- Jazzmosis recorded Frank Zappa's 'Blessed Relief' on their selftitled album
- SAF Publishing has another Zappa-related book coming out in June 2005: "Academy Zappa" by Ben Watson and Esther Leslie
 

NEW ZAPPA BOOTLEGS

• frank zappa: ave maria!
      (2005, 2cd-bootleg, germany, mmm)
   
  • A brand-new bootleg album on mmm records. The album presents the 1978/02/15 concert from Berlin, Germany.
    Soundboard quality.

• frank zappa: whole lotta franks
      (2005, 2cd-bootleg, germany, mmm)
   
  • Here's another mmm production. This time with two concerts: the 1980/06/21 Genève concert (Switzerland) and part of the 1980/06/01-early show- concert from Stockholm, Sweden.
    Great stuff for the fans of the 1980 band.

CHRIS OPPERMAN 2005/07/25

Episode #42: With a Little Help From My Friends
Order now at www.oppymusic.com!

• New York Recap

• Beyond the Foggy Highway Release Date Set for Tuesday, August 30th!

• SPECIAL OPPS Studio Session Update

New York Recap

Opperman's debut concert in New York City was a great success!  The band, which featured Opperman as well as Andre' Cholmondeley on electric guitar and vocals, Jeff Paitchell (from Opperman's hometown of Clifton, NJ) on electric guitar, Jordan "J-Ro" Shapiro on keyboards, Dave Johnsen on electric bass, and 18 year-old maniac Eric Slick on the drums, played the music with so much passion and fire that the excited audience couldn't help but love every second of it! 

They performed some of Opperman's most difficult music, including The 22nd Overture and The Park Bench Canal, as well as other compositions from all of Opperman's albums.  They also did a particularly smoking rendition of Tanya's Song (dedicated to Tanya Smith) and improvised a piece called Bender Dr., dedicated to a street in Clifton, NJ where Chris hung out a lot during his time off from college.  They also ended the concert with an exciting cover of Frank Zappa's composition Chunga's Revenge.  Baritone saxophonist C.J. DeAngelus (who has been playing Opperman's music since 1997) made a special guest appearance as did Dr. Dot on vocals (she was the one who suggested that Chris hire legendary Zappa cover band Project/Object to back him up for his NYC appearance).

Chris would like to thank all of the following people without whom the evening wouldn't have been nearly as successful: Andre' Cholmondeley, C.J. DeAngelus, Dr. Dot, Hugh Gilmartin @ Korg, Dave Johnsen, Kelda, Mike Keneally, Louis Lagonik, Daniel, Denise & Sarah Opperman, Kelvin Ortega, The Paitchell Family, the cast of Repo, Jordan Shapiro, Eric Slick, The Smith Family, The Thelin Family, John Von Achen, and Erin Woodward.

For those of you who would like to read more about the show, Chris has posted a blog entry at www.oppymusic.com about it.  Also, his sister //Sarah took some pictures which you can see at http://so.bitless.net/fotos/20050709_oppynyc/.  The drummer's mom wrote a blog entry of her own which you can see here: http://inherownwrite.blogspot.com/2005/07/chris-opperman-and-eric-slick-at-lions.html and finally, Dr. Dot wrote her own blog entry which you can read at www.myspace.com/drdot.  Whew!

The show was also videotaped and tape-recorded and snippets will be posted to www.oppymusic.com sometime soon.  Stay tuned for future tour dates!

Beyond the Foggy Highway Release Date Set for Tuesday, August 30th!

The artwork for Opperman's first live album, "Beyond the Foggy Highway," has been completed and will be sent off to the manufacturing plant this week.  The album will be officially released by Purple Cow Records on Tuesday, August 30th although those of you who pre-ordered the album will hopefully get yours a little early.  If you haven't pre-ordered the album yet, there is still time and all pre-orders will be autographed and will include a personalized sketch on the CD face by Chris Opperman.  Here is the ordering link:

http://www.madphat.com/cgi-bin/sc/order.cgi?storeid=*108b9149c9069a607f10&dbname=products&itemnum=3432&function=add

The live album features solo performances, duets with guitarist Andre LaFosse, and full band performances after the birth of Special Opps.  The musicians who appear on the album are Andre LaFosse on guitar, Jen Kuhn on electric cello, Isaac Slape on bass guitar, Kevin Dooley on drums, Kahlil Sabbagh on drums and vibraphone, Dann Friedman on tenor saxophone, Todd Carey on guitar, and Kat Parsons makes a special appearance singing her composition "To Return to You."

SPECIAL OPPS Studio Session Update

On Saturday, Special Opps cellist Jen Kuhn entered the studio to begin tracking her cello parts for the Special Opps studio album.  The session was produced by Opperman and engineered by Neil Citron at The Mothership Studios in Los Angeles.  You can read more about the session at www.oppymusic.com.

That's all for now!  Music is the best and more news will be coming soon.
 

THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED

• 2005/07/16 concert “vancouver folk music festival”, vancouver, canada
  • florentine pogen * lonely little girl * take your clothes off when you dance * what's the ugliest part of your body? * chunga's revenge * oh no * trouble every day * big swifty (including i come from nowhere, folsom prison blues, evelyn a modified dog, neon meate dream of an octafish, misty) * idiot bastard son * montana * watermelon in easter hay * andy * in the sky
     
• 2005/07/17 concert “vancouver folk music festival”, vancouver, canada
  • uncle meat (with freak-out ending) * t'mershi duween * the air * debra kadabra * carolina hardcore ecstacy * pygmy twylyte * sofa * village of the sun * echidna's arf * don't you ever wash that thing? (laura/america drinks, bowlegged woman, open the door richard) * san ber'dino * king kong * i'm the slime * twenty small cigars * pound for a brown * montana

FREAK OUT IN CUCAMONGA

40 Miles East of L.A.

Freak Out in Cucamonga

Surf, jazz, blues, and a little bit of rock n roll. A concert in honor of the studios that brought you Paul Buff, Frank Zappa, The Surfaris, Dino Dupree and The Pharaohs, The Tornadoes, The Chantays, and The Mothers of Invention.  
 

