Album Notes

Panic Underground was formed after Year Zero disbanded. The legacy of the music of the Year Zero band and the predecessor Panic! continued under the direction of front man George Heredia (a.k.a. GeoZero). Throughout 1987-1993 the various stable of band members played with George on projects and concerts throughout Southern California trying to capture a different sound than what was currently being played in the area. Inspired by Euro bands like U2, The Cure, The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs and Duran Duran, the music had an indie rock alternative edge with sequenced synths and catchy guitar riffs. Most of the lyrics were written and sung by George Heredia, though other musicians shared writing and singing including Jovino Arias III and Troy Adrian Anthony.

Panic! originally consisted of George Heredia (guitar, vocals, keys), Charles Goh (bass) who was replaced by David Podosek and then later again by Victor Patron (bass), and later joined by Louise Sanchez (keys). Additional musicians came and went to fill in during live gigs or recording sessions that included Troy Swanner (bass), Rick Hartley (who played standup drums ala Prince), and various session players. At the time that Victor Patron and Louise Sanchez joined, the group became a trio with the drums and most of the keyboards playing through sequencers while the guitar, bass, and additional keyboards were performed "live". The group's reliance on George Heredia for new material eventually led to quarrels about the direction of the band and the music. After one heated practice session the group unexpectedly split.

YEAR ZERO was created after Victor Patron and Louise Sanchez departed from the lineup. After a few months of hiatus George Heredia reformed under the new band name of Year Zero, once again as a trio with George Heredia (guitar, keys and lead vocals), Jovino Arias III (bass and vocals) and Troy Adrian Anthony (drums and vocals). The group continued to rely on sequenced keyboard layers with live drums, guitar and bass. There was no room for error. The music was tight. The band played throughout Southern California and was getting a steady following when they played at Bogart's in Long Beach and met keyboardist Brian Cockerill who then joined the group. With the addition of a keyboardist as proficient as Brian the group relied less and less on sequencers and instead played more shows with a live feel. During this time both Jovino and Troy helped pen some of the songs and there was always fresh material being composed and created. Brian also helped develop the sound further by layering interesting keyboard sounds and riffs.

Though Year Zero was seeing a strong following and some record label interest, internal quarrels were beginning to tear them apart just as the project was on the rise again. Troy Adrian Anthony was unhappy with the band's sound and direction at that time. Mutiny ensued which left the band literally split in two. Troy and Jovino would depart on other projects while Brian and George continued writing and working together. This collaboration led to the forming of the final incarnation of the "project" as Panic Underground in 1991.

Panic Underground saw the return on and off of Jovino on bass for all new songs recorded and lending additional vocals. For a short time Tom Link played drums (featured on two of the tracks on Finally). Two recording sessions between 1991 and 1992 saw Jovino work on five of the six songs recorded (all but one of those songs are included in Panic Underground's Finally CD). For drums, the 1991 sessions used drum machines while Ronnie Rivera was recruited for the 1992 sessions for live drums. Members of the group Crush Violet helped the band out when the guitar amp overheated and blew a fuse. They provided a Mesa Boogie amp and ended up doing the short chorus in the middle of My Precious (included in Finally).

The band once again played top billing shows in Southern California and was seeing their following increasing. When Jovino was unable to play bass on live shows due to other commitments, Francisco "Cisco" Russo (friend and former band mate of Ronnie's) stepped in for the bass licks. A few shows would also be played by David Podosek (bass). No matter which bass player was on the set the sound was solid and flawless everytime... Thank you Jovino, Cisco and David for keeping the bottom end pumping! Record labels took interest and the band signed a management deal with Wonderland Entertainment which turned out to be a bad decision as there were fewer gigs that further reduced label interest to nil.

Panic Underground continued to play throughout 1992 and 1993 but the band finally had had enough. The members George Heredia, Brian Cockerill, Ronnie Rivera and Cisco Russo parted ways. George (on guitars) joined Ronnie and Cisco for a one night show for their band Young Thorns in 1993 in Long Beach where he ran into Louise.

George Heredia has remained friends with Jovino, Brian, David, Ronnie, Cisco, and Victor throughout all the years that have passed since they came together for a brief time.

In 2000 George began to dig out old tapes and recordings and remastered them digitally. Originally as a project to preserve the music then later to release the compilation of all the music from the era under the name: Panic Underground - Finally. The title is a statement and a testament that no matter what life throws out at you if you stick to it you can achieve something. Finally was the first and the last release of the music.