{"id":488,"date":"2018-08-14T12:12:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T11:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/2018\/08\/14\/zoastra\/"},"modified":"2018-08-14T12:12:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T11:12:00","slug":"zoastra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/2018\/08\/14\/zoastra\/","title":{"rendered":"ZOASTRA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nZOASTRA<\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kevin Harrison early 1970’s<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nZoastra<\/span> <\/b>was a newly created experimental synthi-band formed by Kevin Harrison<\/b> in 1973- 4 which never fully got off the ground but which historically forms a bridge between the stylistics of Kevin’s early band Whistler<\/b><\/a> (Avant Garde jazz rock c 1969 – 70) and the later band Urge<\/a><\/b> (c 1979 \/ 81).<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe following information is from an interview I (Trev Teasdel<\/b>) did with Zoastra<\/b> in June 1973 for Hobo – Coventry Music and Arts Magazine.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
\nZoastra<\/b> consisted of the core <\/i>members of Whistler, <\/b>moving on from their Jazz \/ Rock roots into an an area more associated with Eno<\/b> and Roxy Music<\/b> and David Bowie<\/b>, by way of influence.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nKevin Harrison<\/b> went on to help form Transposed Men<\/a><\/i> in the late 70’s with Neol Davies<\/b> and John Bradbury<\/b>, doing some of the Neol Davies songs, like On My Radio<\/i>,that became associated later with The Selecter<\/i>. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

Line up<\/b> – <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\nJohn Westacott <\/b>(Bass and Electric footware – Grunts!)<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nRichie (Headrock) Medlock <\/b>(Drums,impressions,vocals \/ writer) <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nZodicoaxial (Kevin Harrison)<\/b> (Guitar \/ 12 string \/ electronics \/ composition). <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nLynda Harrison<\/b> (Synthesiser \/ keyboards and vocals.)<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nNote<\/b> – there were two line ups and Kevin describes the early line up below.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAbout Zoastra<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

They were one of the early bands into experimental electronic and sythi-sounds: –<\/span><\/div>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nNotes from the Hobo interview –  <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n“In the room I witnessed all kinds of electronic boxes and synths as Kevin tried to explain the concept of the new band to me. <\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lynda Harrison – early 1970’s<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nKevin gave me the following lyric \/ poems for Hobo<\/i> (see below). The lyrics were created using Da Da<\/i> \/ William Burroughs<\/b> cut ups techniques that David Bowie<\/b> was experimenting at the time.  <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nI don’t think this outfit ever got to the gigging stage, which is a shame as the material sounded quite amazing, long before synthi-bands became the norm in the early 80’s. Kevin Harrison and his wife Lynda were among Coventry’s most experimental musicians and as such highly underrated in the scheme of Coventry music.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nIn 2007, Kevin Harrison<\/b> commented on Zoastra <\/b>after I first posted this material on the early Hobo site.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

From Kevin Harrison<\/b>
“Zoastra was indeed a transitional project, it was certainly more experimental than Whistler but contained seeds of the cut-up poetry\/prose that ‘Urge<\/b>‘ employed to good effect in the late seventies.<\/p>\n

Envisaged as a Science-Fiction \/ Faction vehicle there were 2 line-ups, the first included myself – Kevin Harrison<\/b>, Charles Bullen<\/b> (later a ‘This Heat<\/b>‘ member and former guitarist with Al Docker<\/b>‘s band Tsar<\/b>)), two drummers Gary Curtain<\/b> & Al Docker<\/b>, Lynda Harrison<\/b> and John Westacott<\/b>, this formation rehearsed twice at The Nags Head<\/i>, Nuneaton. <\/p>\n

The second line-up is the one you describe and rehearsed every weekend at Packington Lodge <\/i>for a month or so, we almost did a gig for a barbecue there, but they opted instead for a band playing Rolling Stones<\/b> covers!”<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAt the interview in June 1973, Kevin Harrison<\/b> provided me with a copy his cut up lyrics for Zoastra<\/b> – here<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

THE UNVEILING CEREMONY OF ZOASTRA<\/b><\/p>\n

Mirror image falling<\/p>\n

Visceral plains converging<\/p>\n

Tactile dactylites tacky on Vu-screen<\/p>\n

Increase photo-image fall-out<\/p>\n

Micro-sonics beaming in on all sides now<\/p>\n

We must not reiterate<\/p>\n

Protect isometric scanner gamma shields<\/p>\n

Psyche in on sound and image flakes<\/p>\n

Laser-tronics up full-sound.<\/p>\n

Dip! \u2013 Cut!<\/p>\n

Re-program atmosphere<\/p>\n

Dials set zero<\/p>\n

Now Millennium.<\/p>\n

Lyric by Kevin Harrison<\/b><\/p>\n

And thus I was transcended into the Kozmic Realm of ZOASTRA. ZOASTRA being the collective name of four musicians joining creative forces to produce what they call “Strictly 70’s Head Musik”.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

Imagination tuned to the Big note<\/p>\n

Got sussed in a space<\/p>\n

Got spaced and sussed the<\/p>\n

Angle at which all life<\/p>\n

On this planet evolves<\/p>\n

Like an envelope the smaller<\/p>\n

Part of encapsulation<\/p>\n

Bitten by my transmuted mind<\/p>\n

Found alive two ice-frozen<\/p>\n

Humans licked down the waste<\/p>\n

Eaten true in haste.<\/p>\n

Lyric by Kevin Harrison<\/b><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n


“Zoastra<\/b> are, at the time of writing, considering the possibility of visual effects to illustrate their muzik further.<\/p>\n

If you are into spacey head muzik then watch out for Zoastra<\/b>. If you are a dancer, then beware, unless you are the weirdest dancer this side of Swanswell!!<\/p>\n

Neon strip ice-cream dripped back in time<\/p>\n

To Formentara<\/p>\n

Cinematic surfing girls serve it up in dreams<\/p>\n

Venus seems so far, Lurex factor sleeps<\/p>\n

Micrograms run down zingel, lightening<\/p>\n

Caressing skin, time spaced abstract<\/p>\n

Vegas!<\/p>\n

Lyric Kevin Harrison<\/b><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\nBelow part of my notes from the Hobo<\/i> interview with Zoastra<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\nKEVIN HARRISON ON YOUTUBE <\/a><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCntAZIhoPgXoXqYB9rrQDHw\/videos<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
BACK TO THE BAND INDEX<\/a><\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ZOASTRA Kevin Harrison early 1970’s Zoastra was a newly created experimental synthi-band formed by Kevin Harrison in 1973- 4 which never fully got off the ground but which historically forms a bridge between the stylistics of Kevin’s early band Whistler … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsrainbow.com\/coventrybands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}