Zero Boys

Zero Boys are a US hardcore punk band from Indianapolis, formed in 1980 and active since then in a series of line-up changes and reunions. The group is associated with hardcore punk and punk, and its best-known release is the 1982 debut album Vicious Circle, which is widely regarded as a landmark record in hardcore and pop punk.

Origins and early line-up

The band begins with Paul Mahern, who first plays in a short-lived local group called 3PM with three school friends. After a show, older Indianapolis musicians Terry Howe, Mark Cutsinger and John Mitchell recruit Mahern as singer for a new band. Zero Boys take their name from a term Cutsinger reads about in relation to Chicago thugs.

The original live line-up includes Mahern on vocals, Howe on guitar, Mitchell on bass and Cutsinger on drums. The band plays its first show on 31 May 1980 at Crazy Al's in Indianapolis. The following month it records five tracks in a basement studio with friend Ted Dunn on a half-inch 8-track recorder; these appear on the Livin' in the 80s EP, pressed in 500 vinyl copies.

Vicious Circle and first breakup

In 1981 the band records “New Generation” for the Red Snerts compilation after Gulcher rejects the EP for release. John Mitchell leaves in May 1981, and the band brings in David Clough, an immigrant from the UK, on guitar. In August 1981 the group records 17 tracks over three days at Keystone Recording in Indianapolis, forming the basis of Vicious Circle as well as the outtakes “Slam And Worm”, “She Said Goodbye” and a cover of Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic”. The album appears on 2 April 1982.

After a summer tour in 1982, during which tensions grow within the band, Zero Boys split in October 1982. Mahern then starts the Affirmation record label, while Clough joins Toxic Reasons.

Reformings, later recordings and changes in sound

The band reforms in 1983. Tim Crist plays bass live because of Clough’s commitments, and the group records 10 tracks at Hit City Recording for a planned follow-up album titled Pay Back Is Hell. That record is shelved, and the band splits again in January 1984. Mahern later works with Gravelvoice Records on the Gravelmation imprint, which issues the History Of compilation cassette, combining songs from the unreleased Pay Back sessions with material from Vicious Circle.

Zero Boys remain mostly inactive through the mid-1980s, then reform in 1988 after the reissue of Vicious Circle on Toxic Shock Records. This version of the group is live-only, with Vess Ruhtenburg replacing Howe on guitar. The band tours the United States and Europe with Toxic Reasons before splitting again. Ruhtenburg later plays in JOT and also joins Mahern’s power-pop project Datura Seeds.

In 1991 Bitzcore owner Jürgen Goldschmidt asks the band to record again, and the group reforms with Ruhtenburg. They record Make It Stop at GALT Studios in Culver, Indiana, and release it in December 1991. The record moves toward a more melodic, less aggressive sound. A second 1990s album, The Heimlich Maneuver, is recorded at GALT in 1992 and released in 1993; it receives little attention from the press. This line-up disbands in 1994 after a final show at Cafe Angst in Indianapolis.

Later activity and current status

The band plays a one-off New Year’s Eve show in 1999 with both Ruhtenburg and Howe on guitar, the only time Zero Boys perform live with two guitarists. After further one-off appearances in the early 2000s, the group reforms more formally after a show in July 2005. Their later album Monkey appears in 2014.

Membership

Over time, Zero Boys include Paul Mahern, Mark Cutsinger, Dave Lawson, Scott Kellogg, John Mitchell, Terry Howe, David Clough and Vess Ruhtenberg. Mahern and Cutsinger are the most consistent members across the band’s various line-ups.