Interview: The Zappa Band Talk The Return To Live Music, Frank Zappa's Last U.S. Show, And Continuing The Legacy
The world is slowly but surely beginning to reopen, and with that reopening means the return of live music. Tonight in Concord, CA, King Crimson will take the stage for a headlining show at Concord Pavilion. Joining them will be The Zappa Band. Ahead of their performance, the band were kind enough to answer a few questions for us about the return to live music, the recent reissue of “Zappa ‘88: The Final U.S. Show”, and what’s it like to continue the legacy of Frank Zappa’s after all these years.
(Tickets for tonight’s show with King Crimson and The Zappa Band can be purchased here).
You’re about to kick off your tour with King Crimson this Thursday, August 5th. How are you all feeling about taking the stage, given the last year and a half the world has experienced?
Jamie Kime (guitarist): As the realities of 2020 sank in - and then carried forth into 2021 - I had wrapped my mind around the very real possibility that no one was going to be hitting the road again until next year. When I received word King Crimson were gearing up to relaunch this summer with The Zappa Band supporting, it was an unexpected surprise that brought on a combination of sheer excitement followed by a feeling of "oh God, I need to practice!" In many ways, the musical combination is somewhat of a "perfect pairing" as I can't imagine too many Crimson fans who don't also own at least a few Frank Zappa albums, and won't be familiar with some of the choice cuts we have prepared to serve up. Also, like everyone who will be attending these shows, I'm a longtime Crimson fanatic from a pretty early age so it's thrilling from that perspective as well - to have the opportunity to share the stage with such an iconic band is, to say the least, pretty damn cool.
Ray White (lead vocalist/guitarist): Although the last year has been trying for everyone on planet Earth, some have given their last breath. We owe it to a world coming out of chaos to turn on some light, and if music is truly the best, then it is also a very bright light. I look forward to the sounds of joy, the sounds of life rising from the ashes.
You are the main support act leading into King Crimson’s set each night. What is your goal, as a band, when taking the stage for your set? What do you hope the crowd takes away from your performance?
Mike Keneally (guitarist): I think the whole evening at Concord (CGT, Zappa Band, Crimson) will be a beautiful sequence of music and I’m very conscious of our place in it. We love Frank’s music a great deal in the band and I know we’re all excited to present it to this audience with high spirit, and help to create a really memorable night for everyone. I expect we’re going to have an incredibly good time playing and I hope, and kind of suspect, that the audience will be able to feel us feeling the music. Can’t wait to play.
I also understand that Zappa Records released a live Frank Zappa release, Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show, back in June. Given that this was the last ever U.S. show for Frank Zappa, what do you recall about the show?
Scott Thunes (bassist): The most memorable thing about this concert was the “performance“ of the ‘Long Island Ballet Company’, a group of fans who had spent the entire tour following the band and being allowed into sound checks by Frank for so long he gave them the ultimate gift of letting them up on stage for one of Frank’s favorite events, the 'dance party.' During previous tours Frank would never have let even a single audience member into a sound check - let alone 20 - but something about their dedication and resilience intrigued and delighted him, and it gave him some kind of joy to share the rehearsal process with a group of traveling maniacs who cared so much about Frank’s music that they left their homes from as far away as Alaska to experience the crumbs of our musical banquet. Having played with Frank for several years before this and seeing so few memorable impromptu expressions of audience interaction, this was a true testament to his connection and communication with his audiences. They all loved Frank and we loved them, and I thank them all of them for their service.
What adjustments have been made for the release of Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show (any new mixing, mastering, etc.?)
Joe Travers (drummer): Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show was re-mixed from scratch from the original 48 track digital masters. Craig Parker Adams, our usual go-to mix engineer, did an amazing job as usual along with John Polito who mastered the release. It's the first time a full show from this tour has been released this way. Prior to this, all of the material released from this band was mixed by FZ with his staff engineers.
One of the members of the band is Joe Travers, also known as the ZAPPA VAULTMEISTER. Joe: what is the most important part of your job as the archivist for an artist like Frank Zappa, an artist that has a great deal of history?
Travers: Preserving the legacy by digitizing the assets. By doing so, we get a better grip on exactly what is there, clearer understanding of the music itself and what we can prioritize for future releases. This includes, audio tape, video tape, film, pictures, articles, scores and parts.
The Zappa Band
www.zappa.com
