Meet Painted Zeros (Katie Lau)

Though performing as a trio the driving force of Painted Zeros is the spectacular Katie Lau. Katie writes and records all the parts of the album herself like some kind of fantastic musical octopus. I think that is pretty neat. The project explodes with sincerity and energy unleashing a new kind of dream-pop sound jam-packed with distortion and grungy textures.

They have a fantastic new music video out of their song “Break” Which you can check out below.

Down in the interview, we get into pet peeves, antlers, and Ashley Simpson. Check it out.

FIRE FIGHTERS AND ANSWERS a Mad-lib by, Painted Zeros

When I was ten years old, my CHEEKY ambition in life was to be a fire fighter -- but here I am, nothing but a LITHE MIRROR BALL. If I were a fire fighter, I'd get to wear a huge, red BICYCLE. And I could ride on the fire engines that carry 80-foot DUCKS and travel SIX miles an hour. When fire engines blow their CHILDREN, all cars have to pull over to the side of the STICK. Fire departments have hook and BROKEN LOCK wagons as well as pump trucks which carry WANTON hoses that pump COLD TEA into burning POSTCARDS. Fire fighters have to go into DESPICABLE buildings and fight their way through smoke and FEATHER to rescue any CANS OF TOMATO PASTE who may be trapped inside. We should all be thankful that our fire fighters are on the job twenty-four hours a HAND.

Would You Rather

have an enormous set of antlers or seven-foot-tall stilts for legs? 

Antlers, no contest. They would make me strong and beautiful and I could carry all of my circular hoop objects around on them (bagels, rosaries, hub caps, etc.,) plus your back would hurt having to crouch around everywhere with stilty legs.

Some questions with Painted Zeros

When performing a concert what is your biggest pet peeve? 

When people are looking at me and the dread sets in and I remember that I'm little speck/tiny embodied creature of the earth... & then I mess up a lyric or a note :(


If you could make a musical instrument out of an unconventional material what would it be?

Mallets made of Himalayan salt could be nice. A "good viberaphone" (sorry)

If someone hands you an aux cord in an uber what is the song you put on?

Ooh that's kind of tough, it really depends on the mood in the Uber y'know, would probably play something that I like but that is also not particularly polarizing, maybe Fleetwood Mac's "Over & Over" or "Storms," maybe Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend," undeniably great songs that I will have a great time listening to in a stranger's car, but songs that said stranger probably won't have a strongly negative reaction to.


What was your favorite subject in school? Why was it your favorite?

English, because I love to read.

What do you find to be most challenging about making art and music today?

Finding enough time and solitude; they are precious and hard to come by. It's difficult finding balance while being squashed under the demands of existing in a capitalist society where we must all produce and work constantly to make ends meet.

Who is your favorite one-hit wonder?

Maybe Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces Of Me"

What is your favorite childhood book?

"Goodnight Moon"

What other forms of art have influenced you?

All art is confluent, but I've always especially loved literature.

What was your first performance as a band like?

As this lineup, our first show was really awesome! It was at Gold Sounds opening for Queen of Jeans (whose song "Get Lost" I've been obsessed with, I would definitely put that on in the Uber,) and we had a really amazing moment during their set where they did this slowed down cover of "Teenage Dirtbag" which we had been playing for fun in practice, just a really cosmic "wtf what are the odds" moment where the four of us were all screaming along in the back.


Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Thank you for reading this! So weird how words and language and the transmission of ideas happen. Be good to others & be good to yourself.