The Feuding Zappas

Just don't think of them as "bootlegs". Think of them as "The original Source Material for Beat The Boots boxes 3 thru 5, to support ZFT's selection process for upcoming volumes."

 

well I wasn't talking about kids in the school of rock.... and i'm sure there must be a few but I remember when I was a kid zappa was a big deal.... lets just look at how the grateful dead aged and how zappa aged.. the dead is everywhere.. there are at least 2-3 venues here in DC alone that are basically supported by the deadhead scene.. they seem to have dead type bands all the time..... you get new dead bands every week... meanwhile zappa is pretty obscure these days... I know of plenty of bands that the dead has influenced.. zappa? i hardly ever read any band mention him... the only zappa music i see being played live is the dweezil project.. thats it... i never see anybody do any zappa covers (i guess phish did the peaches which i mentioned but that was a long time ago)... reasons for zappa music decline with younger folk are numerous and are not just the poor job the trust has done.. i would guess two big reasons are: 1) virtuosity in music is sort of taboo these days.. the solo seemed to die.. i'm not saying some bands don't have solos but in general .... 2) his humour schtick has aged very poorly... its more of its time and doesn't translate well.. I mean somebody name some original bands that sort of follow on Zappa please..

 

Sure, but the kids in the School of Rock all learn to play Zappa, the best musicians in the program aspire to do a Zappa show, and the one artist that all of the AllStars Teams have in their playlist that they tour around the country is Zappa. I know multiple School of Rock teachers that play in Zappa tribute bands as well. So, for better or worse, it is keeping the Zappa torch lit.

There may be a temporary dip in Zappa's influence, but as these kids graduate and form their own bands, they'll do so influenced by Frank.

Here's the Zappa show I shot last season. The teachers are huge Zappa fanatics, and the kids learned this incredibly difficult music and became Zappa fans.

 

Phish
Umphreys McGee
Moe.
Steve Vai
Mike Keneally
Joe Satriani
Hampton Grease Band
Project Object
The Muffin Men
Banned From Utopia
Mathias Eklund
Primus
Monks of Doom
Mr. Bungle
King Missile

And actually the Trust has done a decent job putting out rare stuff. Not great but you really cant argue with 2/3 releases per year imo. I disagree with many of their practices over the years including the ridiculous shipping charges and the multiple putting off of releases such as Roxy etc. Its obvious they are sitting on a ton of stuff but I fear they resist tarnishing his legacy by releasing raw vault recordings for the most part.

 

ok I guess I stand corrected.. maybe my perception is just plain wrong...sometimes I wish I had access to sales statistics..

 

I'm 31 and I know a lot of people my age that like FZ.

 

I played (with TFEC & others) in a Zappa tribute band for two years. Every gig was SRO. Ages ... 20s to 70s. Best musicians I've ever played with. It was an honor and a privilege to play Frank's music. Not to mention a damm blast!

 

It's much easier for bands to learn to play Grateful Dead music than it is to play Frank Zappa music.

 

And the Grateful Dead always had a huge following.

 

Not in my house.

 

My parents are Deadheads but I didn't really follow that path musically. But my dad likes Zappa too. Actually, my parents met when my dad was getting a ride to see the Zappa Philly 1976 show.

 

I love Zappa and I love the Grateful Dead.
Both totally unique and both fantastic.

 

Love Zappa....
The Dead... not so much..

 

Dweezil is going to be teaching a Master Class at the School of Rock in Clark New Jersey.

Dweezil Zappa To Visit School of Rock Clark

 

Best band either of us were ever in!

 

The other best band we never heard before?

 

It was the other best band I wish I was still in. TFEC taught me how to play "Holiday in Berlin (Full Blown)" and playing it all the way through, on stage in front of an audience, with him and the other cats, remains and will always remain the proudest musical accomplishment of my 40 years playing live music.

 

The School of Rock in Clark, NJ streamed their Dweezil Master Class:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1877127795835508

 

Did you detune your instruments like on BWS?

 

Nope. I only detune when playing death metal.

 

The Chicago School of Rock did their Progressive Rock show last weekend, and they did Montana. Not my favorite Zappa song, but I thought they did a very decent job, especially the guitar player:

 

There's room for both Zappa AND The Dead in my house.....

 

Frogg Cafe are heavily influenced by Zappa.

 

Interesting that this is a Younger Children vs. Older Children dispute. Families are complicated.

 

The tour continues despite threats and hissy fits, traveling to Australia and New Zealand!

DWEEZIL ZAPPA Announces "50 YEARS OF FRANK" AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND TOUR

Oh, and since I have your attention, here's a 17 year old kid named Carter Scofield playing an astonishing version of Black Napkins: