Meet Zen Arcadia

Zen Arcadia

Zen Arcadia is an alternative rock band from Sacramento, CA. Zen Arcadia, formed in 2010, is dB (vox/guitar), Nolan (guitar/vox), Seth (bass) and C-Dub (drums). Yeah, they’re all dudes! I like to share some love for my own gender every now and again. They are, they say, “loud and quiet, fast and slow, a little bit alternative, a little bit metal and a little bit pop all at once.” Their most obvious influence is Minneapolis, MN’s late great ’80s punk band Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould‘s subsequent solo work (including his ’90s alt-rock trio Sugar). It’s no coincidence that the band’s name is, in part, a reference to one of Hüsker Dü‘s most highly regarded albums, Zen Arcade (1984). However, Zen Arcadia is also recommended if you like more current bands like Foo Fighters, Deftones, Chevelle, etc. Sure, they wear their influences proudly on their sleeves, but, they also spin them into their own unique brand of post-grunge/alternative/punk rock. And, I love it!

Zen Arcadia‘s debut Earthquakes (2014) explodes with addictive riffs, insane hooks, and all sorts of noisy melodic goodness over ten feisty tracks! “Being Born” is the first single and the perfect choice as such which should be, if all is right, blazing up the alternative rock charts. “Wake Up” is another great track that should follow as the second single, if not the the post-grungy ballad “Beautiful”. Other good tracks are “Earthquakes”, “The Gradual Process of Letting Go”, “3 AM”, and “Live Today”. However, my favorite track on Earthquakes is the last track “It’s Over”, which is one of the best songs Dave Grohl never wrote. Watch the video for “Being Born” here …

OK, since this post is drenched in a healthy dose of testosterone, I feel compelled to leave you with this photo [from Facebook] of Zen Arcadia‘s frontman dB posing with four very cute adoring fans …

Zen Arcadia‘s frontman dB posing with four very cute adoring fans!

OK, I feel better now.