Exclusive Interview with ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS

The Ultrasonic Zebras create a tapestry of melodies and harmonies that inspire a musical journey full of vivid imagery and profound realizations. They are steeped in a rich musical past and emerge with new, fresh sounds. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about how you came together to form a band?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: Born of a life-long music journey of musical appreciation and playing, the core of the band, the ‘Zebra Brothers’ met at a talent show. From there we formed a band and also performed as a duo. Both interested in writing original songs, we embarked on a song writing journey. Our inaugural EP is out now on all platforms and is titled ‘Surfacing’. It is full of our appreciation for melodies, harmonies, and variety.

2. How did your musical background prepared you for your musical journey?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We both have been largely self-taught. I had piano, vocal and guitar training and my song-writing partner has played guitar and harmonica from a very early age. He learned to play bass as well out of necessity in his early band days. I have also taken a crack at violin, harmonica, mandolin, and the cantor (bagpipes), but we aren’t using any of those instruments any time soon! Neither of us has any formal training in terms of songwriting but we have studied the methods and elements of music and lyric structure in much detail. We both, however, had played with writing our own original material from our early teens.

3. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We have been influenced by a staggering amount of music and artists. We have a certain musicality that translates into the song-writing process. Of course, we had to study and listen to and understand musical structure, melody, rhythm, timing and all that other good stuff to be able to write a great song. You must have a very open mind – then you must do your own thing. If you set out to write anything other than a great song, then why bother. If something is not working, we put it aside and more forward on the ones that do work.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We are not pinned down to one style – that seems self-defeating. We use many styles from rock to reggae, prog, pop, grunge, glam, folk, blues, country, and the rather large category of Indie. What is our sound? Why does it matter? It’s Ultrasonic Zebras!

5. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your music career so far?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We both had careers outside music and have a wealth of life experience. Music for us is an outlet that has been a life-long passion for both of us. We started to gain some momentum with a band before the pandemic and then saw it slowly recede. We decided to use the time to write songs and record them. That helped us to overcome the pandemic personally and concentrate on honing our craft. We are coming out of the ashes with strength and regrouping once again – we are ‘Surfacing’. It is difficult but we will move ahead. One step at a time.

6. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS’?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS:

Our earliest mutual musical influence was the Beatles. They changed the way songs were presented and opened the door for different song structures. Over the years we have been exhilarated by a staggering variety of influences covering many genres and eras. We have taken inspiration from a wealth of performers and lyricists spanning the years. Hendrix to Sheeran, New Wave to new Pop, and beyond. We originally called the band Ice Station Zebra. It was the name of a movie in the early ‘60s and there are a few bands we found that shared the same name. Out of necessity we changed it to Ultrasonic Zebras to be unique. It was always meant to be about musical ideas that came from somewhere remote and exotic and translated into digestible musical ideas; they are wild and free.

7. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We feel that musicians should be free to express views on anything they want. They merely produce it; the listener still chooses to accept it or not. We tend to try to create ideas that may at times challenge views but present balance. For us it is important for the listener to be given enough leeway to understand and interpret songs as they hear them. We don’t need to push our ideas on anyone. People are smart. They figure it out.

8. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: It is a crazy uphill battle to be an Indie artist these days. Who knew? To produce great songs, you must invest in yourself and in the process. You must learn an inordinate amount about the music industry to succeed. You are in the business of your band. Fulfilment comes when you see that people are listening to your songs and asking questions. We are just getting going as a force and hope to do a lot more in the future.

9. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: We have written all our songs as a duo. We bounce ideas back and forth a lot. Most of the time it is the creation of ideas, and then expanding on them. We can practically start with lyrics or music. Most of the time it is very iterative, back, and forth; a piece of music inspires a lyric. A lyric suggests a certain thing musically, etc. If we don’t like the song, we scrap it and start over.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud, or significant point in your life or music career so far?

ULTRASONIC ZEBRAS: Many successes have been made; we always regroup and try again. We were very proud to narrow some 20 songs to 4, and to professionally record and then release them on our first EP: Surfacing. This was a fun and exhilarating experience. The songs turned out very well. We hope others we share these songs with feel something or learn something about themselves.