Zero Down was an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

trio formed by former

Strung Out Strung Out is an American melodic hardcore band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1991. Their sound also includes elements of heavy metal. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one live album, two B-sides ...

bassist

Jim Cherry Jim Cherry (August 2, 1971 – July 7, 2002) was an American musician, most famous for being the bassist in the punk rock band Strung Out. His other musical credits include the guitar player in the band Pulley, and bassist/vocalist in the band ...

, former Down by Law drummer Milo Todesco and former War Called Peace guitarist John McCree. Frontman Cherry (who was also guitarist and songwriter for

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...

band

Pulley Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...

) enlisted the support of

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...

owner

Fat Mike Michael John Burkett (born January 16, 1967), known professionally as Fat Mike, is an American musician and producer. He was the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk rock band NOFX and the cofounder and bassist of the punk rock supergroup cov ...

, who released the band's first (and only) album, '' With a Lifetime to Pay'' in 2001. The music was a throwback to mid-1990s melodic

skate punk Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skateboarding, skater subculture and punk rock Music genre, subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, sk ...

, and is still well received to this day. The band added a fourth member in August 2001, ex-

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the ba ...

guitarist Shawn Dewey.

Formation

Zero Down started with Jim and a "Drummer Kid" as Jim says in an interview. While looking for a guitarist, Jim found guitarist John McCree through a mutual friend. They started jamming together, while the old drummer decided to leave. After attempts to find a new drummer, they ended up putting an ad in their local newspaper stating "punk band looking for a good drummer". Afterwards, Milo answered, and the three started jamming together. And after looking for a vocalist, Jim's wife Wendy Cherry, convinced him to sing himself, and keep the band as three-piece.

Recording & Touring

Initially, the band was called Double Down when they started demoing for their album ''" With A Lifetime To Pay".'' They would later record with producer

Ryan Greene Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. He has worked with many artists including Jay-Z, Lita For ...

and engineer Adam Krammer. During 2001, They would tour around the area, including doing shows for Sno Jam 7, along with doing shows with

Diesel Boy Diesel Boy is an American punk rock band from Santa Rosa, California, United States. They were formed in 1993 and were active until 2002. In 2022, they announced they would release a new album for SBÄM Records, which was released in 2023. The ...

and

No Use for a Name No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved considerably throu ...

. They were planning on recording another album sometime in mid-to-late 2001, though the album never came into fruition.

Jim's Death

Zero Down came to a premature demise on July 7, 2002, with the death of

from a lifelong heart condition. Early reports suggested that Cherry died from an accidental prescription drug overdose;

released the following statement: However, in December 2002 the label released a further statement concerning Cherry's death:

Discography

Album

* '' With a Lifetime to Pay'' (

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

Compilation contribution

* ''Fat Music Vol. V:

Live Fat, Die Young Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

'' (

with the song ''Down This Road'') * ''Wrecktrospective'' (

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

with a demo version of ''No Apologies'', disc two)

References

External links

Fat Wreck Chords

Zero Down's page on Fat Wreck

Zero Down's Myspace
{{Authority control Fat Wreck Chords artists Punk rock groups from California