Short on time

Zach Short reflects on hometown life in ‘Breathe’ before looking to new horizons

I met Zach Short when he was 15. He was a babyfaced guy with bangs playing in a band called Bloomfield. They were solid for a teenage rock group. But like most high school relationships, they were pretty short-lived. Zach spent the next few years honing his guitar chops. Eventually, he landed a gig as Fiawna Forté’s guitarist and then formed his own project, Zach Short Group (ZSG). September marked the two-year anniversary of the band’s first album Oxygen, and on October 7, ZSG will release their sophomore record, Breathe, with a live performance at The Hunt Club.

The cadre of musicians in ZSG includes Zach Hardin on bass, Michael Frost on drums, and Andrew Zimmerman on guitar and keys. The album also includes James Johnson on saxophone, former bassist Joe Frost, and Forté singing vocals on the title track. Zimmerman engineered and produced both of ZSG’s albums, and Breathe was tracked in his basement with most of the songs recorded in a single take. The recording process was meant to emulate the feeling of sitting in an intimate space with the band.

Much of the album is grounded in the aesthetic of ‘60s and ‘70s era classic rock, despite the average age of the band members being 23.

“Some of the first bands I listened to were Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and Van Morrison,” Short said. “It started with Jimmy Page. I would just play a pentatonic scale at first in my solos, but listening to Led Zeppelin really opened me up.”

Breathe reflects these roots. Dense melodic bass lines anchor the rhythm, and Frost’s relentless drumming make an ample pocket for the harmonies and angular guitar and piano melodies that Short and Zimmerman contribute. Short’s voice adds the last touch of color to these tracks. His autobiographical lyrics are complimented by the purity and authenticity of his voice.

Short’s songs show him wearing his heart on his sleeves, but they don’t sound naive. He thinks of Tulsa as part of his narrative, and this album tells that story.

“There were a lot of emotional experiences behind these songs … You’re a young adult and you’re starting into that adult life of making your own decisions and screwing up a lot, and finding that people aren’t who you thought they were.”

After Breathe’s release, Short will move to Tampa Bay, Florida, to live outside of Oklahoma for the first time.

“It’s not like I’m moving there to find a better scene or to find more opportunity. It’s more just to find myself. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to be able to really see how you fare in the outside world.”

Zach Short Group Album Release
with Brujo Roots and Molten Sun Projections
October 7, 10 p.m. | The Hunt Club | $5 | All ages