Celebrating a relentless 30-year run, Arizona’s AUTHORITY ZERO has dropped a new EP, Thirty Years: Speaking to the Youth, a six-track release that lands right in the core of what the band has always represented: punk’s spirited resilience and ska’s infectious rhythm. In the words of Northern Exposure, it’s a “perfect distillation” of AUTHORITY ZERO’s sound, combining punk intensity with ska grooves to create a message-driven experience.
The six tracks on Thirty Years: Speaking to the Youth encapsulate a raw energy and introspection from the band’s journey, both as a collective and as individuals. With a lineup consisting of Jason DeVore on vocals (see our recent interview here), Mike Spero on bass, Brandon Landelius on guitar, and Chris Dalley on drums, AUTHORITY ZERO crafts each track as a manifesto for those coming up, mirroring reflections from their early days in Mesa, Arizona, through their seasoned present.
Frontman Jason DeVore highlights the EP’s thematic pulse, saying it’s about “believing in yourself and fighting for what you believe in, whatever that may be.” Each song takes on the realities of life from personal conviction to societal challenges, touching on moments of struggle, self-discovery, and standing firm in one’s beliefs. The lyrics, as DeVore shares, channel the everyday struggles we face, conveying “the journey of this life and the awareness of it all… don’t be afraid to stand up and speak about it.”
The EP marks the band’s first new music since Ollie Ollie Oxen Free in 2021. Recorded over a week in Arizona, Thirty Years carries a direct, immediate sound shaped by the tight quarters and focused sessions shared by DeVore, Spero, Landelius, and Dalley. AUTHORITY ZERO reunited with producer Cameron Webb, who previously worked on Ollie Ollie Oxen Free and 2013’s The Tipping Point. Webb brought his edge to the recording process at Maple Studios in Santa Ana, California, where his familiarity with the band’s dynamic helped refine the EP’s sound.
For AUTHORITY ZERO, Thirty Years is a dialogue, both with their younger selves and with future generations. “It’s us talking to ourselves as kids in a way,” DeVore explains. The band’s lyrics seek to resonate with today’s youth and encourage them to face challenges head-on, mirroring the reflections and realizations the band has come to understand over three decades.
To coincide with the EP release, AUTHORITY ZERO has also announced an extensive tour in November with MAD CADDIES and BELVEDERE, hitting venues across the West Coast and into Texas. Starting with a hometown show in Tucson, Arizona, and finishing up with a Texas tour in December, the schedule is as follows:
Nov. 1, 2024 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Nov. 2, 2024 Lake Las Vegas, NV Viva Ska Las Vegas
Nov. 3, 2024 San Diego, CA The Holding Company
Nov. 5, 2024 Fresno, CA Strummer’s
Nov. 6, 2024 Bakersfield, CA Temblor Brewing Company
Nov. 7, 2024 Sacramento, CA Goldfield Trading Post
Nov. 8, 2024 Garden Grove, CA GARDEN AMP
Nov. 9, 2024 Buellton, CA Buellton Fall Festival
Nov. 10, 2024 Palmdale, CA Transplants Brewing Company
Nov. 12, 2024 Petaluma, CA Mystic Theatre
Nov. 13, 2024 Sparks, NV The Ranch House
Nov. 14, 2024 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Nov. 15, 2024 Berkeley, CA Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music
Nov. 16, 2024 Atascadero, CA Atascadero Fall Festival
Nov. 17, 2024 Ventura, CA Ventura Music Hall
Texas Tour
Dec. 6 Amarillo, TX Goldenlight Cantina
Dec. 7 Lubbock, TX Red Zone
Dec. 8 Dallas, TX Three Links
Dec. 10 Houston, TX Scout Bar
Dec. 11 Corpus Christi, TX House of Rock
Dec. 12 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
Dec. 13 Austin, TX Kick Butt Cafe
Dec. 14 El Paso, TX Club 101
