About
Zealot is an indie rock band from Denver, CO, formed in 2016 by founding members Luke James-Erickson and Michael King, and later joined by Kitty Vincent and Suzi Allegra – all veterans of Denver’s indie scene. The group’s sound is rooted in a raw mix of high energy psych rock, indie rock, psychobilly, and fuzz - all packaged in melodic pop structures. Zealot writes songs about monsters, the devil, feelings, and the apocalypse. The band’s influences come from Sonic Youth, Black Angels, The Cramps, Pixies, and a hint of Mountain Goats. When not melting faces, Zealot’s members can be found playing in their other bands, reading, baking, or hanging with their dogs, cats, and kids.
"...Zealot’s sprawling, twelve-song debut, The Book of Ramifications, an album of quirky, fun and largely hopeful pop songs." – Oakland Childers, Westword
"If the band members themselves — who are almost certifiable experts on the history of the Denver music scene — aren’t enticing enough, then their music will certainly capture your attention." – Mariah Hansen, 303 Magazine
"No, Zealot isn’t a new-age(y) cult looking to fight for your salvation, but a Denver supergroup that needs to be on your radar." – Julio Enriquez, Cause=Time
"...All of that goes into informing the upbeat, well-crafted pop songs that comprise the band’s new album and the sizzling, wiry energy of its performances. There is a tick toward the positive running through the record. ... It’s an upbeat record with some tight melodies and a charming economy of songwriting. – Tom Murphy, Queen City Sound and Art
"If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to discover that you’re a werewolf, then Zealot’s music is exactly what you need. ... it should come as no surprise that their UMS set was nothing short of fantastical. Zealot drew a surprisingly large crowd for a band who has yet to release either an EP or an album. However, Zealot’s high energy performance and ability to engage with the audience makes it clear that this is one group that will soon be a Denver favorite. – Mariah Hansen, 303 Magazine
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Zealot is an amalgam of musically diverse members from the Denver music scene bringing to life songs about space, time, monsters, and feelings. Fronted by Luke Hunter James-Erickson from the award winning The Don’ts and be Carefuls, Guitar and accompanying vocals Kitty Vincent of Le Divorce, Bassist Suzi Allegra of Fingers of the Sun, and drummer Michael King of the Outfit, Zealot started as an effort to push long time Denver music scene vets out of their musical comfort zones. Now a few years in, the project has transformed into an expression of their love of not only poppy, distorted songs, but the good times one can have while listening to unassuming music.
Zealot front man Luke Hunter James-Erickson describes the band’s first self-produced album The Book of Ramifications, released 9/21 at the Hi-Dive, as songs told from the perspective of a werewolf having an existential crisis. The secret of this being that it's really just about finding something in one's self that could be seen as monstrous, and having to cope with that new reality.
James-Erickson details his approach to writing these songs with Westword's Oakland Childers: “In our day and age, it is so hard to write a sincere thing,” he says.
“Sincerity. Earnestness. These are things that are hard to approach.
It’s hard to get people to attach to these concepts now, because the
world is up in flames. So to a certain degree, I feel the things that I
attach to are things that walk the line between facetiousness and
earnestness, and I feel I wouldn’t be able to do that without the
werewolf.”
Along with the debut 12" LP, Zealot released a limited edition tape full of other bands covering the LP, titled Revised Edition. Included on that cover tape are local bands: Voight, 96 Ponies, A Strange Happening, animpostor, Shake Me, Wake Me, For Keeps, Jeffery Fernengel, The Far Stairs, Glitterkin, an antiquated bluff, Suzi Allegra, and Cécile Elliott.
In Fall 2019, for their single Take a Look at Virginia the band released their third music video, which Luke described in the Westword Premier as a song and video that explores a journey to "[try] to convince myself and work on [not]... idealizing others." - Westword
In Fall 2019, for their single Take a Look at Virginia the band released their third music video, which Luke described in the Westword Premier as a song and video that explores a journey to "[try] to convince myself and work on [not]... idealizing others." - Westword