ZFG has been referred to as a Serendipitous band by some. With a unique name and sound, as they have, there is a certain chemistry with the band members. Based in Los Angeles, CA what started out as a simple jam that had no rules, turned to something serious with a new EP and a new tour that starts April 17, 2019. Digital Beat Magazine had a chance to chat with Trev Lukather, Jules Galli, and Sam Porcaro before they hit the road.
Digital Beat Magazine: To begin with, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I can only assume that everyone is busy, with the new tour. I like to try and get some of the obvious questions out of the way. I know you have been asked this question a multiple-time, but who came up with the name of the band? How did the band’s name come about?
Trev: When we got into the studio for the first time. We wanted to hit the fuck it button and have fun. Make music with no rules. Just plug in and play. To see what comes from all of us in a room bringing our collective energy into a song. So, when we were asked what we should call the song or session. We said ZFG (Zero Fucks Given) It stuck.
DBM: How would you describe ZFG? What type of genre of music does the band play? Can the bands sound be pigeonholed into one type of music genre?
Trev: ZFG melds anthemic, hook-filled melodies within funk rock guitar riffs and groove rock beats into a signature sound with substance, style, and soul!
Sam: The music is definitely rock. I wouldn’t say it could be pigeonholed into one sound though. There are so many different influences and styles going on within the songs that come through and I think that’s what makes it interesting for people.
DBM: Can you go into detail about the band’s musical background and influences?
Jules: I grew up in France and had a pretty wide array of music from a very young age. I know Disney movies had a lot to do with my desire to dance and sing (Jungle Book haha). My first concert was for the French rockstar Johnny Hallyday. I was 5 years old and remember it like it was yesterday. My dad is a huge fan and played it all the time. Johnny brought American music to France, Elvis, the blues… I trained as a classical singer from a young age and was in choir at the conservatory before moving to America. I used to jam to MJ, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Usher and 50 cent on my way to classes. A nice contrast to Bach and Mozart’s operatic pieces!! When I discovered The Doors and Maroon 5 in America, I felt reborn! Man, there are so many influences living inside of my psyche… I love it.
Sam: All of us have been playing in various projects for years. Part of what makes this band so much fun to be a part of is that we all get to bring our own unique personalities to the music. We may be a rock band but there are influences from funk, soul, pop, and everything in between.
DBM: How long have you all known each other? How did you all meet? I know that you were close friends, as in childhood friends? Just met along the way?
Trev: We’ve all been friends for a while. Some of us have grown up together and others have known each other and become friends through the music scene here in LA. We all were fans of each other. Always respected one another as people and our separate talent. That’s what so beautiful about this band. That’s what makes us unique. We come from different influences but at the same time, love all of the influence to make this tasty gumbo of noise.
DBM: When it came to writing for your new EP, congratulation by the way, can you explain how or what the process was?
Jules: thank you! the process was very natural. We constantly write and it seems to flow out of us quite easily. So far, most songs have been a guitar/vocal birth. Melodies born out of the acoustic guitar riffs lead to a concept, a tentative narrative. I believe it’s always best to write from a place of truth, of personal experiences, and that’s what you can find in our EP. The full band arranges all songs by playing it in rehearsal. It’s a very gratifying moment to see it all come to fruition. The more we write, the more our individual voices merge into a unified voice. We have a few new songs we just finished writing and they feel like home. We look forward to writing more songs and seeing how people respond to it.
Sam: All of us have been playing in various projects for years. Part of what makes this band so much fun to be a part of is that we all get to bring our own unique personalities to the music. We may be a rock band but there are influences from funk, soul, pop, and everything in between.
DBM: I would like to congratulate you all on your new video, “Special”. It is a clever way to do a lyrical video. Normally a lyrical video will have words splashed on the screen but ZFG does in an interesting way. Can you explain a bit about the video and whose idea was it to do this type of video?
Jules: We gotta hand this one to our manager John Gomez. As you said, lyrics videos are usually simple and straight to the point. We’re so happy about the result, and coincidently, the shots were taken in Miami, which is the city where “Special” took place. It’s a true story… aaaah Miami.
DBM: How long did it take, from start to finish, to make the new video?
Jules: we didn’t make it ourselves, not sure, haha. We are looking forward to the shooting the official performance video though!!
DBM: I see that the new tour starts in April, how does everyone in the band feel about it? How well does everyone know the bands Adeltias Way and The Winery Dogs?
Trev: We are extremely excited to go on our first tour. Even tho it won’t be a glamorous one. We are building our own baby here. We’ve all been on the road and have had a taste of the gold life on tour but all of that will be so much more sweeter when we earned it ourselves for our own band. We dig Adelita’s Way. They’ve reached out through social media and seem like cool dudes. Winery Dogs are more close to home. Ritchie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan have been family friends of the Lukather’s and I feel it will be an instant family welcome there. We are all fans of those guys together and separately.
DBM: What does everyone do to pass the time, while on the road? Is there a specific thing that the band members do between gigs? On the road it has to be boring, waiting for showtime. Video games? Sleep? Write?
Trev: I always like to wonder around and see what that certain city is known for. Whatever that may be, I’ll be a nerdy tourist. I love learning new random things. It’s funny because in school, I hated learning history. It was so boring to me. When I grew up, I was intrigued by it all. So you can find me wondering around the most random places when we hit the road.
Jules: this will be my first tour, so I really don’t know yet! I hope I’ll get enough sleep haha. I’m very excited and I foresee a lot of inspiration coming from it. Driving through the US, the open road.
Sam: Practice and sleep! I think it’s important to stay rested in order to give a good show night after night. Practicing is in the same vein, we want to make sure we can give 100% every night.
DBM: Now for something off the wall. I am always curious about this answer. What profession other than your own, would you or anyone in the band like to attempt?
Trev: If we are taking the music business completely out. I’d be a yoga instructor. Yoga has become a second love for me. It’s so spiritually satisfying and well as physically. I’d still be able to travel the world and connect to the energy of this rock we live on.
Jules: Architecture. I studied a bit at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn [New York]. I’ve always loved to draw, always been crafty, and find architecture more than interesting. I remember how we built our midterm model from a poem!! You can pull from anything, any art form. The design process is infinite and I still use it today when writing. There’s always a way around a writer’s block, thanks to architecture classes!
Sam: That’s a tough one. I’d have to say something like teaching. I feel like it’s always satisfying to help other people in some way.
DBM: What profession would you not like to do?
Trev: Anything that you need to be outdoors all of the time. Baking in the heat is not something in the cards for me. I’m a ginger blonde and have the freckled, pink, fair skin. I hate the cold too so there goes any outdoor jobs that require being out in the ice. I feel the universe chose music for me for a reason.
Jules: there are too many to list, but definitely not retail or office work.
DBM: Is there anything else you would say that I didn’t cover in this interview?
Julies Check out our website zfgband.com. Check out our socials! @zfgoffical on Instagram. @zfgband on Twitter. ZFGband on Facebook. Search for us on Bandsintown.com to make sure you catch us in your city.
DBM: Thank you again, for taking the time to do this interview. Good luck with the new EP and the tour.
Julies: Thank you for having us on this interview! Until next time – ZFG
ZFG Band Members:
- Trev Lukather
- Jules Galli
- Josh Devine
- Sam Porcaro
