The ending of one year and the beginning of another. The Year of the Ox is upon us and there has already has been an ending and beginning for ZERO DOWN.

In The End…After five years of wielding his axe in ZD, our brother ..Fred Speakman.. has decided to move on and do some other musical projects that we’re sure will kick ass!

There’s no denying the great times we experienced and the great music we made while Fred was in the band and as one of our brothers we wish him nothing but the best!

In The Beginning…It’s always weird going through a member change when you’ve had a solid line up for a long period of time….But at the same time it can be really exciting and bring a new spark to a band that may be getting a little too comfortable. Most importantly, it’s has to be the right person.

.. ..

Well we didn’t have to look very far to find the next guitar madman to join the fold. Right next door in fact…ha..ha…at our rehearsal space. Enter Matt Fox (Bitter End, Dr. Unknown, Holy Terror)! Matt has been a friend of ours forever and is one of the true bona fide staples of the Seattle Metal/Rock Scene and we’re super excited to have him in the band! So raise up some of those devil horns for our new brother!

.. ..

We can hardly wait to get the oldies but goodies down and get two or three new smokin hot cuts down to show all you people the rock goodness we have ready for 2009!

You’ll start seeing some new dates at the end of March/beginning of April. So lookout as Dio would say!

.. ..

Two quick shout outs to John Richards at Classic Rock Magazine and Sorn at www.metalthai.com.

.. ..

John has really been trying to spread the word in the ....UK.... about us and we can’t thank him enough. When you’re a DIY band and some one like that takes their own time to push it out there for you, it makes you remember why you feel in love with the underground metal/rock scene to begin with and that there are still super cool people out there that are in it for the right reasons!

.. ..

Finally to Sorn in ....Thailand..... Devil Horns Way Up for showing myself and Ed “The Fireman” a great time in ....Bangkok.... and all the great press you have given the band on your site! Friends for life!

.. ..

Less talk more rock my fellow sinners! See you out there soon!

Lenny & Zero Down

"Halloween You Are My Pride, Halloween Not Just A Dream, The Moon Is Full, Another Perfect Day Has Begun!!" That King Diamond sure has a way with words doesn't he? …ha…ha…Well…I might not turn a phrase like the King but I sure do have a lot of things to tell you about and a lot of people to thank!First, we want to thank everyone that was involved in making our short tour down the coast such a fuckin blast! It's really amazing to have such great friends and supporters out there…and to meet so many new great people. Seemingly Hawk has strategically positioned family and friends throughout all of California so super thanks to Jenessa in Sacramento and Tammy & Chris in Tahoe for the great hospitality! You rock! Devil Horns way up to all these great bands and people who kick ass and support the scene out there !The Corruptors, Dalton, Aris and Poseidon, The Penalty Killers, The Antiarchrists, Backbone, Dano Distortion, Naked Rob, Mike @ Whiskey Dicks and Dan Thomas for the killer article on us in the Tahoe Weekly. BTW….any body heard of AC/DC? Sounds familiar right? Well….I think we all live in an AC/DC world right now and the sooner we realize that the better!...ha…ha…The reason I bring it up? Two in fact...

First, we've had the pleasure of playing a lot of shows with Hell's Belles this year and we can't say enough about how great they are as a band and people. So, it was super cool to be on the bill with them in Woodenville, WA when Chris Slade (former AC/DC drummer from the Razor's Edge era) joined them on stage for a ripping version of "Highway to Hell!" It was great to see our new friends have a such a great moment. It totally ruled!

Second, the new issue of Classic Rock Magazine just hit the stands world wide with a big spread on the new AC/DC record and guess who just happens to be on the CD Sampler inside the mag. Yep, "Good Times at the Gates of Hell" is nicely placed on there between tracks by Airbourne, Krokus, Rose Tattoo, Saxon, The Donnas, etc…. Super thanks to Jon Richards for getting us on this killer sampler and the nice write up inside. So it looks like one last show for the year at El Corazon with Black & Blue and a ton of great local bands. So get your ass out there and let's rock it hard one last time in 2008.

Plenty of new songs coming your way in 2009!

Happy Halloween!!!

Hey all, Fred from Zero Down here. First off, we want to say thanks to all of you awesome motherfuckers and motherfuckettes who came to the Bret Michaels "Rock Of Love-Fest" at El Corazon a couple of weeks ago. The main thing was that we got to play a super long set for the people who were there for the music too. The spectacle in the other room, once Mr. Michaels arrived to sign autographs (and eventually leave without getting up to play any songs with us), was amazing to say the least. Those who got to take pictures with and speak to Mr. Michaels- good on ya. Glad that KISW, Zero Down and El Corazon could facilitate such an event for YOU, fellow Zero Down fan, to meet one of your biggest idols, Bret Michaels, one of the most talented and "important" icons in rock and roll "entertainment" history.

..And since that's in the past, it's time to get back to the real reason why we're a band- to kick your heavy metal ass and help you have some fun! We're dead serious. No joke!

Here's a reminder to check out our new YouTube video blog "The Online Metal Challenge" if you haven't seen it already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWDw80_lBDI

Thanks to everyone giving us devil horns and compliments on our latest CD, "Good Times At The Gates Of Hell". We had a good time making it, and have had a good time playing it live. We have some killer shows coming up in Seattle-Tacoma, Portland OR., Everett WA., and elsewhere for the next couple of months. We're playing all over the place...and somehow, our bass player Ronnie still has time to go fishing. He can't be stopped. Here's some honorable mentions coming up-

.. ..

