Finalists for LA Weekly’s “Best Live Bands of LA”.
Background
Maniac were formed in Los Angeles in 2012 when Zache Davis moved to L.A. via Seattle.After injuring himself in a serious bicycle accident in L.A., he became a drug dealer to pay his extensive medical bills. Andrew Zappin, an L.A. transplant from Dayton, Ohio had never played in a band before but honed his lead guitar chops for years playing along to Cheap Trick records. Davis and Zappin befriended each other out of a mutual love for music and Latin women and would often find themselves carousing in the seamy underbelly of L.A. night life.
Along with music video director Ardy Fatehi (who played in Portland, Oregon punk band Goons of Destruction), they formed the band Maniac, recruiting Richie Cardenas of Clorox Girls, Rough Kids and Neighborhood Brats on the drums.
When Ardy Fatehi was forced to work on location in another city, Davis and company decided to ask Justin Maurer of Clorox Girls and L.A. Drugz to fill in on guitar. This fill-in job became a permanent one, and Maurer began to contribute to song writing and arrangement duties. After recording their first single for Canadian independent label La Ti Da Records (Dim Sum EP), Richie Cardenas left the group to go back to school while also working full time for the US Postal Service. To bring the band incest full circle, they brought in James Carman of Images and L.A. Drugz to play drums.
Maniac’s lyrics come mainly from Davis’ comic yet dark sense of humor, drawing from both personal experience and a distinct passion for French poetry and literature. His themes range from sexual frustration to internal turmoil. Like L.A. songsmith Easy E., Davis has since quit his drug dealing profession to focus on music and to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree at UCLA.
Maniac are a quintessentially L.A. band in that they love both punk rock and classic rock and bring to a table a deep understanding of the city they live in and the music they play. Maniac were finalists in LA Weekly’s “Best Live Band in LA” awards category.
Verdict
“Precision Accuracy” is an asphalt-melting, guitar chugging cross-country road trip. Maniac own their energy, and it is no wonder that it translates well to their on-stage presence. Their diverse, edgy sense of pure abandon entices and catalyzes listeners of any genre. 4/5.
Support
You can watch out for news and announcements from Maniac on their Facebook page.
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