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Born in Spain but raised in Brooklyn, Barrell began his musical career as soon as high school ended, with the NYC outfit the Alter Boys. Creating a buzz for themselves, the band was signed to the independent Big Time Records, but when the company went belly up, the Alter Boys fizzled out. Instead of forming a new group right away, J.Z. decided to take his time, and began working as a producer and engineer for other local bands. After working with a variety of different artists from Arthur Lee to White Zombie, Barrell slowly started assembling his own original material, which touched upon '60s surfer tunes and '80s modern rock. With the assistance of NYC bands the Clean, Railroad Jerk, and the Ladybug Transistor, J.Z. recorded his debut album for Ng Records after ten years of slogging it out in the underground. Entitled Here's the Surprise, the album received glowing reviews from Alternative Press and other rock mags, as Barrell mounted his first nationwide solo tour. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
