ZEBRA:


by Ernie Thomas


      After spending a long day in a New Orleans pub battling it out amongst
each other with their respective lists of names for their newly forged rock
‘n’ roll trio someone spied an old-fashioned 1930s poster of a woman riding
a zebra hanging on the wall and the decision to call the group Zebra was made.

      “We’d each put together a list of ideas and nobody liked anyone else’s
names,” remembered bassist/keyboardist Felix Hanemann of that fateful day in
the French Quarter during the spring of 1975.  “But we had to pick a name
that day because we had shows booked.  We looked at that beautiful old poster
and said – ‘Zebra’ – let’s go with that and be done with this.”

      The bayou-born band  –– co-founded by Hanemann, drummer Guy Gelso and
guitarist/songwriter Randy Jackson –– soon after became the biggest drawing
club attraction in Louisiana and decided to relocate to New York City to
become rock ‘n’ roll stars. 

     “We moved to New York in 1977 and kept building our name until one day
Atlantic Records came along,” said Hanemann.  The band’s self-titled debut
shipped in 1983 and became the fastest selling rock album in Atlantic Records
history to that point. 
 
     That album remained on Billboard’s  “Hot 200 Album” charts for eight
solid months and spawned two major radio hits -- “Who’s Behind The Door” and
“Tell Me What You Want” -- which in turn became hits videos on a fledgling
new medium called, MTV.

   “That first album was certified gold a long time ago, and we heard it was
now platinum, but it hasn’t been officially certified as such yet by the
R.I.A.A.,” he said.   “MTV was pretty new at that time and a lot of bands
didn’t have videos.  We came along at the right time to capitalize on that
whole new medium of exposure.”

      That first album and their fourth release, “Zebra Live!” are still
steady sellers for Atlantic.  Coming off such tremendous out of the box
success, Zebra’s second and third albums – “No Tellin’ Lies” and “3.V” –
paled in comparison at the retail level.  Both albums are currently available
only on the band’s website – www.thedoor.com – but Rhino Records, the
nation’s top reissue imprint will soon be releasing the two albums as a
single CD collector’s edition.

     There is also a “best of...” package titled, “In Black And White,”
available on the independent Mayhem label and a “King Biscuit Flower Hour
Presents...Zebra” CD that features interview snippets and live tracks taken
from live radio shows the band did in 1983 and 1985.

    “Like any band, we had our whole lives to prepare for the first album,”
said Hanemann.  “The second album was a bit rushed.  We should have taken
more time with the writing and recording it.  Not that it was a bad record,
but it certainly could have been a better one.”

     Learning from that experience, Zebra’s third album was a lengthy labor
of love.   “We took a lot more time with that record, produced it ourselves
and didn’t let anyone push us around and make us do things we didn’t want to
do,” he recalled.   “But by the time we did ‘3.V’ (1987), the whole AOR
(Album Oriented Rock) radio scene that helped us break with the first record
was pretty much gone.   Radio was the key for a band like us at that time and
radio had changed a lot, so we didn’t get the kind of support we did with the
first album.”

     After the release of the live concert album, Zebra parted ways with
Atlantic. But they have never stopped performing.    “We never broke up, but
there was short period of about two years [in the mid-’90s] when Guy had to
sit out for a while when he got cancer.  But he’s beaten it and is back in
action,” said the bassist.

    “We NEVER stopped playing shows here on the East Coast and out West in
the Louisiana and Texas area.  We still have a lot of name recognition in
those areas so we can play big shows there.”   While the Midwest has been
largely neglected over the years, St. Louis always remained a priority market
for Zebra and a frequent stop on thier jaunts out West.

     “St. Louis radio is where our first album broke out big.  St. Louis
started the ball rolling.  That city made it all happen for us and we’ve
never forgotten that,” said Hanemann. 

     “Zebra has only played Chicago twice before,” said Hanemann.  “The
first time we played Chicago was behind the first album [opening for Sammy
Hagar] and the second time was in the late ‘80s when we played a club called
The Thirsty Whale.  Being able to play at the House of Blues in Chicago on
this tour is very exciting for us.”

      Hanemann recently released a solo album – “Rock Candy” – on the
independent KMA imprint, which features his Zebra mates on some tracks along
with other friends.  Jackson likewise has an ongoing side project where he
fronts a live rock band that performs Led Zeppelin music backed by a full
symphony orchestra.

    The trio spent this past year writing and recording tracks for a brand
new Zebra studio album.  “We’re here mixing them as we speak,” said Hanemann
of the as-yet-untitled collection.  “It’s got some songs that we’ve played
out often but never recorded and some brand new songs that no one has ever
heard,” he said.
 
    A home for the project remains to be found.  “We still have some strong
ties from our Atlantic years and there are some great indie labels out there,
so I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting it out to people once we get
the finished product in hand.”   The band will be featuring some of the music
from that “work in progress” on this current whirlwind tour.

     “We started this band because we all love music so much,” concluded
Hanemann, “ and that has never changed.  It’s always been about the music
and it always will be!”