current_members website associated_acts years_active label article_title background genre origin name
paul cutsinger -- drums david `` tufty '' clough -- bass mahern terry `` hollywood '' howe -lrb- deceased -rrb- -- guitar -- vess ruhtenberg -- guitar scott kellogg -- bass dave lawson vocals -- guitar john mitchell -- bass mark http://www.zeroboys.com/ datura seeds 1979 -- 2013 -- 1985 , 1988 -- 1993 , 2006 secretly 1-2-3-4 go ! records canadian , z-disc , panic button records , zero boys
 group_or_band punk rock hardcore punk indianapolis , indiana , u.s. zero boys
zero boys

the zero boys are a hardcore punk quartet from indianapolis , indiana fronted by paul mahern .
other members include bassist scott kellogg , drummer mark cutsinger and guitarist dave lawson .
their first release , `` livin ' in the '80s '' , was a 7 '' ep released by the band on their home-brew z-disc label .
while paul mayhern provided their unique lyrics , john mitchell provided the soul , with his inspired bass lines driving their songs to new heights .
their debut full-length album , `` vicious circle '' , was released in 1982 with its distinctive bright yellow cover on the local label nimrod records .
many punk fans nationwide expressed surprise that a band like the zero boys originated in the midwest ; their polished intensity suggested the larger and more established scenes in los angeles , washington dc , new york city and elsewhere .
indeed , their 1982 `` hell tour '' appearance at the barn in torrance , ca -lrb- with roadies gary x indiana and marvin goldstein in tow -rrb- , on a bill with the dead kennedys and minor threat , demonstrated that the zero boys were a midwestern punk rock force to be reckoned with .
the intelligent , ambitious lyrics of `` vicious circle '' tackled such themes as social stratification , teen angst , and political corruption .
mahern 's clear tenor voice emerged like a rapid-fire war cry , well-suited to the message and material .
these themes , set into a blazing , sonic buzzsaw with huge choruses and intricate changeups , set an influential stylistic precedent for hardcore punk which still resonates today .
`` vicious circle '' was reissued on toxic shock later in the 1980s , with added bonus tracks taken from the affirmation records compilations lps `` the master tape '' and `` the master tapes 2 '' .
it was reissued again in 2000 by lookout !
records , without the `` master tape '' tracks , but with two additional songs from the original album sessions , `` she said goodbye '' and `` slam and worm '' , which had been given limited release on a 7 '' single .
it has occasionally been reported that the band never recorded further material after this .
this is true only in the sense that the lineup of the band that made `` vicious circle '' never recorded new material .
after second bass player david clough left the band to join toxic reasons , the zero boys did manage to record a handful of tracks intended for a second lp , but broke up before the album could be finished .
these tracks were released on the `` history of the zero boys '' cassette on affirmation , along with the above-mentioned compilation tracks and other demo tracks and outtakes .
around 1990 , selfless released a 7 '' single featuring the zero boys on one side and toxic reasons on the other .
the zero boys reformed in late 1987 with guitarist vess ruhtenberg and recorded two further albums , `` make it stop '' -lrb- released on germany 's bitzcore label in 1992 -rrb- and `` the heimlich maneuver '' -lrb- released on skyclad in 1993 . -rrb-
in 2009 , secretly canadian reissued both `` vicious circle '' -lrb- identical to the lookout !
edition in content and artwork -rrb- and `` history of '' , making the latter available on cd for the first time -lrb- appending the `` livin ' in the 80s '' ep , but omitting four tracks from the original cassette which had appeared in different recordings on `` vicious circle '' . -rrb-
in the last several years , the band has reunited for the occasional gig , including a series of shows at cbgb 's designed to raise money to help keep the club open , and a series of shows in 2006 -- 2012 where they performed the entire `` vicious circle '' album .
paul mahern went on to form the power pop band the datura seeds and has since become a producer in bloomington , indiana , where he also teaches yoga and owns the affirmation records label .
in 2012 vess ruhtenberg and david clough left the band just before a european tour .
scott kellogg -lrb- bass -rrb- and dave lawson -lrb- guitar -rrb- are their replacements .
in february 2013 the new band released an ep titled `` pro dirt . ''
this was their first release in 20 years .
the zero boys ' new lp , monkey , was released on may 20 , 2014 .
