Short bits:

 * * * Two new Zappa bootleg CDs have been announced: "Volare" and "Synclavier Music". This latter one might be the Resolver & Brutality recording that turned up recently. * * *
 * * *  Hans Vandenburg's latest project is called Dierenpark. They have an album out, called "Slip-Tong" on which you can hear a 'Peaches En Regalia' intro drum roll for about two seconds... * * * 
 * * * Jan Donkers wrote a book called "Mijn Muziek" (My Music) that includes a 9-page chapter on Zappa & the Mothers Of Invention. The back of the book has a picture of FZ on it. * * * 
* * * The Ed Palermo Big Band has a new album scheduled on Cuneiform, called "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" - all Zappa material * * *

nieuwe duke:

KNACK FOCUS

• knack focus
      (2006/05/24, mag, belgium)
  
  • Knack Focus, the Knack supplement, edition May 24, included an illustration as a promo for the Zappa plays Zappa tour.
    
    • Illustration by Karl.

HUMO

• humo
      (2006/05/16, mag, belgium)
  
  • The May 16 issue of weekly Belgian magazine Humo included a four-page article on the Zappa plays Zappa tour.
    
    • "Zappa & zonen: de rechtmatige erfgenamen over leven en dood met Frank" by Jurgen Beckers;
    • "Frank Zappa: een handleiding" by CP & SVB.

Better Sound in Small Packages

posted at affz by hoodoo

Better Sound in Small Packages

By MICHEL MARRIOTT
Published: May 25, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/technology/25sound.html

Not long ago, Pamela Henning, an executive at a New York-based film company, listened to her music over an expensive stereo system loaded with 2,000 of her favorite CD's. But, she said recently, it was a bit too much to handle. She bought a five-CD changer, later replaced with a single-CD player. Eventually, she chucked it all.

"I found the old-world technology so time-consuming," said Ms. Henning, senior vice president for integrated marketing for the Weinstein Company.

She decided to transfer all of her music, from Shirley Bassey to Trane, onto Apple iPods, and then back up the iPods on a hard drive, backed up by a second hard drive.

Finally, her music was portable and quickly accessible. And when she wanted to listen in her Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan, she often snapped one of her four iPods into a stereo docking system.

There was just one drawback, she noted: the musical experience was not as rich as the one her old stereo provided.

With the popularity of iPods and other hand-held digital music players - 140 million were sold worldwide last year - many consumers have made a similar compromise, trading music fidelity for portability. The era of big-box home loudspeakers with broad-shouldered stereo amplifiers and their full-bodied sound has been overtaken by microchip-driven miniaturization and home theater systems that tend to be optimized for listening to movies, not music.

"The thing that has changed is the consumers' perspective of what they expect from audio," said Dweezil Zappa, the 36-year-old musician who is performing the music of his late father, Frank Zappa, for new audiences. "I think younger consumers aren't familiar at all with really high-quality audio because for them a CD is the best thing they have ever heard."

But innovation is restless, suggested Mahesh Sundaram, vice president for marketing for Audistry, an Australian-based audio company established early this year as a subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories.

He said technologies that helped put consumers' music at their fingertips could also be used to make that music sound much better than what many have grown accustomed to. "Their reference point is going to shift dramatically," he noted.

The goal, many audio experts say, is to improve sound quality both on portable devices and in the living room. The methods are taking different paths. In some instances, digital technologies are being applied to a new crop of audio components, including speakers, headphones and portable music players, to enhance existing audio recordings. Other approaches include attempts to create richer, fuller recordings in studios and in live performances.

Major audio electronics companies like Creative and SRS Labs, along with Audistry, are increasingly turning to psychoacoustic technologies, which manipulate sound waves to convince listeners that they are hearing much more than they actually are.

Others, like the chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, are investing in supporting PC-like platforms to help musicians, recording studio engineers and producers to capture, store and mix music more accurately. Charlie Boswell, director of Advanced Micro's digital media and entertainment group in Austin, Tex., said the goal was recordings that sound vastly better and computer-driven technologies that do not get in the way of the artistic process.

For example, equipment using Advanced Micro's latest dual Opteron processor was used last month in New York to record the Jammys, an awards event honoring live music performances. Mr. Boswell said the program, which included, among others, Peter Frampton, Dweezil Zappa and Richie Havens, would be available in the fall on a special 5.1 surround-sound DVD (using five speakers and a subwoofer).

The DVD, as well as a series of others made with Advanced Micro chips, can be played in any DVD player but is best appreciated on higher-end music and home-theater systems, offering nuances, warmth and dynamics often not found in live recordings, whether on CD or vinyl, Mr. Boswell said.

Frank Filipetti, a Grammy-winning studio engineer and producer, said he was so impressed with the audio possibilities of DVD's that he is pushing for the recording industry to use them exclusively and phase out CD's. DVD's have enough storage capacity for an album's worth of uncompressed music on them; CD's require compression, though not as much as MP3's and other formats read by digital audio players.

"Why shouldn't the listener at home hear what I hear in here?" Mr. Filipetti said during an interview in a Midtown Manhattan studio while playing back a Frank Zappa track he was readying for a new collection.

But companies that work mostly with compressed music say much can still be done to make it sound better. "We are trying to add back a layer of quality, a layer of experience that people don't realize that they are missing," said Chris Bennett, president of Audistry.

One of his company's offerings is a "sound space expander." Its purpose, Mr. Bennett said, is to convince listeners that music played from speakers that have very little physical separation from one another, as in portable stereos and many music docking stations, sound as if they do. By using a series of proprietary algorithms that will run on the system's microprocessors, Audistry technologies create an impression that the sound is being heard from widely separated speakers, Mr. Bennett said.

At the same time, the technology creates what Audistry calls a "wide stereo image," meaning the space between the music's instruments also seems to widen without distorting vocals at the center of the mix.

Some of the first consumer products using Audistry audio enhancements are going on sale in the United States this month. Among them is the SD-SP10, a 2.1 home audio-video system by Sharp Electronics. The system will cost $350, said Sharp said.

