DAY: Friday June 11th
STAGE: Harmony Main Stage  (8:00PM)
w/ 7 Walkers Feat. Bill Kreutzmann (The Grateful Dead) Papa Mali & Steve Kimock.
 

Lead by guitarist Dweezil Zappa, the eldest son of  legendary rock guitarist and composer Frank Zappa, Zappa plays Zappa is both a tribute and a contemporay exploration of the elder Zappa's extraordinary music. Iconoclastic Frank Zappa, who died of cancer in 1993, is recognized as one the greatest guitarists, live performers and composers in rock history.  Zappa's music, a blend of rock, jazz, avante garde and classical stylings is noted for odd time signatures, unusual synchopation, and quirky lyrics and vocal lines is known to be some of the most challenging rock music ever written--not to mention some of the most difficult to perform live. Frank Zappa band alumni include virtuosos like Steve Vai, Terry Bozio, Adrian Belew, Anysley Dunbar, Chad Wackerman and George Duke to name a few. Fair warning: this ain't no usual "cover band"!!!  With Dweezil and his guitar firmly in charge, prepare to be blown away as Dweezil and his band bring the musical legacy & odyssey of Frank Zappa's music to life; playing "the hits", classic album tracks and obscure fan requests with equal flair.

Seeing is believing, check it out for yourself!

"Zoomby Woof" (Zappa Plays Zappa live with guitarist Steve Vai):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xcoHA33mH8

Performance Highlights trailer:
http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/videos/zpz_trailer.html

For the last several years, Zappa Plays Zappa has toured the world performing to wildly enthusiastic audiences and receiving rave reviews. The group has become a favorite at major music festivals from coast to coast. Dweezil Zappa is supported in this adventurous enterprise by a truly amazing ensemble of hand-picked young musical talents who have not only mastered the Zappa song book with mind altering precision, but have also embellished the music with their own artistic authenticity. As anyone who has expereinced Zappa Plays Zappa live knows, this is surely a show not to be missed and The Harmony Festival Program Director's official "pick of the weekend"!

Background: To bring the concept of Zappa Plays Zappa to life Dweezil cocooned himself away in the studio, engineering his own metamorphosis. He explains, "In order for me to play my father's music correctly I needed to understand the fundamentals of his music more thoroughly, which meant a lot of studying." The autodidactic Zappa utilized the fruits of his labor to startling effect on the recent Go With What You Know, his first album project in more than six years, which features a unique guitar rendition of the elder Zappa's classic instrumental, Peaches En Regalia. Dweezil continues, "I actually played along with dad's guitar solo from the original 'Hot Rats' master tapes. He had dedicated that album to me, since he was working on that around the time I was born. It's cool to hear us playing together, note for note, in a stereo time machine." The modern version of 'Peaches en Ragalia' went on to garner Zappa Plays Zappa its first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental. To truly appreciate the music its a good idea to know a bit about Frank himself so a visit to www.zappa.com or checking out some of the many great videos on You Tube is a great way to get started!

http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/
http://www.zappa.com