• 2005/07/30 - 7:00pm concert 'Chaffey College Theatre', Rancho Cucamonga, California, usa

Limited Seating. Only 250 Seats Available

For Tickets and more info: www.palstudioz.com

SPECIAL GUEST: Paul Buff

Featuring:

The Definiens Project

The Appollonicon

The Cucamonga Surf Dogs

Dino Dupree and the Pharaohs
 

I am the drummer for The Appollonicon, a group that was contemporaneous with and influenced by Frank Zappa. We've been asked to participate in a concert that will be in tribute to Paul Buff and Frank Zappa, operators of "Studio Z" in Cucamonga, CA, where Frank made many early recordings. We'll be playing Frank's ‘Peaches en Regalia’ in addition to other original compositions.
 

A Tribute to honor Studio Designer and Founder Paul C. Buff and the musicians who recorded classic and obscure records such as ‘Wipe Out’ by The Surfaris, ‘Queen of My Heart’ by Rey & Rene and Composer Frank Zappa’s seminal pop, jazz, classical and Musique Concrete productions. The event will be filmed as part of an upcoming documentary chronicling the Cucamonga studios that were operated by Paul Buff and Frank Zappa.

Performers will include: The Definiens Project, a chamber music group performing Zappa-inspired original compositions; The Appollonicon, a jazz rock fusion group, Dino Dupree and The Pharaohs, a Pal studios original band, and The Cucamonga Surf Dogs, a group of music historians and journalists specializing in Pal-era instrumental Surf Music recordings. The event will also feature many performers who actually recorded at Pal/Studio Z.

The event, “40 Miles East of L.A : Freak Out in Cucamonga” will be filmed as part of an upcoming documentary by Fiorenza’s and Miley’s Outside In Again Productions chronicling the Cucamonga studios designed by Buff in Rancho Cucamonga in 1957, and later purchased by Zappa and renamed Studio Z in 1964.

Featuring Buff’s custom -designed and hand-crafted technology such as the legendary five -track staggered-head recording machine, the studio represented one of the most groundbreaking recording studio designs of the time and anticipated future studio designs where the record producer was an active part of the creative process rather than a mere supervisor, said music historian/author John Blair.

The film will chronicle the Cucamonga studio years that issued such notable original versions of ‘Pipeline’ by The Chantays, ‘The Inebriated Surfer’ by The Hollywood Tornadoes and dozens of other tracks that surfaced on Zappa’s later work with the Mothers of Invention.

Pal/Studio Z recordings have also appeared on Zappa’s solo albums and recent compilations such as Cowabunga! The Surf Box produced by Blair, Zappa/Cucamonga recently released by Rhino Records and Zappa’s own “Mystery Disc” on Ryko Records.

Fiorenza and Miley began documenting the history of the Cucamonga studios in late 2003 that included the early career of Frank Zappa. They have uncovered numerous revelations about his early training as a producer with Buff, as well as insights to the creation of the Mothers of Invention by original band members.

Fiorenza and Miley said the documentary is expected to be released in early 2006.
 

SANDRO OLIVA - THE GRANDMOTHERS

And I don't know if this is a coincidence, but Peter Quinnell jumped in his archive a sent in his review of a 2000/09/25 Grandmothers concert:

JOE TRAVERS

Thanks to http://www.idiotbastard.supanet.com/you-call-that-news-/odyframe.htm
 

AHMET ZAPPA

SINISTER FOOTWARE

Chris says:

Yes, I am playing bass and vocals for "Sinister Footware" - doing nothing but Zappa covers...and having a great time doing it!

We have two guitars and drums - and continually looking for a keyboard player (damn hard to find someone willing it seems, been searching for four years now...but have decided recently to just start playing locally (Worcester area of Massachusetts, USA) without keys (a bit of a balls-y, if not stupid move - but we can't wait forever either)...everyone is anxious to get going!

We are doing most of the "hits" - Dirty Love, Cosmik Debris, Outside Now, I Am The Slime, etc...and TRY to cover a bit of something from each era....but, without boards - we are severly limited with song selections. We have managed a set of around 24 tunes though...a decent nights worth of material to wreak havoc on!!

SUL DIVANO

• 2005/07/27 radio concert "guillespi hotel rock & pop"

MORE COLIN TOWNS NDR BIGBAND

• 2004/06/25 german radio show, NDR

  • intro of ndr moderators * tuning$~star spangled banner~introduction$$ * peaches en regalia * eat that question * sound collage * let's make the water turn black * watermelon in easter hay * ndr moderator speaking * willie the pimp * king kong * pound for a brown * waka jawaka * stevie’s spanking * ndr moderator speaking * black napkins * bebop tango * g-spot tornado * ndr outro

  • $ w/ let's make the water turn black teases

  • $$ part of colin towns' sound collage

PROJECT/OBJECT

• 2005/02/02 concert 'bb king's', nyc, ny, usa
  • cruisin' for burgers * t'mershi duween * idiot bastard son * uncle meat * pound for a brown * montana * pound for a brown (repise) * duke of prunes * zoot allures * sleep dirt * big swifty
  • an excellent 44-minute recording of this show circulates

VIRTUOSI DAL PIANETA TALENTO

WEBCAST ZAPPANALE #16

Limited DVD project.

