INTERVIEW: Ali Tabatabaee – Zebrahead

“Big In Japan” is an expression that is commonly used to describe bands and artists from the Western world who, whilst achieving moderate success in their native countries, have made a seismic impact on the Japanese market, and one musical collective who have become well-known for doing exactly this are Californian five-piece ZEBRAHEAD, who have, for the past 24 years, been entertaining fans there, and all across the world, with their well-crafted, constantly-evolving, and experimental combination of punk rock and hip-hop. Having recently unleashed their twelfth studio album, Brain Invaders (read our review here), we spoke to Ali Tabatabaee, whose rapped vocals have played a constant presence in the band’s make-up since their formation, about the process from initial idea to completion, as well as just a few of the vast multitude of experiences that ZEBRAHEAD have had, including working with MOTÖRHEAD legend Lemmy, and supporting their musical heroes, the BEASTIE BOYS.

Firstly, how exactly did ZEBRAHEAD initially come about?

Ali: I was always a huge fan of hip-hop, and I met Ben [Osmundson, bassist/vocalist] in high school. He played in a punk band, and we started to hang out together a lot after college. He would often invite me over to his band practice, and I would go up and rap NWA and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST lyrics over his bass lines. We wrote a song with the original ZEBRAHEAD members called Check, as they all knew each other and rehearsed in the same studio. We then played the track at Ben’s band’s CD release party, and got such a great reaction that everyone decided to quit their other bands and form ZEBRAHEAD.

After bringing out a self-titled debut album in 1998, you were approached by major label Columbia Records. How did that come about?

Ali: We started playing at a local club called Club 369, and one night, when we were playing our set to no-one but our girlfriends at the time, the manager of the club came by to pick up the evening’s earnings, and told us afterwards that he really liked our sound. He then introduced us to Todd Singerman, who became, and still is, our manager, and Todd introduced us to Howard Benson, who offered to produce a three-song demo for free, which he then shopped to a few record labels, and the next time we played Club 369, representatives of over 12 record companies showed up, one of which was Columbia, who we ended up signing to.

Signing to Columbia must have felt good at the time?

Ali: It was unbelievable, as I had just been accepted into medical school, but I had decided to defer for a couple of years so I could just travel and play music. It was life-changing.

ZEBRAHEAD once collaborated with legendary rock outfit MOTÖRHEAD on a cover of METALLICA’s Enter Sandman. How did that end up happening?

Ali: At the time, our manager, Todd, was also managing MOTÖRHEAD, and Lemmy had decided to do a cover of Enter Sandman, but he was the only band member in Los Angeles, so Todd recommended us to him. We then went in, put down the tracks, and Lemmy was so happy with the way that the song had turned out that he didn’t even replay the bass and just sang over the song, which ended up being nominated for a Grammy.

It must have been quite an experience working with Lemmy?

Ali: Yeah, it was, and we became good friends with him and the other guys. He was always very kind to us, and even appeared in our Anthem video.

Recently, you released your twelfth studio album, Brain Invaders. How did the initial idea for that come about?

Ali: We worked on the album for about three and a half years, and a lot of the songs deal with the division that is currently felt in America, and more or less across the world, and I feel that this is a result of things like left or right-leaning news outlets and social media constantly telling people what and how to feel without leaving much room for conversation between the two sides. These ideas are like tiny little brain invaders that shape people’s opinions without leaving a lot of room for meaningful dialogue that could help towards giving a better understanding as to why each side feels the way that they do, and this ended up becoming a major theme of this album.

How was the recording process for the album?

Ali: Like I’ve just mentioned, we worked on this album for about three-and-a-half years, on and off. While we are on tour, we don’t tend to write a lot, so most of our ideas will come to us when we’re at home. It started out with everyone sending their ideas to each other, and then working on them individually, and I wrote some of my parts to loops that I created, and that was a new experience for me, which was cool, because it gave me more freedom to be creative with my rhyming patterns and tempo. Once we had stopped touring, we all got into the studio, and realised that we had written about 50 songs, which we then cut down to the 28 that we recorded in the studio with Paul Miner. After that, we constantly tweaked them until we felt like they were strong enough, and ended up picking 14 songs that we all agreed were our favourites, which made for a well-rounded album.

For those who have yet to listen to the album, what can they expect from it?

Ali: This album is very high-energy, and also a bit heavier than some of our other releases.

The band have toured across the world, and have supported a whole host of respected musical collectives. What are the moments from all of those which really stand out?

Ali: For me, personally, it would have to be when we played Summer Sonic in Tokyo with the BEASTIE BOYS, as they are my all-time favourite band, and getting a chance to watch them up close from the side of the stage was something I will never forget.

And do you still get a real buzz from playing live?

Ali: I think all of us feel that playing live is the reason why we keep writing and recording albums, as the energy you get from the crowd is tremendous, and it’s an experience that we always look forward to.

How do you think yourself and the other band members have changed, musically and as people, since the formation of ZEBRAHEAD?

Ali: As people, I think we have all learned to become more patient, and to try and be involved in all aspects of our careers, whereas musically, I think we have learned to take more chances, not to fear failure as much, and to just enjoy the moment.

The band have been together since 1995. Honestly, did any of you ever think back then that ZEBRAHEAD would still be going, as strong as ever, 24 years later?

Ali: It’s incredible, and we have been, and still are, very fortunate to have such amazing die-hard fans.

You all have achieved a great deal over the years, but is there anything you have yet to accomplish that you would like to?

Ali: There are a few places we would still love to tour, like China and South America, as experiencing different cultures, and meeting new people, has always been special to us, and we want to continue doing that.

Looking ahead now, and next year will be the band’s 25th anniversary. Are there currently any plans in place to mark this occasion?

Ali: I think we are all so excited that Brain Invaders is finally out that we haven’t put much thought into that yet, but I’m sure we’ll be playing shows on tour throughout 2020, and that is something we always look forward to.

And finally, what advice would you give to any emerging bands/artists out there?

Ali: I guess I would say that you need to be professional, know that at the end of the day, it’s a business, and don’t be afraid to take chances, but most of all, enjoy the ride.

Brain Invaders is out now via MFZB Records. 

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