Zoogma

Zoogma
is a local group of jammers in the tradition of Perpetual Groove and Sound Tribe Sector Nine. In other words, it’s all about the groove and the colors improvisation decorates said groove with. At times this kind of music can seem repetitive and aimless, because... well, it is repetitive and sometimes aimless. But it’s through exploration that you discover new ground and these guys found some interesting spaces on several occasions and
kept the dance floor writhing. Their style of play is unlike any other local band. Zoogma is a band to keep your ears open for. - The Local Voice

OXFORD, MISS (TLV) - New
bands do not always mean new
sounds, with Oxford’s newest
band, Zoogma, but it does. With a name
like that, they’re sure to at least make people
say “Whooma?” The members of Zoogma
are taking a different approach to music than
many of their local predecessors.
Zoogma is Justin Hasting on guitar and
synthesizer, Jason Ball on bass, Matt
Harris on drums, Will Faulconer on percussion,
and Preston Boutot on keyboards.
“We just want to play something different,
give the audience what they want but
don’t realize they want,” Justin Hasting said.
The band claims many of the typical
influences like Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton,
Miles Davis, and The Meters but also boast
that a great deal of their influence come
from new ideas in music with electronic
beats and other differing styles of modern
music.
“We want to give the audience something
they’ve never heard before,” Matt Harris said.
“Matt, Will, and I have been playing together for about
three years; Jason and I, about a year. We started this project
about a year ago, and Preston is the newest member of the
band who joined about 2 months ago and just keeps
impressing us, and hopefully the listeners,” said Hasting.
It would be hard to put into words the style of music
Zoogma creates. There are mixes of jazz, rock, country
breakdowns, electronica, and funk. A bit of something for
everyone, anyone who likes dancing will be able to enjoy
what Zoogma offers.
“If I had to define us, I’d say we’re very funky, jazzy,
trance-rock,” Will Faulconer said.
Zoogma comes from the Greek word Zeugma, which
means to join. Often used in combining words and sentences,
the band combines musical sentences and puts a
modern spin on them.
Even though they have not had many gigs as a group,
they are all masters of each of their respective instruments,
and have been playing music for a combined 25 plus years.
Hasting is a master of funk and rock guitar but also dabbles
with a synthesizer.
“I just got really into looping technology and with a synthesizer
I can loop all sorts of different instrument
sounds together and then I can play guitar
on top of that.”
Harris started taking drum lessons
when he was 14 and rarely
drops his sticks. Ball is an accomplished
guitar player and picked up
the bass about a year ago. He now
plays guitar in the Ole Miss Jazz
Band and bass with the 12 piece
group Equal Temperament.
Falcouner is an expert on percussive
styles, who started playing drum kits
eight years ago and picked up hand
drums and percussion about three
years ago. Boutot is an experienced
keyboard player who started playing
guitar and has been playing music
for more years than he can count.
The bands first gig at Parrish
Baker Pub a few weeks ago was,
unexpectedly, one for the books.
There was no room to move near
the front door because it was jammed with patrons shaking
and baking. Now a five piece band in Parrish’s is pretty close
to a fire hazard, but if the Marshal had shown up he would
have undoubtedly been dancing his ass off too.
“I’ve never seen Parrish’s that packed, especially on a
Wednesday,” Zach Adkison, local bar hopper, said.
When I asked the band what it was like to have an audience
of active participants for their first gig they told me
that’s exactly what they wanted.
“That’s why we do it. As long as everyone there is having
a good time and feeling it, that’s what its all about. We don’t
care about the size of the bar and the more the merrier.”
Hasting said.
In addition to a large number of Facebook invites the
band said that the large turnout was due to the fact that a lot
of their friends know what they are trying to do musically
and wanted to see if they could deliver.
“People we know wanted to come out and see us, you
don’t always get to see a band do what we are trying to do
on an average weeknight in Oxford or anywhere for that
matter.” Hasting said.
Zoogma’s next gig is scheduled for Parrish’s - The Local Voice

OXFORD, MISS (TLV) - Zoogma will be teaming up with
Auburn, Alabama’s Noise Organization Friday, May 9th at Two
Stick Sushi Bar. This will be the first time Noise Organization
has visited Oxford as well as the first time for the two bands to
play on the same bill. The two bands come from similar backgrounds
with many of the same style influences, but both with
an entirely different spin on their own genre, which is ever
increasing in volume and substance.
Zoogma recently organized an independent festival fundraiser
with several other local bands in order to benefit the
Lafayette Humane Society. The local jazz-rock fusion band
called together a slew of several local bands for a pre Earth Day
Benefit which took place on April 20th. The bands gathered at
what has come to be known to Zoogmanauts as “The
Farmhouse” and rocked all day and well into the night with
about eight different acts performing and a stellar “Super Jam”
at the end.
The groups collectively charged admission for a day of
music, food, and atmosphere. The day was gorgeous and many
of the patrons showed up with their pets, ready for good Earth
Day Farmhouse fun.The bands started around 1 PM and there
were several acoustic sessions, performed by Jarod Gregory
and Aaron Reese, which took place on the back porch and later
on the front porch while electric instruments were set up in the
dance hall. Other acts that performed for the benefit included
Balance Jazz Trio, Slightly to the Middle, Pithecanfunkus
Erectus, New Madrid Click, and SoulFish who all brought
the noise to rock for the Humane Society. The benefit concert
raised over $1000 for the Lafayette Humane Society, which the
bands donated Tuesday afternoon. You can catch Zoogma
Friday May 9th at Two Stick with Noise Organization. - The Local Voice

