Submitted
Zappa Plays Zappa
Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m. — RUTLAND — Dweezil Zappa will continue the timeless musical legacy of his father, Frank Zappa, at the Paramount Theatre on Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m., with Zappa Plays Zappa. He will also be offering a guitar masterclass preceding his concert for $75.
Dweezil Zappa is both the modern face of Zappa music and the person who can bring it fully-formed into the future. The “Ahead of Its Time” moniker frequently slapped onto Frank’s music is brought to life for modern audiences, who are still able to full-sensory witness the spectacular specimens of some of American music’s most original, unrepentant and boundlessly experimental canons, thanks to Dweezil and five other telepathic musicians.
Through artful reshaping and rekindling of his father’s timeless music, featuring Frank’s trademark, incredibly complex compositions and perfect execution, Dweezil applies his talent to exposing, performing and shamelessly proselytizing music that literally is in his blood. This tour also celebrates ten years of Zappa Plays Zappa performing shows worldwide and of Dweezil proving his goal of forming a core band of previously unknown expert musicians capable of respectfully executing his father’s music, winning them two Grammy awards along the way.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release “One Size Fits All” in 1975, the five-member Zappa Plays Zappa recreates live the final studio album from Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Heralded by fans worldwide as a Zappa gem, a peak album of the peak band, “the bees knees,” etc., tracks dip into a level of “epic” that diehards could only imagine getting to see live.
“‘One Size Fits All’ is one of my favorite records for a number of reasons. The material on the record has incredible arrangements and instrumentation,” explains Dweezil. “ I think it’s a fan favorite because it has so many great songs and wonderful musicians on it. [Percussionist] Ruth Underwood really stands out on this record. The sound quality of the record is also very rich and detailed.”
“Besides playing the entire ‘One Size Fits All’ album we will play another 70-75 minutes worth of other material from my father’s vast catalog,” Dweezil continues. “We also like to have a few surprises up our sleeves and this tour is no exception.”
Zappa Plays Zappa 2015 is comprised of: Dweezil Zappa, guitar and vocals; Scheila Gonzalez, saxophone, flute, keyboards and vocals; Ben Thomas, vocals “and more”; Chris Norton, keyboards and vocals; Kurt Morgan, bass; and Ryan Brown, drums.
Tickets ($42.50-79.50) are available at the venue box office located at 30 Center Street in historic downtown Rutland. Patrons can charge-by-phone by calling 802-775-0903 or purchase online at www.paramountlive.org.
