Dweezil, the son of the legendary Frank Zappa, performs to a SOLD OUT Living Arts Centre.
Hammerson Hall was just a-
Dweezil and his magical music makers brought the SOLD OUT audience of 1,350 on a curated journey of his dad’s deep nonconformed and improvisational sound complexity, allowing tons of flavors to seep into your brain. Frank’s Hot Rats, is an in-depth masterpiece and truly engaging album, mesmerized my senses all the way with its creativity. This album played a pivotal role in establishing Frank Zappa and he even dedicated the album to his then recently born, eldest son Dweezil, upon the 1969 release. We not only got to celebrate the 50th milestone of Frank’s 2nd Solo album Hot Rats but, the audience wished Dweezil, a Happy 50th Birthday (Sept. 5th-days out from the show). Kickin’ the show into high gear with a recording of an ad for the Hot Rats album plus the addition of instrumental Phyniox from the Joe’s Camouflage springing right into the opening hit from Hot Rats, the instrumental jazz fusion Peaches en Regalia, (the exact cover of the piece was recorded by Zappa Plays Zappa with Dweezil and former Zappa alumni Steve Vai and Napoleon Murphy Brock who won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in February 2009).
My partner in crime this time around was none other then Demolition Rage founder, guitarist, backing vocalist and huge Frank Zappa admirer, Fabio LaRocca. Here’s what Fab had to report. “The show opened with famed Peaches en Regalia into Willie the Pimp which featured Scheila Gonzalez on vocals leading into Son of Mr. Green Genes which was a great start, it seemed so effortless! Little Umbrellas featured Scheila Gonzalez again as she played keys and clarinet well, also Kurt Morgan was using a bass that looked like a ukelele, they really showed the crowd how they shined. The Gumbo Variations was no different, again Scheila Gonzalez broke out a sax solo that grabbed everyone’s attention, allowing the song to build up, then Dweezil ended it with a killer solo, that made me think to go back and give this album another listen. Zappa and the rhythm section were tight as hell and included on this track was a mini bass and drum solo by guitarist Kurt Morgan and from drummer Ryan Brown. It’s not a track I would have paid to much attention to before, but to see it played live this way, was just incredible, it definitely put a smile on my face. It Must Be A Camel can be found as the last track of the Hot Rats album, simply excellent, as the band attacked it just right, very precise, it just seemed flawless. Overall, the first part of the show was performed remarkably well with the care of being exact and true to when it was 1st recorded all those years ago. The second part of the show began with a number of songs that were done over a 20-year span starting with Tryin’ to Grow a Chin, Reeny Ra, Would You Go All The Way? but, Dirty Love (Overnight Sensation album) was a great rendition with a flawless lead from Zappa, and with excellent vocals, totally making this a great groovy track; it will burn a hole in your mind, as in the past, I have seen this track performed with Steve Vai and again was just incredible. As the show moved on, another great track What Kind of Girl Do You Think We Are? was sung in a bluesy gospel Frank Zappa style with each of the members having a chance to sing parts making it amazing for the audience. As the show progressed there were a few more instrumentals that were jaw-dropping with songs like Bwana Dik, Lumpy Gravy, Village of the Sun, and Echidna’s Arf (Of You). Other tracks that stood out for me were The Heavenly Bank Account which was executed well, I‘m a Beautiful Guy, Beauty Knows No Pain, and of course, Charlies’s Enormous Mouth, which was also executed perfectly with another great lead guitar. These were tracks of the 80s that I was familiar with as a kid and grew to love because of the silliness of the lyrics and great musicianship. The night was just fantastic, with the encores just as brilliant that filled the room with Cosmik Debris which was a treat all in itself. Featuring more great organ work, all chasing that groove while sharing that familiar Frank Zappa feel. Great solos on sax and guitar by Scheila Gonzalez and guitarist Adam Minkoff all played with a groovy bass line that kept it all together. To top it all off, Dweezil broke into yet another solo with great exactness to how his dad used to play years ago with that great bluesy touch. I wish the show would have kept going but, after a straight 2 hour set of 28 hits, it had to end sometime. There were still a lot of great songs I wished they played but, maybe in the years to come Dweezil just might decide to play them next time he comes to town. My impression of this fantastic show left me with one of the greatest memories that will be burned in my mind for a long time.” ~ Fabio La Rocca.
This sophisticated carbon copy of a Frank Zappa performance, thanks to the skill of such youthful yet seasoned musical veterans, was simply stellar. The talented Grammy winning and long-time Dweezil band member Scheila Gonzalez shared her wealth on sax, flute, clarinet, keys, vocals that blended in with Adam Minkoff on lead vocals, guitar, keys, and percussion, as it combined nicely with Cian Coey on lead vocals and percussion, alongside Ryan Brown diving in on vocals and drums, including the rich flavor of Kurt Morgan on bass and vocals and the inclusion of Chris Norton on keys/vocals with the amazing lead guitar of Dweezil Zappa, truly made for 1 out of the box experience for me. This eclectic bunch shared songs that dug deep into the vault projecting hits that spanned Franks’s extensive solo and his The Mothers of Invention career. Not one head strayed as the fans were in pure awe of this demanding body of work.
Dweezil’s categorical genius and impressive confidence with his dad’s stratospheric psychedelic rock proportions, stretched on for miles with yet a calm soothing effect. The sensational
“Marking the official 50th Anniversary of guitarist and composer of Hot Rats, Frank Zappa’s estate will release a 6 disc reissue allowing the sessions that yield the jazz-rock masterpiece, stay tuned for Dec. 20th via UMe and Zappa Records. This release will include an “abundance of rare and unedited mixes, work mixes, relevant vault nuggets and compete basic tracks mixed from the original multi-track master tapes,” according to its release. 1st 4 discs include the studio sessions, showcasing the creative process behind Hot Rats tracks like “Peaches En Regalis,” “It Must Be a Camel” and Captain Beefheart featuring “Willie the Pimp” plus LP songs like “Transition” and “
A must-see engagement! Even after more than a quarter of a century has slid by since Frank’s passing, and his legend lives on through Dweezil. Stay in tune as Dweezil’s act heads off to the European portion of this tour starting Nov. 21st through December 11th. They venture back into the North American leg of the tour on Feb. 5th, 2020 with fantastic news!!! Dweezil soars back this way, landing at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre on March 21st, 2020, once again his only Ontario date of 3 Canadian shows. Visit https://www.dweezilzappa.com/pages/tour-dates for ticket information. Also, visit https://www.livingartscentre.ca for all your upcoming concert needs.
SET LIST SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2019 Living Arts Centre
Phyniox (intro)- Peaches en Regalia
- Willie The Pimp
- Son of Mr. Green Genes
- Little Umbrellas
- The Jumbo Variations
- It Must Be A Camel
- Tryin’ To Grow a Chin
- Reeny Ra
- Would You Go All the Way?
- Dirty Love
- What Kind of Girl Do
You Think We Are? - Bwana Dik
- Lumpy Gravy
- Village of The Sun
- Echidna’s Arf (Of You)
- Bamboozled by Love
- Brown Moses
- Heavenly Bank Account
- I’m a Beautiful Guy
- Beauty Knows No Pain
- Charlie’s Enormous Mouth
- Any Downers?
- Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy
- Muffin Man WITH ENCORES: Cosmik Debris, Tears Began To Fall and Phyniox (
outtro ).