YOU ALLWAYS WANTED A COLLECTERS ITEM.

Here's your chance. The limited DVD project - Live at the Zappanale.

It's a project where DVD's are produced at the festival ground. Recorded live with four cameras and one director. In a few hours after the Show the live recorded DVD will be ready. But…there will be just a limited edition. 22 pieces of every performance. Each DVD will have a unique number like (1-22). Price € 20,-

Look for the condition on http://www.zappanale.de
 

ARF

• arf: wudn
      (2004, cd, switzerland, private release arf-002)
   
  • Those of you with a memory might recall me getting rather enthousiastic about the Swiss Arf-trio after their Zappanale appearance in 2004.
    "Wudn" is their second album (and yes, the entire storage box is made from wood!).
    It's a very fine and very powerful album. It's some sort of ProgRock, but it's too much Zappa and Primus inspired to be just that. I've been listening to the album five times in a row now (I can't get it out of my head, so I might just as well listen to it...), and the songs really grow on you. Fabulous stuff.
    The only track that's sung in German is 'Im Klo Eingesperrt' (Locked up in the toilet) and should be declared an instant classic.
     
  • Go for it.
    www.arftone.com
    
     

VOICE OF CHEEZ

• voice of cheez: mother's day love in
      (2005, 2cdr-pro, usa, private release)
   
  • The Voice Of Cheez did it again. Sharing the bill with Doctor Dark, they gave an excellent perfomance at Nietzsche's in Buffalo on Mother's Day (2005/05/07).
    For those of us who weren't able to attend (and you had to have a very good reason), the recording of this concert has been made available.
    The packaging of this 2CDR set looks great (congrats to the publishing departement) and the music sounds superb. And when I say 'superb', I really mean 'superb'. Zappa music asks for both good vocals and good musicianship, combined with a good sense of humour.
    And that's exactly what the Voice Of Cheez is all about.

• the voice of cheez website: http://users.adelphia.net/~kilissa/pages/voice_of_cheez.html

ADRIAN BELEW

• 1994/06/12 concert 'toad's place', new haven, ct, usa

  • fly * futurevision * inner revolution * the lone rhinoceros * i see you * never enough * rabbit manor * may 1, 1990 * superboy * matte kudasai * survival in the wild * big electric cat * young lions * elephant talk * peace on earth * burned by the fire we make * standing in the shadow * the momur * the rail song * heartbeat

  • a 98-minute audience recording of this concert circulates

COLIN TOWNS NDR BIG BAND

• 2005/02/25 german radio show, NDR

  • intro of ndr moderator * tuning$/star spangled banner/introduction$$ * peaches en regalia * eat that question * let's make the water turn black * watermelon in easter hay° * brown shoes don't make it * willie the pimp * king kong * pound for a brown° * waka/jawaka * stevie’s spanking * sinister footwear°° * outro of ndr moderator

  • $ w/ 'let's make the water turn black' teases
    $$ about that "just smells funny" - part: that's no transfer error, it was broadcasted exactly this way and is part of colin towns' sound collage
    ° ndr moderator speaking during the start of these tracks
    °° fade out by broadcast station at 03:40

  • = part of the 2004/05/31 concert
  • a 53-minute recording of this broadcast circulates

JOE CHICCARELLI

I know, it's an older article, and it's all technical shop talk, but it's Joe Chiccarelli:

Universal Audio WebZine
Volume 2, Number 1, February 2004
 

Analog Dialog: The Kind Producer, Joe Chiccarelli

--Interview by Marsha Vdovin
 

“I find that the new 1176s are better for vocals because the old ones are grittier. The new ones are cleaner, more open, and just sweeter on tape.”

Joe is well known for having worked with Frank Zappa at a young age and recently did an amazing job remixing the Zappa Halloween LIVE album in 5.1 surround for DTS Entertainment. Dweezil Zappa tapped Joe to remix the live show that Joe had originally recorded in 1978.

People often focus on the Zappa work in interviews, but Joe’s engineering, mixing and producing credits are quite varied and eclectic. He’s worked with Beck, U2, Elton John, The Stranglers, Shawn Colvin, Rickie Lee Jones, Kronos Quartet, Cafe Tacuba, Lamb, The Offspring and some of my favorite records by American Music Club (that still make me cry.) Joe is excited about new releases that come out in March from new Warners’ artist Mandy Kane as well as a new independent artist named Peter Walker.

Joe and I got together recently for a chat when Joe was in San Francisco mixing some songs for the new Vanessa Carlton record. He’s such a nice guy he shared some of his secret techniques with me.

Joe Chiccarelli owns several vintage UA hardware units, an LA-2A, a couple of LA-3As and a couple of 1176s but he has worked with many of the new units as well. Does he see a difference between the vintage units and the reissues? “They are slightly different. I think the new hardware is subtly different and there’s pluses and minuses. To be honest, I think the new stuff is cleaner, quieter and retains more high fidelity than the old stuff. I think the old stuff has more distortion and color. Some times I like the new hardware more and sometimes I prefer the old hardware. I find that the new 1176s are better for vocals because the old ones are grittier. The new ones are cleaner, more open, and just sweeter on tape.”

