Speed of Life

Speed of Life is not just a band to founder and songwriter John Zay. It’s a way of life. While healing from a failed relationship Zay did the only thing he knew how to. Live his life to the fullest. Out in the ocean catching waves with his friends in Costa Rica, Zay was inspired to begin “Catalyst”, Speed of Life’s latest release.

Since 2001 Speed of Life has been making music on their terms. The New York based band prides itself on its musicianship and creative integration of multiple genres. While Speed of Life uses Rock songwriting as a format, to categorize them as such would be false. Their music captures elements of live drum and bass, progressive rock, fusion, ambient, electronic, even reggae and Latin. In 2004 the band released their debut album "Mainstay" which played on over 160 college and commercial radio stations.

Speed of Life uses each song to take the listener on a journey. It gives them an opportunity to truly absorb the music and songwriting, which is a brilliant mixture of personal thoughts, observations and politics. On stage Speed of Life truly shines through with their raw energy and musicianship. Tobias Ralph, groove master extraordinaire, hits the drums with conviction and finesse incorporating eclectic rhythms. John Zay’s soaring vocals float atop a driving guitar and spacious keyboards. New member Dan Policar adds spacious keyboards that create ambient atmospherics. On bass Taylor creates memorable melodies while anchoring the band together.

The culmination to Speed of Life’s latest release “Catalyst” happened by a chance encounter. In Mujeres, Mexico for a wedding Zay met and fell in love with the wedding photographer from Argentina. They began a whirlwind romance that had them reuniting in New York, California, and Mexico over the next three months. Feeling a bit in a rut, the relationship gave Zay the spiritual shift he needed and set in motion the events that would lead to the completion of “Catalyst”. “It brought the message to follow my dream now, and helped dispel my fears and insecurities,” Zay said. “The relationship brought back my sense of adventure and made me truly accept that life is constant change and travel is what I thrive on.”

Zay was set to break up the band and begin his new life with the woman he loved in California. But as quickly as the universe brought them together it took them apart. Realizing that it would be premature to break up his band and the close bond they formed Zay decided to stay in New York and follow though with the record. As fate would have it, his new love realized it was too soon to leave her family in Argentina and they decided to part ways.

Back to the studio, Zay and Speed of Life put the final touches on “Catalyst” and then it was out to Costa Rica for another surfing trip with his friends. “Surfing is my source of sanity,” Zay expounded, “Someone very close to me was diagnosed with (MS) Multiplesclorosis. He is doing well but it forces me to never have an excuse not to go surfing.” His surfing crew usually meets in Costa Rica with Zay’s brothers including Robert, an actor who lives in LA and plays "The Todd" on the TV show Scrubs.

One of Zay’s other passions besides music, surfing and family is the environment. “Catalyst” was printed on recycled paper, and Zay also worked on Al Gore’s film “In inconvenient Truth”. Speed of Life uses their music to help educate people and fight against global warming, pollution of the oceans and beaches.

Speed of Life is on pace to start changing the world for the better. Through hard work, talent, musicianship, an unquenched resolve, political awareness and environmental concerns, they reach out to audiences across the country and audiences and critics reach back to them.
"their richness in sound comes at a period in popular music that extols the values of sounding simplistic; while this expansive, difficult to categorize sound may fly in the face of all the Britney's of the world, it also may be our only savior." -Nuefutur

"Brilliantly technical in the main and ethnically experimental at times, Speed of Life add just enough Flaming Lips vulnerability to their coliseum-oriented material----if anyone deserves a shot at the Bigs, it's these guys." -168 Mag

John Zay and his band Speed of Life are a metaphor for living. They have taken risks, wiped out and gotten back up. A year later, after falling in love and considering a new life across the country, his band breaking apart and realizing his new relationship couldn’t work, Zay ended up back where he started. In the ocean, lying on a surfboard waiting for waves. Only this time, with a new album and his band back together, the future of Speed of life is shinning as bright as the Costa Rican sun on his shoulders. Now they lay on their board, paddling forward, poised to take another chance, without a doubt that they will catch that wave with the perfect curl.