ZHZ Podcast: Independent Music, Artist Interviews & The Utah Scene · Zak Davis & Matt Allen

Inside Z Frequency's Creative Process | Part 2 Full Interview

·35 min·2 clips
Z Frequency moved from a floating cadre of musicians to a defined seven-person lineup.
1. ZHZ Podcast: Independent Music, Artist Interviews & The Utah Scene centers on Z Frequency's creative process, live plans, and current lineup. 2. Matt hosts Greg Griffith, Mike Lomax, and John McCallum, and each matters because Greg has been around since the band's early years, Mike records and drums, and John plays bass and shares guitar knowledge on his own YouTube channel. 3. The episode asks what Z Frequency is becoming now that the group has a defined seven-person lineup and a first single dated January 16th. 4. Greg and Matt trace their connection back to 1991, when they met as schoolmates near the end of sophomore year. 5. Greg recalls Zach Davis calling after school and saying, "I'm going to be a rock star," which becomes a running memory about the band's early confidence. 6. They describe playing drums, moving toward guitar, and working with early projects like Deep Blue, Hooray Who, and Catfish. 7. The conversation revisits the Battle of the Bands at Layton High, where Z Frequency beat Mr. Skinny Circus. 8. Greg tells the story of John Bankhead predicting Skinny Circus would win, then jokes that he returned the favor after Z Frequency won. 9. The group also remembers the "infamous warehouse show" at Seal Coat Supply during Party Palooza, where they had not rehearsed endings properly. 10. Greg says the songs "tailed off into chaos" and that he is grateful the audio copy is gone, even though Mike Lomax may still have one. 11. The discussion returns to the old rehearsal spaces and venues, including the warehouse, the Ice House, Brewskis, Funk and Dive, Kamikazes, and the Lighthouse. 12. Matt says all-age shows mattered more when the fan base was younger, while now those shows are for family members and older listeners. 13. The episode marks the death of Ted Shoup, whom the speakers credit as a major part of the Ogden all-ages scene and Jackson Street Junction. 14. They say Jackson Street Junction gave young bands a place to play, learn, and move from the main floor to an upstairs concert room. 15. Matt remembers Hooray Who shows upstairs where they were "knocking ceiling plaster off" because the crowd was so intense. 16. The band explains that the current lineup is choosing live-stream tests, digital mixers, in-ear monitors, and backing tracks before pushing full live dates. 17. Mike Lomax says he is most excited by recording, new equipment, and mixing, while Greg says he wants to play live again. 18. The tone stays conversational and nostalgic, with joke-heavy banter, technical talk, and several overlapping stories about Utah music history. 19. Listeners who like Utah indie history, gear talk, and band chemistry will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly edited, music-only set may skip the long reminiscence.

As heard by us

A warm, loose look at a band working through live work, podcasting, and lineup changes.

Greg Griffith sits in a conversation that moves from Z Frequency's live work to the podcast's place in the band's year, then to the moment a project starts feeling like a real lineup instead of a loose rotation.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for the kind of band talk that starts in early-90s history and ends in rehearsal and recording plans.

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