Hattiesburg has produced yet another group of young, creative artists. Active since July, Zenith Flux is starting to make some noise around the city, and they are determined to resonate throughout the state and beyond.
Composed of strong characters and musical talents, the new band is looking forward to expanding and getting their sound out to the community.
Raven Jackson plays the guitar and is the lead vocalist for the band. She already has a solo recording under her belt and her voice can be found on social media.
“My idea for the band was to always have the punk rock idea in the back of our mind, but still be able to be open and experiment other things,” Jackson said after describing Zenith Flux’s music as “punk rock indie garage and things.”
“I met Shelby in Laurel when playing a gig there,” Jackson said. Shelby Kemp is now the lead guitarist for Zenith Flux and said he found most of his inspiration in the music from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Elizabeth Shows sings as well as plays the keyboard and the violin. “(Raven and I) did some singer and songwriter stuff together with South City Records,” Shows said.
Chase Harrod, a junior percussion major, plays the drums and adds his technical experience to the mix from the Pride Drumline. Dylan Kern is already known for playing the bass with the Hattiesburg native band Stellatone.
Zenith Flux has already received some attention from different organizations. After WUSM invited them for an acoustic set on Sept. 12, the student-run label South City Records has shown some interest in recording the new band’s music.
“Will Foley is now the head of South City Records, and he has already recorded my first solo album,” Jackson said.
“They always do a wonderful job,” Shows said.
Aside from the plans of recording, the band has looked into arranging weekend tours, mentioning places in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. “That’s how you get out there,” Shows said.
Haley Walley, a senior journalism major, has collaborated with the band on several occasions, booking shows and promoting them. “She’s very big in marketing and networking,” Shows said.
“Zenith Flux is a very new, very different vibe introduced to the Hattiesburg area. They’re a little pop and funk mixed with garage,” Walley said. “We’re currently looking for out-of-town venues to really expand their audience.”
The band will play at the Thirsty Hippo Thursday night, Sept. 11, headlining with Dinner Guests and Nap & The Secret Wand.
