Siren’s Song Tavern was packed the night of October 1st. Sweaty college students and tipsy locals alike had just finished jamming out to Birdpaw, a local band covering pop-punk classics. Birdpaw opened for Zendegi and the energy of the crowd was already at a boiling point by the time Zendegi began to take the stage.
Someone from the crowd shouted wildly as Kaveh Khajavi tested out his guitar. What ensued was a night of frantic moshing and drunken mayhem.
Zendegi is a psychedelic metal band formed by close friends Kaveh Khajavi and Kai DeRego-Frankel. They met through mutual friends as high school sophomores in Sacramento. Khajavi already had experience playing guitar and DeRego-Frankel played the drums so the two were a natural fit. They bonded through their love of the Grateful Dead and soon after meeting, they started their own band.
“Just from a DM he met me and we jammed in my garage for the first time, it was really something else,” said DeRego-Frankel.
DeRego-Frankel has been drumming since he was seven years old and said that playing for the band has helped improve his skills considerably. He was inspired by classic drummers like John Bonham, Chad Smith, and Bill Ward.
Khajavi doesn’t see the band as fitting under any singular genre.
“There’s a lot of stuff that’s folk-influenced, and there’s a lot of stuff that’s like metal and punk,” said Khajavi.
He explained how their sound is a balance between soft and heavy with a consistent psychedelic influence.
Khajavi started playing guitar when he was ten years old. Since then, he’s had diverse training. From learning the basics of music theory and guitar to lessons in blues and folk, Khajavi has created his own sound from a variety of influences.
“Some of my earliest memories from life are hearing “Black Sabbath” played around the house, they’re actually a great influence on the music we make,” said Khajavi.
Zendegi has an infectious and chaotic energy that kept the crowd raging late into the night. It was a refreshing and somewhat strange experience after the last year and a half of avoiding crowds.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being in a mosh pit. It’s a violent and simultaneously friendly experience where sure, you might get elbowed in the face and pushed on your ass, but someone will almost always be there to pick you off your feet and push you back into the fray afterward. It’s not the place to be if you’re still worried about catching the worldwide pandemic. However, if you’re looking to dance away all your frustrations, there isn’t a better legal way to do it.
Zendegi’s discography can be streamed anywhere you listen to music and they will be playing at Siren’s Song Tavern in Eureka on October 15th at 8 pm.
