Frank Zappa Stories

Friday Album Reviews | Six New Records You Need To Know

As every Friday brings new music, Tomorrow's Verse gives you our top picks for the week. Here are our favorite records from February 2. The Wood Brothers One Drop of TruthThe newest record from folk-rock trio The Wood Brothers finds the band continuing to explore the outer reaches of the folk-rock genre, incorporating subtle doses...

Frank Zappa’s Career, Charted Two Ways

Here are two infographics that'll help you appreciate (or deepen your appreciation of) the music of Frank Zappa.  One is a bit more artful, while the other is a down-and-dirty user-guide.  You'll want to click on each of these to view the full version in greater detail.Artist Ward Shelly is known...

A Frank Zappa Hologram Tour Is Coming In 2018 & Fans Ain't Happy

In a news statement that no Zappa fan saw coming, the Zappa Family Trust have announced a hologram tour with the late, iconic guitarist.Pairing with Eyellusion, the company that was in charge of Ronnie James Dios recent hologram tour, the hologram will go back out on tour playing his most well-known music as...

Xenochrony! Frank Zappa Contributes Posthumously to New Dweezil Song

Xenochrony is what Frank Zappa called the practice of isolating one of his guitar solos and repurposing it in an unrelated musical setting in the same or relative key.Frank's son Dweezil is using the technique to incorporate some of his dad's playing into one of his own compositions.  The tune is called "Dinosaur",...

VIDEO | Frank Zappa Interviewed By Alan Thicke, Appearing On Dance Fever

Here's a conversation that may be happening again in the Great Beyond -- an unlikely pairing of one of the world's most colorful musicians and one of its most vanilla television personalities, the recently deceased Alan Thicke.Thicke Of The Night was a syndicated talk show that was produced during the 1983-84 season. &...

Notes From The Jazz Underground Winds Down

This installment of Notes From The Jazz Underground is based on the August 19th broadcast.  This also happens to be the show's penultimate broadcast as host Paul Abella is taking on another morning shift on WDCB and surrendering his Friday night slot.The show itself was a combination of a Chicago Jazz Festival...

Notes From The Jazz Underground Returns

I am very happy to announce the return of Notes From The Jazz Underground. Not that it ever went anywhere, it's been airing on 90.9 FM WDCB Fridays from 10 to midnight, dutifully every week.But we've not been assembling and sharing playlists here for the last couple of years. People, this stuff is too good not...

GD50 Chicago Weekend Ticket Giveaways

Yes, our Fourth Of July weekend in Chicago can get a little overwhelming (and also quite expensive). But, we're looking out for our readers and have arranged a number of great ticket giveaways for events all around the city. Free sometimes is a great way to make a decision and depending on where you're coming...

Preview & Ticket Giveaway | Grateful Zappa Weekend @ Abbey Pub

Stop me if you've heard this one.Iconic guitarist and songwriter passes away in the 90's way before his time. Years later, his old bandmates come together in Chicago for a three night run over the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the songbook.That's right, the worlds of Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa have...

Jazz Underground Comes Alive

This installment of Notes From The Jazz Underground features the playlist based on the February 7th, 2014 show.This week's show is (mostly) devoted to live performance. There are lengthy, heady and intense jams from Dave Douglas, Fred Anderson (a Chicago legend, especially in the avant garde scene), Phish, Grant Green and Frank Zappa.The show...