Artist description A Piano Rock Band, with the occasional guitar or horn(s).

Music Style Piano Rock

Musical Influences Ben Folds Five, Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen (we like the letter B)

Similar Artists Ben Folds Five

Artist History Originally, Zanzibar Scuf with members John Clinton, Dan McNevin, and Chris Dowling as a Jazz trio in 1997. During their freshman year in high school, they played at various school functions, and matured both as artists and performers. After the addition of drummer Josh Frisch, and trumpeter Kevin Johannsen, Scuf decided that its live sound was moving more towards piano rock, to the likes of Ben Folds Five, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. Vocalist Matt McMickle completed the band in early 2000 as their lead singer, adding his own unique vocal and lyrical talents while solidifying their stance as a live act. Zanzibar Scuf continued at great lengths to play any event that would give them an opportunity to show their stuff. From secluded high school events, to private parties where standards were a must, to their own concerts and Battles of the Bands where they thrashed up the stage. Scuf's uniqueness and creativity as well as their intelligent sound gave them a challenge in finding places to play in New Jersey, where the music scene is mostly dominated by raspy punk bands, but they pressed on, able to play out an average of two or three times a month while balancing school. Scuf became widely known around their area for their powerful and musical live shows, and was established as one of the premiere live acts. One of the most rewarding accomplishments Scuf experienced was the release of their first album, Exact Change. Released in late 2000, it encompasses their first year of real playing, with 4 original compositions as well as 5 cover songs. Within a few weeks, Scuf reached its goal of doing "a little better than breaking even," selling over 300 copies. Now, after 6 years of playing, Scuf has also made available to their fans over 240 minutes of live recordings they have accumulated. If you ask anyone who has seen the band, they will tell you that Zanzibar Scuf is not your average High School/College Act. They are currently looking forward to breaking out of the New Jersey scene and into New York City Clubs.

Group Members John Clinton - Piano, Vocals; Josh Frisch - Drums, Vocals; Matt McMickle - Vocals, Guitar; Dan McNevin - Bass;; Horns: Chris Dowling - Tenor Saxophone, Vocals; Kevin "The Man" Johannsen - Trumpet

Instruments Piano, Bass, Drums, Vocals, Guitar, Sax, Trumpet

Albums Exact Change

Press Reviews ZANZIBAR SCUF - EXACT CHANGE Being from New Jersey and not being a Bruce Springsteen fan has been a cross I’ve proudly had to bear my whole life. So when I fired up Zanzibar Scuf’s Exact Change and immediately heard their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s 10th Avenue Freeze Out I thought I was in for a let down. But once past the first song things improved. This disc is a combination of original tracks and covers of songs that encompass a wide variety of music styles and tastes. The problem with doing covers of popular songs is that unless you really bring something new to the table, they just sound like, well, covers of popular songs. The band does a decent job on covers of Otis Redding’s Hard To Handle and Santana’s Everybody’s Everything. These songs lay a nice foundation for several of the absolute gems on this disc. They do an excellent job on Ben Folds Five’s Army and do a smoking version of Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride, which according to them is their most requested song. The one song on this disc that really stands out is Small which is a completely original song with excellent and thought-provoking lyrics and beautiful instrumentals. It’s on this song that Matt McMickle’s voice really shines. He had me thinking of a young Billy Joel or to be a bit more obscure; Dishwalla’s lead singer. I really like this album and the group. My suggestion would be to continue writing fine songs like Small. It’s obviously where their strengths lie. But perhaps the most amazing thing about this disc is that the band members are still in High School, yes High School. With that fact alone in mind, this album is a remarkable accomplishment. With a little more maturity under their collective belts, this band could go far. Zanzibar Scuf’s record label is 7th Wave Recording. Last I checked the website wasn’t up yet, but when it is check it out here. Zanzibar Scuf can be contacted at Scufmail@lycos.com Think I'm way off on this one? Contact me - From theoddspot.com Fall 2000

Location New Providence, New Jersey - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).