Citizen Zero: Through the ashes of Detroit Rock City

By Wesley Wilcox | gargoyle@flagler.edu

In the music industry there is an expression that has been thrown around for decades about having one shot at making an impression. A band is given one opportunity to differentiate their sound from others that have come before them. In a genre that consists of legendary predecessors, rock and roll has become a musical style that has launched sub genres to broaden its sound.

Today, artist have a standard to follow that has been set by the heavyweights of yesterday such as Metallica, AC/DC, and Guns N’ Roses. A band that is trying to follow those standards is Citizen Zero. Citizen Zero, out of Detroit “Rock City,” Michigan, formed in 2010 and quickly made a name for themselves among the famous rock community.

The band originally consisted of three brothers: Greg, John and Matt Dudley. Similar to mega rock band Avenged Sevenfold’s tragic loss of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, Citizen Zero lost their brother Matt in 2012 days into recording their first EP. While most bands would have dissembled after such a tragedy, the band rallied and recruited singer Josh LeMay and guitarist Sammy Boller.

After recruiting Mayle and Boller, the band reached enormous heights as their debut EP “Life Explodes” went on to win the Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Rock/Pop Recording in 2013. They have toured continuously to promote their first full-length album, State of Mind with Wind-up Records, as the band has played gigs the likes of Rock on the Range, which is North America’s largest rock festival.

The task of releasing an album is one the band has yet to tackle and comes with insurmountable pressure. “More (pressure) than we ever could have anticipated. We are chasing those moments of togetherness where every fan is jumping to the same beat and screaming out the words to the songs we are playing,” said members of Citizen Zero.

Unlike most bands Citizen Zero have been touring without the release of a full-length album, which makes touring a bit of a challenge, “Once people know the music, it makes a world of a difference,” said Citizen Zero. “People are expecting to hear your tunes and are there for a reason. That’s huge.” One of the largest gigs a rock band can get today is a slot in the World’s Loudest Month tour, which consists of North America’s largest rock festivals. When the band was asked if they would be appearing in 2017’s tour to promote their new album the band simply said, “Crossing our fingers!”

Similar to rock bands that have come before them Citizen Zero has influences from all over the genre when it comes to material, “Anyone and everything,” said Citizen Zero, “When we start writing we tend to pay attention to things a little deeper. You never know when a melody may come from hearing a faint song in the background or an idea for a lyrics buried in a conversation.”

Unlike other members of the band lead singer, Josh LeMay spoke of an event that changed the course of his life and lead him down the path he’s on today. “I was 14 years old in Las Vegas on a family vacation,” he said. “My mom let me drive our rented convertible Mustang through red rocks but before we left, I picked up the new Alter Bridge CD at the time. That REALLY made me want to be a singer. Still one of our favorite bands!”

The band continues to tour for its album State of Mind, but aren’t quite ready to look towards the future just yet. “We aren’t quite thinking sophomore (album) yet but honestly we write constantly so part of our library that exists now I’m sure will be pulled on it. We have long awaited the release of this music…all our focus is on State of Mind!” said Citizen Zero.

State of Mind is now available and you can purchase the bands debut album at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/state-of-mind/id1134678625.