“The new LA-2As don’t darken as much as the old ones. When you compress the old LA-2As a lot, they get really dark, which is kind of cool sometimes and works in your favor. If you have a vocalist that’s really harsh and has a lot of dynamic range, when they get up in the upper register they can get a little nasty sounding. If you get a compressor that kills that a little, it works in your favor. But other times you may have a vocalist that you just want to compress a tiny bit, but all of sudden they hit a peak… you lose a little air on the top end. The new ones don’t do that as much. The time constants are a little different is my guess.”

“I don’t’ want to dissuade anyone from buying a new unit because I think they are really cool. I’ve been mixing a couple of projects on new units recently. I always use them on vocals. When I’m mixing, I’ll usually have an LA-2a or LA-3A on the vocal on the insert and I’ll compress a little (2 or 3 db) but then I send it via a bus to an 1176. It’s always an 1176, and I compress it a fair amount and blend a tiny bit of that in with the relatively uncompressed vocal and that helps sort of beef it up a bit without sounding too compressed. The only thing I found that works is the 1176 because it does seem to fatten it up and give it some character. It seems to help hold the vocal up there really big in the track. I’ve tried it with other things like a vocal compressor or DBX and nothing works quite the way that the 1176 does. So for this kind of ‘double buss compression’, I think the 1176 works perfectly.”

Joe is building a personal studio at Cello (formerly Western Recorders) in LA. Why there? “That’s my favorite studio in LA, actually one of my favorites in the world. Because it was designed by Bill Putnam Sr. I find that Putnam-designed rooms sound incredibly natural and are embarrassingly easy to record in. For my taste, Cello studio 1 is the best. You can put up any microphone in that room and it just sounds great. And I’m talking about either a rock band or an orchestral recording; it just sounds great in that room. No matter what you do in studio 1, I just love the way it sounds. And that goes for all of his rooms, there’s just something natural about the ambience. It just seems that the approach he took to building all those rooms was very smart, and I know nothing about his design philosophies. It just seems like he paid some attention to some basic acoustic principles and then made sure that instruments sounded like they were supposed to in the room and that’s the first step for any great recording is that the instruments have to sound in their natural environment before you even turn a microphone.”

And of course, Joe is going to be buying some UA hardware to add to the arsenal for his new room at Cello.

--Interview by Marsha Vdovin

BRUCE BICKFORD

TRUBEE'S TRIP TO THE ART MUSEUM

Many of Ruscha's works incorporate text directly onto the artwork; many of his paintings are solely comprised of a word or words painted onto a flat surface.

I was intrigued by the work. My favorite times of day are the dawn and the dusk because they look eerie and strange and beautiful. They almost let us observe time itself move as the sun traverses the horizon. The image of the artwork and its title remained in my mind for weeks afterward as I contemplated it.

I then realized that the painting could just as surely be a depiction of twilight as it could be of a dawn, and the connection to which part of the day it depicted in relation to its title further revealed its significance.

In this country we like to appear optimistic, we nurture the notion that better days populate our future, we maintain some archaic 19th century notion of "progress" taking us up on higher to better things. To live without this quaint hope, however delusional, would make life unbearable to most people. Politicians like to say "America's best days are ahead of us". To publicly declaim otherwise would be career death for a politician. We like to call ourselves a nation of optimists.

This mindset is probably why I automatically assumed Ruscha's glowing horizon depicted the dawn.

But what if the painting 'America's Future' depicts the final glowing of a glorious day descending into a darkness reigned over by hideous demons? What if all the best years of this country are behind us as we degenerate into evening shadows of corruption, decadence, hypocrisy, loss of treasure and wealth, loss of vaunted myths with no new ones to supercede them, loss of youth, loss of spirit, loss of will, loss of hope, loss of life?

In light of the recent contentious national election, the controversy over the bloody debacle in Iraq, the numerous publicized corporate scandals mocking the virtues of capitalism and the work ethic as taught to us by our elders and right-thinking people everywhere; in light of the of the sorry absence of civility and intelligence in public debate; in light of the humongous national debt and obscene trade deficit and grotesquely widening gulf between the haves and the have-nots; in light of public education's failure to graduate crops of thoughtful citizens capable of making intelligent contributions to their culture and world and civic life; in light of the commodification of everything into a business transaction in which we are merely passive, sheeplike consumers of what we've been told and sold and nothing more—and its resultant effect visually evident in the obesity epidemic; in light of the depressing lack of sense of humor and the worship of rules which everyone so desperately lusts to cram down everybody else's throat; in light of sex as once something joyful and desirable now transmogrified into something that Michael Jackson does to little boys--or is a threat to the workplace and consequently YOUR JOB and livelihood--or which will kill us with an incurable contagion--or is the source of Dr. Laura's shrill, odious dictates; in light of the mindless worship of celebrities and the constant need for insipid diversions and entertainments while profound issues continually elude serious and intelligent public discussion; in light of the politicized fearmongering of the Homeland Security apparatus condescending to us as if we are all weak and helpless infants vulnerable to dark forces and submissive to the will of an inept and mendacious government; in light of the universal vulgarity and stupidity  and lack of civility enveloping us everywhere in daily life...

--I could safely state that Ruscha's painting 'America's Future' could just as clearly be depicting its twilight as well as its dawn. I have not decided for myself and I am still contemplating it and it's doubtful I'll ever arrive at a definitive answer. My lifetime and perceptions are necessarily stunted and limited in observing the lifeline and overarching history of the republic.

This is why I love art. The artist creates an object, an image, a song, a work, a collection of words strung together in a poem or a novel and posits it before the world. What we get out of it is a reflection of what we bring into it. The idiosyncratic matrix of our experiences and memories and temperament and world view color what meaning or significance we discover in an art object.
Its significance results from how our minds perceive the art object in the dynamic interplay between our minds and the image-form so deftly spun into existence by the artist.

