview

Zolar-X
The Note, Chicago
Thursday, September 7, 2006

We admit being too young to remember the “glory days”of L.A. rock band Zolar-X, and we wouldn’t be surprised to learn most of you who are old enough don’t remember either, or completely forgot the group existed.

It’s not as if they didn’t try their hardest to get noticed, though. If you think Gwar and Slipknot look goofy, dig up an old picture of Zolar-X, which will show the band members in all their sci-fi space fantasy glory; we’re talking skintight body suits, antennas, Spock-ish prosthetic ears, and matching haircuts of bleached-blonde hair and pointed bangs. The best part? These guys wore these outfits all the time! They were in character 24/7. So if you lived in L.A. sometime from 1974 to 1980 you might very well have seen one of these dudes stalking the streets in full alien gear, playing ray-gun sound effects from a hidden tape recorder.

If you were able to get past the outrageous costumes, though, there was some definite substance to Zolar X, substance that didn’t get noticed back then, as the group never really went anywhere. But their heavy glam rock was more mature and often just flat-out better than bands like The New York Dolls and KISS, who used a similar glam schtick to achieve stardom, and you can hear the groundwork for the sound later L.A. bands like Mötley Crüe successfully used. Two years ago Alternative Tentacles released a remastered (by Jello Biafra) version of Zolar’s only recorded work, Timeless, and the current tour (featuring original members Ygarr Ygarrist and Eon Flash plus new member Jett Starsystems) is a celebration of the long-forgotten band’s new-found popularity. FYI, faithful fans shouldn’t expect original vocalist Zory Zenith to join the fun anytime soon: He is incarcerated until 2012 on an assault charge.Zolar X, along with Triclops! and Velcro Lewis & His 100 Proof Band, open for Thor.

— Trevor Fisher

Click here to listen download Zolar X’s “Timeless.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly