Napoleon (aka Napi) called me last night from Amsterdam, told me he is there recording with Zappa alum George Duke. Asked me to come over if I was in Berlin, but I am not I am in NYC, so I can't massage those guys even though I would love to be there. Can't be everywhere at once, innit? He also mentioned doing press for the upcoming release of his cd:
An historical CD will be released in December 2009 entitled “This is What Frank Zappa Heard – Just in Case You Were Wondering – Live at the Red Noodle in Waikiki, Hawaii”.
On August 8th, 1973, Frank Zappa was alerted by his road manager, Marty Perellis, that an incredible band with an extraordinary lead singer was performing downtown to a standing room only audience … and that it might be wise that he come and see this for himself.
When Zappa went to the club and watched the show, he saw a young talent sing, dance, play sax, flute and keyboards, in a manner that clearly made it appear that he was having more fun than even the other patrons in the club.
After two hours of observing and listening to this young man and his very disciplined band of musicians, he introduced himself as Frank Zappa, and the young man introduced himself as Napoleon Murphy Brock. The next words out of Zappa’s mouth were, “You are my new lead vocalist.” (Check napol
eonmbrock.com – INTERVIEWS – for more details of these conversations.) The rest is history, as these releases attest to:
APOSTROPHE ROXY & ELSEWHERE ONE SIZE FITS ALL BONGO FURY YOU CAN’T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE – LIVE IN HELSINKI FINLAND THE DUB ROOM SPECIAL (DVD) A TOKEN OF HIS EXTREME (DVD) SHEIK YERBOUTI (All Background Parts) THE EVIL PRINCE (From “THINGFISH) Grammy Award Winning Performance ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA (DVD-2006)
PLEDGE FORM FOR PRE-ORDERING “THIS IS WHAT FRANK ZAPPA HEARD – JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING”
PLEASE SEND NO MONEY: This is a form for pre-ordering this historic CD. IF YOU PRE-ORDER, THERE WILL BE NO SHIPPING CHARGE.
(The CD will be autographed upon request.) This was taped on TEAC 4 Track Reel to Reel on August 8th, 1973 and will be released in December 2009. This CD performance has been digitally enhanced will put you at the next table to where Frank was sitting, and you will experience what Frank Zappa experienced and what later was described as “the audition of a lifetime”.
Just fill out the form below, and mail – or e-mail it – to the following address: nmubrock@pacbell.net or napoleonmbrock.com Or: Napoleon Murphy Brock P.O. Box 817 San Jose, California 90187
NAME __________________________________ Number of CDs @ 15 Euros each ________ STREET ADDRESS / CITY/STATE or COUNTRY E-MAIL ADDRESS
Don't get me wrong…but, a lot of people are over looking Frank Zappa in lieu of Rick Derringer for the Vintage Guitar Magazine Hall of Fame contest below.
Yet, overwhelmingly, the Gibson SG standard guitar is sweeping this con…test..which is the very same guitar Frank Zappa played!
I find it a bit strange for Rick Derringer to win over Frank for this contest when FZ's guitar is sweeping like this…with all due respect for Rick and his talent – as he too is an amazing player, artist, and friend…and Frank not being here to hype himself…perhaps we should all vote to help remember him?
Again with all due respect to Rick who I think is a great player…but to me Frank was not only a great player but also a legendary player and a musical genius and deservingly should win this induction into the VGM Hall of Fame contest along with his guitar the Gibson SG standard.
Anyway, here is the link if you can help to spread the word?
thanks to my pal Lewy Stix for bringing this to my attention.
For me the Zappanale fest already started in Berlin with Project Object playing at the DOT CLUB on August 13th. It was so awesome and my buddy Joe Jackson came and stood in the audience the whole time and watched. He said he enjoyed the show, the band was good but he said, as I said, the sound could have been better. The club is HOT as FUCK and smokey too- with bad sound. NOT good. But Project Object, of course, did the best they could do and nailed it.
My good friends Dirk and Bully came to the show too and refused to accept free tix, they wanted to support the band! Snarky, a myspace Zappa group friend of mine came all the way from Virginia to see the show (and the Zappanale too)
Dirk, Bully, Snarky McBullhorn ^
Dot at the Dot Club. I felt at home here apart from the cig smoke, cough cough, I am NO fun, innit!? I LOVE the shirt I am wearing, my friend Robin Gelberg gave it to me, I treasure it.
Oliver (in the middle) owns a bar called the Jansen Bar in Berlin and they have Frank Zappa night the first Tuesday of each month. Ike was happy to pose with Oliver and the Jansen bar bar-tender who swears he isn’t gay (inside joke). Check it out: http://www.jansenbar.de/
Rather bad quality but here is a video of one ^ of my performances at the Dot Club in Berlin
Not much time to write, just posting a few pics I took last night. The Zappanale gets better each time I come, I LOVE it (“it’s a way of life” 😉
To see the blog I wrote about the last Zappanale I went to two years ago, go to:
Bruce Bickford is here at the festival, if you don’t know who he is, you must not know the Frank Zappa film “Baby Snakes”. Google him, he is a legend- or just click link below:
All of Jimmy Carl Black’s kids are here. Met them all and his widow is here too, will post pics asap.
