Zombie Revenge: Anything BUT 'Sloppy Crap Rock'

Zombie Revenge: Anything BUT ‘Sloppy Crap Rock’
Written by Christine Stoddard

Two years ago, for no reason other than the fact that they “felt like it”, five Fairfax teenagers---cousins Bobby Winkler, Peter Winkler, Dave Dudley, and Aaron Ryder---got together in their grandmother’s basement and formed Zombie Revenge, a band whose tunes are reminiscent of the Pixies, Modest Mouse, Lightly Toasted Crackers, and the Strokes. They have already played twice in Arlington----at Ballston’s 2005 Teen Day and at TJ’s (Thomas Jefferson Community Center) 2005 Winter Band Night----and will return to TJ May 13 (from 8-11pm tickets $5) for another chance to expose Arlington teens to the kind of quality rock music we desperately need. Not only is it my hope, but it is the hope of many Arlington teens that Zombie Revenge will play here many times more in the future.
I first heard Zombie Revenge at TJ’s semi-annual Band Night in January. I walked into TJ’s rec room expecting the mediocre music, heavy distortion, and bad stage make-up characteristic of low-budget rock concerts---but was hit with an impressive demonstration of musical talent and soulful writing instead. Zombie Revenge played several songs, including “What’s the Rumpus?”, “Big Mouth”, “Very Bad Day”, and “Different Worlds”---all of which are featured on their new CD, “Cheese Wid Dat”. My favorite song is “Different Worlds”, which was inspired by the movie “Edward Scissorhands”(directed by Tim Burton, 1990). Its poetic lyrics blend ironically with the cacophony of two guitars (brothers Bobby and Peter), a bass (Aaron), and drums (Dave) to produce a memorably poignant song (sample “Different Worlds” and more of Zombie Revenge’s music at myspace.com/zombierevenge). Lead singer Bobby softly opens “Different Worlds” with “Once upon a time…”, as if he and his cousins are caught in the midst of a fairytale. Bobby proceeds to wailing “you and I belong in a different world” as Dave smashes the drums and Aaron and Peter strum like mad. For a moment, the melody is so magical that time seems to wither away and the power of fantasy prevails. My only complaint is that the song lasts a mere three minutes and fifty-three seconds, which is appallingly short for any great rock song. Their other songs are just as short. “What’s the Rumpus?” and “Big Mouth”, for example, last three minutes and thirty-four seconds and two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, respectively. If they reached a full four or five minutes, they would make a more lasting impression on the listener---but perhaps Zombie Revenge is experimenting with the power of brevity.
As spring approaches, Arlington teens should mark their calendars for Zombie Revenge’s next performance at Thomas Jefferson Community Center on May 13 and experience the magic for themselves.