So for random reasons (probably among the best to indulge in Zappa), I found myself listening to Call Any Vegetable by Zappa Plays Zappa— Dweezil’s cover band. But from the short clip, calling them a cover or tribute band cuts it real short.
They’re touring at the moment, and it looks like tickets are just about to go on sale for a nearby venue. Has anyone seen/heard them? Any opinions from the crowd? Mrs. Dvl is a complete neophyte — think she’d be in over her head (she does dig the Dead and PFunk, so she does have an appreciation for musicianship)?
I have the Dvd of Zappa plays Zappa…
It’s really quite interesting and well done I think. Though in my DVD they have guest appearances from Steve Vai and Terry Bozio as well, which was in my opinion the highlight.
But I know that ZpZ really does try to focus on mixing it up and trying to play new material each tour and all. So I’ve never really seen Zappa live, though I have a few of his live albums. ZpZ is a good homage to it, though they (on the DVD) seemed to pay more focus on his instrumental versions of music vs. the songs that I tended to like (I guess I really really love Zappa live in New York the album). But the show itself on the DVD was … well like a show and less like a concert if that makes sense- it was people sitting in their seats and watching the show and clapping in between and all, with some louder or more energetic moments in between (though maybe it was just for that one venue, I don’t know. But it’s not really got the energy of like a modern rock concert or anything. More of if you like Zappa’s musical styling, this is a good way to go listen to someone who is going to try to faithfully recreate the music as best he can- though you can tell he (Dweezil) seems to really enjoy it when he does, and he does put in some good work. If I had a chance to go, I’d take it.
But I’m not sure if I’d bring my friends, as none of them particularly like that style of music. So I guess, if your partner LIKES Zappa in some sense (the instrumental songs) then she might enjoy this concert, else if she’s not familiar with it, and is expecting a rock and roll concert atmosphere/vibe… maybe not so much.
I saw ZPZ in Indianapolis a while back, and I was very happy with the show. Years before, I had seen Frank in 3 shows, with 3 different bands, so I have that to compare it with. Dweezil’s an excellent performer, and he has a tight band with him. He also has a rotation of his dad’s bandmates who’ll play a few shows and move on. If you’re a fan of Frank, I think you’ll like it. For somebody who’s never been exposed to FZ and the Mothers, it will be a real treat to see Frank’s classic material performed more or less faithfully by a band who loved him.
For a long time, Frank never got any airtime. There was a near universal ban on all radio stations. They were scared of his racy tracks, but most of his work was not offensive at all. Some of his instrumental stuff is now popping up in pretty tame places, such as in between news stories on NPR.
I assume you’re talking about the Progressive Nation '09 show. I’ll be at the Washington DC show, probably the Orlando show and maybe one or two more depending on my schedule. I look forward to the Zappa set, and can’t wait to see Dream Theater again (and again!).
I went to the PN '08 shows in Orlando, Cleveland and Columbus last year and had a blast.
I was pondering going to see him/them here in a few weeks time, so thanks for starting this thread.
There are no seats downstairs at the venue, so I’m fairly confident it’ll feel more like a gig than Ro0sh’s experience.
The main thing putting me off is that tickets are a little bit more than I’d usually choose to pay…
Heh. “I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth” is actually an instrumental–the lyrics on that site belong to “Big Leg Emma”! (Zappa also changed the title of IPNTCIYM to “Läther” when he compiled the Läther boxed set. The lyric line “I promise not to come in your mouth” is actually heard in “Punky’s Whips.”)
I’ve enjoyed ZPZ on DVD (like Meurglys, I’m put off by the high ticket prices and haven’t seen them live), though “Call Any Vegetable,” as cited in the OP, is an example of the band’s most bothersome trait: they take Flo & Eddie’s ad-libbed dialogue from the Just Another Band from L.A. version–something that was only performed that exact way once–and repeat it word for word, as if it were part of the score, missing even the most obvious opportunity to make the song their own, and not just a slavish recreation of a record.
Saw them in Seattle a year or so ago. GREAT show. The latest tour was a little pricey for me (plus the date didn’t work with my schedule), but for the ticket price you got:
[ol]
[li]Admission to the show[/li][li]a raffle number to win an autographed electric guitar (and a chance to play with the band)[/li][li]the opportunity to request songs for the playlist online before the show (top ten requests were played)[/li][li]a free digital download of the show you saw, available a day or two after the show[/li][/ol]
All-in-all, not a bad deal. This may not necessarily be part of the Progressive Nation '09 tour.
Although, according to the Zappa.com forums, they haven’t been too good about releasing the downloads. In fact, they’ve only released a couple so far. VERY far behind.
Well, I basically have a problem with how costly concert tickets are in general these days. I’m old. I used to go see Dweezil’s dad for like six bucks…
