Zigman Bird Ready to Take Flight at Hillsborough Music Festival

If you're wondering where the name "Zigman Bird" comes from, think about '70s Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"There was a junkyard owner by my old house who would shoot kids with a salt gun if they walked on his property," the band's Keith Beck said. "His name, I think, was Sigmund Byrd. I went to write it down and spelled it 'Zigman Bird.'

"I thought that looked cool. That's it," he said. "People seem to think it's a good sounding name for a band...and why not?"

The comparison ends there, however, so when the band takes the stage at the Hillsborough Music Festival at about 5 p.m. Saturday, don't bother yelling "Freebird."

Zigman Bird plays its original music that is rooted in classic rock, and the members "have a lot of fun on stage," Beck said.

He cited the band's influences as "The Beatles to Motorhead"—which covers a lot of territory, but bassist Damian Gonzalaz adds a few others: "As far as influences, our bio lists th Beatles, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Television, Iggy Pop, The Clash, t.Rex/Marc Bolan but we are fans of a lot of genres," he said. And, he added, Beck likes Regina Spektor, while he and guitarist Dave Devine also like MGMT, The Strokes and "older indie stuff like Sebadoh and Swervedriver."

The band, which also includes drummer Geoff Alpaugh, has been together for about two years, and is keeping a steady gigging schedule.

That's helping them build a reputation as performers playing "Kick ass rock and roll," as Phil Rainone, of Jersey Beat magazine, said. 

The band is touting its new CD, "Yes," produced by Gonzalaz's Lump'N'Loaf Records, based in Hillsborough.