After their 2004 breakthrough "Our Five Worst Songs" grabbed them opening slots nationwide for diverse acts like De La Soul, Concrete Blonde, Lady Kier of Deee-Lite and worldwide recognition through Konami's "Dance Dance Revolution", Z.O.N.K.'s 2005 release, "Half Human" had them opening for The B-52's in the midst of their west coast tour schedule and Lyrics Born at San Francisco's G.A.M.E. event. It's fittingly eclectic company for a band composed of Motown-rooted songstress McFiendish, video game sound and music producer Dave L., space-funk harmonica and bass (at the same time!) player Uncle Bergie, and old school turntablist/rapper Walt Dizzle (DJ Red 5). Along with the release of their slow and dark cover of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" in early 2006, Electronic Musician Magazine featured Z.O.N.K. in their April issue. Z.O.N.K. is currently at work on a new album while continuing to perform throughout the year.
Johnette Napolitano
"ZONK....hmmm...fresh from some other planet. We love 'em."
Aaron Axelsen, Live 105
"...i'm very impressed with the record, congrats again."
San Francisco Examiner
"Local trip-hop foursome Zonk turns the characteristically languorous and melancholy style's perma-frown upside down. Frontlady McFiendish's sex-dripping vocals lend a sultry air to the band's quirky, beat-driven blend of turntable, laptop, live guitar and bass and harmonica, yes, harmonica."
Derek Sivers, CD Baby
"I love this! Right up my alley."
CNET's music.download.com
"After one listen of ZONK's sultry trip-hop, you may wonder why you haven't been Zonked before. Surely, in a just world, such a sparkling mix of moody synths, funky drum machines, and sexy vocals would be signed up pronto by a major label. "Urban Paradise" is a perfect example of electronica that ought to be played on pop radio right now: it's hummable, danceable, and fun. And once it lodges itself in your brain, it's hard to get rid of -- a sure sign of pop music greatness."
theowlmag.com
"Our Five Worst Songs is a DJ-driven, electronic patchwork of nocturnal mood, progressive rock, hip-hop and even big band arrangements. Extensively mixed and highly danceable, the trance-inducing cuts melt over the mind like the club drugs that permeate the music. Laid over the top of it all are the sultry vocals and urban songwriting of McFiendish, the centerpiece of this obviously rising collection of local talent. Checkout tracks like "The Grind" and "3:05" for glimpses into the highs and lows of the modern industrial existence, and the merits of sleep deprivation."
Boston College Heights
"The band [ZONK] was filled with vibrant energy and played an excited set of diverse music, with lead singer Nic McFiendish bouncing across the stage with the microphone stand straddled between her legs the entire time. The highlight of Zonk's performance was when two emcees, Bolo of Pawray and Mic Kaos, came up to give the band some hip-hop flavor. Like De La Soul in the '80s, Zonk's most enjoyable quality was that it seemed like they were having a good time along with the crowd on stage."
BIOGRAPHY
THE EARLY DAYS – Rock, Meet Electronica
After playing many shows in California starting in 1999 as a punk funk outfit, releasing two CDs on San Francisco's Mission Underground Records, and getting their music featured on MTV's Undressed, in 2000 Z.O.N.K. founders McFiendish and Uncle Bergie meet Bay Area turntablist DJ Red5 and start taking the group in a new direction. In 2001 McFiendish meets (and soon marries) producer/musician/sound designer Dave L, who since 1995 has been putting out independent electronic music releases on his own label and producing music and sound design for video games and independent films, most notably numerous titles for George Lucas' video game company LucasArts and the film Groove (Sony Pictures, 2000).
2002-2004 – The Ball is Rocking and Rolling
Fueled by love and the desire to combine electronic music with the energy of a live rock band, in 2002 Dave L begins performing, producing and writing with Z.O.N.K. By 2004 they release an EP entitled "Our Five Worst Songs" on the Harmony Machine label. With this release, Z.O.N.K. wins a national music download contest put on by Music For America, tours the east coast opening for De La Soul in Boston, opens for Concrete Blonde in Northern and Southern California, licenses a track to Konami for the internationally popular video game Dance Dance Revolution, and they are featured on Better Propaganda and NPR.org.
2005 – Bigger Shows and Multiple Births
After a year of touring, in early 2005 Z.O.N.K. begins preparing a new release and in March they open for Lady Kier of Deee-Lite in San Francisco. The new album, "Half Human", is released June 21 on the Harmony Machine label and they are chosen to warm the stage for The B-52's during their west coast tour. September brings a show with the Pharcyde and in October McFiendish and Dave L have a baby boy. Before the year ends, Z.O.N.K. performs with Lyrics Born at The G.A.M.E. festival in San Francisco and "Sold It For A Song" from the new album and a remix by Z.O.N.K. are featured in Konami's "Dance Dance Revolution Ultra Mix 3". In December Z.O.N.K. releases a slow and dark version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know", originally "commissioned" by CD Baby president Derek Sivers.