Project Object from behind 😉
https://vimeo.com/38247621
https://vimeo.com/38247621
CREW SLUT at the Zappanale ^ (I knew a better quality version would turn up 🙂
And I FINALLY met the famous Paul Green. We run in the same circle, never had the pleasure until tonight- wicked fun guy..
And it felt like MAGIC to be in between these two legends, Don Preston and Robert Martin (they just met for the first time tonight!)
Haven’t seen Don for two years, it is always a pleasure. Haven’t seen Robert since 1988! We had a LOT of catching up to do and he gave me 2 hours of fitness and advice about what to eat and what not to eat (he is a strict Vegan). He is 61 and is still ripped, you should see his abs. Check out his web site, you can see videos of him doing one legged squats, he is amazing!! http://www.lookgreatnakedatanyage.com/
Robert’s shoes fascinated me to no end ^ I told him if they made them for women, they could paint the toe nail part red to make them sexier. ha.
Eric Svalgard ^ and Eric Slick of Project Object
Eric Slick and Robbie “Seahag” ^ (Guitar for Project Object)
Project Object fucking RULED!! I performed as “Mary” for them during Crew Slut and Wet t-shirt night. Always an honor. Ike Willis is in top form, Don kicks ass, Andre’ gets better all the time, Eric Slick on drums, wow! Robbie Seahag on bass, Eric Svalgard the crazy blond on other keyboards and Robert Martin came out and did a few numbers like Whipping Post and NAILED IT!!! Gregg Allman would approve.
Gotta sleep, ttyl
x
ps. Here is me below as “Mary” for the Crew Slut song/performance (would love to see a video of that, it was hilarious!)
Thursday night at the Dot club and Friday night at the Zappanale I played MARY in the songs Crew Slut and Fembot in a Wet Shirt (still waiting for someone to send me some pics of that)
I was slinking around each Project Object band member during the song and in this shot ^ back to back with Robert Martin
Robert Martin again ^ and I
“Hey hey hey all you girls in these
Industrial towns
I know youre probly gettin tired
Of all the local clowns
They never give you no respect
They never treat you nice
So perhaps you oughta try
A little friendly advice
And be a crew slut
Hey, youll love it
Be a crew slut
Its a way of life
Be a crew slut
See the world
Dont make a fuss, just get on the bus
Crew slut
Add water makes its own sauce
Be a crew slut
So you dont forget, call before midnite tonite
The boys in the crew
Are just waiting for you
You never to get move around
You never go nowhere
I know yer probly gettin tired
Of all the guys out there
You always wondered what its like
To go from place to place
So, darlin, take a little ride
On the mixers face
Be a crew slut
Just follow the magic footprints
Be a crew slut
Hey, youll love it!
Be a crew slut
Its a way of life
I aint gonna squash it
And you dont need to wash it!” FRANK ZAPPA
https://vimeo.com/38287559
Back again with more pics from Saturday night at the Zappanale:
Project Object leader ^ and his lovely lady
OMFG, Roberts hands are AMAZING!! Wish he would do my feet 🙂
It is really hard to get good in concert shots. But I get some good in person pics. You can’t capture their music in pics anyways and my camera is too crap to make any decent videos of the shows
Eric Slick (drummer genius) on stage after his performance with Project Object ^
SUNDAY (last night of the Zappanale) below:
Was fun hanging out with Bruce again. He told many private things about himself, it was awesome to get close to such a genius mind. He is so kind and gentle; makes you want to protect him.
Ike and I have known each other for 21 years. His mind is still sharp as a whip and his sense of humor is as amazing as his voice. LOVE HIM!
Ah, to be a fly on the wall- wait, I was there. Super Fly. ha.
The Zappanale is 4 days/nights of Zappa fun, but everyone is SUPER tired by Sunday night. Terry looked so fucking fit, wow. He claims he is “getting fat” but I didn’t see any on him.
Zappa alumni Sandwich part 2 (or 3?) keep em coming..
Wolfhard is the founder of the Zappanale, started it 20 years ago. Super nice guy and he is a MASSIVE Zappa freak, he doesn’t do this festival for anything else but the love he has for Frank Zappa’s music. Thomas is the president of the Arf Society (google it, I’m too tired to write about it 😉
Wolfhard is rather shy and keeps to himself, not one to ask for pics or autographs, but he did want one with Bruce. They are both amazing people.
When I left the festival I noticed a rowdy bar still open in Bad Doberan and went in and it was PACKED with hard core Zappa fans (Zappateers). One of them, from the UK, had this hair cut goin’ on. Ha.
Will TRY to ad more text and pics soon.
