Zach Parkman & The Damaged Goods's Friends

View All

Zach Parkman & The Damaged Goods's Page

Profile Information

City & State: Athens/Nelsonville, OH

Country: USA

Music Genre(s):: Blues/Funk/Soul

Bio:: Zach Parkman, 34, is a singer/songwriter/guitarist based out of Athens, Ohio. Born in Houston, Texas, he was raised on the gulf coast, a stones throw from the fabled Brazos River. As a child Zach was involved in children's choir at church and took piano lessons, but it wasn't until discovering his parents old Beatles, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin records in adolescence that his love affair with music began to bloom. A self taught guitarist he started writing his own songs early on, mostly acoustic ditties that were inspired by James Taylor and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He also began playing in local "garage punk" bands during high school, most of which never left the garage. After graduating from high school Zach moved to Austin, Texas and lived the life of a brooding, disenchanted, self-medicated bohemian, writing and performing songs amongst the "drag rats" and "gutter punks". In 1998-99 Zach recorded a collection of original songs that became his first demo/EP called The Continuing Monologue of an Amputee. The EP was a documentation of the end of an era. In the summer of 2000, having gone through a divorce, a few landlords, several hospital visits and blown up two cars, zach took a much needed sabbatical to East Texas. After trying his hand at carpentry, he landed a gig as the acoustic/rhythm guitarist for a contemporary christian band called Miracle Covenant. He spent the next year playing regular gigs, touring regionally and honing his chops. It was through this experience that Zach gained the confidence with his ability to perform with other musicians and to take himself seriously as a songwriter. Miracle Covenant was doing well too. They were on the verge of a large summer tour, were promoting their first studio album and being seen and heard on television and radio. Then three things happened: Zach was in a bad car accident, taking him off of the tour; Zach joined the Army in the summer of 2001; 911 happened. Zach still continued to perform as a solo act, write new music and do some minor recording, but it wouldn't be until 2006 that his music career would pick up again. The winter of 2005-06 in Virginia was a wonderful change from the previous winter Zach had spent in the Middle East. After finishing his obligation to his country, Zach moved again, this time to Norfolk, Virginia to be with his new wife Kim. Making up for lost time, Zach started writing, recording and performing in the Hampton Roads area with a fervor. For the next 3 years he performed where ever he could get a gig, sometimes for free. He recorded new and old songs whenever he had the chance. By the time he moved to Athens, Ohio in 2008 Zach had become a regular player in the Hampton Roads music scene, performing several times a week at live venues across the seven cities, headlining his own shows, opening up for national touring acts, having his songs played on local radio stations as well as having an interview and live session showcased on WHRV 89.5 FM. Zach finished recording songs for his first full length studio album in the summer of 2008, before moving to Athens, OH. The album was released in 2009 with a concert at Donkey Coffee, on of the most popular live music venues in the area. Zach continued to write and perform, making the circuit around Appalachian Ohio and northern West Virginia in support of the album. In 2010 he teamed up with songwriter/guitarist Brandon Ashcraft to better recreate the feel and sound of the recorded songs on The Carpenter & The Chemist in a live performance. They were soon joined by Mike Cotter on bass and Kel Williams on drums and The Damaged Goods were born. The band is currently back in the studio recording a new batch of songs for the upcoming album The Part-Time Paladin scheduled for release in the second half of 2011. Zach Parkman & The Damaged Goods can also be seen performing in and around the Athens/Nelsonville area at local venues like Donkey Coffee and the Smiling Skull Saloon. They are planning a regional tour (Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, etc.) for the summer of 2011.