I remember my mother once took me on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York when I was a child. She realized my interest in art even then.

I do not know Ruscha's intent nor do I care. I saw a beautiful work in a museum and its meaning for me resulted from viewing it through the prism of my experiences and perceptions. It set me to thinking about things I would not have otherwise considered.

Art is the religion of the future.
 

PETER WOLF

• peter wolf: a change in my life
      (1969, lp, usa, wm 20006)
• gipsy love: here we come
      (1972, lp, usa, pan 87 053 it) - feat. peter wolf

THE RESIDENTS

Around the same time, "Animal Lover" got released as a deluxe vinyl edition,

and "Live At The Fillmore", a much sought-after double CD, has been rereleased.

TRUBEE

        "Those who rely overmuch on the opinions of others to circumscribe their behavior lack an interior, integrated moral compass to inform their decisions."
                                                                     
--John Trubee

      "It is essential to not allow yourself to be dominated by those whose hierarchy of values is contrary to or alien to your own--otherwise you'll discover that you've allowed a great deal of your life time and energy to be wasted for nothing."

--John Trubee

   "Nature does not give a damn about your fear of death, your hypocritical squeamishness regarding sex, and your stupidly contrived morality."

--John Trubee
 

ZAPPA DISCOGRAPHY

the Official FZ Discography

70. FZ: OZ
71. Halloween
72. Joe's Corsage
73. Joe's Domage
74. QuAUDIOPHIILIAc
75. Joe's Corsaga #3

It's a bit bizarre that the discography has two 'mistakes' (?): Joe's Garage acts I, II & III counts as a number, and I couldn't find LSO vol.I..., but still, Joe's Corsaga #3, should be number 75.
 

PETULANT FRENZY

"Petulant Frenzy (known as either PF or The Frenzy) rose from the ashes of another FZ coverband, Tweezerglint, whose only real claim to fame was Mike Keneally's assertion that "Tweezerglint" was the best FZ covers band name he'd ever heard.
The Frenzy started in mid 1998, and has been going more or less continuously ever since, averaging about 4 gigs a year, drummers permitting.
There's no particular emphasis on any one style or period of Frank's work – anything is up for grabs and wide-open to whatever interpretation we feel like giving it. The basic idea is to give the flavour of a Frank gig with an approach that veers from faithful reproduction to utter irreverance.

Check out our getting-towards-finished web site at http://www.petulantfrenzy.com and listen to the couple of downloads that are there."
 

INFO FROM SINCLAIR LOTT

It was essentially a "cattle call" that lasted four or five days that every drummer in Los Angeles showed up at, and many more flew to LA for. Everyone played the same kit. I heard a lot of guys that lasted less that 30 seconds. Frank would stop the band if he wasn't hearing what he wanted, thank the guy, and move on to the next drummer.

When I got up there he quickly told me the rhythmic subdivision of the tune, which as I recall was odd groupings of 2's and 3's. I don't remember exactly, but it wasn't in 4/4.

After we finished the first tune, he counted off another. When we finished that, he gave me a copy of the Black Page and asked me if I could sight read it. I said, "Sure, no problem," which was complete BS. I'd never heard it, and had no intentions of sounding like crap while hacking my way through a piece like that.

Anyway, he told me to hang around and later asked me if I could start rehearsals in a few days. We rehearsed all the material that came out on "You Are What You Is" and then Frank called and said he had someone else that would do the gig.
It was a bit of a blow but within three weeks I was touring Europe and recording with Freddie Hubbard’s quintet.
I'm playing professionally in Los Angeles, and will release a CD of my material this September."
 

THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

-- info: Steve Everett / Jim Denikos
 

CHRIS OPPERMAN 2005/06/27

[Chris Opperman Mailing List - Monday, June 27th, 2005]

Episode #41: Oppy Takes Manhattan
Order now at http://www.oppymusic.com/.

• Oppy @ The Lion's Den in NYC, Saturday, July 9th @ 9:30 PM

• "Beyond the Foggy Highway" Preview on MySpace

• Belgian Review of "Concepts of Non-linear Time"

Oppy @ The Lion's Den in NYC, Saturday, July 9th @ 9:30 PM

Opperman will be making his debut New York City performance in front of over 100 of his biggest fans on July 9th with the debut of the East Coast version of his band SPECIAL OPPS featuring several members of legendary Frank Zappa cover band Project/Object as well as a graduate from Paul Green's School of Rock (http://www.schoolofrock.com/).  They will be performing a long set consisting of fan favorites from all of Opperman's albums including the upcoming SPECIAL OPPS studio album as well as selected compositions by two of Opperman's mentors, Steve Vai and Mike Keneally.

The band will feature Chris Opperman on piano, Andre' Cholmondeley on electric guitar, Jeff Paitchell (from Opperman's hometown of Clifton, NJ) on guitar, Jordan "J-Ro" Shapiro on keyboards, Dave Johnsen on bass guitar, and 19 year-old phenom Eric Slick on drums. 

"I realize that some of you have been waiting 7 years for this concert and that some of you are traveling long distances and planning your vacations around this event.  I just want you to know that the band and myself are just as excited about this concert and this music as you are and that we are going to have one hell of a music party.  It is an honor and a privilege to finally be able to bring this music home and we will all be playing like we've never played before.  Get ready to have a great time!"