Zoogma kept the crowd dancing well in to the evening when they played their show at Club 527 in Murfreesboro Friday night with local favorites, Beat Repeat and Deep Machine.

Because of their genre, which is a balanced mixture of electronica, rock and jazz, they brought a full crowd to the club. The crowd was comprised of mostly students from the local college, Middle Tennessee State University. Most of these students came prepared to party, and came specifically for Zoogma. Their faces were painted, which complimented the swirling light shows that accompanied Zoogma’s presentation.

“Zoogma was so awesome,” Charles Todd, a local from the area, and a recruited fan of Zoogma, said. “I really liked how they fit perfectly with the other two bands/djs that were featured.”

Charles’ opinion seemed to be the general consensus. Many fans agreed that they really fit in with what the Murfreesboro crowd loves to listen to. Jam bands and dance music are two things that are really in high demand for these kids.

“The fact that they combine a five piece band with a dj that uses cool samples, really sets them apart from bands that have the potential to be very similar to Zoogma,” said Megan Warren, a student from MTSU. “They’re really unique in that way. I can see how they’ve already played with such greats as Perpetual Groove and Lotus.”

Their progress as a band was evident to those who have been fans since their formation only a year ago. Some, including family and friends, even travelled from Oxford, and the surrounding areas, to show their support. Their fan base will continue to grow as they develop their talent, and will be a promising band to keep your eye on.

If you want to see more from Zoogma, their next show will be in Memphis on New Year’s Eve at the bar/ music venue, Newby’s. - The Nashville Listener - Kristina Outland

WTF IS ZOOGMA? Festival appearances, hashtags and most notably thousands of lime-green stickers asking the question have spawned curiosity about the innovative jamtronica quartet all over the U.S. — and for good reason.

ZOOGMA is at it again this week, delivering Road Rage Volume 1 to fans via Bandcamp. The new live album features not only an array of original and remix tracks, but also a number of covers and more. All of which were recorded over the past year from the band’s various tours.

Road Rage Volume 1 takes no time to getting started, opening the new release with “Let My Shorty Ride,” a wicked 6-minute remix of Young Buck’s “Shorty Wanna Ride.” Falling second in line on the track list is ZOOGMA classic “Okami,” containing grooves that flow back and forth between effortless breakdowns and jams, which draw emotion from every corner in your soul.

Bringing familiar sounds to the ear is a funk-ified cover of “That’s the Way (I Like It)” that KC & The Sunshine Band would even approve. A fresh take on Flume’s “Holdin’ On” is another track on the live release that gives the original a close run for its money.

An impressive 15-minute session of “Apophis,” followed by “M10” near the end of Road Rage Volume 1 are individual journeys on their own, each really allowing the band to showcase their talent—undoubtedly causing the crowds for which they were performed to go haywire.

From front to back, the new ZOOGMA release is stuffed with countless vibes to please the music lover of any genre. Stay tuned for future releases, as this is only the first volume in a collection of live compilation albums from their road and tour performances. - The Untz

All hell broke loose during Zoogma's set at Camp Bisco, apparently, and not in the good way. Evidently, some jabroni in the crowd wasn't feeling the good jamtronica vibes and decided to take matters into his own hands by hurling himself head-first into the band's equipment.

Seeing as he probably damaged some of what was on stage, good on the Zoogma guys for not breaking him in half. Let's hope this guy's Camp Bisco came to an end following this incident. Watch it, in all its pathetic glory, below.

And remember kids: Don't throw beer, don't run on stage, don't wear the band's shirt to the show and leave the ragesticks at home. - Relix

Dirty south roots helped established this rock group, full of four dudes from different backgrounds. Their style continues to capture or imagination and deliver nostalgia at the same time, thanks to their wide array of covers. They’ve got covers on Soundcloud of artists like Flume to The Eagles – showing off their ability to jam on various styles of music and deliver a groundbreaking improvisational approach. The band is made up of Brock Bowling (guitar), Matt Harris (drums/sequencing), Justin Hasting (guitar), and Ryan Nall (bass, synths). Check out their music on Soundcloud. - EDM Sauce