Similarly, Creative Technology, the Singapore-based digital audio pioneer, is turning attention to improving sound quality in consumer products, said Steve Erickson, general manager and vice president for Creative audio products. Last year, Creative released its Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity processor, which is armed with 51 million transistors and is 24 times as powerful as the company's previous audio chip, Mr. Erickson said.

A number of versions of the sound card with varying abilities are available for use in PC's, ranging in price from $130 to $400. But this year Creative's audio enhancement technologies are migrating to a broader range of applications and products. For example, aspects of its digital signal processing abilities could be applied to stereo headphones to create a more natural three-dimensional sound than current headphones can, Mr. Erickson said.

SRS Labs, with its headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., offers what David Frerichs, the company's executive vice president for strategic marketing and corporate development, calls a "whole eco-system of things we do to leverage our experience" with high-quality audio technologies.

One of the company's newest advances is SRS Mobile HD, designed for digital broadcast and downloads. The technology also enables headphones made for mobile phones and portable media devices to play audio in 5.1 surround sound.

SRS said the technology was so new that it had not yet been licensed to any manufacturers. But one of its similar technologies, called SRS WOW HD, is integrated into a number of consumer products, including a range of MP3 players by Samsung and Alienware.

Like many consumers, Ms. Henning, the film company executive, said she was not overly concerned with the details. She only wants to get the best sound she can with the ease of pressing a button.

Mr. Bennett of Audistry said he was confident that the electronics industry could deliver on that. But he cautioned that consumers should listen not just to claims, but to the approaching waves of improved audio.

"Nothing," he said, "speaks louder than someone hearing it themselves."

GIBSON SG

http://www.gibson.com/allaccessfeatures.aspx?aliaspath=/AllAccess/Zappa%20on%20Zappa

So Dweezil's new album is coming out next month...

If only they brought the Roxy DVD along on the tour, or the Trance-Fusion album... They would have sold a couple of thousand copies every night.
Maybe it'll be ready in a couple of days... Just in time for the Brussels concert...

CUCAMONGA RADIO SHOW

Here's a transcript of the Ahmet Zappa interview that got broadcast on the Cucamonga radio show on Belgian radio one on 2006 05 22

* * * FRANK ZAPPA : The Uncle Frankie show (Joe's xmasage)
label/referentie: VAULTernative/import/VR20051 - http://www.zappa.com/splash.html 

* * * FRANK ZAPPA : Mr. Clean (alternate mix) (Joe's xmasage) 
label/referentie: VAULTernative/import/VR20051 - http://www.zappa.com/splash.html 

Mr. Clean en dat kwam uit Joe's xmasage, een eind vorig jaar verschenen cd met allerlei rariteiten uit de prille beginjaren van Frank Zappa. Deze versie van Mr. Clean bijvoorbeeld dateert van 1963. Echt wel stuff voor Zappafielen dus! Maar er kwam nog een tweede nieuwe plaat uit met archiefmuziek van Frank Zappa: Imaginary diseases, verre van zijn beste, maar toch al wel voor een iets ruimer publiek. Straks hoor je daar wat uit, nu eerst Zappa plays Zappa, de avond rond Frank Zappa die dinsdag 30 mei plaatsheeft in Vorst Nationaal. Er zijn wel meer groepen die muziek van Frank Zappa spelen, maar het bijzondere aan dit concert is dat het van en met zijn beide zonen is. En ik moet zeggen: ze zijn heel zeker van hun stuk! 

AHMET ZAPPA: If you're a pre-existing Zappa fan it's pretty important in your life to listen to music that is creative and satisfying. If Frank fills that need in your life chances are you haven't seen people play his music in the last ten years as accurately as my brother and I are going to do it. Plus this is the first Zappa-approved Zappa concert. For reasons that are really hard to explain emotionally for us, being the sons of Frank and mourning his loss, it couldn't have happen before. I just think the time is right to let Frank's voice and his music and showcase what his sense of humour was like. Because my brother and I also have our father's sense of humour, so... 

Dat was Ahmet Zappa. Hij en zijn broer zullen er uiteraard bij zijn in Brussel, naast onder meer Steve Vai, Terry Bozio en Napoleon Murphy Brock, allemaal ouwe gedienden en zelfs Zappafreaks zullen dus met wat nostalgie gaan kijken. Maar Ahmet en Dweezil willen daar liefst niet van weten. 

AHMET ZAPPA: It's not a nostalgia tour! It's really a celebration of Frank's work. We're going to try to showcase his earliest records to his latest, the last records he recorded. So in doing that my brother and I we've picked our favourite songs and what we think are the fans' favourites. We're going to have three months of rehearsal, like my father had, to try to twiddle down from the seventy songs that we really like try to get about forty that we can play as best as humanly possible, up to Frank Zappa standard. In figuring all this out we thought it would be nice some of Frank's ex-band mates, people that my brother and I really respect and  obviously grew up loving, to come out on the road with us. Let's just say: if you're a Zappa fan and you wish that a certain band member of Frank was coming on the road, like someone you really think is one of your favourites, chances are he'll probably be there and make an appearance, at least at one of our shows. We are trying to have a bunch of special surprises and before the concert there isn't going to be an opening act, but what we will have, is a little documentary that kind of explains who Frank is and what his music is really about, who he is as a composer. Because that's what Frank really was: all of his songs were composed. They were very difficult and they're all written out. He was just an exceptional musician. It's not simple music to play. I think people will be excited to see the documentary and then hear some kick-ass musicians rock the mike. 

* * * FRANK ZAPPA : Father O'Blivion (Imaginary diseases)
label/referentie: Zappa/import/ZR 20001 - http://www.zappa.com/splash.html 

Father O'Blivion, Frank Zappa live in 1972. Het kwam uit de nieuwe cd Imaginary diseases. De Zappadagen nog eens herbeleven kan dus met Zappa plays Zappa op dinsdag 30 mei in Vorst Nationaal.

THE KENEALLIST 2006 05 25

THE KENEALLIST, May 25, 2006: Guitar Therapy CD/DVD Shipping Now!

