Music Style Punk; Indie

Musical Influences Jazz; Hardcore; Country; Punk; Rock

Artist History Philadelphia’s Zonic Shockum have been together since 1989. They have been credited as being one of the forerunning female fronted, punk rock bands to emerge from the area. Starting out as a 4-track project in a studio apartment, guitarist Steve Anderson incorporated tape loops and creepy distorted vocals to drum and guitar tracks. He released a demo which got radio airplay on a few local college stations. Not feeling strongly about his own vocals, Anderson asked his live-in girlfriend, Debbie Polak to lay a few vocal tracks down, just for the hell of it. The project soon progressed to a more traditional band and began playing live. Zonic would share the stage with such notable acts as Royal Trux, Ween, Rocket From the Crypt, and Zen Guerilla. Their first single in ‘91 displayed their hard driven sound on “Whores” and “Woe is Me,” and their experimental side with the instrumental “Tape Worm.” In ‘92, Compulsiv Records released their five-song EP Testosterone which broke ground for the band. By ‘93, Zonic Shockum released three songs on their own label, Beefeater Records. “No, You Suck,” the stand out on this single charted on radio lists from Philadelphia to California to parts of Europe. New York label, Grass Records contacted the band to contribute a song for a double-CD, Frank Sinatra tribute compilation, called Chairman of the Board. In the company of such bands as Flaming Lips, Girls Against Boys and Toadies, Zonic Shockum’s version of “Dream Away” stood above the others, enough to catch the attention of Time magazine. Over the years, the band released a few more singles on their own and on other indie labels. They’ve never been able to tour extensively, but will never turn down a show—once driving to Florida from Philly over the weekend to perform one show. After tons of singles and EPs, in ‘97 Zonic released their first full-length CD. Their self-titled album contained 13 songs of all the different sounds and genres this band has covered throughout their eight year span. And like their new EP Here Today..., they’ve kept it short and sweet. “It’s better to leave them wanting more,” says Anderson. And for those who do want more, keep an eye out for Zonic Shockum’s 10 year anniversary release in early 2002.

Group Members Debbie Polak: Bass/Vocal Steve Anderson: Guitar/Tapes Ned Sonstein: Drums/Vocal

Albums Zonic Shockum 1997; Here Today... 2001

Press Reviews ZONIC SHOCKUM Here Today... A female-fronted punk band from Philadelphia, ZS is now enjoying its thirteenth year of existence. This 6-song EP contains a powerful, appropriately discordant brand of hard sounds that sometimes reaches layering and subconscious probing of near-Floydian proportions. The sound has traces of the band's past, which had a much more of a loopy, techno sound in the earlier days, but they've incorporated some hard rocking into that since which has added some ass-kicking juice into the formula.

Location Philadelphia, PA - USA

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