Features

Long-running Arizona punks Authority Zero are currently wrapping up their European tour celebrating their 30th anniversary. We caught up with frontman Jason Devore for a look back at some of the band's defining moments.

Authority Zero's latest album, 2021's critically acclaimed 'Ollie Ollie Free,' was recorded by Cameron Webb (Sum 41, Pennywise, A Day to Remember, Motörhead, Megadeth) and features guest appearances by Jim Lindberg (Pennywise) and Iagri Shuhei (HEY-SMITH).

1. Starting the band, and for the right reasons. Biggest milestone

2. Trip to Mexico 1999 where the band and I would head down to perform during spring break. We burned 200 blank cds with our songs “One More Minute” and “Sky’s the Limit” on them and passed them out all over and started hearing our music being blasted out of cars, bars, and beaches. Monumental.

3. First time played we got played on the radio on the “Ska Punk Show” with Craven Moorehead 100.3/106.3 The Edge. That would come to change the very course of the rest of our lives unbeknownst to us. It then turned into main adds to prime time radio and then that’s when the labels came knocking.

4. When the labels came knocking (2000). Life altering, mind blowing, and extremely exciting turn in our career. There was a bidding war between Universal/Republic and Atlantic/Lava. We couldn’t believe what was happening. The whole world suddenly opened up to us and was our playground. We hit the ground running touring 300 days a year for the next five plus years building our global fan base and it was a dream come true. Doing what we worked so hard for, believed in, and genuinely loved. 

5. Releasing our past six albums independently has been an epic Milestone. Four full lengths and two live acoustic. It’s a real feeling of accomplishment and DIY perseverance after a lot of the major label stuff faded out. This one will be multiple milestone moments as it entails a lot. During this time we were able to build ourselves out of a massive and weighing debt that had accrued with past management and it was liberating. Took a lot of years touring without pay to free us of those chains. For the grande finale, this year marks our 30 Year Anniversary. Unbelievable and so grateful.