A High Message on Zooluxx's funky, blues psyche rock diatribe "Different Planets" (Official Video)

Photo: Brendan Pattengale  

Zooluxx, 4 funk rockers (3 L.A. Natives and an El Salvadorian transplant) on their sultry, funky, blues psyche rock diatribe, Different Planets give a high message micro-cosmically, macro-cosmically and (of course) psychedelically. From the onset the tasty funked out bass line gets your head bobbing, then you have the wah wahed out rhythm and lead guitar, foot front drumming, passionate get down vox, shout about backing vox, a cool distorted harmonica get down and a stirring delicious chorus. Set against the Official Video directed by Jackie Linn in a crazy green screen fun VHS Public Television sort of way the funky rock vibe is offset by scenes of people in the street, of protest from the 60's to today, the Black Panther movement, Vietnam protests, including a brief shot of the horrific self-immolation by fire of Mahayana Buddhist Monk Thich Quang Duc as well as the famous 1967 Vietnam War hippie protester placing carnations (flower power) into the barrels of Military Police Battalion members during the 'March on the Pentagon', people of all colors participating in Civil Rights marches on Washington, Gay and Lesbian marches, and the signs of protest, 'Freedom For All', 'Stop Killing Us', 'Defend the Sacred', 'Black Lives Matter', 'Trump Is Not Our President', 'Abolish Ice', 'Women's Rights are Human Rights' and more. There are also images of Woodstock and other 60's flavors and more modern confrontations and multicolored celebrations. This all set to Zooluxx's deep funky sass that front man Troy Vincent describes as a "jazzadelic space groove" which sounds right to me. 

While the historical images (perspectives) are in the background the band gets funky and funny from lip-syncing to air harmonica playing to punching up the closed fist iconic (and now) black power sign and some truly crazy, hilarious shit like using a drum cymbal as a mace protecting shield and while watching I wondered if some might think all this green screen fun set on top of all this pressure cooked imagery is a bit disrespectful (?). I obviously think the band is not making light of but, instead, shedding light. Music has always been married to protest, even funky psyche rock and I am grateful for that. The sad thing though, is that this song is as relevant today as it would of been in the 1860's, 1960's and probably will be in the 2060's. 

America has had a problem, a lack of understanding of freedom, sexual orientation, gender, racial equality, ethnic diversity, of immigrants honored place in our society, of privacy, of Native American rights, of unequal justice, the haves and the 'have nots', of us versus them and of freedom since our fore fathers signed the Constitution and as "Different Planets" video director Linn points out, by casting shots of our big blue marble planet behind Zooluxx many times, our societal problems are mirrored in different ways, in different degrees all over the world. 

Fuck man, lets all get our shit together. 

-
Robb Donker Curtius




THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

Frontman Troy Vincent describes the band’s sound as a 'jazzadelic space groove.” The band's influences range from 1960s rock & roll, electric blues, Parliament Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, and Afrobeat. It’s spontaneous dance music rooted in grooves and guitars, both modern in its explosively eclectic approach and proudly old-school in its reverence for analog sound. The band honed in on their sound and perfecting their electric live show with a Monday night residency at Good Times at Davey Wayne's. The 70's themed club was an oddly fitting home for Zooluxx, whose songs mixed vintage cool with a contemporary kick. Every Monday night for five years, Troy and Ned would hit the stage, piecing together their band's unique sonic stomp — as well as their ideal lineup — while members of the Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Paul McCartney, and U2 circulated throughout the audience. It was a proper scene, with Zooluxx's co-founders serving as the ringleaders.

The band found a champion in Saxophone Karl Denson who produced Ghetto Starship recording to analog tape on Lynyrd Skynyrd's old API console in San Diego. The band caught the eye of Blind Owl Records owner Dan Cervantes, who signed them and produced, along with Jordan Andreen, their new EP  Just a Little Bit, coming out next year.