Month: November 2007

Hamburg ’88

Someone mentioned that they were expecting a 1988 show last week, so who am I to disappoint? Pat Buzby reminds us that this show features nothing composed after 1976, and calls it “a blessing, though it feels bad in a sense to say it”.

Well I don’t know about that, but any show that features Florentine Pogen, Andy, Inca Roads, Eat That Question and then Black Napkins, one after the other, is ok by me. Add the Black Page as an opener (you gotta love the ’88 arrangement), Dupree’s, Cleveland and Big Swifty among others, and you have the makings of one fine show.

Whether it is or not… well, that’s for you to decide. As always, I await your comments with interest.

The Venue: Congress Centrum, Hamburg, Germany
The Date: 6 May 1988

Missing Links: RDNZL, Cosmik Debris – Stockholm

Have you seen the Stockholm show, 1973? You did? Maybe the 50 minute version. But here are some missing gems, previously unseen (at least by me): RDNZL and Cosmik Debris.
Great tunes! Watch the fun the band has during and after RDNZL! Sooooo good!!!
(provided by bongolamp)

Update: bongolamp has just uploaded Kung Fu and Penguin In Bondage! (I’ve also updated it on my page)
Thank you, man!

Mike Keneally Interview

hatalbum

Mike Keneally is interviewed in Modern Guitars Magazine, where he speaks on a variety of topics — his experiences playing and performing with the Zappas (Frank, Dweezil & Ahmet), Steve Vai, Henry Kaiser and The Mistakes, James LaBrie and Mullmuzzler, his thoughts on the Zappa Plays Zappa tour, as well as the re-release of his early albums Hat and Boil That Dust Speck.

Zappanale Statue Ceremony

For those among us that couldn’t get to the unveiling at the 2002 Zappanale Statue Ceremony at Bad Doberan, these next two clips are the next best thing — featuring former band members Mike Keneally, Jimmy Carl Black, Bunk Gardner, Bob & Thana Harris, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ike Willis, Roy Estrada, Candy & Bob Zappa, Pamela De Barres, as well as Wolfhard Kutz, the chief from the Zappanale. The first clip has an excellent, on-the-spot, bilingual improvisational rendition of “Help I’m A Rock.”


Kind of makes you wish you were there.

Frankfurt ’82

The Venue: Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
The Date: 11th June 1982

There is one main reason to love this show (plenty of other reasons, of course, but one main one); The Black Page. I was listening to it just last week and experienced one of those “Jeez, this is good” moments (I then realized that Frank must have been pleased with it too, as you will find if you grab your copy of ‘Guitar‘ and give ‘Move It Or Park It‘ a listen).

Anyway, thinks I, the KUR aficionados have to hear this! So this week’s offering takes us back to June 11 1982, and the early evening show at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt…

Continue reading “Frankfurt ’82”

The Man Belonged In A Strait Jacket

Blogs 4 Brownback on Zappa:

The man belonged in a strait jacket. Wherever he is now, I’m sure it’s hot and I don’t want to go there. He was one of the deviant perverts who subsumed American culture in the 1960s. His music was horrible and weird, and his viewpoints were, too. We should exhume his body and burn it in a dumpster. It’s the least we can do for him, after all he did to us.

And who the fuck is Brownback? Oh, here he is.

Remember Remember The 7th November

On this day…

  • … 150 days of a Belgium without a governement, facing an unprecedented political crisis
  • … in 1991 Frank Zappa announced to the world that he suffered from prostate cancer
  • … at around 8:30 in the morning I had a minor accident, when a car bumped against mine, as I was getting out of the garage (just some scratches on the front bumper)

Can we fast-forward to November 8th please?

Viva Zappa

Viva Zappa

From the moment of Frank Zappa’s untimely passing due to prostate cancer until the formation of Zappa Plays Zappa, the only way anyone could hear Zappa’s music performed live was via one of the multitude of cover/tribute bands. From rock, jazz, baroque to big band, wind quintets, and classical ensembles, the variety of musical approaches and bands were just as eclectic and varied as much of the music itself — with names like Project/Object, FiDO, The Muffin Men just to name a few. In Canada, if you wanted a live Zappa fix, the band to see and hear was Viva Zappa, based in Quebec. You can download individual Zappa covers interpreted by Viva Zappa, or download their entire CD, Viva Zappa: The Purple Lagoon Sessions 2006 & 2007, at Zappateers (Sorry, Torrent).


What’s your favourite Zappa Tribute Band(s)?

ZPZ: Big In Japan

This just in — Kataoka Hiroshi, Our Man In Japan, writes:

Just a quick report to let you know that Zappa Plays Zappa will come to Japan to play next year!!! They have 3 concerts. The first one is on January 21st of 2008, which is Monday, at OSAKA ZEPP holding 720 seats and I have bought 2 tickets for the day. On the next day (2007-01-22. TUE) they will play at Tokyo, and on the day after (2008-01-23. WED) at Yokohama. And the special guests are Steve Vai and Ray White. Sadly enough is the missing/absence of Terry Bozzio.