Zap Goes Pop! is a band that exists in many genres, bringing music, theatre, and art to the stage in the city of Brotherly Love.
Zap Goes Pop! was founded in 2013 by Erica Daubert and Rab Speese (pronounced “Rob”, a tribute to Ra, the sun god) in Philadelphia. The band is described as a conceptual gypsy-fusion band. What started out as just one gig, after a year of dating, Erica and Rab formed Zap Goes Pop! In the past few years, the band has changed many times. There have been many musicians that have come and gone.
“It’s been a lot of building and then rebuilding,” said Speese. “Trying to figure out the right members for the group, ‘cause we’ve changed a lot, spiritually and musically through the course of time.”
Zap Goes Pop! changes the game in many ways. It is just as much about the performance as it is about the music. They bring many different forms of art to the stage. Elana Sophia Lamour is a dancer who has been with the band almost since the beginning. They are also in the works of bringing in multiple dancers. Also, Erica Daubert, an artist in many forms, paints the instruments. Each show is different than the last. If you go to see Zap Goes Pop! multiple times, you will not see the same show twice.
“I think there is in a way, for us not being considered your typical jam band, for how we compose the pieces, there’s definitely a certain amount of, I guess, mystery to what each show is going to sound like. A lot of bands, you go see them and they’ll play the same songs the same ways. And that’s great if that’s what you’re interested in in the artist. But it’s almost become expected for us that each show will sound different than the last,” said Daubert.
Not only do they experiment with different combinations of different instruments, but they also experiment with the instruments themselves. Both Erica Daubert and Rab Speese are artists in different trades. They have transformed, created, and named many instruments that they use for their unique sound. Speese has a background in many forms of art, but he has a degree in CNC Machining. They have many instruments that he has modified or transformed and Daubert painted. They have an antique pump organ named Sally, an eight string guitar named Anja, a fretless guitar named Womp Womp, and something Speese calls The Kalimbone.
“I’m a machinist by day,” said Speese. “Just having the knowledge to take a piece of metal and make it into an instrument or whatever you see fit to use it for. It’s good to have a trade.”
You can’t talk about how great a band is without mentioning the lyrics. Musically, Zap Goes Pop! has a unique sound. But they are also unique lyrically as well. Their lyrics involve humor, social consciousness and satire. They have created a conceptual post-apocalyptic dream world in which the songs take place. The lyrics involve folklore, mythology, and ancient monolithic societies. There are also characters that are present and cross over between different songs.
“The band definitely started out in a different place than where we ended up, “said Daubert. “And I don’t think we ever really planned it to go the direction that it did. But the more and more we wrote, the more and more we realized that this was something that was just going to be highly conceptual and really involve a lot of theatrical elements.”
It’s safe to say that Zap Goes Pop! is unlike any other band in Philadelphia right now. They’ve played many great venues, including The Trocadero. They’re going to constantly amaze us with their theatrical performances, unique sound, and thought provoking lyrics. Each show is an experience from start to finish.
Zap Goes Pop! will be playing Café Improv on July 23 and Connie’s Ric Rac on August 12. You can follow them on Facebook, or go to their website: www.zapgoespop.com
You can also check out some of their music here: Ubuntu by Zap Goes Pop!
