Zao on 11-22-2001 by Solar Fox

This was with singer Corey Darst.

So what kinds of things do you guys do when you aren’t involved with the band?

well, normally veg out when we get home from tour; however, this isn't the easiest thing to do when you're used to being on the go every day and waking up in a different place every morning. we just spend time writing music, hanging out with our women, taking showers, getting tattooed, reading, working out, etc. we just try to live normal every day lives...even though we aren't normal people. :)

What are ZAO’s biggest influences musically and what kinds of other stuff do you guys enjoy listening to?

wow! i'll make this as short as possible if i can. we all love the beatles, jeff buckley, the smiths, morrissey, pink floyd, led zepplin, ours, sneaker pimps, the strokes, ryan adams, ect. those are the bands that we would definitely all agree on. i on the other hand, as well as matt (auxier, our new guitarist), love metal and hardcore. scott loves metal too (obviously because he is the tech metal master...see creation is crucifixion) but he is not that into hardcore. i have been listening to slapshot and eighteen visions a lot. i also have listened to metal such as slayer, metallica, and megadeth since i was about 6 years old. we all listen to different stuff though. rob loves indie rock/punk that no one has ever heard of like the chills and the feelies. THE FEELIES!!!! that's why i love rob because he actually listens to a band called the feelies. scott and i LOVE johnny cash. we actually plan on being the next johnny cash and hank williams, sr. matt and i love the locust, as the sun sets, the end, creation is crucifixion, deadguy, etc. jesse loves the sic euro rock stuff as well as ryan adams. he and i also adore oasis!! we also enjoy jazz and classical.

You mentioned at the show here in Indy that Slayer’s new album is really great, is there a chance you guys might tour with them or (bigger) bands like that in the future?

i could only hope that we will tour with slayer or someone bigger. it may happen. anything is possible. right now there are a few bigger tours in the works that we might be invited onto. hey, i would love to take this style of heavy music to the masses. it would be great if the general market had a mentality like the hardcore scene has.

Who is your new guitar player and how did you hook up with him?

our new guitar player is matt auxier. he plays guitar and is the primary songwriter in the band eyes upon separation. we have been friends with matt for a long time. he actually played guitar in my old band, entrust, for about a month before we broke up. it just seemed like a good idea so we acquired his master guitar playing abilities.

Have you guys found a new record label?

well, we've been talking to sanctuary records for the past couple of months. that looks promising. we are just touring so much right now that we haven't really had time to focus on anything else. we're work horses.

What are the most important things you would be looking for in a new label, and what kinds of things do you think record labels should do for bands?

the obvious: take care of us, promote us, support us, etc. record labels should not try to mold bands to be what is popular. let the bands do what they want to do. that's the coolest thing about sanctuary; they love us the way we are. they don't care that we're heavy. they love their bands and support their decisions and steer them in the right direction.

Does ZAO have any plans to record or release material anytime in the near future?

the 3 new songs that we recorded will be out on solid state early 2002. we will probably be going into the studio early next year as well. like i said before, we've been so busy touring that we haven't really worried about writing right now.

ZAO seems to attract a lot of negative trash talking on the internet and otherwise. Do you feel like you get more than your fair share of that, or is that just something that goes along with a band becoming more popular?

people are going to talk and criticize. when someone is in the "spotlight", flaws just seem to be more prominent than if your a "normal" dude. it's like this: zao used to be a militant evangilistic band and we're not now. actually, zao hasn't "preached" from onstage for about 4 years. is that a bad thing? no, because we would rather be real with people and let them see us as we really are as opposed to preaching onstage and then somebody seeing someone in the band smoke or drinking a beer and saying "those guys are hypocrites." i hate smoking, drinking, drugs, etc. but i am not going to sit there and judge someone just because i don't agree with something that they are doing. whatever, if everyone would say something nice instead of tearing down people, the world would be a better place. we love Jesus and would rather treat people as Jesus did rather than cram religion down someone's throat. if people don't like that, then that's their problem.

I’ve read a lot of ridiculous criticisms about ZAO from different people about how you are either too “Christian” or not “Christian” enough. Do you have any opinions on why being labeled a “Christian band” seems to be so much more of a big deal and carry so much more of a burden than other labels bands get?

basically, some people only want to listen to "christian" music. if you're sold in christian bookstores then it's kosher to listen to it. that is the mentality for many people. that is erroneous in my opinion. just because a band says "we're a christian band" doesn't make it so. they could be sleeping with hookers and smoking crack on tree stumps but it's o.k. to listen to it because they're a "christian" band. all you have to do is look at a person's life to determine whether or not they are a christian. if they act like an idiot and treat people horribly, all you have to do is ask "did Jesus treat people like dirt"?

What would you consider to be the most rewarding and most frustrating aspects of being in a band?

playing for people everynight that love your music. seeing the country. meeting new people and seeing old friends. frustrating: driving in a van for hours, living in a van for hours, the grey, cold walls of the van, the hum of the van's engine. and people that expect you to be perfect and somehting that you are not.

I read/heard that Jesse is planning on doing a few side projects. Can you tell us anything about those?

he's got some songs he is demoing and i have been playing guitar for the band. i think it's called music. we have practiced about 4 times (me, jesse, and our drummer brandon smith who sings for eyes upon separation). it's rock 'n roll.

Do you guys have any strange or humorous stories of things that have happened while you’ve been our tour that you’d care to share with the instrifers?

when we were in florida on summer tour. we were leaving denny's and as we loaded into the van, 5 cop cars rolled in and pulled a woman out of her car at gunpoint. we thought "oh great, we're going to die" so we started to back up to leave and we hit a cop car. luckily there was no damage so he let us go.

Thanks a lot for doing the interview. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

thank you. the guys never let me talk so it's nice to be allowed to speak. :) keep the hardcore scene alive. support shows and bands even though you may not like their style of music. listen to 18 visions, at the gates, slayer, and the srokes. Drug free for life, corey darst.