American Noise

 By Heather Jacks | June 25, 2010

"If you’re a fan of Phish style jam, the un­con­ven­tional al­lure of Johnny Cash, the tech­ni­cal prowess of Charles Min­gus and the song­writ­ing syn­ergy of Garcia/Weir, then the mu­sic stylings of Hot Day at the Zoo might be right up your alley."

"To be sure, the oc­ca­sional roar­ing harp, rhythm-heavy har­mon­ica or sweetly soar­ing acoustic per­cus­sion helps to cre­ate a unique sound that is de­cid­edly “Not blue­grass, per se.”"

"Let’s face it—live al­bums are of­ten a hard sell. La­bels aren’t too hip on them, and the sound is of­ten sketchy, leav­ing peo­ple won­der what it was they just lis­tened to, and why. Zoograss is not one of those albums"

""With raw in-your-face punk en­ergy cou­pled with rootsy folk and hard-rocking funk, it’s no won­der that people—from the PBR-swilling, mud-flap beer guz­zlers to the patchouli crowd to the MIILFS—are all rep­re­sented at a HDATZ show. Of course, those groups may not agree on just what Zoograss is, but one thing’s for sure: They know they like it. "

Boston Globe
By STEVE MORSE   |  January 11, 2010

Fans of the acoustic Grateful Dead, as well as of New Riders of the Purple Sage and Jerry Garcia’s side project, Old & In the Way, should pay attention to this hard-driving New England string band. Hot Day at the Zoo plays what it calls “zoograss’’ - a mix of folk, rock, and progressive bluegrass charged with a jam-band flavor that makes this live set (recorded at the Waterhole in Saranac Lake, N.Y.) a bracing treat. The group excels on a touchstone cover of “Midnight Moonlight’’ (the Peter Rowan song from Old & In the Way’s self-titled disc in 1973), but the bulk of the CD is original tracks from multitalented Hot Day tunesmiths Mike Dion (whose sweeping “Morning Light’’ makes a nice companion piece to “Midnight Moonlight’’) and Jon Cumming, whose gentle “Long Way Home’’ is a tasteful change-of-pace from the string-band flash. At times the music is rich in testosterone (as in the pot-smoking anthem “Old Mill’’), and it is less elegant than New Riders of the Purple Sage, but those are about the only quibbles. Otherwise, these guys accelerate with a euphoric banjo/mandolin interplay, enhanced by the inspired stand-up bass of Jed “Beat’’ Rosen and occasional, roaring harp fills from the ever-energetic Dion. The crowd in Saranac Lake goes crazy - and so might you if you give this a listen. The band headlines the Lizard Lounge this Friday and Saturday. (Out tomorrow)
 
ESSENTIAL “Mercy of the Sea’’
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Boston Herald
By Kevin R. Convey | January 15, 2010

That Lowell-based Hot Day at the Zoo is meant at least in part to be a jam-band update of bluegrass supergroup Old & in the Way should be obvious from the lone cover on ‘Zoograss,’ O&ITW singer-mandolinist Peter Rowan’s ‘Midnight Moonlight.’ And if that doesn’t do it, HDATZ’s loosely funky but powerfully soulful approach should end any argument. Though HDATZ can’t match O&ITW’s instrumental firepower, vocal subtlety or songwriting chops, they sound content to plink and plunk away while lead singer Michael Dion rasps his way through the lyrics as if he’s fronting the Drive-By Truckers. The rapturous audience on this live date doesn’t seem to have any complaints, either. Download: One Day Soon. (Appearing tonight and Saturday at the Lizard Lounge, Cambridge.)”

Portsmouth Herald
By Christopher Hislop | March 04, 2010

However, before the Quintet (+) took the stage, the self-proclaimed proprietors of "Zoograss" — Hot Day at the Zoo, from Lowell, Mass., warmed up a crowd that was slow to respond initially, (there were about three claps of appreciation when the band was introduced) but by the end of the set were awake, wide-eyed, and on their feet giving the group a glorious and well-deserved standing ovation. If you're from the area, then chances are you've seen these guys filling the Barley Pub, or The Stone Church, trying (and succeeding) to "pick" faster than the crowd can put down $1 PBRs. (Listen to HDATZ's performance here.)

Vintage Guitar Magazine
April 2010

Rhythm-heavy bluegrass-y music recorded live at an upstate New York club, the instrumentation is solid if not intricate; JT Lawrence's mandolin and Michael Dion's harmonica stand out.

Relix Magazine
By Brian Robins | April-May 2010

Combine the rough-and-tumble acoustic sweetness of Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance, Yonder Mountain when the band’s feeling rowdy, and Reckoning-era Dead and you’d have some idea of what Hot Day at the Zoo sounds like on its new live release, Zoograss. A four-piece with punkgrass energy and no fear of jamming (a 9- minute-plus “Mercy of the Sea” establishes that right off the bat), HDATZ offers a little something for everybody. Sometimes boozily wistful (“One Day Soon”), other times rip-the-ass-out-of-your-overalls raucous (“Old Mill”), Zoograssis just plain fun.