FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2027, STEVE VAI & METROPOLE ORKEST IN CONCERT IN UTRECHT, NL

Next year, on June 6, 2027, Steve Vai will perform with the Metropole Orkest, under the direction of Jukka Iisakkila.

At Tivoli Vredenburg.

It will not be perfect as it's standing room only, but I'm still looking forward to it.

https://www.tivolivredenburg.nl/agenda/99326734/steve-vai-metropole-orkest-11-06-2027

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 2 - - - TOWN + RACECOURSE = FESTIVAL

All roads lead to Rome, but fans of Frank Zappa's music also know how to find their way to Bad Doberan.

When you go to the Zappanale festival, and you come from a bit further away, you don't have much choice. The final part of the trip to Bad Doberan must be made by train or by car.

Whatever you choose, you will enter the town of Bad Doberan with a view on the Alexandrineplatz and the park, and that's where you'll find the Frank Zappa bust. Created by Václav Česák, the bust was unveiled in 2002.

The festival and the camping site are located at the racecourse, a few kilometers are away from the town's center.
By car, it's a five to ten minute drive, but you can also take the Molli, the famous steam train.

Molli operates between Bad Doberan, Heiligendamm and Kühlungsborn over a total distance of 15.4 km with a running time of 40 minutes. It also makes a stop at the race track (the Galopp Rennbahn) and that's where the festival and the camping site are located.
Within Bad Doberan the line runs through the street, and later along a linden tree-lined avenue. It's like a tram, but much loader. Hard to miss.

Bad Doberan (in the below right corner), the Galopp Rennbahn (center), and Heiligendamm (top left).

NEW BOOK ABOUT FRANK ZAPPA

 New book about Frank Zappa by Raphael Henry.

THE HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTAL SURF MUSIC

Alan Jenkins wrote a book on the history of experimental surf music !
That looks very promising.

 

"ZAPPA AND ME", AN UPDATE ON THE MOVIE

Check out the promo video on vimeo:

https://vimeo.com/1192248253/486f6fa869

The website

https://www.wilddogworld.com/zappa-and-me-the-image-that-created-an-icon/

The update

We had a terrific conversation with LA rock photographer Rob Shanahan the other day.

In 2019, Rob took a great photo of Dweezil Zappa on the loo in front of the famous poster of Frank. What a find by Andrew Greenaway from Zappa News!

Rob has agreed to tell us all about it, where the poster is and also why he thinks Robert Davidson's picture is so special. Rob has photographed all the greats over the last 30 years so his story is amazing and his perspective on Robert's work is invaluable.

All will be revealed in the film and of course we've reached out to Dweezil to take part too.

We're also delighted to say that Bev Bevan, drummer from The Move, ELO and Black Sabbath will be speaking to us.

Robert famously photographed The Move signing their deal on model Liz Wilson's back.

Bev will speak about manger Tony Secunda - the man who booked Robert to cover the Zappa press conference at the Royal Garden Hotel in 1967 where the famous photo of Frank was made.

HAWKWIND - PSYCHEDELIC SELECTION

Legendary space rock band Hawkwind has a new album out: "Psychedelic Selection".
15 tracks, featuring founder Dave Brock, his musical companion Richard Chadwick and a nice selection of guests.

Out on 2 LP and on CD, plus Bandcamp.

THE UNIVERSE BY EAR

 A message from The Universe By Ear

After a long break, The Universe By Ear are back with some new songs!

We’re playing on Saturday 11 July at the Wydekantie in Dornach, show starts at 10 pm.
Come along!

Cheers,
Beni, Stef, Pascal

https://wydekantine.ch

ZAPPANALE #35 - - - PART 1 - - - WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT ?

The 35th edition of the Zappanale Festival will kick off in about two weeks.

The Zappanale is the world’s only annual music festival completely dedicated to the legacy and avant-garde music of late American composer and guitarist Frank Zappa. Organized by the Arf Society, the multi-day event takes place every July in the coastal German town of Bad Doberan.

Bad Doberan is a small town in northeastern Germany.
15 km west of Rostok.
150 km east of Hamburg
200 km north of Berlin

Bad Doberan is in the middle of nowhere, but it's a beautiful little town.
Near the Baltic Sea, friendly people, and well-known for its spa / bathing resorts.

And once every year, it brings together a couple of thousand music fans from all around the world to celebrate the music of Frank Zappa.

Don't get me wrong. It's not just Frank Zappa's music that's being performed at the festival.
There's a lot of it, but there's also music that's inspired by FZ, or music by bands that share the same eclectic approach: "Music Outside The Norm".

My wife and I have been going since 2002 and we've heard some wonderful music, discovered some great bands, and made a lot of friends.

If you're still considering going, have a look at the Zappanale website where you can find all the info on how to get to Bad Doberan:
https://www.zappanale.de/en/#anreise

Or join the Zappanale group on Facebook (is that still a thing?).

THE PETE ROTH TRIO, FEAT. BILL BRUFORD

The Pete Roth Trio return with Group Chat, a striking new CD/DVD release that captures the spontaneity, interplay and fearless musical conversation at the heart of this exceptional band. Led by guitarist Pete Roth, alongside bassist Mike Pratt and legendary drummer Bill Bruford, Group Chat is Roth's third major album and a release of particular significance, marking Bruford's eagerly awaited return to headline performance after a 13-year hiatus, as well as his first appearance on new material in 19 years.

• Pete Roth Trio: Group Chat
      (2026, cd + dvd, UK, cherry red)

OCTOBER EQUUS - SATURNAL REVISITED

"To commemorate fifteen years since the release of October Equus's album 'Saturnal' on the AltrOck label, I delved into our archives in search of all the tracks not used in the final mix. I then created a remix in which I replaced each instrument track with alternative takes where possible, which was the case for almost all the guitars and keyboards. I also grouped the music into two blocks or suites: one composed by me, which we'll call the Saturnal Suite (tracks 1-5), and one composed by keyboardist Víctor Rodríguez, respecting his original concept, inspired by the Central European folktale 'Sandman' (tracks 6-11). I believe this new mix is closer to the sound of October Equus live at that time. In any case, it's not intended to replace the original album, but simply to offer another perspective."
Ángel Ontalva