Zero Sum Game

California Punk Originators Beat their Brains Out

(l to r) Javier Escovedo, Baba Chenelle, Robert Lopez, Hector Penalosa, 1977 (courtesy Bomp Records)

Paragons of Chicano West Coast punk the Zeros have always been an extraordinary force. A teenage quartet from Nowheresville Chula Vista, they instinctively exploited a souldeep acquaintance with rock & roll’s orphic vocabulary, delivering it with mood 77’s sweet, slashing urgency and, naturalmente, immediately found themselves sharing bills with the genre’s top forces, from the Screamers to the Clash. As Lux Interior (no fan of punk rock) told me: “I couldn’t believe my ears when I got that 45 [‘Wimp’]—I played it over and over and over. It was so great.”

Now, mystifyingly bifurcated into a pair of separate working units—lead singer-guitarist Javier Escovedo & drummer Baba Chenelle’s the Zeros vs. rhythm guitar jefe Robert Lopez & bassist Hector Penalosa’s recently-spawned Zeros 77—the fractured four, co-founders all, have placed fans in an agonizingly awkward spot.

No mere routine rock & roll ‘differences’ tale, this is an artistic tragedy, fraught with grievance and passion; considering the bands near fifty-year history and bloodline entwined circumstance, there’s a distinctively uncomfortable intimacy to the whole kerfuffle. Kingsize, doubledose drag.

Escovedo, of the fabled Pete-Sheila E.-Alejandro et al clan, was the band’s primary writer and leader, but what lends this rift bitterer heft is the loss of a significant attribute: the Zeros essentially boasted three frontmen, each capably showcasing their own compositions via a nimble, engaging onstage trade-off.

The songs were boss—Escovedo classics “Don’t Push Me Around,” “Hand Grenade Heart,” the epochal “Wimp,” Lopez’s “Beat Your Heart Out,” “Rico Amour,” “Sneaking Out,” Penalosa’s “You, Me, Us,” “Left to Right,” “They Say”—and the Zeros delivered an elegant, 3-headed attack dog show of high, like wow quality, especially coming, as it did, from a pack of nakedly inexperienced juveniles.

Each number was a definitive statement, uniformly borne of the native big beat crucible: the overstimulated, frantically desirous teenager’s pursuit of place, context and thrills. The Zeros explored this territory with instinctual authority and did so using their own individuated style. But, as with any legitimate punk band, it didn’t last, capsized by Lopez and Penalosa’s late ’77 departure.

Re-capping the multiple decades worth of splits, reformations, reissues and remakes is redundant; post-Zeros, Lopez gained sustained, international acclaim as Presley-centric showman El Vez, Penalosa led mid-80s band Flying Color, Beatles homage Baja Buggs and the Hector Penalosa Gang; Javier’s been continuously active: following his early-80s True Believers collab with sibling Alejandro, there were plenty of other projects (solo disc Kicked out of Eden, his currently gigging City Lights, more).

For clarity, today, the Escovedo-Chanelle Zeros are augmented by longtime bassist Victor Penalosa (Hector’s brother) and the Zeros 77 by ax man Adam Kennedy Remmer (Lopez’s cousin once removed) and drummer Lety Beers (of SD’s Schizophonics).

Moreover, this tribal conflict coincides with a full-length Zeros documentary (take a look here), currently in post-production, a situation which only exacerbates an already testy mess.

But enough expository pussyfooting. What the hell is going on?

“Me and Hector have always teased about doing this,” Lopez said on a recent call from his Mexico City headquarters. “But an unfortunate series of events finally led us to say ‘We need to have more control of the Zeros legacy.’”

Escovedo (who declined an interview but agreed to an email exchange) first learned of the development after seeing a poster on social media for the Zeros 77 debut appearance.

“It is very awkward,” he said. “After years of asking Robert and Hector to play in the Zeros and having been told no, I have stopped asking. Robert has stated that he will not participate in any Zeros activities.”