To order your tickets, go to http://www.cegmusic.musictoday.com/LionsDen/calendar.aspx.  The show is 18+ and tickets are $10 each. 

"Beyond the Foggy Highway" Preview on MySpace

Last week, mastering engineer Scott Chatfield burned the final master for Opperman's fourth album, "Beyond the Foggy Highway."  Also, local LA artist T.J. Moore completed two paintings for the artwork.  Once the graphic design phase is completed and the mechanical licenses are signed, the album will be sent to the manufacturing plant and will be showing up in your mailboxes!  Currently, there is an exclusive preview up on MySpace.com at www.myspace.com/chrisopperman which features 4 of the compositions on the album.  At 65 minutes, it clocks in as Opperman's longest effort to date and includes 17 songs which feature all of his Los Angeles ensembles from 2002-2004.

The album can be pre-ordered from http://www.oppymusic.com/.  All pre-orders will be individually signed and numbered and will include a unique one-of-a-kind sketch on the CD face by Chris Opperman.

Belgian Review of "Concepts of Non-linear Time"
by Peter Van Laarhoven of Vosselaar, Belgium for United Mutations

"Concepts of Non-linear Time" is Chris Opperman's latest album.  Or as the liner notes say: "This album is dedicated to everyone who has player or performed my music in the past, present and future."

This is one great album.  It's contemporary, modern music, combining very fine compositions with superb playing.  If you are familiar with Opperman's previous albums, you will probably be glad to hear that the grand piano still is the main instrument on this album.  Chris' playing is astonishing.  Just listen to "The Saddle Ranch" where he (and Mike Keneally) will take you for a rodeo ride, using various rhythmic and melodic elements.  Beautiful.

My favourite tracks are "The Walls are Coming Down" and "Dora's Aura," both featuring excellent vibraphone work by Ben Adams.  Mini-Moog fans on the other hand (and who isn't one) will be glad to hear that Marc Ziegenhagen is also present.  He does some rather psychedlic things on "Reviving Aeris."  Highly recommended.

JOHN TRUBEE'S BUMPER STICKER

STEVE VAI

• 2005/10/13 Steve Vai – concert Vilnius, Lithuania - Ice Hall
• 2005/10/14  Steve Vai – concert Riga, Latvia - Venue To Be Announced...
• 2005/10/28  Steve Vai – concert Strasbourg, France - Laiterie
• 2005/10/29 Steve Vai – concert Paris, France - Bataclan
• 2005/10/30 Steve Vai – concert Clermont Ferrand, France - Coop de Mai
• 2005/10/31 Steve Vai – concert Istres, France – Usines

ICEBREAKER

JOHN TRUBEE

I have recently been distressed by various newspaper reports unfairly maligning the entire breed of pit bull dogs. Whatever unfortunate events that are alleged to have occurred regarding incidents with this noble canine breed have been greatly exaggerated if not entirely fabricated.

As a lover of humanity and warm defender of our canine friends, I have evolved a new program to promote greater understanding between the canine and human species.

It has come to my attention that Sonoma County Animal Control authorities have quarantined 10 pit bulls rescued from meth labs run by several motorcycle gangs in Northern California and that these dogs were trained to act as guard dogs by their owners.
Although highly aggressive and territorial in nature, the dogs, I have been repeatedly assured by their former owners (now in county jail on various narcotics and assault-related charges) are "as sweet as little children and good-natured pets that love kids".

To help reverse the unfair maligning of the noble pit bull breed, I have arranged to have these pit bulls visit several area day care centers to be petted and fed by the little toddlers. The little
toddlers will feed raw ground beef with their hands directly to the pit bulls in order to foster care, trust, and understanding between dog and human. The little toddlers will then be instructed on how to bathe and dry and pamper the pit bulls--we will have several wash tubs and drying stations set up for such a purpose---to teach the toddlers how similar their animal friends are to us humans. The little toddlers will then dry and brush down the pit bulls to further the bonding and healing process.

Please--won't you help? Simply send cash donations care of:

THE HUMAN & PIT BULL COMPASSION
AND UNDERSTANDING PROJECT

Thank you for your time and support.

John Trubee
PO Box 4921
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
USA
 

COOLMAN

"Let´s Make The Water Turn Black" by Coolman, feat.Marlon A. on bassotronics.
Recorded on a cool summer evening in Hamburg.

A recording of this track circulates...
 

"NEW" ZAPPA RELEASES

PHISH

"A minor flaw of this site is that it only lists some old CD bootlegs which include Phish's version of "Peaches En Regalia."
Now it is available on an official download from their 12/1/94 show (http://www.livephish.com/show.asp?show=359) and can also be found via unofficial download from bt.etree.org and other places.

Pat Buzby
Chicago, IL "

So I added this "official downloadable album" to the Phish entry, plus some sort of discography up to 2000 (thanx to Danny Mathys).

BTW, did you know:

"In the summer of 1994, via a radio interview, Phish announced that they would take votes from phans about what album to play for the second set of Halloween of that year. The Beatles' White Album won by a long shot, though with only circa 50 votes (and there were reportedly very few votes overall).
The voting was repeated but fudged for 1995: Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage got the most votes, but with insanely complex overdubs, potentially offensive lyrics, and several tunes (esp. Watermelon in Easter Hay) that Zappa had requested never be performed live again, the band (after learning a considerable amount of it) decided they just couldn't make it sound like it should and chose to instead play Quadrophenia (which reportedly came in second in the voting)."
(From: http://www.phish.net/PhishFAQ/lhallown.html)
 

THE CONSERVATORY OF ROTTERDAM AFRO-CUBAN BIGBAND

-- info: Martin

Line-up:
Bobby Sanabria (director)

About this act:
Also The North Sea Jazz Festival welcomes once again a Dutch student big band of great stature. This year the Rotterdam Conservatory presents a latin program performed by the Afro-Cuban Big Band, a jazz big band with a latin rhythm section, completed with (coro) vocals. The formation is led by Bobby Sanabria, former drummer of the Maurio Bauza Big Band. He also teaches at the Manhattan School of Music and The New School in New York.

