Glowalla Entertainment

Who the hell is ZooRiot?ZooRiot is an LA based Rock Band, who may just be the savior of Rock and Roll. This "Rock and Roll Messiah" consists of Henry Eagleson , singer/guitarist/pianist/songwriter, Robbie Coleman-Drummer, & Martin McSweeney -Bass.Naturally talented, Henry Eagleson's musical sensibilities were forged and honed in the fires of the "Music City" Nashville TN, where he was born and raised and, as a teenager, fronted a couple of local rock bands. Right out of highschool, Eagleson was writing songs for Warner/ Chappell, Sony/Tree, and Curb Records.Brought up on a healthy diet of 60s Rock, 70's Glam, and 80's Pop, Eagleson's passion for Rock and Roll promptly led him to LA, where he engineered at Todd AO studios in Santa Monica and subsequently became one of Hollywood's youngest successful recording studio owners with his famed "The Loft" recording studio.But, Henry Eagleson was not content to sit behind the console. Always the performer, he was naturally drawn into creating a live musical movement and to the cream of the crop in young LA musicians, recruiting Robbie Coleman and Martin McSweeney, and thus sparking the birth of ZooRiot.Barely emerging onto the scene, Eagleson is already being described as a young David Bowie mixed with Duran Duran, Elvis Costello, The Beatles and Elton John. Henry Eagleson and his ZooRiot is a culmination of the last 40 years of rock and roll and the living, breathing, embodiment of the future of live entertainment.What should you expect from ZooRiot? Not only a breath taking live performance… but SONGS… GREAT SONGS… with lyrics that are penetrating and thought provoking, melodies that move you, and hooks big enough to hang your coat on!!! ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ...............ZOORIOT - ROCK OF AGESby Brian J. Murphy..............One month ago, I had a great conversation with a new buddy of mine about the music industry and the current state that it is in. The focus was not so much on the poor music sales, cheap rip offs of legitimate acts, or even the inability of record executives to acclimate into the digital age. More so, we pondered how cyclical the industry is and what acts have had a true impact on music. Many singers and groups were thrown around during the conversation Nirvana, Beck and even Britney Spears for lack of a much better example. The point of it all was not really about who we like, but who is big and has name in the industry.This past Saturday I was invited out to see a friend of mine perform at a bar in Orange County. I had the opportunity to sample his music on his Myspace page before I ventured out to see him, so I pretty much knew what to expect. The performance, was even better than what I thought it would be. You know, there is something that gets lost in translation when it is not live.Lead singer Henry Eagleson, has a very unique voice. Usually when describing an artist you can pull a "think Mick Jagger meets Eddie Vedder" type of description, but in all fairness, that simply does not do Henry justice. Formally signed to Warner Brothers Music Group as a country/western lyricist, Henry has a vast range of musical styles and genres.During the performance at the Slidebar in Fullerton, I felt slight influences of many different bands. Again, I was not able to pinpoint it down enough to say, "think ACDC meets Zeppelin," but was able to hear an abundance of musical flavors. One thing in particular that I quickly picked up on, is that ZooRiot is an unapologetic Rock band. They are simply kick-ass and no holds bars. My senses did not pick up on any blatant rip off or some weird energy of them going out of their way to be "different." You almost got the feeling the guys in the group said "fuck it, why reinvent the wheel? Let’s just rock out." Gotta love a group that lays it all out on the table...or in their case, the stage and let’s it all hang out. Lead vocalist, Henry, almost has a Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day) esque way of holding the guitar, but that is where the comparison ends. I really miss the Pink Floyd, middle of the song guitar solos, so when about 2/3's of ZooRiot’s songs featured the aforementioned solos, I was quite pleased.As a cameraman by trade, I not only noticed Henry, but his drummer and bass player as well. I have seen enough live acts to know when someone is just playing and when they are "playing," These band mates were obviously in sync and well rehearsed. While watching the band, I kept visualizing myself as an A&R person for a major label and thinking, "wow, I found my next big act."