It’s not everyday you get to see a bunch of rock stars take over the University of Bridgeport. On November 17, UB had the honor of having New York City rock band, ZO2 headline its first Rock Fest. When word first came out about the band making an appearance to the school, resident rock lovers rejoiced to have the rock royals grace the campus and others curious to find out why this band was such a big deal. The night had been filled with five other great acts, but class was officially in session as Professors Paulie Z., David Z., and Joey Cassata took the stage ready to make sure the audience would become fluent in Rock and Roll by the end of the night.Even as kids playing with guitars made out of card board, Paulie and David loved music at an early age. Their big start as a group came when the brothers were playing in various bands and met a producer who recognized their talent. He wanted them to put together a band and make a record. At the time, Paulie was also in a cover band with Joey and asked him to join. The three had natural chemistry and it all fell in to place.
The Brooklyn based rock band really knows a thing or two about how to put on a rock performance. They’ve learned from the best: AC/DC, Poison, and their idols, KISS. One can only imagine what it’s like to be on the road and playing the same venues around the world with those bands and the guys couldn’t have explained their experience any better.
“It was incredible! When people ask, I always say that it is anything and everything you imagine what would happen on one of these tours and more. I think also because all three of us, our favorite band collectively is KISS, it was great on multiple levels. One, it was an amazing move for our career but outside of that, it was our dream come true to tour with our idols,” said bassist David Z.
“That’s the reason why I play. I saw KISS when I was five-years-old. Bought a drum kit, that was the end of it,” said Joey Cassata. Believe it or not with their impressive experience in the music industry and the rock scene, the guys from ZO2 are the new kids in the college music scene. Lead vocalist and guitarist Paulie Z. explained why the band was so eager and excited to play to a new age group.
“We couldn’t imagine a better place to play. We play to all different age groups because our music is very generalized, it’s not for a specific age group. Rock and roll can be for a five-year-old or a fifty-five-year-old, so we get a lot of different groups. Especially when we play clubs, they’re still 21 and over, even the bigger ones. You have a lot of kids who can’t come to the show and it’s upsetting for us because these kids are the ones with the most energy, the most spirit, and the most enthusiasm.”
“They’re the less jaded as well,” added David .
“They’re open to anything. It doesn’t matter if you’re hard core or you’re rock or retro or this or that, they just appreciate music”, said Paulie.
ZO2 made the entire ABC building shake and rattle with their raw hard rock tunes. What made their performance so memorable was probably the sight of audience members on their feet and clapping and dancing along to the band’s music. ZO2 wanted everyone to be a part of the night’s festivities so much that they invited hosts Taji Brown and me on stage to rock out with them. For those few moments, we felt like rock stars and it was an experience to be in their shoes. It was an undeniable fact that ZO2’s energy was electric and kept everyone going all night long.
The band was also impressed with the drive students had to put on the Rock Fest. “I think it’s great that there are people to putting this much energy to bringing rock and roll back. It’s only going to get better from here. It’s going to get bigger and bigger, you’ll see,” said David.
“We hope that this is something that starts happening every year and more bands will come and more people will come. It’ll be good to look back and say ‘Hey we were at this first one!’ and inspire people to keep doing it,” said Paulie.
ZO2 has had quite an eventful year and it continues to get more exciting. The three rockers will be starring in their own TV show on the Independent Film Channel due to be aired next year. The series is lightly based on true life events that have occurred during their own experiences as an up and coming band. The show further explores how the band makes a living in order to do what they love along with the trials and tribulations of being in a rock band.
“It’s basically a day in the life of us. It’s different situations we’re in. It’s scripted but we’re the only non actors in the show,” said Joey. The guys who are currently touring around the nation are also dedicating their talent to support good causes. They are set to play the WCCC’s Christmas Party at The Webster Theatre in Hartford, CT to benefit Toys for Tots and a benefit in January to support the Animal Rescue Foundation with Vince Neil.
ZO2 believes in giving back and what they have given to UB is hope for the love of rock music to come back and continue to grow here at the school. They’ve also provided encouragement for other bands with hopes of making it big as well.
“The best advice is to keep going. I think there’s so much that you learn in doing it and just being out there that you can’t learn in the studio just rehearsing. Being out there-there’s no replacement for it. Any show that they can get-take, because it all helps in any shape or form,” advised Dave.
ZO2 are more than just talented act, they also provide great company and are always up for having a good laugh. From talking about the mini-hot dogs at the post-show reception to arguing about who was better: Elvis or Superman (Dave said Jack Sparrow was better than both), and which Disney character would they want to be( For Joey-Gaston and Paulie-Goofy), the charismatic boys of ZO2 are very down to earth guys who are all about light hearted humor and having a fun time.
It was a pleasure to have such a talented
rock band come to the university and help bring back rock music to the lives of college students. At the end of the night when ZO2 completed teaching their lessons, everyone passed with flying colors and went home with a degree in Rock and Roll. The hard rock trio has definitely won the hearts of UB kids and we hope to have them back to tear up the campus once again.
When people ask about the interviewing a high profile band, I think back to the night in the green room and say, “It’s anything and everything you can imagine would happen when you interview a big rock band and more.” Hands down, I would gladly nominate ZO2 for the Professors of the Year award for teaching one of the most valuable lessons: You are never too young or too old to rock out and as long as there are people with a fierce love for this music, Rock and Roll will never die.