And Bobby Sanabria had been mentioned before in the UM pages. He also directs (or directed) the New School Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (that also performed Zappa pieces...).
 

MATS / MORGAN BAND

2005/04/22 concert tallin jazz festival / estonia

• daisy * en schizofrens dagbok * propeller hoest * sinus * la barrette * ta ned trasan * jf's tati car * coco * thanks for flying with us * hollmervalsen * paltsug
• this concert got broadcast live on Estonian Radio

ZAPPA IN BUDAPEST

"Zappa in Budapest" - we made a tiny remembering on FZ's visit here:

http://www.zappa.hu/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=136

enjoy!!!

-- B

(and it includes some very nice mp3 stuff to download as well)
 

MORIS TEPPER

• moris tepper: moth to mouth
      (2001, cd, usa, candlebone records)
   

• moris tepper: big enough to disappear
      (1994, cd, usa, candlebone records)
   
• moris tepper: head off
      (2004, cd, usa, candlebone records)
   
  • Those of you who visit UM occasionally, know that much of it is about discographical data. So here are some Moris Tepper albums (with pictures of the covers).

FRANK ZAPPA & LA DÎNETTE DE CHROME

• frank zappa & la dinette de chrome
  by christophe delbrouck
      (2005, book, france, éditions du castor astral)
   
  • Here is part two of Christophe Delbrouck's excellent trilogy on Frank Zappa. Counting almost 400 pages, this volume takes an in-depth look at Zappa's seventies. The albums, the different compositions, the musicians, they all pass in review.
    I probably told you this last time and I will repeat it once more: this series of books is just the reason you need to brush up your French vocabulary. If this book (or this series of books) had been published in English, it would be on the shelf of every Zappa / Mothers fan.
     
  • ISBN: 2-85920-604-3
     
  • And the magnificent cover illustration is by French comic book artist Jean Solé.

   

MAMA KANGAROOS

• various artists: mama kangaroos
      (2005, cd, usa, genus records)
   
  • It must have been somewhere around 2002 when I first heard about "Mama Kangaroos", the all female Captain Beefheart tribute album. Winterbrief released 'The Past Sure Is Tense' as some sort of sneak preview on their "Unwrapped" 7", and then, everything became silent...
    Three years later, "Mama Kangaroos" finally sees the light of day and it was well worth the waiting. This is one of the most refreshing albums that I have heard in a long while. Subtitled "Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart", the disc presents an exquisite selection of Philladelphia female artists. I really like what they do with Van Vliet's material. Having a woman (or women) sing a Beefheart track, gives it quite a different feeling, another drive. Much work has been put in the arrangements as well. Every track proves that the Captain's music is timeless, especially when it's performed by artists like Sweetie (sounds like a club remix), Global Transmission (beautiful multiple vocal lines), The Big Mess Orchestra (Chaotic Big Band sound), The Voices Of Africa (a vocal quintet that gets real close to Beefheart's powerful voice), Jane Gilday (vocals and banjo), and many, many more.
    
    This is essential listening!
     
  • www.genusrecords.com
     

WHATCHAMACALLIT

• 2005/08/13 concert eeklo, belgium
   

• 2005/08/27 concert ertvelde, belgium

Check  www.whatchamacallit.be
 

CAL SCHENKEL

From: "Cal Schenkel"
Date: July 9, 2005
Subject: Original Cal Schenkel Album Artwork

Hi--

Moving to Florida ...hurricanes be damned!
(& I ain't going to raise up no orange flavored dentil floss)

Need extra $$ for moving expenses so I am making this

VERY LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER!

Original Cal Schenkel album artwork
--hand painted album cover of your choice

==========Only $2000.00==========

Regular Price: $4000.00

LIMITED AVAILABILITY at this price!

---Payment plan available

Details with photos on my website:

www.RALF.com
--click on Special Offer!

Other covers not illustrated also available.

prices & availability subject to change.

ACT FAST--THIS IS A RARE ONE-TIME SPECIAL OFFER!

call or write: 215 659-9039 <calvin at ralf dot com>

p.s. to all my friends in Florida--
If you have a little piece of swampland for sale, let me know!

Thanks for your time.
--calvin
 

STEVE VAI BLINDFOLD RADIO SHOW - EXTRA EXTRA

• 2005/07/11 radio show "blindfold test", radio 4, nps, the netherlands
   
• 2005/07/12 radio show "spotlight", radio 4, nps, the netherlands

THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED
@ THE VANCOUVER MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Grande Mothers - To Play Vancouver Music Festival

7/1/05 - Los Angeles - Hot off the heels of a successful U.S. mini-tour, The Grande Mothers, featuring ex-members of Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, are alive and well and playing a series of selected concerts in Canada and Europe summer 2005. The Grande Mothers, showcasing the talents of Zappa alumni, Napoleon Murphy Brock (lead vocals, tenor sax, woodwinds and choreography), Don Preston (vocals, keyboards and transformations), and Roy Estrada (vocals, bass and pachuco falsetto), along with Chris Garcia (drums, percussion and vocals) and Ken Rosser (guitar and all the difficult Zappa licks) promise a night of thorough entertainment, featuring virtuosic playing, bizarre humor and the performance of many Zappa/Mothers beloved compositions; not only re-creating the music as was originally written and produced, but also breathing new life into it as well! Get ready to hear such Zappa penned classics as I Am The Slime, Muffin Man, Florentine Pogen, Andy, Trouble Everyday and many, many more.

