The Ziggens have proven over the last 30 years that they do not take themselves too seriously. With song titles like, “I Blow My Nose on My T-Shirt,” “It’s Rough Being Heavy Set,” and “I Took My Mom to the Prom,” you never know what you are going to get. Front-man Bert Susanka’s favorite accessory to perform in is a white, furry shako (a large, cylindrical hat you see in a marching band).
THE ZIGGENS | PHOTO PROVIDED BY BAND
Now, for the first time in 19 years, The Ziggens have returned to us with a 19-track album titled, “Oregon.” “One track for every year,” Susanka tells us.
THE ZIGGENS | OREGON
Being a cowpunk/surf/rockabilly OC band since 1990, they were able to meet people along the way that made a difference in their careers and vice/versa. Whether or not we partake in smoking joints, we all know that part in Sublime’s version of “Smoke Two Joints” where you hear the sample, “Smoked cigarettes ‘til the day she died,” and we can thank The Ziggens song, “Outside” for that! The Ziggens guys and the Sublime guys were close in the ‘90s and The Ziggens would often open for Sublime on tour as they were Bradley Nowell’s favorite band.
While the final product has 19 songs, “Oregon” had over 40 tracks written by Susanka that had to be narrowed down to 19. These tracks will keep you glued to your seat (or Air Pods) to see what comes next. There’s a mandolin, a pedal steel, a song about the lost love of a girl named Macon (like bacon), and one of our favorites, a song that reads like the surf edition of Mad Libs, “The Goys Are Back In Town.”
For now, we are thrilled to announce that The Ziggens are premiering their music video for, “Rev It Up” today with this article! The video has it all; four dudes, a barber shop, a fight scene, a “Hep-C” shirt, and lots of hair. It sets the bar high for the future videos off this album.
The Ziggens is still their original 1990 line up with Bert Susanka on rhythm guitar and vocals, Dickie Little on lead guitar, Jon Poutney on bass, and Brad Conyers on drums.
THE ZIGGENS LIVE| PHOTO PROVIDED BY BAND
The Ziggens don’t have any current shows coming because of the current status of the world. With so much uncertainty, they thought it’d be best to get you this new album as quickly as possible, and then wait for the world to right itself. For those with inquiring minds, that translates to September 10th!
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s music being the medicine to our soul, and new music is a straight shot to our hearts so for this, we are grateful to The Ziggens.