MySpace page -featuring extensive MK bloggage: <http://www.myspace.com/mikekeneally>

Usenet newsgroup: <alt.music.mike-keneally>

Hey everybody -- the Guitar Therapy Live CD/DVD special edition is finally a concrete reality and is now shipping! Those of you who pre-ordered will get your hands on it during the next few days. Those of you who've been waiting until the thing actually existed before ordering, your time has come. <http://www.moosemart.com> is your friend for this sort of thing. Hope you all like the album and DVD -- we're very pleased and we think you'll have a good time with it.

Some live dates are coming up of varying sorts in varying locations -- starting with an appearance by me this weekend as a special guest in a comedy show in LA (I'll be music-ing, and perhaps comedy-ing as well), then on to a few duet shows with me and Bryan Beller including dates in New York and Baltimore, and then a couple of Keneally Band appearances (featuring Nick D'Virgilio on drums) later in June. All the details are yours, HERE:

Mike Keneally will be a special guest at
The Tomorrow Show
a comedy/music stage show which happens every Saturday at midnight
starring Craig Anton, Ron Lynch and Brendon Small
Saturday, May 27, 2006 * The Steve Allen Theater * at the Center for Inquiry-West * 4773 Hollywood Blvd.
(at Berendo, 2 blocks west of Vermont. Free parking in the rear.)
Hollywood, CA 90027-5333 * $5.00 * Info: Call Amit at 323-666-4268

2006/06/03 Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller - concert 'Coda', nyc, ny, usa
Showtime: 8:00 p.m., Doors open: 7:00 p.m. * 34 East 34th Street * New York, NY 10016 * $15 advance, $20 at the door
Age 18 and over admitted * Info: 212-685-3434

2006/06/04 Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller - concert 'Orion Sound Studios', baltimore, md, usa
Showtime: 7:00 p.m., Doors open: 6:30 p.m. * 2903 Whittington Ave., Suite C * Baltimore, MD 21230 * $15 at the door
All ages admitted * Info: 410-646-7334

2006/06/15 Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller * Taylor Guitar Clinic 'Sam Ash', westminster, ca, usa
Thursday, June 15, 2006, 7:00 p.m. * 14200 Beach Blvd. * Westminster, CA 92683 * Admission Free! * Info: 714-899-2122

2006/06/17 Mike Keneally Band - concert 'The Baked Potato', studio city, ca, usa
3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West * Studio City, CA 91604 * Doors open at 7:00 p.m. * Shows: 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. * Tickets $20
Info: 818-980-1615

2006/06/19 Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller - Taylor Guitar Clinic 'Sam Ash', cerritos, ca, usa
Monday, June 19, 2006, 7:00 p.m. * 12651 Artesia Blvd. * Cerritos, CA 90703 * Admission Free! * Info: 562-468-1107

2006/06/20 Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller - Taylor Guitar Clinic 'Sam Ash', city of industry, ca, usa
 7:00 p.m. * 18031 Gale Ave. * City of Industry, CA 91748 * Admission Free! * Info: 626-839-8177

2006/06/24 Mike Keneally Band - concert "La Jolla Festival of the Arts", UCSD's East Campus, La Jolla, CA 92037
(on the corner of Genesee Ave. & Regents Rd.) * Festival opens at 9:00 a.m. * MKB show: noon to 2:00 p.m. * Tickets $10, kids under 10 free
Info: 858-456-1268

Otherwise -- work continues on the Mike Keneally/Bryan Beller acoustic album. I've been concentrating on the new songs for that album over the last couple of weeks (titles include Hallmark, Land, Sickness and Dah Dun Daah -- we've also recorded Never Ever Wrong and Li'l which, while they're from the same time frame as Dog, didn't make it onto that album). So the acoustic album will probably be about a 50/50 balance of new material and new looks at old material. It's pretty nice.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff but we'll survive. Check out the blog at <http://www.myspace.com/mikekeneally> if you would enjoy doing such a thing, and keep an eye on <http://www.keneally.com> because I just got a seriously driving urge to update the discography there. As the kids and elders say, wish me luck!

Have healthy foods!
mk

THE GUITAR COLLECTOR CD

I mentioned French "Guitar Collector" magazine earlier in this newsletter. The March issue had an huge Zappa special.
As I said before the magazine also included a 12-page guitar style study by  Max-Pol Delvaux, and that's what I want to talk about right now.

The audio discs presents 25 audio examples. No Zappa pieces, but Zappa-eque licks and musical fragments showcasing Zappa's guitar style.
Max-Pol did a great job. It's like one big puzzle.

'Black Napkins', 'Florentine Pogen', 'Pygmy Twylyte', 'Tell Me You Love Me', 'Outside Now', 'Son Of Orange County', 'Packard Goose', 'Sinister Footwear', ...
They're all there.

BOGUS POMP

BOGUS POMP

plays the music of

FRANK ZAPPA

2006/06/03 - 9 p.m.- 1 a.m.

at Freebird Live
200 N. First St.,
Jacksonville Beach
$10.       246-BIRD

and a special Memorial Weekend bonus:

It's time once again for the 14th annual Memorial Day Weekend Meltdown. Friday the 26th from 10pm-2am featuring 4 hours of Frank Zappa. You can listen live on www.wpkn.org. Requests are strongly suggested.

CARVIN

• various artists: carvin - 60 years in the making
      (2006, dvd-promo, usa, carvin)
  
  • Guitar & amplifier builder Carvin has been in business for 60 years, and celebratest this with a promotional DVD.
    Highlights include a 30-minute (!!) Steve Vai interview in which Steve discusses his entire career, including his audition with Zappa and what it was like to play in Zappa's band.
    Furthermore, the disc also presents some clips from Vai's latest tour. Just great.
    Also quite unbelievable is Allan Holdsworth's interview, with Allan showing his skills on the guitar.
    
    I wouldn't know where you can find a copy of this disc. I got my copy from Michael. (thanks again Michael !)
    But if you see it somewhere, try to get it. It's amazing.

VIVA ZAPPA

Viva Zappa performed an all-Zappa concert at the 'Le Bal Du Lézard' in Québec, Canada, March 4, 2006.

