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Following in U2's Footsteps
Tribute band Zoo Station 'a fan club with instruments,' champions similar social causes
By JANET PARMER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
What started as a lark for a couple of hard-core U2 fans is now a year-round, part-time gig channeling the songs that made the Irish band rock icons.
The four members of Zoo Station, a Bay Area-based U2 tribute band, take their pursuit seriously, knowing U2 followers care passionately about the songs and lyrics made popular by Bono and his musical comrades.
"If you're nerdy enough to start a U2 tribute band, you're nerdy enough to find each other. We're like a fan club with instruments," said Skott Bennett, who uses the stage name "Barely Larry," to evoke the persona of U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.
Zoo Station makes its first appearance at the Mystic Theatre on Sept. 9, with opening act Petty Theft, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band.
Bennett, whose day job is art director for four radio stations, including KFOG and KSAN, is the band 's spokesman.
The other performers include guitarist Mike Horn, who calls himself "The Sledge," channeling the energy of U2' s guitarist, Dave "The Edge" Evans; bass player Scott Schulman, who uses the stage name " Adamesque" in homage to Adam Clayton; and " Bonoalmost," who is known in real life as Joshua Fryvecind and performs in the role of U2 vocalist Bono.
All of the Zoo Station members have musical experience, albeit to varying degrees, and all have traditional day jobs.
Adamesque is a ticket broker, Sledge is employed by a software company and Bonalmost works in a bakery.
Bono has become a prominent humanitarian and political activist, and Zoo Station is championing similar social issues. The tribute band has raised money for water wells in Angola, Hurricane Katrina relief, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross.
"U2 fans are exposed to Bono's ideas and ideals and a lot has seeped in," Bennett said.
When Zoo Station began playing together four years ago, the musicians' hope was to play U2 songs and make it a " fun, small-scale thing," Bennett said.
"Our aspiration was to play an Irish pub once a month and get a few drinks," he said. "But the band has been going now over four years. No one expected it to be a successful musical project ."
The band debuted at Ireland's 32 in San Francisco. It plays Irish pubs, festivals, nightclubs and casinos, including gigs at Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, and San Francisco's Black and White Ball.
Zoo Station, which took its name from the first song on the " Achtung Baby" album released in 1991, tries to give audiences the complete U2 experience. But playing in intimate venues, such as the Mystic, inevitably gives fans a different musical experience than being part of a raucous crowd at a stadium or amphitheater.
"We do our homework constantly. We watch DVDs of all stages of their career," Bennett said.
"Bonoalmost" wears sunglasses similar to his hero, "The Sledge" sports a knit cap and a goatee like "The Edge," and "Barely Larry" wears a lot of black clothing and tries to keep up the sex symbol image of Mullen.
"That's the cross I have to bear," Bennett said with a laugh.
"The challenge for us with a band like U2, which has been popular so long, is the cultural awareness. You get a lot of hard-core serious fans. If U2 is not on the road, they'll come and see us. We load the show with nuances and inside jokes. We want to please the hard-core fans and bring in the casual listeners," Bennett said.
Zoo Station mixes up its concerts by doing greatest hit sets as well as focusing on a particular year or album in the U2 musical chronology.
"People get caught up in the moment. You've got to remember the music of U2 means a lot to people. There were moments of significance throughout their lives, and we do the best we can to do it justice and pay respect to fans. The fans get swept up and carried away. For a musician, it's gratifying, " he said.
"But we never lose sight that it's the four guys from Ireland who are doing the heavy lifting. For 25 years, it was not about us. It's about these amazing songs and we 're literally paying tribute to these songs," Bennett said.
Each member of Zoo Station has seen U2 perform live many times, and at this point, they consider it research to go and watch the band.
"It would be a dream and a nightmare to meet them. What do you say? I'd think of something," Bennett said.
He said there are U2 tribute bands all over the world, and there' s an unspoken agreement among them to stick to geographic turf and allow bands from neighboring regions to establish themselves in their respective areas.
Zoo Station's radius is primarily Northern California.
The band cannot record a CD for commercial sale with U2's music because of music publishing restrictions, but it has a demo album to send to promoters and booking agents.
"There's never a shortage of inspiration because we all love the band so much.
"We're not making fun of U2. People think of it as a tribute, we're not ironic or cheesy. We're trying to recreate the experience," Bennett said.