“I wish they would stop playing my songs but that isn't likely. Without them and the covers I brought into the band, their set would be very short.”

Lopez’s ‘unfortunate events’ cover a plethora of issues: more than a twist of rocker ego, doubtless a dash of ancient financial hassles and the stalled documentary chief amongst a savory trove of petty annoyances—and all are additionally convoluted by family ties.

“I’m married to Robert’s sister Rhoda, we’ve been together since 1976,” Escovedo said. “If you try to hurt me, you also hurt her and that's what bothers me the most. She has asked them to stop using her photos, which they used without permission.”.

“I worked very hard on the documentary,” Escovedo said. “I got them interviews with everyone I could—interviews they never would have gotten otherwise, [and] I was told I was one of the producers. But I walked away when it became evident that they were not going to license any Zeros music, they still haven't.”

Filmmaker Anthony Ladesich [via email]: “Javier, as a non-filmmaker, doesn't seem to fully understand the process. We are still editing the film and won't know what tracks we need or want to license until we finish the edit and ‘lock picture.’ We will be seeking and sorting out any needed licenses at that time.

Lopez: “The film is so great, Hector dug up great 8 mm footage from ’78, it’s got Mark Mothersbaugh, Alice Bag, Jello, all these people. But Javier is saying “They’re my songs, I’m taking my ball and going home.’ Sure, he comes from a great musical family and he deserves that [recognition] but the directors were making a film about four boys from Chula Vista, and he’s like ‘Why are you mentioning Robert, why are you mentioning Hector?’

“To us, the Zeros was four 16-year-olds entering the music scene from high school,” Lopez said. “This great documentary is in the can but Javier was trying to make it just about him, the Javier story, and the filmmakers were saying ‘No, no, it’s about four teenage boys,’ and we said ‘No, we wrote songs [too].’ I’ll admit I was just a backseat passenger, but we were there and it’s our story. We’re reclaiming our legacy.’”

Ladesich: "Javier asked to step away from the nuts-and-bolts part of making this project a long time ago and we have respected that request. There has been no communication between us for an extended period ... out of respect for Javier, we don’t have anything else to say."

Lopez: “And so, with these unfortunate events, [now] we’re doing our Zeros. We’re more energetic—my years as El Vez has given me a better sense of showmanship, and that’s something we never really did before, so it’s just a better, more streamlined show.”

There’s a great deal left unspoken here, the emotional consequence of lifelong friendships and creative alliances; nothing can break those bonds—Victor and Baba show up at Robert & Hector’s shows to cast support, not stinkeye—and it’s difficult to imagine the degree of mutual oddball discomfiture engendered thereby (just trying to describe all this is…unpleasant).

“Baba is my cousin, Javier’s married to my sister so, yes, it’s a sticky wicket,” Lopez said. ““We’ll see how long we’ll do it, the audience enjoys it, we enjoy it. Our next show is in New Orleans, we’ve been offered some European things, I’m excited about our (upcoming) tour with the Avengers, I’ve known Penelope since I was 16, it’s like being back in high school.”

“It's a drag, but Baba and I will continue to play and record as the Zeros just like we have all along,” Escovedo said. “We’ve recorded a new album and will tour Europe in 2025. For me, punk rock was never about imitation, it was about being yourself, I don't do tributes to Elvis or the Beatles and never will . . . I write my own music. I’m very proud of the Zeros and always have been.”

“We [first] got back together in the 90s to play a benefit for our friend Craig Lee from the Bags. If a similar situation were to present itself, I would consider it [but] if your band doesn't have the Baba beat, don't call it the Zeros.”

The Zeros 77, with the Avengers, the Brat appear at the Lodge Room, 104 N Ave 56 2nd floor, Highland Park; Sun., Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.; all ages. https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/the-avengers-2/

The Zeros appear at the Knockout, 3223 Mission St, San Francisco; Tues., Dec. 31; (415) 550-6994; www.theknockoutsf.com/