• Alain Giguère, drums and vocals

• Steve, alto sax

• Nico, percussions and vocals

• Alain Audet, Guitar, Harmonica and vocals

• Clément Duhamel, bass

• André Michaud, Vocals Guitar and Harmonica

http://membres.lycos.fr/vivazappa/

concert

• 2006/03/04 concert 'le bal du lézard', québec, canada

  • intro * stinkfoot * hungry freaks daddy * mr green genes * camarillo brillo * bobby brown * find her finer * joe's garage / why does it hurt when i pee * black napkins * lonesome cowboy medley * apostrophe * take off your clothes when you dance / let's make the water turn black / idiot bastard son * cocaine decisions * lumpy gravy theme / harry you're a beast / what's the ugliest of your body * king kong

ZAPPANALE DISC TWO (AND THREE)

Listening to Zappanale 16 disc two sure made me happy that I was there. Saturday, August 6, 2005, was another memorable day for Zappanale. The selection that you can hear on this disc is as good as it gets: the Low Budget Orchestra (from Poland), Doctor Dark (from the States) and the Metropolis Orchestra (from Italy) played some great Zappa stuff.
The Low Budget Orchestra played a very powerful set. Fusion-like. Great guitar & a great horn section. Loved it.
Doctor Dark did a Beefheart set, but also threw in a couple of Zappa tunes. Excellent. & a very strong performance.
The Metropolis Orchestra took the jazzy angle: Blessed Relief, King Kong, ...

Disc three includes the Zappin' Buzz Band (from Switzerland), The YaHozna Band (from the Czech Republic), the NDR Big Band (from Germany), Judy4 (from Poland), Bogus Pomp (from the States) and the Paul Green School Of Rock kids.
The Zappin' Buzz Band is pure theatre. But without the visual aspects, the band is still convincing.
The YaHozna Band was the Zappanale Discovery. I really liked their set, and this recording proves why.
The NDR Big Band needs not introduction. You have their Zappa album, ... Essential stuff.
And I've always wanted to see Bogus Pomp live. Headlining. One of the best Zappa coverbands around.

It's a pity that the Zappa Family Trust holds these sort of performances in contempt.
Don't get me wrong, the Zappa plays Zappa tour is great. I've already seen a couple of the shows, and I'll go to another one next week, but don't tell the Melomaniac that this is all that he should listen to, or that this is the 'one and only' real thing.
It's bands like Cuccurullo Brillo Brullo, the Muffin Men, Project/Object, the Metropolis Orchestra, the Grand Wazoo and Bogus Pomp that have kept Zappa's spirit alive all these years.

http://www.zappanale.de/

THE SPRING STRING QUARTET

The Spring String Quartet performed Frank Zappa's 'Dirty Love' in concert. It was part of a performance of an event which was entitled " Adriane Muttenthaler & Criss Cross & Spring String Quartet", 'Dirty Love' was performed more or less by the Spring String Quartet.

• Christian Wirth: violin

• Marcus Wall: violin

• Julian Gillesberger: viola

• Stephan Punderlitschek: cello

ABSOLUTE ENSEMBLE SETLIST

• 2005/09/23 Kristian Järvi's Absolute Ensemble featuring MK and NMB "ABSOLUTE ZAPPA®" - concert 'selectra', bozen, italy
  • Absolute Ensemble, conductor Kristjan Jarvi
    • feat. Mike Keneally, Napoleon Murphy Brock
  • filthy habits * don't you ever wash that thing? * dog meat variations * inca roads * while you were art 1 * teenage prostitute version 1 * planet of the baritone women * g-spot tornado * uncle remus * t'mershi duween * catholic girls * muffin man * dirty love * outside now * revised music for low budget symphony orchestra * theme from lumpy gravy * rdnzl * duke of prunes * cosmik debris * packard goose * montana * peaches en regalia * teenage prostitute version 2

CARNEYBALL JOHNSON

• carneyball johnson: carneyball johnson
      (2006, cd, usa, akron cracker records ac-602)
  
  • Put Ralph Carney, Kimo Ball and Scott Johnson together and you've got a nice name for a band. Add Alan Whitman and you've got one superb musical quartet.
    Their untitled first album kicks off with 'Willie vs. the Pimp (variations on a theme)' and immediately sets the tone: groovy horns, nice improvisations, a psychelic guitar and the lyrics recited as a poem. Superb version !! Zappa would have liked it.
    Next up is 'Interstellar Low-ways / Watusa'. This Sun Ra composition is another highlight on this disc: excellent improvisations against a groovy background. Really great. I had my kids dance to it.
    The party goes on with 'Ska-ing West'. You know it from Sir Lord Comic and his Cowboys. Fun.
    Other classics that get the Carneyball Johnson treatment: the Cream's 'White Room'; the unrecognisable 'Over, Under, Sideways, Down' from the Yardbirds; 'Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White', the mambo classic; Thelonious Monk's 'Jackie-ing' (another highlight!!) and Desmond Dekker's 'Intensified Festival '68'.
    What I really like about Carneyball Johnson is that they take their time to explore the compositions that they are playing. They look at it from every possible angle and toy around with it, resulting in both very funny moments and impressive improvisations.
    
  • As I said, this is excellent stuff. A must-have!
    http://www.carneyballjohnson.com/

FATTORE ZETA  /  THE GRAND WAZOO

May 27, 2005, Italy held its "Uncle Meeting 2005", including two concerts: one by Fattore Zeta, and another one by The Grand Wazoo.

Recordings of these concerts have recently been made available through the Zappateers site.

