​Zero Place: One Band, Two Albums

By John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to a stop with the COVID pandemic, the band shows no sign of slowing down with the release of their second album, “Darko,” on the horizon. That should be no surprise, though. Lead vocalist and guitarist Zander Ness is no stranger to making music.

“I’ve been involved with the Fargo-Moorhead music scene since 2000 at the age of 12, performing drums, guitar, bass guitar, and vocals in numerous bands over the years,” said Ness. “I formed the first band of my own towards the end of high school in 2006 and began independently booking local shows and national tours throughout 2007, 2008 and 2009. In late 2009, I moved around the Midwest for a while, ultimately ending up back in Fargo in 2011 and going on a much-needed hiatus for most of the 2010s, eventually beginning to write for what would become Zero Place in 2019.”

Zero Place originally got its start as a solo studio project in 2019. Ness enlisted the help of his good friend Neil Stein to record from November 2019 to March 2020, performing all the instruments and vocals by himself.

“I wrote a handful of material that would become the first album and a few follow-up singles throughout the first half of the year,” said Ness. “I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted out of it initially, mainly just needed to get some music recorded and out of my system.”

When he finished recording, he decided to assemble what would become the band so that he could start performing live again. Ness recruited another good friend of his, Matthew Johnson, to play drums and Jake Martin to play bass guitar, making Zero Place a three piece.

“The first album was released in May of 2020 and we have since played a ton of regional shows, gaining friends and fans along the way,” said Ness. “In 2022, Mitch Martin took over on drums and Andrew Wallin was added on second guitar and backing vocals after the recording sessions for the new album, which took place between January and March of 2023, after which we collectively recorded a single called ‘February Song’ that was released on February 4, 2024.”

The band’s first outing, “Never Feel Again,” was released in May 2020 and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Stein and Ness. Zero Place’s second album, “Darko,” will also be 100% independently released.

“I feel it’s important to be in control when in a band at this level,” said Ness. “In my experience, releasing music independently has had a much more rewarding back end and makes me work harder to support it. I also just enjoy having full creative control and not having to split proceeds with or pay back a label, which is basically just a loan these days. Sure, there can be more promotion and reach with a label backing you, but I prefer to do things independently for Zero Place.”

“‘Darko’ is, in my opinion, an album that showcases growth and maturity in my song writing, a more focused and developed sound,” Ness continued. “I had Matthew Johnson as a session drummer, which was very helpful in shaping the songs prior to recording and much easier than performing every instrument myself. It has the signature dark Zero Place sound, but it’s more dynamic and finely tuned. I spent around a year writing and making demo recordings of the songs. The album is somewhat themed, delving into the depths of pains from lost love, despair, self-destruction and existentialism.”

“It is a dark, raw, emotional album, and titling it ‘Darko’ seemed fitting to set the mood along with the bleak black and white artwork,” Ness explained. “The recording process was really cool; it was a total collaborative effort with a bunch of my friends. Several people were involved including Max Johnk, Chris Ellingson, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Wallin, Patrick Finnicum and myself all acting as engineers. Other friends helped facilitate the recording spaces, five different ones to be exact. I sent the final tracks to Neil Stein, who then mixed and mastered the album remotely from his place in Montana. I am honored and grateful that I was able to involve so many friends with this one. There are a few guest appearances on the album as well, notably, the first single, ‘Shadowbox,’ that was released on October 1 features Ryan Hoffart of Baltic to Boardwalk on guest vocals. That promotional single is available for free on our Bandcamp page.”

On Saturday, November 16, Zero Place will be holding an album release party at The Aquarium. Pre-sale tickets are discounted.

“We will be joined by many of our dear friends in Baltic to Boardwalk, Benefactor, Disappear Forever, Mr. Majestyk, and MΩther,” Ness added. “It’s really cool because members from every one of the bands contributed to the making of the album in one way or another, so it makes the night that much more special for me personally.”

After the album release party, Zero Place does plan to tour regionally during 2025 in support of the new album. Those who aren’t able to make it to the show need not despair, however.

“‘Darko’ will be available as a digipak CD, limited translucent blue cassette tape and a beautiful, solid blue-colored vinyl cut at 45 RPM,” said Ness. “Aside from the new album, we still have copies of the first album on vinyl and CD, as well as t-shirts and other merchandise. Both albums will be stocked at Orange Records and DTFM Vinyl in Fargo as well for anyone who is unable to attend the show. All formats will also be released online on November 16 and can be found on our website and Bandcamp page.”