.. .. Jul 12 2008 9:00P	Easy Street Records After Hours In-Store Show	Seattle, Washington
.. .. Jul 18 2008 10:00P	Hell's Kitchen w/ Jet City Fix	Tacoma, Washington
.. .. Jul 19 2008 8:00P	Dante's Inferno w/ Hell's Belles	Portland, Oregon
.. .. Aug 8 2008 2:00P	Seattle Tattoo Convention w/ Nevermore & Pleasure Elite (All Ages)	Seattle, Washington

..We encourage anyone who can make it to come to Easy Street Records in West Seattle for an in-store show on Saturday July 12th (get there early!). We'll blow the roof off of Easy Street Records, and with your help, we can all put it back together again afterwards (follow me down the street for a beer when it's over...). And- once again, we're playing with our favorite headliners and friends Hells Belles in Portland Oregon on July 19th at Dante's Inferno. Also, Nevermore and The Pleasure Elite at the Seattle Tattoo Convention on Friday August 8th??? You bet!! You deserve a day off from work. Come down to the Seattle Center at 2:00 pm and see us play!

This week on "Fuck Yeah": Get ready for-

.. ..

.. .. Aug 19 2008 8:00P

El Corazon w/ L.A. Guns & Faster Pussycat

Seattle, Washington

That's right! Zero Down opens for L.A. Guns & Faster Pussycat. Get your tickets, because this may sell out.

And an FYI for all you north-enders...we're playing Jimmy Z's in Everett in September. Probably right down the street from you. It's been a while. Come support us! We promise to up the antlers for you!

.. ..

.. .. Sep 6 2008 9:00P

Jimmy Z's w/ Pleasure Elite

Everett, Washington

(For other shows, check out our website at www.zerodownrocks.com)

In other news, we're actually writing new songs as we speak for the follow-up to Good Times. That's right...we can't be stopped! I also heard a little bird say that we will be going on a mini West Coast tour in September...and now you really know that we can't be stopped...not even the election, lame media-inspired paranoia, or shitty gas prices can stop us!!

We wanted to say thanks to Nikos Patelis from Metal Invader for giving Good Times an excellent review. Some of Seattle's bigger journalists could give a flying fuck about us...but fuck it, we're loved in Greece! Check out the link:
http://www.metal-invader.com/db/reviews-5067.html

That's it for now. Until then...keep your horns high and your lids low!
Cheers,
-Zero Down-

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Hey y’all, time for a little weekly Zero Down update. Hope that you all like our new website. It’s so
much prettier than the last year’s model, dontcha think? It especially reflects the new campaign
we are on to rock your heads apart more than we ever have before. We recently played our CD
release party at El Corazon, played with No Quarter in Portland at Berbati’s Pan and to those who
attended- a double-fisted "HELL YEAH!" and "Thank You!" from the bottom of our metal hearts.

Speaking of shows- we have some serious kick-ass shows coming up. We’re hoping
that you’ll come with us and watch us help the headliners blow the roof off of these clubs!
Two of the shows are with Seattle’s own all-girl AC/DC tribute band HELLS BELLES.
Both shows are in April.
Here are the dates-

4/18 Olympia, WA Capitol Theater w/Hell’s Belles
"For more information: www.pioneermusic.com"
4/19 West Seattle, WA Rocksport w/Hell’s Belles
"For more information: www.rocksport.net"
And if that wasn’t enough...we’re opening up for UFO...that’s right...UFO from England. "Lights
out, lights out in Seattle...and in Portland too!!"
Here’s the info for the two May shows:

5/07 Seattle, WA El Corazon w/UFO
"For more information: www.elcorazonseattle.com"
5/08 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater w/UFO
"For more information: www.alladin-theater.com"
As for our new album "GOOD TIMES AT THE GATES OF HELL", we have them for sale online
at the CD BABY site. Check out the link- http://cdbaby.com/cd/zerodown2 .
The site also lets you listen to the songs...but I assure you, the quality of your computer
speakers and streaming audio fights like a wuss when up against the satisfaction you will get,
when you get one of these brand-spankin’ new CD babies in your hand to transfer to your car
stereo, or your CD player at home. We are proud to say that it just might kick more ass than
many rock albums (yes, albums) coming out today...but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

You can also find the new CD in Sonic Boom in Seattle, and soon at Easy Street Records too. Of course, if you come to see us live, we’ll have it available in mass quanities (buy one for your parents...). And please, a good honest street team-like way to help out your fellow band, is by  asking for it by name at your local music outlet and spread the word.

Before we call this finished, we have to thank our friends at the local radio stations for  also helping us spread the word. To Damon Stewart and (the producer) Julianne Andersen of Garage Monkey ("land of the kick-ass local rock") on Funky Monkey 104.9 FM- thank you for playing and mentioning our band. Damon’s a rock soldier...and Julianne doesn’t take any prisoners. To Jolene from KISW 99.9 FM Loud and Local- we love you and your support for us and all local Northwest rock/metal bands. Thanks for introducing us on stage at our CD release party. Also, thanks to the fans who have stuck with us through thick and thin, buy us jager shots, help us and our merch and smoke machine king Kenny carry our equipment through the rain to the Zero Down mobile.

And- to YOU!
You know, We like to think of ourselves as the "working man and woman’s metal band"...the kind of band that reminds you from time-to-time, after a shitty day at your job, how we are somewhere out there, hopefully not far from you, waiting to get the chance to put a beer in your hand, a smile on your face......and a loud, proud and evil tune in your head! Our goal is to rock you like you are
still in high school, wild and young, and taking no fucking shit from anybody! That’s why we formed this band...it is our mission statement and our manifesto. Thanks for always making it one big party. Check back here for weekly updates, and see you at the gates!!

Cheers!
-Fred (speaking for my bandmates in Zero Down) -