• 2005/05/27 Fattore Zeta - concert HB, Mestre VE Italy

  • Jacopo Giusti: drums * Sergio Taurasi: keyboards * Giorgio Taurasi: bass * Davide Matteucci: alto sax, soprano sax * Federico Pistelli: tenore sax

  • opening * little umbrellas  * king kong  * pound for a brown * peaches en regalia * chunga’s revenge * america drinks & goes home * intro * twenty small cigars * big swifty * holiday in berlin * toads of the short forest * it must be a camel * sofa
    

• 2005/05/27 The Grand Wazoo - concert HB, Mestre VE Italy

  • Luca Fattori: vocal * Michele Turrini: guitar, vocal * Luca Vecchi: Bass * Marco Belluzzi: Keyboards, vocal * Alessandro Tozzi: drums 

  • zoot allures * city of tiny lights * lucille has messed my minds up * intermezzo califano * the black page * more trouble every day * oh no * son of the  orange  county * hungry  freaks  daddy * regyptian strut * teenage wind * florentine pogen * inca roads * easy meat * muffin man

So I made an entry for Fattore Zeta as well, adding them to the Others of Invention list. Never heard of these guys before. If someone has some extra info, please drop me a line.

http://www.fattorezeta.it/

THE AMSTERDAM PERCUSSION GROUP AND TERRY BOZZIO

• 2006/06/02 concert 'philharmonie', haarlem, nl
• 2006/06/03 concert 'tivoli', utrecht, nl
• 2006/06/06 concert 'boerderij', zoetermeer, nl
• 2006/06/08 concert '013', tilburg, nl

This also means that Terry will not be featured as a special guest in june in the Zappa plays Zappa tour.

• 2006/11/15 concert 'de meerse', hoofddorp, nl
• 2006/11/17 concert 'schouwburg', gouda, nl
• 2006/11/18 concert 'zuiderpershuis', antwerp, belgium
• 2006/11/19 concert 'de vest', alkmaar, nl
• 2006/11/24 concert 'de lievekamp', oss, nl
• 2006/11/25 concert 'de metropole', almere, nl
• 2006/12/01 concert 'de spiegel', zwolle, nl
• 2006/12/02 concert 'muziekgebouw aan 't ij', amsterdam, nl
• 2006/12/04 concert 'theater aan de parade', den bosch, nl
• 2006/12/07 concert 'lucent danstheater', den haag, nl
• 2006/12/08 concert 'muziekcentrum', enschede, nl

DR.YO

Did I ever tell you about Dr.Yo?
I just found it in my "te klasseren" box.

I probly got this one from Ive. Check out the above link and listen to Dr.Yo's "Unoriginal Masters".

I like it. He also does nice things with the Residents' 'Walter Westinghouse'.

ZpZ at Düsseldorf

Another excellent gig, showcasing just why Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and Napi Brock used to play with Zappa. These guys are the best.

I hope for our american friends that they get their part in the 'special guests' area as well, because these are the highlights of the show.

Only one small remark: why does it always have to be this loud?
I was seated in row 5, at the side of the row, which should be an excellent place. And yet, after the video intro, during the very first song, a lot of people that were sitting in front of me had to leave their seats because of the loudness, and I'm assuming that they had to pay good money for their tickets as well...
The deeper tones from bass and drums were way too loud and saturated the sound completely.

I thought the Amsterdam gig had been loud, but Düsseldorf actually brought pain to my ears, and that cannot be the goal of all this.

If you want to read comments and reviews, visit the zappa dot com site, click on ZpZ, go to dates and there you have it.

THE KENEALLIST

THE KENEALLIST, May 10, 2006: GUITAR THERAPY SPECIAL EDITION NEWS

Homepage since 1994:
http://www.keneally.com

24-hour streaming Keneally music:
http://www.radiokeneally.com

Mike Keneally Band Tour Chronology:
http://www.keneally.com/chronology (please submit your setlists!)

Home for Mike Keneally show trading: http://www.mktrading.org

MySpace page -featuring extensive MK bloggage:
http://www.myspace.com/mikekeneally

Usenet newsgroup: alt.music.mike-keneally

The GUITAR THERAPY SPECIAL EDITION DVD is finally going to the manufacturer!! After many unforeseen production delays (which were as frustrating for us as they were for those of you waiting for your orders to arrive), we have made it through the tunnel and the DVD enters the manufacturing phase this week. Barring any further delays, the production and assembly phase should take about two weeks, which means we will begin shipping to you around Monday, May 29th. It will take about a week to process the pre-orders, and the rest is up to the postal services of the world.

THANK YOU profusely, one more time, to you who pre-ordered this release -- your patience is about to be rewarded with a CD and DVD which we stand behind fully as a quality bit of musical madness which we think you will enjoy to the utmost, or perhaps even utmore than that.

Thanks friends!
Mike

DOOT!

I'm a bit too late with these, but it still has a bit of nice info

2006 05 19

Where else would you want to be on a Friday night than listening to the silken sounds of a progressive trio like DOOT!
by the banks of the romantic Connecticut River. It's a prescription for love!

OK, maybe not... Do you feel safe knowing that the raging Connecticut is almost below floodstage and that the Buttonwood makes a nice spot to fish from if the water comes up to the curb?

DOOT! @ the Buttonwood
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
Doors at 8pm!

http://chollyhoss.com/doot/

Peace!

OH! In case you don't believe me, here is the link to the NOAA river gauge chart for the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT.
http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=box&gage=mddc3&view=1,1,1,1,1,1

Isn't it romantic.....  

2006 05 17 - News and gig info

Heya Doot-arinos!

We had a blast playing at the Voice of Cheez annual Zappafest. We were joined onstage by Kilissa Cissoko and Tom Fenton of Voice of Cheez. Kilissa knocked
out some great gutbucket sax, and Tom elevated the whole set with his guitar. Great stuff!
The gig was at Neitzsche's in Buffalo, NY.

Our set included Black Napkins, Filthy Habits, Gumbo Variations, and a rousing instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic", among others. Doot! triumphed over a few brain related technical difficulties and managed not to be clubbed to death by expert soundguy Kenny Mags.
It was Win-Win!

The gig wouldn't have been complete without extenuating circumstances, would it? No. The Buffalo Sabres were playing the Ottowa Senators over in Ottowa! So
the big question was: would folks come out after the game, and would more come out if the Sabres won or lost?!
(this is NHL Hockey, FYI)

Well, the Sabres won! Go Sabres! And the Zappa freaks came out in force. Voice of Cheez was fan-freakin-tastic as always. They always seem to pick the tastiest material and pull it off with the proper amount of "espresso". They played one of my favorite FZ pieces, Uncle Meat, and it was a blast to see how many people in the audience were singing along, not least because it is an instrumental.

