ZAWA is a postpunk, noise, cavebop, melt – your – face band based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Only being a band for two years, they are a force to be reckoned with. Their sound involves haunting surf like guitar parts played by Jean Paul “Pelvis” Miller, who also screams at you with his megaphone sounding, tortured vocals. His lyrics mostly being about the pain and agony of living. The bass is also in its own world of torture, played by Kane “Lava” Lafia, along with the sporadic drum beats of Chris “Crisp” Nowak. Each musician seems to be in his own world of chaos, when it collides it makes for some amazing sounds/songs with elements of The Urinals and Crass.
Some of the bands that they are influenced by are: Can, Devo, Arab On Radar, The Birthday Party, The Residents and PiL. You can hear all these influences in the way they bend the usual “rules” of music. You can also see these influences in their live performances. Jean Paul Pelvis wears ghoulish face makeup like David Vanian from The Damned. ZAWA play frequently around LA at DIY venues and bars such as Basic Flowers, Pehrspace and Ham and Eggs Tavern. They have played alongside other up and coming local favorites like Mynx, High Functioning Flesh, Egrets On Ergot, Future Shoxxx, and The Vivids. If you find yourself in the LA area look out for their name at local events. You can listen to some of ZAWA’s songs in SoundCloud and Bandcamp. They are working on releasing a record sometime in the future. They also have a live video footage up on youTube and their Facebook page.
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Heather Galipo