Escaped Zoo Animals

The members of indie pop act Escaped Zoo Animals had no plans to be a band.

"It started out as a recording project," said singer and songwriter Travis Coover.

Coover and guitarist Chris Menezes were playing together and decided to enlist Chris' brother Daniel to play drums and started piecing the rest of the band together.

"We never actually practiced the songs together," Coover said.

He posted their work on MySpace and the consensus from friends was that the band should play a show. They practiced and played shows around the area.

After Coover started contacting dream venues on a lark, the band snagged a spot opening for The Appleseed Cast at the Glass House in Pomona on Feb. 12.

Escaped Zoo Animals started out as a recording project. Now the Riverside band is opening for the Appleseed Cast at the Glass House on Feb. 12.
"You gotta try," Coover said.

After sending a message to the venue, he heard back the next day.

The band's members have been friends since childhood, jamming together growing up.

Coover decided to embark on the project after finishing graduate school, writing songs with imagery of author J.D. Salinger and 1950s upper crust New York and a Norman Rockwell aesthetic.

"When I listen to music, I see pictures," he said. "I like to almost create a little world."

Who: Travis Coover, vocals; Chris Menezes, guitar; Daniel Menezes, drums; Andrew Ballenger, bass; and John Bennett, keyboards

From: Riverside

Formed: 2008

Releases: The band released its full-length, "Escaped Zoo Animals," in January.

Sounds like: Escaped Zoo Animals plays indie pop music in the vein of the band's influences, such as Belle and Sebastian and Sondre Lerche. The band's debut album is full of pop gems, such as "Native Dialect," "Fabric and String" and "Madeline."

Sample the music: www.myspace.com/escapedzooanimalsmusic

See them live: 7 p.m. Feb. 12, the Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, $12, all ages. The Appleseed Cast, Janu and the Whalesharks and Fiasco! will also perform
- The Press Enterprise

http://www.pe.com/video/?z=y&nvid=331466 - The Press Enterprise

Escaped Zoo Animals have a song titled “Duplex” on their new album that references Jack Whitman’s affinity for Volatire No. 6. You can check out their music on MySpace or iTunes . - RushmoreAcademy.com

Combining laid back Southern California style with a Kinks-esque vocal quality, I present Escaped Zoo Animals. Formed just nine months ago in Riverside CA, they just released their self-titled full length album in January. Check out our interview below; it sounds like they stumbled into becoming and band and are riding that wave.

1. Past: What is your musical background? What has led you to this point?

Escaped Zoo Animals is a collection of friends, some of whom have known each other since grade school. Though we had played together in the past, nothing serious had ever come to fruition. In early 2008, I (singer/guitarist Travis Coover) finished grad school, and wished to record a few songs I had written while in school. I approached now guitarist Chris Menezes about laying down these tracks, and thus, the nucleus of Escaped Zoo Animals was formed. Initially functioning as a "project," Chris and I asked Chris' brother Daniel to play drums on the demo. This later expanded, calling upon the talents of keyboardist John Bennett, and bassist Andrew Ballenger.


After finishing the demo, we posted the songs online, not knowing what to expect. The reaction, was the inquiry of many as to when we were going to play live. It was at this moment that we realized we were officially a band. From that point, we played many shows around Riverside California, fine-tuning our live performance. In October, we entered the studio to record what is now our first full-length, self-titled album. The primary influences of the band are Belle & Sebastian, Paul Simon, The Kinks, The Zombies and The Velvet Underground.


2. Present: Where are you at now in your career? What are you currently working on?


At this point, we are coming out of the gates, so to speak. Though only having existed for roughly nine months, we have already released a full length, and are ready to gain as much exposure as possible. Currently, the plan is to play pretty much any, and everywhere.


3. Future: What's coming up for you? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?


In the near future, we plan on promoting our new album across the country, and hopefully, the globe. In five years, we'd like to be able to be doing this as a sole priority. Essentially, we'd like this to be our job.


4. Where can people find more of your music?


People can listen to our music on our page at www.myspace.com/escapedzooanimalsmusic . If you like what you hear, you can buy our record on itunes, there's a link to the store on our myspace page.


5. Anything you'd like to plug?


Check out four songs from our record (now on itunes) at www.myspace.com/escapedzooanimalsmusic. Also you can peep a remix of one of our tracks at www.myspace.com/frankielideo.
- www.twogroove.com