Special guests Anal Pudding played a set of Frank's ... well... "coarser" material, and had the place rocking. They moved on to their original material and they
really turned up the energy level. A great time was had by all.

Keep an eye on the website for pictures and more comments.

GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG GIG

May 19th, 2006 @ 8:00PM
The Buttonwood Tree
Main Street, Middletown, CT
Doot! trio w/ Andre Cholmondeley on guitar
Suggested Donation $10

Andre is coming off what is reported to be one of Project/Object's most rocking tours, and we are hoping to keep that momentum going.

THE RESIDENTS

"This is a 3 disc set. The first 2 audio discs are a complete, unedited recording of the live Cube E show. The 3rd disc is a DVD containing all of the existing footage of the Cube E show, including video taken of show rehearsals in SF, Lincoln Center, and TV appearances. This is the be all-end all collection of all things Cube E. Included in this set (a 7"x7" box) are the 3 discs, a 40 page full color booklet with never before published photos of the Cube E show, and a fancy inner box containing a handkercheif, just like the ones sold and thrown into the audience during that tour. This is limited to only 1500 hand numbered copies and will definitely go fast. DVD is NTSC/Stereo."

http://www.ralphamerica.com

WM RECORDINGS

Gorowski has made us wait ('I needed to make a few tweaks'), but finally we get to hear his new promo album, 'I Don't Believe You'. This soundtrack provides a fusion of electronic messing about with fresh slices from the discotech. Leftfield emotion, a touch of melancholy, and damn right summer-inducing tuneage make for a sprawling, yet fulfilling excursion into non-conformism.

Get the new album here:
http://www.wmrecordings.com/releases/wm042.htm

It's free. It makes you want to dance!

best wishes,
Marco Kalnenek

ZpZ

Short video clips are popping up.

Here's Steve Vai's solo in Zomby Woof: http://www.euronet.nl/~jwb/vai.mov

And here's two fragments from the Oslo gig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBcAdA6kTm0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWDP9GKpJP0

Dweezil Zappa during the 2005 05 15 Amsterdam gig  -  picture taken by Zappo from Cologne, Germany

CAL SCHENKEL

From: Cal Schenkel
Date: May 19, 2006

Subject: New Cal Schenkel Artwork

Hi--

I just wanted to let you know about some new original hand painted art by Cal Schenkel of one of his classic album covers from 1968: "Cruising with Ruben & the Jets"

For a very limited time, as a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PROMOTIONAL OFFERING, this original hand-painted artwork is being made available for the un-heard-of price of a print ...a fraction of its value!!!

Price until May 22, 2006 is only $295.00
Price after May 31, 2006 (full price) $1000.00

But you Must Act Now!!!

For pictures, details, and more information:

http://www.RALF.com
http://www.RALF.com/special

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!

Also still available at half price: the "*****PERFECTO Album Cover Painting" (your choice of covers) --but only until the end of this month! (details on the website).

PRICE & AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

thank you for your time!

--Calvin

Cal Schenkel
calvin@RALF.com

The above illustration is taken from Cal Schenkel's "Artwerks" catalogue, from 1986.

ANDRE CHOLMONDELEY 2006 05 19

hey y'all

gigging TONIGHT in CT... i know summa you are local..come on out and freak out with us!!! This is the mad-space-jazz-tripped out trio DOOT!
Let us scramble yr friday night brains....

May 19th, 2006 @ 8:00PM
The Buttonwood Tree
Main Street, Middletown, CT
Doot! trio w/ Andre Cholmondeley on guitar
Suggested Donation $10

LINKS:
http://chollyhoss.com/doot/
http://www.buttonwood.org/

..and NEXT WEEK -- it's project/object keyboard player JORDAN SHAPIRO's 29th birthday bash - with LOTS of p/o content....!!
29 times around the sun.. cool

Wed. May 24

at the Parkside Lounge.. 314 E. Houston St., @ Attorney, btw Ave. A and Ave. B

8:00 PROJECT/REJECT.... (ex-Project/Object members)
9:00 Two Man Gentelman Band ... (busking duo)
10:00 Cold River ... (my alt.country/folk/prog-grass group)
11:00 Mangano, Passatino and Balls (seahag's side project)

some words from JORDAN SHAPIRO about the perfomances:

PROJECT/REJECT
This is the 1st gig EVER by this group, consisting of members and crew of Project/Object from the pre-2003 years. Rick Bartow, Mumbo, Boxy, Wes, Spackle and myself. For 3+ years we have met at Wes' studio infrequently, jammed and created songs spontaneously. There are over 200 Reject songs. For our debut peformance, we have checked out the archives and picked 10 songs to 're-learn' and perform.

Two Man Gentleman Band
http://www.two-man-gentlemen-band.com/
These guys played before me at a solo gig I did at the Postcrypt Coffehouse up at Columbia. They were the only people in the audience who were willing to sing along with me on my newest kids song, "Let Me Stay Up All Night". I didn't even get to hear them play, but I believe they're very musical and will give us all a good laugh.

Cold River
This will the 3rd gig ever by this group, and it's been a different lineup every time. As I type this, I know it will definately include myself on mandolin and guitars, J.Y.Jelly on drums, Adam Armstrong on bass, Paul Cox on keys, Jen Milich providing background vox and possibly Alan Grubner on fiddle. We will be performing original material originally intended for a rock-opera that never got off the ground...and also some very old traditional songs.

Mangano, Passatino and Balls.
Robbie "Seahag" Mangano along with his sidekick Elliot Passatino recorded some pretty twisted music 5-6 years ago and called the tape "mangano, passatino and balls". ('Balls' was the name for the drum machine they used) They've since recorded more songs and even played a couple of gigs. On Wednesday, their spectacular rhythm section will include Project/Object bass player Dave Johnsen and 18 year old Project/Object drummer Eric Slick.. (who has recently been drafted by Adrian Belew to play drums for his upcoming European tour!!! Congrats Slick!!)