Tribute band Zoo Station 'a fan club with instruments,' champions similar social causes
By JANET PARMER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
What started as a lark for a couple of hard-core U2 fans is now a year-round, part-time gig channeling the songs that made the Irish band rock icons.
The four members of Zoo Station, a Bay Area-based U2 tribute band, take their pursuit seriously, knowing U2 followers care passionately about the songs and lyrics made popular by Bono and his musical comrades.
"If you're nerdy enough to start a U2 tribute band, you're nerdy enough to find each other. We're like a fan club with instruments," said Skott Bennett, who uses the stage name "Barely Larry," to evoke the persona of U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.
Zoo Station makes its first appearance at the Mystic Theatre on Sept. 9, with opening act Petty Theft, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band.
Bennett, whose day job is art director for four radio stations, including KFOG and KSAN, is the band 's spokesman.
The other performers include guitarist Mike Horn, who calls himself "The Sledge," channeling the energy of U2' s guitarist, Dave "The Edge" Evans; bass player Scott Schulman, who uses the stage name " Adamesque" in homage to Adam Clayton; and " Bonoalmost," who is known in real life as Joshua Fryvecind and performs in the role of U2 vocalist Bono.
All of the Zoo Station members have musical experience, albeit to varying degrees, and all have traditional day jobs.
Adamesque is a ticket broker, Sledge is employed by a software company and Bonalmost works in a bakery.
Bono has become a prominent humanitarian and political activist, and Zoo Station is championing similar social issues. The tribute band has raised money for water wells in Angola, Hurricane Katrina relief, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross.
"U2 fans are exposed to Bono's ideas and ideals and a lot has seeped in," Bennett said.
When Zoo Station began playing together four years ago, the musicians' hope was to play U2 songs and make it a " fun, small-scale thing," Bennett said.
"Our aspiration was to play an Irish pub once a month and get a few drinks," he said. "But the band has been going now over four years. No one expected it to be a successful musical project ."
The band debuted at Ireland's 32 in San Francisco. It plays Irish pubs, festivals, nightclubs and casinos, including gigs at Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, and San Francisco's Black and White Ball.
Zoo Station, which took its name from the first song on the " Achtung Baby" album released in 1991, tries to give audiences the complete U2 experience. But playing in intimate venues, such as the Mystic, inevitably gives fans a different musical experience than being part of a raucous crowd at a stadium or amphitheater.
"We do our homework constantly. We watch DVDs of all stages of their career," Bennett said.
"Bonoalmost" wears sunglasses similar to his hero, "The Sledge" sports a knit cap and a goatee like "The Edge," and "Barely Larry" wears a lot of black clothing and tries to keep up the sex symbol image of Mullen.
"That's the cross I have to bear," Bennett said with a laugh.
"The challenge for us with a band like U2, which has been popular so long, is the cultural awareness. You get a lot of hard-core serious fans. If U2 is not on the road, they'll come and see us. We load the show with nuances and inside jokes. We want to please the hard-core fans and bring in the casual listeners," Bennett said.
Zoo Station mixes up its concerts by doing greatest hit sets as well as focusing on a particular year or album in the U2 musical chronology.
"People get caught up in the moment. You've got to remember the music of U2 means a lot to people. There were moments of significance throughout their lives, and we do the best we can to do it justice and pay respect to fans. The fans get swept up and carried away. For a musician, it's gratifying, " he said.
"But we never lose sight that it's the four guys from Ireland who are doing the heavy lifting. For 25 years, it was not about us. It's about these amazing songs and we 're literally paying tribute to these songs," Bennett said.
Each member of Zoo Station has seen U2 perform live many times, and at this point, they consider it research to go and watch the band.
"It would be a dream and a nightmare to meet them. What do you say? I'd think of something," Bennett said.
He said there are U2 tribute bands all over the world, and there' s an unspoken agreement among them to stick to geographic turf and allow bands from neighboring regions to establish themselves in their respective areas.
Zoo Station's radius is primarily Northern California.
The band cannot record a CD for commercial sale with U2's music because of music publishing restrictions, but it has a demo album to send to promoters and booking agents.
"There's never a shortage of inspiration because we all love the band so much.
"We're not making fun of U2. People think of it as a tribute, we're not ironic or cheesy. We're trying to recreate the experience," Bennett said.
