CRANK SOME FRANK FESTIVAL IN THE HAGUE, NL

 

TREY ANASTASIO PLAYING FZ'S ROXY SG GUITAR

treyanastasio : Our friends at @family_guitars brought over a few incredible guitars from their collection for me to play today, including Frank Zappa’s early 1960s Gibson “Roxy” SG

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VfCCxFLL--E

KVÅRK - THE ASTRAL MAZE

• KVÅRK: The Astral Maze
      (2026, download / streaming, bandcamp)

A digital version of KVÅRK's "The Astral Maze" landed on my hard disk this morning.

KVÅRK is an instrumental progressive metal quartet from Marseille, France, whose music is characterized by irregular rhythms and death metal heaviness against hypnotic, slow-burning post-rock atmospheres.

Formed in 2017 by guitarists Eric Lamblot and Christophe Gervasi as a studio project, the group later expanded into a full quartet with bassist Bruno Morgana and drummer Frédéric Cagnol. Their compositions balance angular, dissonant metal riffs with repetitive, ambient passages that build tension gradually.
Working entirely without vocals, the band relies on four interlocking instrumental voices to guide listeners through multi-part cosmic and sci-fi soundscapes.

Following their 2020 five-track EP "Here Comes Trouble" on Tentacles Industries, they released their debut full-length album, "The Astral Maze", on November 4, 2026.

Out on Bandcamp and on CD.
This is great stuff !

-- info: Harald Haering

SOFT MACHINE BOX SET

"Slightly All The Time Recordings 1970-1974" is a new CD box set featuring English rock band Soft Machine.

This comprehensive anthology features 14 CDs and three blu-rays and covers the first half of the 1970s and the five albums (‘Third’, ‘Fourth’, ‘Fifth’, ‘Six’ and ‘Seven’) they recorded for CBS with each one newly remastered from the original quarter-inch tapes. In addition, it includes all of their existing BBC sessions (half of which are unreleased) and a generous selection of rare and previously unavailable concert recordings from Europe (UK/France/Switzerland).

It got released about two weeks ago.
More info soon.

ALBUM DROP DAY FOR THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND

ALBUM DROP DAY!

Thrilled to celebrate our new CD, "It's an Ed Palermo Christmas! God Bless Us, Everyone!" (Sky Cat Records 2026). Featuring the music of Jethro Tull, Tchaikovsky, ELP, Frank Zappa, Ed Palermo, and more! Artwork by the legendary Cal Schenkel (Zappa, Capt. Beefheart, Tom Waits). Makes a great stocking stuffer. 🙂
- Eddy the Elf

"...There are many delights in listening to The Ed Palermo Big Band – the expert musicianship, the lovely tunes, the energy, but also the joy of hearing unexpected snatches of other tunes which Palermo can’t resist slipping in. As he says: “Nothing is sacred and everything is sacred. It’s all done with love."
- London Jazz News

SUN RA BEFORE SUN RA

"The Magic City - Birmingham According To Sun Ra"
A documentary by Guillaume Maupin and Pablo Guarise.

Here's an interview with Guillaume Maupin and Pablo Guarise.

https://www.freejazzblog.org/2026/11/sun-ra-before-sun-ra-interview-with.html

-- info: Danny Mathys

BANDS THAT SOUNDED LIKE NO ONE ELSE

An interesting article on Classical-Music dot com:

These 15 bands honestly sounded like nothing else on the planet

From Captain Beefheart’s surreal blues to Can’s hypnotic krautrock, these 15 bands revelled in a soundworld like no other on Earth

https://www.classical-music.com/rock/bands-sounded-like-no-one-else

FRANK ZAPPA STORAGE BOXES

I recently bought some nice storage boxes for the Zappa CDs that came with the larger box sets.
Very happy with these (although they are a couple of mm too high to fit in my standard CD shelf).

Pieced together by a DIY enthusiast / entrepreneur in Milan.

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FRENCH INSTRUMENTAL PROG-METAL QUARTET KVÅRK RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM

Following their impressive "Here Comes Trouble" EP from 2020, French Instrumental Prog-Metal Quartet KVÅRK has just released their debut album "The Astral Maze".

TODD RUNDGREN ANNOUNCES SPRING 2027

From Glass Onyon PR

Todd Rundgren Announces Spring 2027 Tour Dates

Legendary producer/songwriter/guitarist Todd Rundgren is expanding his 2026 Damned If I Do Tour into 2027 with a major slate of newly added dates! This new leg of the tour includes new locations across the United States!

This tour promises to include plenty of fan favorite songs. Says Todd, “It’s always a challenge for me because my audience is so diverse, I never know what they’re in the mood for. I want to make sure we have all the musical ammunition we need to satisfy the spectrum.”

This new leg commences March 20th at The Plaza Live in Orlando, FL and ends April 19th at The Ryman in Nashville, TN! The fan presale for the new dates begins at 10 AM ET on November 11th [PW: VICTORY26]. Local presales begin at 10 AM local time on November 12th, and tickets go on sale for the public at 10 AM local time on November 13th.

Todd’s band for the Damned If I Do tour features Gil Assayas (Keys), Bruce McDaniel (Guitar), Prairie Prince (Drums), Bobby Strickland (Horns), and Kasim Sulton (Bass).

TODD RUNDGREN “DAMNED IF I DO” TOUR

• November 10, 2026 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
• November 12, 2026 – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre
• November 13, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – ZOUK
• November 15, 2026 – Boise, ID – Egyptian Theatre
• November 16, 2026 – Spokane, WA – Bing Crosby Theater
• November 18, 2026 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
• November 19, 2026 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
• November 21, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Capitol Theatre
  
  
• March 20, 2027 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
• March 22, 2027 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
• March 24, 2027 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
• March 25, 2027 – New Haven, CT – Shubert Theater
• March 27, 2027 – Bensalem, PA – Parx Casino
• March 30-31, 2027 – New York, NY – NYC City Winery (Two Shows)
• April 2, 2027 – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
• April 3, 2027 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
• April 5, 2027 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
• April 7, 2027 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
• April 8, 2027 – Easton, PA – State Theater Center for the Arts
• April 10, 2027 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
• April 11, 2027 – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre
• April 13, 2027 – Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
• April 14, 2027 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
• April 16, 2027 – Memphis, TN – Graceland Soundstage
• April 18, 2027 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
• April 19, 2027 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman

TODD RUNDGREN

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential `60's psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him 'Rock's New Wunderkind'. It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and the above mentioned A Wizard, A True Star, as well as such hit singles as I Saw The Light, Hello It's Me, Can We Still Be Friends, and Bang The Drum.

In 1974, Todd formed Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (renamed and reconfigured in 1976 as Utopia), an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Standout Utopia offerings included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion. Along the way, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that initially, for millions, defined the term "progressive rock”, and subsequently, as Utopia, the term “powerpop”.