Zs was founded in 2000 and has existed as a trio, sextet, and quartet, now solidifying into the quartet formation of Sam Hillmer (tenor saxophone), Ben Greenberg (electric guitar, electronic), Tony Lowe (electric guitar), and Ian Antonio (drum set, electronic). While our music has been variously categorized as no-wave, brutal-prog, and post-minimalist, Zs is primarily concerned with making music that challenges the physical and mental limitations of both performer and listener. Manipulating extended technique, unique instrumental synthesis, and near telepathic communication, Zs aims to create works that envelop the listener and unfold sonically over time, evoking unspoken past, present, and future rites and ritual.

Zs has performed in lofts, galleries, rock clubs, and concert halls across the United States and Europe with The Locust, Gang Gang Dance, Animal Collective, Battles, The Dirty Projectors, Orthrelm, Octis, The Flying Luttenbachers, Behold... The Arctopus, Yellow Swans, Get Hustle, Dan Deacon, Aa, Marnie Stern, Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennick, Joe Maneri, Christian Wolff, Louis Andriessen, and Petr Kotik, among many others. Zs has recorded for the Social Registry, 31G, Tzadik, Troubleman Unlimited, Planaria, Gilgongo, Sockets, Ricecontrol, and Zum record labels. The members of Zs also perform with Yarn/Wire, Theatre of a Two-Headed Calf, Pygmy Shrews, Regattas, and Trouble.

Zs (US / Social Registry)
http://www.myspace.com/zstheband

video:
http://vimeo.com/10491246
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=DE&e&hl=de&v=-YJZ8c0qQXc

Press/Quotes:

"One of the strongest avant-garde bands in New York. The Zs' songs sputter forth in Morse code dots of percussion and saxophone..."
- New York Times

"Zs are a compositional juggernaut, bending their rhythmically rigorous, note-stuffed pieces into thrilling and emotional shapes. They embody the most effective elements of both New Complexity and punk rock, and will truly knock your dick in the dirt.”
– The Stranger

"It says something about the unique impact of Zs, that the band has been the focus of discussion by both the New Yorker music critic and the Howard Stern show. Populist in outlook while lofty in its approach, Zs are the perfect kind of band to receive the range of reactions they did from both. In an age where it’s incredibly rare for a piece of music to actually shock anyone without being aurally crippling or having a scatological gimmick, Arms has proven able to evoke visceral reactions with only vigorous experimentalism. With absolutely no concern for what’s high-art or low-art, Arms is as artful, evocative and addictive as its stratospheric prog-progenitors, and depicts a band that promises to have a lasting impact on the difficult side of DIY music, or the DIY side of “difficult” music, which may very well be growing closer to being the same thing."

- Dusted Magazine

"Zs is one of those bands that I’ve always heard about being whispered about as musical revolutionaries."
- Forest Gospel

"Noise is viable as a mode of expression; when that noise comes from veteran avant-garde trio Zs, then the sounds someone might easily dismiss as chaos are noise bordering on the truly sublime."
- kevchino.com