New England’s Wildest Cover Band
by Nick Macksood
If The Zoo were in fact an exhibit or an enclosure at their local metazoic namesake, I believe they would be the reptile house. Like a snake, the band–led by front man Randall John–has been shedding its skin since 1994, updating their lineup almost yearly in order to bring in newer, younger talent. Indeed, Randy is the only founding zookeeper remaining. The Zoo are also chameleons in the way that they adapt and change according to the times. A cursory look at their website photos will reveal all of the fashion trends of the 90s and the early millennium: Rico Suave, Pearl Jam, Boy Meets World, No Doubt, Linkin Park. You get the idea.
A cover band, The Zoo selects a popular smattering of tunes both past and present and plays them with the energy that a cover band simply must have. Each song is different. The Jackson Five’s “ABC” is played with the punk-rock speed and energy that is unmistakably The Zoo. The 1999 single, “My Own Worst Enemy”, seems note for note in step with Lit’s own version, right down to the nasally vocals so popular in that genre.
Which is exactly the cage in which The Zoo prefers to live in. They were born in the mid-90s and matured in the early ’00s. The pop-punk genre is their bread and butter. Consequently, their popularity in the New England nightclub scene brought them to Carson Daly’s TRL on the backs of Korn singles, and subsequently won their fifteen minutes’ of fame when they won MTV’s Ultimate Cover Band contest.
Who knows how long The Zoo will last for–it’s already been 21 years–but as long as their lineup continues to look like they’re at least as old as their band is and play with the energy that they have harnessed since 1994, we can expect them to live as long as a Galapagos tortoise.
If you missed their show in Oak Bluffs last weekend, catch The Zoo at the Lampost July 16-17 and August 13-14.