DOOT! - Improvised/Composed trio music 

Sat Jul 8 - DELFT, HOLLAND
Tue Jul 11- TBA, DEN HAAG, HOLLAND
Sun Jul 16 - Noon, Bad Doberan Germany - ZAPPANALE
webcast live at http://www.zappanale.tv/

www.projectobject.com - the music of frank zappa, live!!
www.thinkelectronic.com - andre's music, don preston tours
projectobject@earthlink.net - contact me/us

some DOOT stuff..

from March 03 2006, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury,CT
http://chollyhoss.com/doot/sounds/mattatuck-part4-sample.mp3 2nd set audio.
http://chollyhoss.com/doot/pics.html page for a few pics from the show.

BOB HARRIS

    from Hari Ossa, may 2006,

I was looking for some info about a Bob Harris that I saw around 1996-97 working for the E! entertainment television, the guy worked making movie reviews, he was talking about how weird a movie was and said something like "this movie is very weird, even for me, and I used to work with Frank Zappa..."

Do you have any idea which bob harris was this? the guy was white, had thick glasses and a beard (if I remember well).

ZAPPA BOOTLEG BOOK

Dieter Jakob is writing a book on Zappa bootlegs. Or to be more specific, I should say: "is writing THE book on Zappa bootlegs".

Here's the message:

I am going to write a (picture-)book about Zappa vinyl bootlegs and try to get together all photos of the bootlegs I know. As far as I know only the photos of the below mentioned bootlegs are still missing for my book. Maybe you can help me to get the one or the other photograph in order to complete some empty pages?

- photo of front cover
- photo of back cover (even if it is a neutral white cover)
- one photo of each label (black vinyl: photo of the label only, coloured vinyl: photo of the complete disc)
- a photo of poster, booklet or any other insert (if included)

Thanks a lot for your help!

Music is the best!

Dieter

List of vinyl bootlegs (photos wanted):

• Appleton Album Volume 2 (LP Black Vinyl Deluxe Cover)

• Appleton Album Volume 2 (LP Black Vinyl)

• At Lorely (2LP GREY+WHITE Vinyl Coloured Cover)

• Charlie's Favourite (2LP Testpressing)

• Christmas in New York in '76 (LP)

• Dortmund 1984 (LP Green Vinyl)

• Frankie Meets Bobby [only one side is Zappa] (LP Clear Vinyl)

• Frankie Meets Bobby [only one side is Zappa] (LP Green Vinyl)

• Frankie Meets Bobby [only one side is Zappa] (LP Red Vinyl)

• Frankie Meets Bobby [only one side is Zappa] (LP Yellow Vinyl)

• Fred Zappelin (2LP Coloured Vinyl)

• From the Vaults to the Biggest Halls Volume 1 (LP)

• It's Been a Long Time Comin' (LP MCV Vinyl)

• King Biscuit Flower Hour (2LP) ABC Radio Networks Label

• Läther - Edison Record (4LP Bootleg Box DARK BROWN Vinyl)

• Leatherette (2LP B/W Comic Deluxe Cover BROWN/BLACK Vinyl)

• Leatherette (2LP B/W Comic Deluxe Cover RED Vinyl)

• Live in Amsterdam 1971 (LP Laminated Colour Cover)

• Live in Brest (Part 3) (LP BLACK Vinyl) Orange Insert Version

• Live in Europe 1966-1968 (LP)

• Live in New York 12/31/1981 (LP BLACK Vinyl "Circeled" Jukebox Cover)

• Metal Man Has Hornet's Wings (LP BLACK Vinyl BW SCRAPMETAL INSERT) Slipped Disc Records Label

• Original 1976 Shiny Beast Version (LP)

• S' n M (LP)

• Saarbrücken '78 (2LP BLACK VINYL) NOT FooFee (Beat The Boot Box) Version

• Saarbrücken '78 (2LP BLACK/BLUE VINYL)

• Saarbrücken '78 (2LP YELLOW VINYL)

• Spick And Span (LP Clear Vinyl)

• Spick And Span (LP Dark Blue Vinyl)

• Spick And Span (LP Green Blue Vinyl)

• Spick And Span (LP Light Blue Vinyl)

• The Ark (LP MCV)

• The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life ... CAN Do That on Stage (10LP)

• The Best of ... Pappa Zappa & Any Way the Wind Blows (2LP )

• Unconditionaly Guaranteed (LP)

• Unmitigated Audacity (LP BLUE VINYL)

• Unmitigated Audacity (LP CLEAR VINYL)

• Unmitigated Audacity (LP GREEN VINYL)

• Wasp Man Has Metal Wings (LP Yellow Vinyl)

• Zapp...á...Paris (2LP Dark Red Vinyl)

• Zappaskance (2LP)

So here's the deal, if you have any of these bootlegs, and if you're able to take a digital picture of it, let me know at bignOte@yucom.be and I will forward you Dieter's e-mail address.

STEVE VAI

• I'm really looking forward to the ZpZ concert tomorrow in Amsterdam. Not in the least because it will feature some of my heroes.
  
  Napoleon Murphy Brock always is a joy for the ear and eye, and both Terry Bozzio and Steve Vai are the best you can get.
  
  If Dweezil's ZpZ band sounds anything like they did on the Grammys, we'll have our dynamite show...
  
  
• The picture on the right shows Mr.Vai's "Europe 2005 Tour Book". I sure hope they'll bring a bunch of goodies along tomorrow...

AFROSKULL

Here's another Afroskull setlist, including Zappa's 'Magic Fingers':

• 2005/06/03 concert 'parkside lounge', nyc, ny, usa
  • dance of the wild koba * eat this * space chicken * in time(*) * the curse * waste management * spyplane * everything * magic fingers (^)
  • *sly and the family stone cover / ^zappa cover

MADKAP

• madkap: da whole kit and kaboodle
      (1992, 12", usa, rca 62445-1)
  
  • Madkap used a sample of Frank Zappa's 'Little Umbrellas' in his 'Ph*ck What Ya Heard'. The track can be found on a 12" that got released in 1992.
    
    The same track can probably also be found on the album that got released in 1993 as the tracklisting als includes this song, but I haven't heard it (yet).

