BEAR MCCREARY - SINGULARITY (THE GRAPHIC NOVEL)

Bear McCreary's "Singularity" album was quite enjoyable.
Bombastic, theatrical and featuring a bunch of special guest...
As there's also a companion graphic novel, I thought I'd give that a try today. While listening to the album.

It's a nice combination.
An interesting story that I hadn't really captured while listening to the music.
And excellent artwork.

Blue Eyes can’t stop being reborn. He tumbles from life to life, from one unthinkably strange universe to the next—the only constant being that, one way or another, everything he learns to love is lost. But when Blue Eyes finally catches up to a mysterious figure he’s seen recurring throughout his lives, he realizes he might just have a chance to escape his cursed immortality—or, at the very least, exact revenge for it.

ANOTHER ZAPPANALE SPECIAL ON THE MUSIC ACROSS RADIO SHOW

Next Monday, June 1, 2026, the Music Across radio show will focus an Zappanale again.

MUSIC ACROSS
Jeden 1. Montag im Monat um 21 Uhr

RADIO ORANGE - ORANGE 94.0
https://o94.at/radio/sendereihe/music-across/

https://cba.media/podcast/music-across

Gestaltung & Produktion:

Gernot Friedbacher

From 17 to 20 July 2025, the 34th Zappanale took place in Bad Doberan on the Baltic Sea. “Music Across” was there once again and interviewed all the musicians; these interviews can be heard in several “Music Across” programmes, alongside live recordings from the concerts.

Among the artists were Zappa alumni Bobby Martin and Ray White, and, believe it or not, 92-year-old Don Preston, who made music history with Frank Zappa’s “Mothers of Invention”, was also there. In this third programme on the Zappanale 2025, you can hear interviews and music from “The Dangerous Kitchen”, “Möwe und die Ölmützen”, “Zappalot” featuring the composer, film director and former guitarist of Helge Schneider, Sandro Giampietro, “The Dorf” and the “Yuval Ron Trio”, all from Germany.
The fourth and final programme on the Zappanale 2025, on 6 July 2026, will feature 92-year-old Don Preston, Finnish conductor, composer and guitarist Jukka Iisakkila, “Tō Yō” from Japan, and Zappanale organiser Wolfhard Kutz.

CHRIS LAMMIMAN - PYGMY TWYLYTE - ONE STAGE FITS ALL

Chris Lammiman's book arrived last week.
From Lulu publishing.

160 pages. Words and pictures. All about the 100 gigs by Pygmy Twylyte, the Scottish band that performs the music of Frank Zappa.

Nice.

ARTEFACTS ENSEMBLE - - - ZAPPING - A TRIBUTE TO FRANK ZAPPA

This work is part of the project "Zapping - A tribute to Frank Zappa"
and was performed at the Athens & Epidaurus Festival
by the ARTéfacts Ensemble in July 2017.

Tracks in the Medley:
00:00 T'Mershi Duween
01:46 Dupree's Paradise
02:58 Let’s Make The Water Turn Black
04:35 Harry, You're a Beast
05:28 The Orange County Lumber Truck
06:13 Oh, No
08:05 Finale (Orange County Reprise)

CAVERN DEEP - MUFFIN MAN

Cavern Deep, the Doom Metal band from Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden, recorded FZ's 'Muffin Man' in 2021.

The band has released several albums but, unfortunately, this fine version of 'Muffin Man' can only be found on YouTube.

Here's some additional info:
https://doomedandstoned.com/post/666943815264993280/caverndeep

BLOOD DIAPER - DON'T EAT THE YELLOW SNOW / SAINT ALFONZO'S / FATHER O'BLIVION

A. I. generated apparently.
YouTube only ?

Blood Diaper is a parody death metal project whose satirical, AI-generated tracks have been featured on the Adult Swim network. The music—ranging from Frank Zappa covers to "old fart anthems"—is released on the SHIM SHAM RECORDS YouTube channel, which specializes in "fake records for real people".

THE FALL'S "CEREBRAL CAUSTIC" IS GETTING A RE-ISSUE

The Fall's 1995 "Cerebral Caustic" album included their version of FZ's 'I'm Not Satisfied'.

The album will get a re-release later this year. On black vinyl, on coloured vinyl, and even as an expanded 5 CD set.

GOV'T MULE AND ZIGGY MARLEY HIT THE ROAD THIS FALL

Gov’t Mule is hitting the road this fall for the newly announced Dreaming The Same Dream Tour alongside reggae icon Ziggy Marley. The 16-date run launches September 23 in New York City, bringing together two artists known for pushing musical boundaries while staying deeply rooted in community and connection. The tour promises a one-of-a-kind night of music each evening, with acclaimed singer-songwriter Yola kicking things off nightly with a special live DJ set that sets the tone for an unforgettable evening of music and celebration.

A SUN RA UPDATE FROM THE STRUT RECORD LABEL

The Heliocentrics, Marshall Allen, Knoel Scott Ft. Bilal: Nuclear War

Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.

The 4-track EP features a sinuous take on Ronnie Boykins’ ‘Angels And Demons At Play’ , originally recorded in 1960, a strident version of ‘Where Pathways Meet’ which was originally created for the much- loved Sun Ra Lanquidity album in 1978, and a dense and deep re- work of 1972’s ‘Astro Black’ featuring Bilal’s incredible otherworldly vocals. The title track ‘Nuclear War’ is re-worked into a cavernous groove featuring Heliocentrics vocalist Barbora Patkova.

Sun Ra: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Strut proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Sun Ra’s 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana, presented in a new 3LP vinyl set or across 2CD's.

The original LP version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow assembled a handful of clearly delineated tracks drawn from the flow of two complete concert recordings, re-arranged out of sequence. Strut’s new edition restores previously excised material and preserves more of the natural transitions between pieces, offering a fuller glimpse into the distinctive aesthetic of Sun Ra and his Arkestra.

AISLES

Chilean band Aisles continues unveiling new material ahead of the release of their sixth studio album, "IRRATIONALLY".

Their recent single, 'Took Me Years' is an energetic blend of progressive complexity, metal delivery, and pop immediacy.