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as Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch Frank Zappa was an avant-garde composer, guitarist and producer (film and music) who released more than 60 albums over the course of a 30 year career. Frank's records explored a wide scope of subjects and styles ranging from electronic, jazz, orchestral and rock.
 Dweezil Zappa is a solo artist and also fronts Zappa Plays Zappa. In 2006, Zappa's eldest son Dweezil - a well respected guitarist in his own right - formed Zappa Plays Zappa (ZPZ), a band devoted to performing the music of the late Frank Zappa. Zappa Plays Zappa is currently a seven piece armed with an array of instruments and effects. ZPZ was one of four groups performing in the American version of Progressive Nation 2009, which brought together four unique bands under the banner of progressive rock. Founded by Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy in 2008, Progressive Nation headlined by Dream Theater (DT) was a broad blend of music. The brazen Bigelf and the rising Scale The Summit shared the stage with ZPZ and DT. The European Progressive Nation line-up includes DT, Opeth (who were on the bill last year), Bigelf and Unexpect. Progressive Nation landed at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey on August 7, 2009. The venue is located on the boardwalk and over looks the Atlantic Ocean. For this event, Convention Hall had a re-entry policy that allowed fans to go outside and enjoy the ocean view between sets. This was a bonus as it was a beautiful summer night and a good opportunity to talk to people as the stage set ups were changed. Dweezil greeted the crowd stating that they would be playing quite a few songs of my father's. "Caroline" featured Ben Thomas and the multi-instrumentalist Scheila Gonzalez sharing vocal responsibilities incorporating some strange singing inflections into the mix. Rhythm was a big part of the music with one drummer playing a traditional rock kit and the other bongos and various percussion instruments. A lot of sounds, a few rather zany ones were melding together and led into a solid guitar solo from Dweezil.
 Lead vocalist Ben Thomas delivered with intensity while navigating the intricate Zappa works. "Purple Lagoon" started off with Ben dancing to dense drum sequences before settling down to sing like Frank. The song traveled a musical maze that melded into a montage of Zappa tunes including "Montana" and "Village of the Sun". The blending of tracks with all the colorful changes and innovations was seamless as one song bled into another. The foray went from feisty and funky to more subtle, spacious changes before traveling into other tenacious musical paths. At some point, Dweezil was talking about a girl with an oral fixation leading to a jubilant jam. An engaging exchange between the drummers flowed into a fiery solo from Zappa and more twists, turns and transitions ended the meandering montage with a kazoo. "Magic Fingers" was a racy rocker with interesting scale structures, a sizzling Zappa solo and Scheila playing a flirting flute. "Bamboozled By Love" allowed Zappa's talented band mates to shine with solos from Jamie Kime (guitar) and Pete Griffin (bass). Musicianship was key in articulating the complexity and cunning of Frank's compositions. ZPZ closed their set with "Willie The Pimp" with its winsome pulsing jamming and varied vocals. Zappa Plays Zappa brought zeal and zing to the experimental legacy of Frank Zappa. The headliners Dream Theater were polished and powerful. Dream Theater played three new songs from their most recent record Black Clouds and Silver Linings and gems from their progressive past.
 Multi-instrumentalist Scheila Gonzalez handled saxophone, flute, keyboards & vocals. Bigelf had a big set-up and a big sound. They blended psychedelic with progressive along with elements of hard rock and even pop. On stage, they were a wild, willful group of potent pixies. This fearsome foursome played pieces that were hallucinatory, haunting and harrowing exploring various speeds, styles and scale sequences. Houston's Scale The Summit were an engaging, energetic young band. The quartet played an enticing set of instrumentals that had lots of chord changes and colorful couplings. Their set was fast paced yet clearly demonstrated their potential and why Mike Portnoy thought they were a good fit for Progressive Nation 2009.
Zappa Plays Zappa Line-up:
Zappa Plays Zappa's Setlist 08/07/09
 Dweezil Zappa is bringing the music of his father Frank to a whole new audience.
Related Links:
For more information on ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links --
Zappa Plays Zappa |
Progressive Nation 2009 |
Buy Zappa Plays Zappa |
Convention Hall
 (Originally Published on August 10, 2009) |
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