CHEEPSKATES

• cheepskates: the residents - songs vol.2
      (1992, lp, germany, music maniac records)
  

  • Shane Faubert (vocals, guitar, keyboards) is the man behind the Cheepskates, a pop trio / quartet from New York, usa.

    the Cheepskates did an all Residents album in 1992 entitled "The Residents - Songs Vol.2". The Volume One in this series was a mini-album on which they performed Perry Como tunes.

    Here's the tracklist for the Rezzie one:
    

  • side one
    1. loneliness / when we were young
    2. mahogany wood
    3. boy in love

    side two

    1. semalina
    2. plains to mexico
    3. god in 3 persons theme

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART BOOTLEG

• captain beefheart and his magic band: through the eyes of a genius
      (????, lp, ??, q9009)
  
  • Browsing through my albums I found this Captain Beefheart bootleg that hadn't been added to the UM archives.
    So here you are.
    
    Presenting the 1980 concert (that has been officially released a couple of weeks ago).

PAPERWORK

• muziekkrant oor
      (1980/08/13, magazine, the netherlands)
  
  • Bi-weekly Dutch music magazine Oor did a Zappa special in 1980. The August 13 issue presented the first part of this special.
    • "Zappa Completa - deel een", cover & a 6-page special
      • "Een buitenbeentje" by Roberto Palombit
      • "Geef mij wat vloerbedekking..." by Bert van Manen en Co de Kloet
      • "The Mothers" by Bert van Manen en Co de Kloet
      • "Le Guitariste" by Roberto Palombit

• muziekkrant oor
      (1980/08/27, magazine, the netherlands)
  
  • Bi-weekly Dutch music magazine Oor did a Zappa special in 1980. The August 27 issue presented part two of this special.
    • "Zappa Completa - deel twee", a 5-page special
      • "Zappa, Francis Vincent, componist 1941..." by Frits Oostvogel
      • "Geef mij wat vloerbedekking..." by Bert van Manen en Co de Kloet
      • "Een mondvol" by Roberto Palombit
      • "De Dalaï Lama" by Roberto Palombit
        
  • The same issue of Oor included a one-page review of Captain Beefheart's "Doc At The Radar Station" by Jan-Maarten de Winter

• holnd fstvl
      (2000/06, newspaper, nl)
  
  • June 2000, Frank Zappa was the the main theme of the Holland Festival. "HOLND FSTVL - weekkrant 3" was distributed for free during the festival.
    • "Zappa-fans bejubelen wederopstanding idool" by LK
    • "Zappa hang in PC Hooftstraat"
    • "Elf vragen aan Oscar van Woensel"
    • "200 Motels in 200 woorden" by KD
    • "Als de muziek je raakt, maakt de mening van een ander niet meer uit" Gail Zappa interview by Simon Prentis
    • "Filmer Zappa deed al wat Coppola voorspelde" by Rob van Erkelens

• discoveries
      (1996/04, magazine, usa)
  
  • The April 1996 edition of Discoveries magazine, included an interview with Gail Zappa.
    • "The Zappa Catalog at Ryko and Interview with Gail Zappa" by John De Angelis, a 3-page interview

• libération
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, france)
  
  • French newspaper Libération's obituary.
    • "Frank Zappé" - page one
    • "Viva Zappa" by Yves Bigot, 2 pages
    • "L'école Wazoo" by Yves Bigot, 1/2 page
    • "Le syndrom Ircam" by Christian Leble, 1/2 page
    • "Selection Zappa" by Yves Bigot, 1/2 page

• melody maker
      (1993/12/18, magazine, uk)
  
  • UK mag Melody Maker's obituary.
    • "Frank Zappa R.I.P." by David Stubbs, 1 page

• het volk
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, belgium)
  
  • Belgian newspaper Het Volk's obituary.
    • a picture on page one
    • "Niemand was veilig voor Zappa" by Peter De Backer, 1/2 page

• het belang van limburg
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, belgium)
  
  • Belgian newspaper Het Belang Van Limburg's obituary.
    • a picture on page one
    • "Frank Zappa Geveld" by Stijn Meuris, 3/4 page

• de morgen
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, belgium)
  
  • Belgian newspaper De Morgen's obituary.
    • a short piece on page one: "Frank Zappa, de finale solo" by Dirk Steenhaut
    • "Veelzijdig, tegendraads en grensverleggend" by Dirk Steenhaut, 1/2 page
    • "Een der groten van deze tijd" (comments by Marc Didden, Guy Mortier, Erik Meynen & Vaclav Havel), 1/4 page
    • "Het politiek aktivisme van een gewezen presidentskandidaat" by Bart Willems
    • "Zappa's rock is klassieke muziek" by Dirk Steenhaut

• het laatste nieuws
      (1994/03/05, newspaper, belgium)
  
  • The picture on the right shows "De Weekendkrant", supplement to the 1994/03/05 Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper. It included a 3/4 page article on Zappa. The reason for this article was the Grandmothers concert in Molenbeek on 1994/03/24.
    • "Alles is terminaal, maar de geest en muziek van Zappa zijn springlevend" by Luc Beernaert

• the times
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, uk)
  
  • British newspaper The Times' obituary.
    • "Zappa the iconoclast dead at 52"
    • "Why Zappa died so young" by Dr.Thomas Stuttaford, 1/3 page
    • "Obituaries: Frank Zappa", 1/3 page
    • "The history of music from A to Zappa" by David Toop, 1/2 page

• de standaard
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, belgium)
  
  • Belgian newspaper De Standaard's obituary.
    • "Herinnerd worden kan mij gestolen worden" by Hans-Maarten Post, 1/2 page

• the daily mirror
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, uk)
  
  • British newspaper The Daily Mirror's obituary.
    • "The Father Of Invention" by Matt Spetalnick

• the sun
      (1993/12/07, newspaper, uk)
  
  • British newspaper The Sun's obituary.
    • "Rock legend Zappa loses cancer battle" by Piers Morgan

PICTURES OF AN EXHIBITION (MUSSORGSKY)

take a look at this:
http://www.afka.net/ZEX/

Don't you all wish your living room looked something like this  :-)

Nice one, Avo !!

PIERREJEAN GAUCHER on tour