Who IS The REAL Frank Zappa, Anyway?

Posted on August 22, 2010 by urbangraffito

Sometimes I am quite delighted to discover a fan-made Frank Zappa video like the one posted above. It reinforces my belief that the future of FZ’s public image is in the right hands: creative, open-minded, technology embracing hands. This is how I always envisioned Zappa’s legacy being spread.
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Posted in Alumni, Bizarre, Frank Zappa, Miscellany, Music, Personal, Pop Cult, YouTubery, Zappa Family Trust, Zappanale | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Captain Beefheart Symposium

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas will conduct a Beefheart Symposium at The Magic Room, Brighton, MA, on Friday Sept. 10th:

Gary Lucas, who has been called “a modern guitar miracle” (Rolling Stone), “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” (The New Yorker) and “One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists” will give a lecture and musical demonstration devoted to his mentor and childhood hero Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart.

Gary will show rare video footage of the man and the band, delve into his complex artistic oeuvre as both a composer — by performing some of his fiendishly difficult solo guitar compositions live — and as a painter by showing slides of his formidable paintings and drawings.

Funny little note at the end: “No one under 18 years old will be admitted.”

Posted in Alumni, Captain Beefheart, Music | Tagged | 6 Comments

Defending Zappa?

Posted on August 18, 2010 by alex

In my youth, I felt like I had an easier time introducing my friends to Zappa. I used to simply play “Bobby Brown Goes Down,” because when you’re 14 or 15 years old, it’s the funniest thing you could possibly hear. It had swear words in it, he was making fun of the jocks we all collectively hated, and it was catchy as Hell! Similar cases could be made for other tunes like “Stick It Out,” “Catholic Girls,” and “Jewish Princess.”
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Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Politics, Pop Cult | 44 Comments

KUR’s 2nd Annual Virtual Zappanale Mix

Posted on August 16, 2010 by urbangraffito

Welcome to KUR’s 2nd Annual Virtual Zappanale Mix for August 2010. For those of us who cannot make it to this year’s festival in Bad Doberan, I have compiled an eclectic mix of some of my favorite FZ covers by well known alumni – and some other not so well known. On this virtual stage, time and space does not matter as acts appear fresh from 1969, while others are temporarily brought back from the hereafter for just one more kick at the can, so to speak, all together in one mix. Of course, I’d love to be there in Bad Doberan, and perhaps I will go there one day, myself. Until then, enjoy the music of the maestro. And the spirit of the Mothers…

Click here to listen to the mixtape.

Note: my sincerest appreciation and thanks to Andrew Greenaway and MagicFingers for their assistance in the compiling of this mixtape.

Posted in Alumni, Community, Frank Zappa, Mike Keneally, Miscellany, Personal, Zappa Plays Zappa, Zappanale | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Asphalt Orchestra – Bang On A Can

Posted on August 9, 2010 by urbangraffito

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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Posted in Frank Zappa, In The News, Miscellany, Music, Pop Cult, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Best FZ Covers: Orchestra Percussion

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Balint


A beautiful arrangement by Orchestra Percussion, the actual concert was in Meyzieu, France, november 2009 – I especially love the extreme slow tempo. Like this? You might also want to see RDNZL, Let’s Make The Water Turn Black, We Are Not Alone, or Peaches!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Holiday in Berlin e ancora Zappa

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

YouTuberer microsei:

First part of a fantastic Zappa Suite by Orchestra Spaziale Italiana directed by Giorgio Casadei, genial Zappa arrangements at Malè “non Sole Jazz” Festival close to Dolomite Mountains

Part two, part three.

Hat tip: @evaristo

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Spotlight, Swedish TV, 1971

Posted on August 6, 2010 by urbangraffito

While in Stockholm, Sweden on December 4th, 1971 during a short European tour, Frank Zappa and The Mothers appeared on the Swedish TV show entitled “Spotlight“. The 34 minute broadcast had interviews with Zappa mingled with music clips from 200 Motels [“This Won’t Take Long”, “The Final Solution”, “Centerville”] and included performances of “The Air”, “Dog Breath”, “Mother People”, “You Didn’t Try To Call Me”, “King Kong”, and “Who Are The Brain Police?” from Palais Gaumont, Paris, France on December 15th, 1970.
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Posted in Bizarre, Community, Frank Zappa, Interview, Jean-Luc Ponty, Miscellany, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Zappa & Zin

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Next August 24, The Ed Palermo Big Band will be playing at the City Winery, which is cool because they’re one of the superior FZ tributes out there IMHO — but there’s a twist:

As the night progresses we will find opportunities to pair Zappa tunes with a selection of world-class wines that pair with the different period and themes of Frank’s career. The wine focus of this educational and entertaining night will be Zinfandel, a truly original American wine with its roots in the Old World, but a product of the hard work of immigrants, just as Zappa created a truly unique and original sound from his humble beginnings.

If you’re looking to try new wines and exotic liquors like sanh ruou, you may explore the website of QKAWine.

Cute, though I’d personally prefer a beer themed venue: a nice Duvel to kick things off with Titties ‘n Beer, a lovely Grimbergen to go with Cruisin’ For Burgers perhaps — oh the possibilities!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Heh Heh, Music, Personal | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Frank Zappa – Sleeping In A Jar (Animated)

Posted on August 1, 2010 by urbangraffito

This piece of early animation set to “Sleeping In A Jar” excerpted from the Swedish TV program ‘Spotlight: Stockholm, Sweden‘ originally broadcast on December 4, 1971, begins and ends with Frank Zappa’s commentary on the possibility of the merging of music and animation mediums in advertising. Given the date, era and technology, it is truly amazing how much of a witting futurist Zappa was with MTV and music videos another ten years away, and the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web another ten years after that.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Interview, Miscellany, Music, Pop Cult, Visual Arts, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments