ZONK by Zonk

“Legend has it, that on a non-descript afternoon in the summer of 2022,
guitarist Paul DeHaven and drummer Robin Chestnutt, locked themselves into a room in a cabin on top of a mountain in Colorado for a few hours. Loud noises could be heard, wailing, smashing, yelps, lights flickering, the house shaking. When engineer Mark Anderson opened the door after a long period of concerning silence, he found the two men sprawled out, undressed and laughing in puddles of sweat. For they had just gone on a deep improvised sonic journey together that would alter the course of not only their lives, but time and space as we know it. What was captured on record is 5 fully improvised pieces for guitar and drums. A swirling, surfing, crashing, sprawling, and limitless sonic adventure.


Paul DeHaven (most widely known for his work as a songwriter and guitarist in the Americana band Heavy Diamond Ring) and Robin Chestnutt (known throughout the Colorado music world as a force unto himself and the kit) simultaneously wrangle their instruments, but not to destroy them, no, no, but to let the light out. Zonk, in a departure from their Americana roots, take us deep into their musical history with an energy we haven’t heard from their discographies yet. Hearing influences from Link Wray and Mdou Moctar to Fugazi and Mars Volta, these two explode in joyous tumult. 


At times Zonk feels like riding a 60 foot wave in shark infested waters, at other times feels like a gathering of all your energies and determination for one last hurrah. An adventure to say the least, where at the end you can throw your bag on the couch, you lay on the floor and can only laugh because you made it, after all that, you made it.”

Chaz Prymek (Lake Mary, Fuubutsushi)

Zonk is a free-improvised project from guitarist Paul DeHaven and drummer Robin Chestnut. The two long-time collaborators came together to jam and let the tape roll, and their debut record, out on Island House Records in 2024, is the glorious, electric, kinetic result.