The tour dates are as followed: July 15 - 17 - Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Vancouver, B.C.
(The Grande Mothers will be touring Europe Aug 11 - 19th, 2005. The dates and venues will be announced soon.)
The Grande Mothers have been performing worldwide continuously throughout the 2000's and have a CD release on Warner Classics (Germany) entitled A Grandmothers Night At The Gewandhaus, which documents the band's performance in Leipzig on March 27, 2003. (The CD is available on www.amazon.com)

Most recently, band member Napoleon Murphy Brock has appeared in a new movie called Rock School, which also features two songs from his latest solo CD release Balls, in the soundtrack. For more information:
www.914pictures.com
www.rockschoolthemovie.com

For more information on The Grand Mothers summer tour dates and activities, check out the official website:
www.thegrandmothers.com

THE KENEALLIST, 20050707

People of Earth!  This is Mike Keneally hurling words toward you!

A THANKS AND A HELLO TO MY DAD AND MOM AND EVERYONE

My father was born on July 4 so I was thinking a lot about him this week, specifically about the unwavering support shown to me by him and my mom (Hi Mom!) while I was developing musically as a kid.  Actually, I got to thinking about it because I feel so much acceptance and support now from the people who come to my shows and listen to my albums – I realize how lucky I am, and I don't take it for granted.  Anyway it was my parents who first taught me what unconditional love was about, so this is just a little of what the kids would call a "shout-out" to my folks, and a Happy Birthday to my dad.

REGARDING THE GUITAR THERAPY TOUR

We managed to complete what ended up being perhaps our most rewarding tour ever, musically and therapeutically (if fairly nightmarish logistically and financially).   We offer very humble thanks to everyone who helped to make it happen and most especially all of the fine people who attended the shows.  And I heap love upon Bryan, Rick and Joe for playing so beautifully night after night. And additional love upon Pieter van Hoogdalem for miraculous tour managing.

Look!; Bryan posted the following to alt.music.mike-keneally:

"Everyone-
I just got home after a month away on the road (I went off to Europe to do the Steve Vai/NPS/Metropol orchestra thing right after the Guitar Therapy tour was over)...and I wanted to thank everyone who came out to see the Guitar Therapy tour. It was the usual manic Keneally experience, and if I missed anyone who was at the shows for one reason or another, I apologize.
But the music was super-intense, as good as it's ever been. Sooner or later I'll get around to documenting it.
But for right now I'm asking my usual favor - anyone have any audience recordings of any of the shows? If so, I sure would appreciate a copy (audio only preferable) to be sent to:

Bryan Beller
Onion Boy Records
19425-B Soledad Canyon Rd. #330
Canyon Country, CA  91351
USA

Thanks to anyone who can help me out here, and to everyone who came to the shows.

For the record, my favorite shows were, in this order: Cambridge (for me, this was the killer by far, and a lot of people saw it), Santa Fe (which no one saw), and Cincinnati (even though it was so loud it hurt). Special mention to New York, which had its own special energy because the crowd was sooooo crazy and also because we were two hours late getting there.

BB"

MK here again -- I should like to add to this that, in addition to sending all your AUDIO to Beller, we at Exowax would love to receive copies of any VIDEO documents you may have from the tour.  In particular, someone who I can't remember now videotaped the Cambridge show which Beller references above, and we'd love to get our hands on that.  But we want whatever you may have.  (Thanks to Dave Foster who videotaped all the shows from Chicago to Buffalo, and to Brian Brodeur and Steve Hart of New York DVD, Chad Hutchinson, Matt Urban, Mike Potter and everyone who captured audio and video for the Sellersville gig.)  The DVD we put together for this tour will contain a lot of the pro-shot Sellersville material, but we also want to include the most essential of the more guerilla type of footage.

So please send your audio to the Beller address above, and your video to the following address:

Exowax Recordings
PO Box 232623
Leucadia, CA 92023-2623
USA

Thank you.  Thank you.

UPCOMING BAKED POTATO SHOW WILL BE RECORDED FOR POSSIBLE RELEASE

We would not and could not pass up the chance to make a fine-ass recording of the current Mike Keneally Band, just off the road, at its first hometown gig since the tour, thus:

Mike Keneally Band
(Mike Keneally, Bryan Beller, Rick Musallam, Joe Travers)
2005/07/30 concert 'The Baked Potato', North Hollywood, CA, USA
(818) 980-1615 * Open at 7:00 p.m. * Shows: 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m

The audio will be captured in full multi-track glory by our friend Tim Pinch, a superb engineer who's done fine work for us in the past.  The band is terrifying right now and the result will be killing. 

WINE AND PICKLES, AND A SONG FOR PETER TIEHUIS

Presently I'm working on a composition to be performed by Peter Tiehuis, guitarist for the Metropole Orkest (the orchestra who played on The Universe Will Provide).  Peter will be backed by the Metropole for a performance of songs commissioned from a variety of writers (including George Duke and John Scofield and several other very notables).  My contribution doesn't have a title yet but I'm severely happy with how it's turning out.

After I get that done I'll be working on some new music for a compilation CD of acoustic music – I don't know how much detail I'm allowed to discuss publicly about this special project so I'll clam up about i