by Marisa BrownSweet Steve, the man behind Baron Zen, was just another college kid at San Jose State University with a band in the late '80s. Though Baron Zen officially included Craig Appleby on keys and drum programming, and occasionally John Caampued on guitars and longtime friend Chris Manak (aka Peanut Butter Wolf) on drum programming, most of the group's recordings featured only Steve, who played all the aforementioned instruments. Baron Zen did not perform shows, release records, or have much publicity to speak of, besides infrequent play on local Bay Area college radio stations, and their recording career lasted only from 1988-1992, ending when Steve left San Jose State and entered the working world. After over ten years passed since Steve had been involved in music, Peanut Butter Wolf (who was also the owner of Stones Throw Records) decided to release an album of Baron Zen's hybrid of punk, disco, rock, and hip-hop. Called At the Mall, the record was issued in 2006, and celebrated by a limited number of Baron Zen shows.