Former members of the Mothers of Invention will perform with a Frank Zappa hologram when the “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” hits the road later this year.
A number of Zappa’s old bandmates–such as Napoleon Murphy Brock and Ian Underwood of the Mothers—will make guest appearances during stops on the tour. Joe’s Garage alumni Warren Cuccurullo, Arthur Barrow, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Ed Mann are also slated to appear during the tour.
The guest artists will perform with a regularly touring band that includes guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, and drummer/Zappa archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers. Joining them will be a Zappa hologram created by Eyellusion, the company behind a hologram of Ronnie James Dio that embarked on a world tour last year.
The “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” tour is approved and organized by the Zappa Family Trust. Ahmet Zappa, a co-trustee and the trust’s executive vice president of business development, released a statement on the tour that reads:
As a futurist, and hologram enthusiast, Frank fearlessly broke through boundary after boundary as an artist and in honoring his indomitable spirit we’re about to do it again, 25 years after his passing. This mind-melting show we’re putting together celebrates the music, often surreal imagery and humor synonymous with Frank. We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue. Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage. We are anthropomorphizing Frank’s music, so his own hand-drawn illustrations, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs can all interact and perform on stage. And let’s not forget, Frank himself will be rocking his fans, alongside his bandmates like nobody’s business. My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in. He actually devoted half a chapter of The Real Frank Zappa Book (1990) to this subject. This is a love letter and a journey celebrating the genius artistry of Frank Zappa. On a personal note, I feel like I am finishing something my father started years ago.
According to Rolling Stone, the upcoming tour will also incorporate a substantial amount of never-before-seen footage from an audience-less performance that Zappa recorded at his Los Angeles rehearsal space in 1974. Additional information regarding tour dates, ticket prices, and more will be released in the coming months.
[Photo: Zappa Family Tust]