Mesa band Authority Zero have gear, transportation stolen

SAN ANTONIO -- Just days into their Summer Sickness tour, Mesa punk band Authority Zero had all of their gear stolen, along with their van and trailer.

Lead singer and front man Jason DeVore tells Fox 10 Phoenix the band was returning Tuesday morning after hanging out across the street from their hotel in San Antonio, on the city's north side.

He says their tour manager went to get something out of the van when he realized it was gone.

"And we thought at first, maybe it just got towed, because it was such a well-lit area and a pretty decent part of town," DeVore said. "But none of the towing companies had taken it. Come to find out, that it got stolen. So somebody stole it pretty much right out of the blue."

"There were no security cameras in the parking lot either, so there's no way of seeing who it might have been or anything like that. So it's been gone and now were day four of our tour in the middle of nowhere, with all of our equipment stolen and our band is low," DeVore said.

Thieves ripped off all of the band's equipment and instruments, along with merchandise they sell at shows, including T-shirts and hats.

"In situations like this we're fearful that it's a pretty fast-acting operation, that they probably took it into some kind of chop shop. I'm hoping not, obviously, but you know, you've seen this stuff before and … they've usually got a pretty good plight of how they want to take care of this kind of stuff," DeVore said.

The theft happened hours before Authority Zero was set to take the stage Tuesday night in San Antonio.

But, DeVore says, the show must go on.

"We're out on tour with some very good friends of ours: Counterpunch from Chicago and Rubedo, from Denver, Colorado," he said. "And they all have their equipment, you know. We use a lot of similar things, so we're going to go. And they're kind enough to let us use their stuff, as well as transport us to our next show tomorrow night."

DeVore says friends back home in Arizona have been supportive. A man named Rob Rover Rushing in Denver set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to help get the band back on the road.

"It's unfortunate with this situation, because it happens to so many bands out there these days," DeVore said. "It's just becoming an epidemic. But you hear it all the time. Many friends of ours have had this happen to them. It's just one of those things, again, you never think it's going to be you. But that happens to you and it just kind of sideswipes you and don't realize it's happened."

Authority Zero's next show in the Valley will be on September 19 at Marquee Theatre, in Tempe.

Online: http://www.gofundme.com/zv9dd4