Haven’t really wrote much about the music. Not much to say apart from you can never get enough Frank Zappa music. Some were bored with Terry Bozzio’s 90 min drum solo set but hey, he IS Terry Bozzio and well, RESPECT! One thing that REALLY gets on my tits about the Zappanale is you have to listen to the same fucking songs over and over and OVER again because it seems to be impossible to controll what each band plays so they ALL play Frank’s top ten hits (I am the slime, dirty love, etc etc.) Project Object did the BEST version EVER of Whipping Post with Bobby Martin and hello? Some Austrian Band (Sex without Nails) did it the very next night. Jesus, have some fucking respect will ya? Give it up. I hate that. I think all bands should pick their songs from a Zappanale lottery 6 months before the festival and NO ONE should be allowed to repeat a song!!
What about Truck Driver Divorce? Or Lucille has messed my Mind up? There are HUNDREDS of songs to choose from yet we have to endure the same fucking songs repeatedly (which is ok if you are drunk and stoned out of your Zappa loving mind) but I am NOT so it bothers me and the other few sober cunts there. FOR FUCK SAKE!!! I asked the powers that be (Thomas and Wolfhard) about this and they said they DO try to control it BUT the bands “do what they want once they get up on the stage”. How can they play repeats? Are they retarded? Don’t they know how many SONGS Frank Zappa actually has? pfft.
If you want a different view of the Zappanale, keep your eye out for Andrew Greenaways web site, he will surely cover it once he is back in the UK and sober: www.idiotbastard.com
x
Jimmy Carl Black’s lovely but very sad, widow “Moni”
Signed the lease today for my new flat. A big bigger and MUCH safer and quieter. Can't take this place I live in ANY more. It is ground floor and anyone can just walk up to my bed room window (if they get into the court yard of the place, they can walk up to my windows and look in). A friend found this flat for me a few years ago, last minute and it is DIRT cheap but bed room window is only feet away from the glass recycling bin and hello, that is mega loud.
Still awaiting my daughters sentencing – for taking part in an anti-racism march with other kids…. long story and I hope it blows over fast as my plate is already super full. Just killed a mosquito. Will they never learn not to enter my space? Anything with more than four legs is GOING DOWN. ha.
Looking SO forward to the Zappanale , me and a bunch of friends are heading there together to be amongst thousands of other true Frank Zappa fans. It is the best event in the world for Zappa fans. Hands down. Going there and moving into a new flat around the same time is really going to be a handful, but it will be worth it. Been waiting for a new flat for years and I am dam picky (just like I am about music, food, men) so, it is always better to wait for something GREAT than to settle for something quick and easy. Quality, not quantity is the perfect rule.
A facebook friend sent me this video earlier, I feel like it is Christmas, aaaaaaaah…. pleasant thing to see right before I go to bed. Hey la!
The members of PROJECT/OBJECT feel that Frank Zappa is one of the 20th Century's greatest and most important composers, and they are on a mission to bring his music to the masses by faithfully recreating the live Zappa experience.
PROJECT/OBJECT formed in the early '90s as an offshoot from an annual Frank Zappa birthday celebration that took place in guitarist Andre' Cholmondeley's basement in New Jersey. As the event grew in size and popularity, PROJECT/OBJECT decided to take their show on the road, performing Zappa's music in more cities and larger venues, with a growing set list from every era of Zappa's 30-year recording career. The band strives to stay true to Frank's vision of constantly challenging the musicians and the audiences.
Frank Zappa was extremely influential to many musicians and bands, especially many jambands, including Phish, moe., and Deep Banana Blackout. While many jamband fans are aware that Frank Zappa was influential, they are largely unfamiliar with his music. Of those who are familiar, many were too young to have seen him in concert. PROJECT/OBJECT is the closest they will get to the live Zappa experience, and the band has been enjoying increasing support from this growing scene.
PROJECT/OBJECT is now and always will be the world's ONLY ZAPPA TRIBUTE BAND that has played so many gigs and complete TOURS with so many of the ACTUAL PARTICIPANTS in Zappa's Musical Universe – musicians from virtually EVERY Zappa lineup…from the 1965 band all the way to the 1988 band!! Other acts may outflank them with big budgets and fancy, misleading ads, but PROJECT/OBJECT is the World's ONLY band to go to for fans that want an intimate, excellent evening with ACTUAL, AUTHENTIC, OFFICIAL ZAPPA ALUMNI…..
In every new market they visit, PROJECT/OBJECT converts the curious into dedicated fans. They want to remind old Zappa fans of the way it used to be and let younger fans, who never experienced a Zappa show, see and hear the way it was.
[trap.]: innovative international power trio shaped of : Merlin Ettore (Canada) :: hybrid drums Matjö Pe (france) :: explosed trumpet/mad keys Elektremi (Germany) :: intuitive electronics
Recently based in Berlin, [trap.] have been spawning raw power and future in sound in the studio and on stage.
[trap.] is known to hand over to their audiences energy packed beat fireballs surfing on hypnotic silky sounds waves. Expanding it’s horizons, [trap.] is know to collaborate with a wide range of instrumentalist wonders of various musical scenes.
[trap.] is currently in production recording an EP. Release in Berlin scheduled for late May 2009.
[trap.] is endorses Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals and Ableton software.
