Little Feat co-founder Richie Hayward has died after a long battle with liver disease earlier this month on August 12, 2010. He was 64.
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Category: In The News
Asphalt Orchestra – Bang On A Can
Created by Bang On A Can, New York City’s Asphalt Orchestra is Bang On A Can’s street band. A 12 piece ensemble of brass and percussion, Asphalt Orchestra brings together “odd meters, virtuosic playing, and general tech-dorkery under the vibrant, visceral auspices of totally fun street performance” re-imagining the marching band, drawing their repertoire from rock, jazz and classical. Their self-titled debut (out this month via Cantaloupe) attempts covers of Frank Zappa, Björk, frenetic Balkan jazzer Goran Bregovic, tech-metal kings Meshuggah, and NYC’s own Tyondai Braxton of Battles.
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Baltimore Plans Zappa Dedication & Tribute Concert
Barfies in my mailbox:
Since last month’s confirmation of the September 19th date for Baltimore City’s dedication of a bust of Frank Zappa, community support has been growing for a concert and festival in tribute to the legendary musician, composer and social icon, whose birthplace is Baltimore. The bust, donated by a Lithuanian fan club, will be placed at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Southeastern Anchor Branch in Highlandtown, and plans now include an outdoor concert featuring Zappa Plays Zappa (fronted by Frank’s son Dweezil), and various events at the library and nearby Patterson Theatre in support of the dedication ceremony.
The date itself is especially significant as September 19th is the anniversary of Zappa’s 1985 testimony on Capitol Hill in favor of free expression by Recording Artists at the Senate hearing instigated by certain congressional wives (members of the PMRC) concerning record labeling. Frank Zappa’s widow Gail commented on the remarkable coincidence, stating, “Frank’s legacy rests in his uncompromising defense of the First Amendment and his uncompromising pursuit of excellence clearly demonstrated in the standards he set in all areas of Music and the arts and sciences associated with it. He was self-taught and self-realized. It is hard to imagine how that is possible except for the 4 cornerstones he had going for him: a talent for music, a hard-core curiosity, a keen sense of humor and access to a library. He was a cheap date for History.”
Let’s Make The Water Turn Black!
Grande Mothers Re:Invented Embark On EU Tour
Warning: You’re about to enter a zone heavy with nostalgia. Take with a very large grain of salt.
In the late 70s and early 80s (yes, when Dinosaurs roamed the city streets wearing Walkmans and eating veggieburgers) – when a Zappa tour was an almost regular (if not annual) occurrence, and a Zappa fan might expect sometimes multiple releases from the maestro, and my own rabid obsession with the Mothers of Invention (and all things Zappa) was at least at a somewhat manageable level – myself and my fellow freaks had devised a method of determining the level of freakdom of a given Zappa fan by what albums they had in their collection.
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Steve Vai’s Western Vacation: Free Copies To Win!
Steve Vai‘s record label has a new album coming out next Tuesday June 22nd (more info here):
To celebrate the release, the Favored Nations label has generously offered KUR five free copies to distribute among you! Obviously, merely handing them out to the first five who comment on this post is a tad bit boring, so we decided on a little contest…
Update: the contest is now closed! Thanks to all who played along. Some patience please as the jury sorts through the entries…
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Sieg Zappanale!
Remember a certain lawsuit issued by a certain dead rockstar‘s widow against a certain fan-organized tribute festival? As it turns out, said widow just lost the appeal. Robert who mailed in the story, says:
Sorry, currently only available in german. But the message is simple: GZ had appealed against the negative decision from some time ago, this appeal has now been denied, which completes the lawsuit in favor of Zappanale.
From my understanding, the Zappanale festival even retains the right to use FZ’s trademark imperial in its promotional material.
The Next Zappa Release: Joe’s Menage a Trois
Shore Fire, the PR firm that has the ZFT as one of its clients states it quite clearly:
June 11
Zappa Records releases Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Menage a Trois’
The new release is also mentioned in this Variety article.
(Hat tip: Maroual)
Update June 12 2010: No mention of a release anywhere. KUR-reader Rob wrote to Shore Fire yesterday, and got this rather odd answer:
Hi there,
Lauretta at Shore Fire here. Will you please let me know where you received info on a Frank Zappa release?
You’d think the people at Shore Fire at least read their own press releases…
RIP Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper has died at the age of 74 following a long battle with prostate cancer. Enter Frank Booth, stage left:
OJAI Music Festival 2010
OJAI Music Festival artistic director Tom Morris and Doug McLennan of ArtsJournal.com discuss the programming for the 2010 Festival including works by Frank Zappa, Messiaen, Boulez, Stravinsky, and Indian Ragas presented over four days from Thursday, June 10th to Sunday, June 13th.
The World of Zappa symposium featuring speakers Gail Zappa and Ian Underwood are scheduled on Friday June 11th, between 11a.m. and 2:15pm. Concert by the Ensemble Modern in the Libbey Bowl at 8p.m. (June 11th).
For complete Festival details, click here.