Ben Thomas puts zap in Zappa Band [ZPZ]
Hoodoo
By Cliff Newell
The Lake Oswego Review, Jun 10, 2010
http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news/story.php?story_id=127612207890251000
http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news_graphics/127612211653149400.jpg
Ben Thomas performs at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles last August.
It is a good thing that Ben Thomas has such a versatile musical background.
The Lakeridge High School graduate needs all the versatility he’s got to
perform with the Zappa Plays Zappa Band, one of the most challenging
musical groups in the country; a group that preserves the legacy of the
late Frank Zappa, the greatest iconoclast in rock n’ roll.
“It’s fantastic,” said Thomas, who joined the band in May of 2009. “It’s
a great crew, and we’re keeping Frank’s music alive.”
Thomas joined the crew under incredibly difficult circumstances. Group
leader Dweezil Zappa, Frank’s son and lead guitarist, had already hired
a lead singer who quickly failed to pan out.
“At the time we were under the gun,” Zappa said. “We had a small window
to hire a singer. He had to learn 14 songs, go to two rehearsals and be
on a plane for a two-month European tour.”
Enter Ben Thomas to the audition. But Zappa had a test for him.
“I had Ben sing Inca Roads,” Zappa said. “He did it with no rhythmic
mistakes. He really understood the elements of the song.”
Apparently, Thomas can sing just about everything. He started out
playing the trumpet in every band possible at Lakeridge High, but he
soon evolved into a singer. Thomas then attended the University of
Oregon, where he earned a degree in journalism and sang in a gospel choir.
However, the rock n’ roll road was calling. Thomas went on to play in
several bands, developing as a singer and often composing his own songs.
The Zappa band is different. It might be labeled a cover or tribute band
since it performs the work of a music great. That brings up images of
imitators of the Beatles, Buddy Holly and the Crickets or Paul Revere
and the Raiders. But Frank Zappa’s music is too complicated for that.
“It’s like a gathering of virtuosos,” Thomas said. “I’ve learned a ton
about music since I joined this band. It’s like going to the school of
Zappa.”
“In the beginning, people didn’t know what to expect,” Dweezil said.
“Now they’ve really adopted the band. Our execution goes way beyond the
cover band approach.”
The Zappa Plays Zappa Band even keeps Frank’s razor-sharp satire, even
though they update the lyrics to fit the times.
“My dad taught me there are no boundaries in music,” Zappa said. “He
gave me a broader sense of what is possible.”
Thomas, Zappa and company are now set for a tour of the Northwest, which
starts Saturday in Eugene and goes on to the Roseland Theater in
Portland (show time is 8 p.m. Sunday), Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.
Set to accompany the band are two very big fans, Ben’s parents Jim and
Elaine Thomas of Lake Oswego. Jim takes photos and Elaine can be
described as fan club president. (“Yeah, why not?” Ben said.)
Elaine admits with a laugh, “I was hoping Ben would become a Christian
rock star.”
But as versatile as he is, that might be possible some day for Ben Thomas.
--
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computeruser
> Ben Thomas puts zap in Zappa Band
>
> By Cliff Newell
>
> http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news_graphics/127612211653149400.jpg
> Ben Thomas performs at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles last August.
>
> It is a good thing that Ben Thomas has such a versatile musical background.
>
[Snip]
>
> Elaine admits with a laugh, “I was hoping Ben would become a Christian
> rock star.”
>
> But as versatile as he is, that might be possible some day for Ben Thomas.
That would suck. We need less Christians, not more. Shun religion; it
is a way of life.
tcm...@gmail.com
but maybe the first one I did consider a disappointment. Ben Thomas
was OK, I guess, but he tended to over-work the "eyebrows" resulting
in a general lack of intelligable lyrics.
The band did many songs I had not seen them do before, though. Some
were very well done! Biggest surprise pleasure of the night was the
appearance of Jeff Simmons, first in the audience, and then finally
convinced to appear on stage to attempt a performance of Wino Man.
The band's arrangement was overly complicated, but Jeff did pretty
well with it!
As with the ZPZ last show I attended, it started LOUD and just kept
getting louder!
Off the top of my head, these were new songs to me from this band:
Apostrophe
Little House (Fillmore Version)
Latex Solar Beef
Daddy Daddy Daddy
Lonely Little Girl
The Blue Light
Yellow Snow (just the beginning)
Blessed Relief (pretty awesome with great flute from Shelia and decent
trumpet from Ben)
Stand out for me was probably City of Tiny Lights sung by the brand
new keyboard guy.
Billy the percussionist seem to have lost about 60 lbs since I last
saw them in Portland for YOU CAN'T FIT THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE. He
seems less jolly now!
And that's ZappaLVR's brief report on last night's show, which was
rapturously received by a full house at The Moore Theater in Seattle.
Charles Ulrich
<f0a73263-44ae-4370...@v12g2000prb.googlegroups.com>,
"tcm...@gmail.com" <tcm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Off the top of my head, these were new songs to me from this band:
>
> Apostrophe
> Little House (Fillmore Version)
> Latex Solar Beef
> Daddy Daddy Daddy
> Lonely Little Girl
> The Blue Light
> Yellow Snow (just the beginning)
> Blessed Relief (pretty awesome with great flute from Shelia and decent
> trumpet from Ben)
>
> And that's ZappaLVR's brief report on last night's show, which was
> rapturously received by a full house at The Moore Theater in Seattle,
where The Mothers probably played some of the same songs at their two
shows on Sunday, September 20, 1970.
--Charles
Charles Ulrich
mentioned.
The setlist:
Stinkfoot
Mystery Roach
Lonely Little Girl
City Of Tiny Lights
Daddy Daddy Daddy
What Kind Of Girl?
Blessed Relief
Cosmik Debris
Blue Light
Pick Me I'm Clean
Ship Ahoy [by request]
Eat That Question
Advance Romance
Little House I Used To Live In
Latex Solar Beef
Willie The Pimp
drum solo
Apostrophe
Big Swifty
Keep It Greasy
Easy Meat
Peaches En Regalia
High points for me were Blessed Relief and Little House.
They started half an hour late and Dweezil explained that the restroom
on the tour bus had pulled a Wino Man and "lost control of its body
functions" all over their luggage. He urged our forgiveness if they
smelled bad.
I was tempted to yell, "Youse guys stink! Bring on da Fudge!"
--Charles
Yesterdays Wafflez
Y.W.