ZEDHEADS

 

What a strange name I thought… I wonder what on earth it refers to.. So I hurried to my computer and typed in the word. Guess what I got? Nothing. “Oh!” I pondered. So I broke the word up and got a multitude of definitions. The one I felt was most appropriate was the following, which I extracted from Wikipedia:

“The letter Z; the twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet; Something Z-shaped. To sleep or nap. (Compare zzz, catch some z’s.); To zigzag; to move with sharp alternating turns”

Now, when you hear this wonderfully playful and charming band, you will understand why the above description is almost perfect for them. They are sleepy, calming, and just, lovely. I have the feeling that this is exactly the kind of band that I would love to watch at the end of a hard day. From a frenetic space, this band will move you gently to a calm place where nothing else matters except the music and the company that you are with. While the journey will be calm, it will not be thoughtless. From time you will be transported to areas, which will enrich your experience and remind you of the beauty of your life. You will ‘zigzag’ from place to place, soaking in an musical landscape, which is guaranteed to shift away your day’s blues. Having made this journey, I am sure that a good night of sleep will follow closely behind.

 

Onto the word, ‘head’ I moved. Of course I found a catalogue of definitions but the one that I thought most descriptive for this innovative and quirky band was:

“As in Fountainhead: the source of water from which a stream arises. For example, they tracked the energy back towards the head of the stream”.

This definition captures the idea that this band not only can end a day of soul destroying blues, but that it can act as the beginning, the source of a energy which can nurture our minds giving us the power not only to forget about yesterday, but to arm us with the strength we need to face tomorrow.

ZedHeads are made up of Pete Georgiou (Guitar/vocals), Pete Stockton-Smith (Sax), Tim Lightfoot (Keyboards), Jon Priddey (Bass), Ginger Bennett (Vocals) and Simon Scamp (Drums)

This collective from Whitstable, refer to themselves as ‘Dubby, Funk, Dance”. Their music is funky, sexy and the kind of music that is sure to get the toes of even the angriest person in the world, tapping! Ginger’s voice is soulful and her demeanor is the kind that will keep you entranced for the whole gig. The rest of the band members provide her with an audial cloak that is enchanting. They are a relatively new band that was formed in early 2009, but from the sounds of them, they have been playing together for a few lifetimes. I have always maintained that the way that one can tell if a song is a good song is if one has the feeling that one has always know the song even if one had only heard it once. Well, based on that argument, I too, have known this band of a lifetime of lifetimes. I could come up with a host of descriptions for this wonderful band, but I am not sure that these would never fully encapsulate their sound.

 

 

I have had the opportunity to interview the band, albeit it digitally. It will give you an insight into the members of this lovely band. They are a band which you must see, a local delicacy and an absolutely delight. I have tried not to interfere with their words. Editing what they say may simply dilute their interesting outlook on life. I am happy to visit this interview again if you have any questions or comments which you would like to include.

Please tell me a little bit about each member of the band?

JP: “I am from from Walsall and I live in Whitstable. I am the bass player who has dabbled in music all my life. I work in environmental protection and I love the sunshine, friends and family.”
GB: “I come from London, south east side. I was born in Lewisham. I am an ex-international rugby player now retired and also living in Whitstable.”
SS: “I am a signwriter by trade from Faversham.”

How did you choose the name of the band?

PSS: “The name is based on a 90′s Whitstable band I named called, “Zoomheads”. The original idea was to form a band “Zoomhead” playing grooves in the style of 80′s funsters Pigbag. And “Z” is also my favourite letter.”
TL: “PSS’s name beat the band name generator.”

What inspires you?

PSS: “Creativity.”
GB: “Anything and everything inspires me. You never know what will capture you. I try to keep a notebook with me always.”
JP: “Love, friends, family and the funk inspire me.”
TL: “Music and love inspire me.”
SS: “The Big Bang and Science facts.”

What was the first CD that each member acquired?

PSS: “God knows. I’m a vinyl man who became a download man.”
GB: “Bohemian Rhapsody stolen from my brother and Louder than Bombs by The Smiths purchased (quite a few years later)”
JP: “I remember my first single… but I’m not telling.. My first album was probably Dark Side of the Moon.”
TL: “My first cassette might have been Madness..”
SS: “Crosswinds – Bill Cobham”

 

What was the last CD that each member acquired?

JP: “Ozric Tentacle – Spirals in Hyperspace”
TL: “Skream Skream”
SS: “Frank – Amy Winehouse”

What kind of music do you listen to?

PSS: “Anything fresh..”
JP: “Funk, Deep House, Deep Techno, Dub, Jazz, Cardiacs, Radiohead, Booker Shade. My music collection is “eclectic”.
TL: “Dub, reggae, dance, music with groove and bass.”
GB: “A real mixture. Nothing is off limits..”
SS: “I listen to literally everything.”

What music do you avoid?

PSS: “Anything Bland.”
JP: “Gabba, Grime and anything “urban” R&B (except old school R&B like Dr Feelgood)”
TL: “Chart music.”
GB: “Excessive yodeling..”
SS: “I don’t really avoid any music…”

Should music and politics be mixed?

PSS: “Carefully…”
JP: “There is so much politics in the music industry and bands; the two can’t be separated…”
TL: “Music is a good way of voicing a political message..”
SS: “Music is truthful, politics is not.,”

Do you mix music and politics?

GB: “Only after everyone has had enough to eat and before people have had too much to drink..”
SS: “Don’t mix politics..”

What are your politics?

JP: “Like the politics discussed in a classic scene in the film ‘Human Traffic’”
SS: “I don’t have them either.”

What is the best and the worst gigs that you have been to?

PSS: “The best gig recently. John Zorn. It was the most original sound in years..!”
JP: “Best Gig…… blimey…… er… Cardiacs at Edwards No8 in Birmingham, and the worst was Gary Moore at the Odeon in Birmingham.”
TL: “Best – Lee Scratch Perry at Brighton.”
SS: “Best gig Michael Brecker, Braknell Jazz Festival. Worst… I left and I can’t remember why.”

 

Which are the best and worst gigs that you have ever played?

JP: “Best Gig was the February 2011 gig at Deco5 with ZedHeads. The worst gig was probably a gig with a band called “Totem Roach” back in the 80′s in a dire empty hall……”
PSS: “Rather not mention the worst, the best was probably the Hope Festival.”
GB: “Best – such a giggle at Deco 5 in February. The worst gig ended up with a stage invasion and some bird trying to pull my hairpiece off. How do you recover from that … I cried.”

Which venue would you most like to play?

PSS: “Big Chill.”
TL: “Glastonbury.”
GB: “Anywhere we are loved!!!”

What are the upcoming tour dates?

Hole in the Roof, Deal – 29th May
Whitstable Brewery Bar – 24th June

WEBSITE: www.zedheads.co.uk

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/zedheaduk

 

 
 

Images taken at Deco 5 in Whitstable.

 

16/04/2011 • Feature/Interview

By Malissa Taylor • Photos by Lee Thompson

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