The new ZAPPATiKA lineup is busy rehearsing for their upcoming tour. The first show has just been announced. On November 25th they will hit the stage at Musicon in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The all new line up of ZAPPATiKA plays its first show in The Netherlands celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Frank Zappa's first official release. A 3 hour tribute concert of Frank Zappa music.
Tickets will be available very soon from musicon.nl.
ZAPPATiKA have posted a stream stream of Watermelon in Easter Hay, a track from the Welcome to the Starlight Lounge album, recorded during their tour European tour with Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward.
The Ike Willis & ZAPPATiKA European tour was a special one. They were joined by two Frank Zappa alumni: Jeff Hollie (sax) and Craig Twister Steward (harp). The new live album Welcome to the Starlight Lounge, recorded during shows in the UK and Germany, is a consolation for those who could not attend in person and a nice souvenir for those who did. The songs are served as one huge single continuous file, just like an actual concert. With the presence of Willis, Hollie and Steward three of the musicians of Joe's Garage were on hand, so it made sense that a sizeable slice of the show consisted of songs taken from one of Frank Zappa's finest albums.
Willis' voice is fine form and Steward's bluesy harp and Hollie's sax are spot on. Anglo-Dutch tribute band ZAPPATiKA are one of the top acts on the circuit, with guitar player Zap Mcinnes comes close to FZ's tone. Percussionist/synth player Hieronymus Bongo also takes care of the background vocals notes, drummer Diego Mocci is a master of any time signature that is put in from of him, Fred Händl's keyboards are playful and bass player Joep Oosterbaan is obviously an avid student of Scott Tunes.
Zap Mcinnes has posted of a stream of his new song Do You Really Need to See Me Bleed?, featuring Emanuela Panisberghi (vocals) and Hieronymus Bongo (drum pads). The song was recorded live @ Vrijplaats in Leiden, The Netherlands on August 20. First ever live performance of this tune, with his ex-wife on the receiving end of the lyrics.
ZAPPATiKA have put up More Trouble Every Day, a track of their forthcoming live album Welcome to the Starlight Lounge, recorded during their European tour with Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward. The album will be released in August.
HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
ZAPPATiKA have put up a teaser track of their forthcoming live album Welcome to the Starlight Lounge, zecorded during their European tour with Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward. The album will be released in August.
HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis once again team up with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward for an European Spring tour. The London show (03/26) has been moved to Under The Bridge. The gig in Paris (03/18) is cancelled due to "Unresolvable Contractual Circumstance", but they hope to announce another Parisian gig soon.
Live dates:
ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis once again team up with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward for an European Spring tour. They have added three shows in Germany (Frankfurt, Halle and Dresden).
Live dates:
ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis once again team up with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward for an European Spring tour. They have added shows in the UK (03/21), Germany (03/28) and The Netherlands (04/01)
Live dates:HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
Watch the grainy, trippy video for The Pony Suite, a collaborative effort by ZAPPATiKA, Ike Willis, Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward.
They will be on tour in Europe, playing shows in Germany, France and the UK.
Live dates:HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis once again team up with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward for an European Spring tour, playing shows in Germany, France and the UK.
Live dates:HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
ZAPPATiKA have posted a full stream of The Pony Suite, an avant-prog mini-opera about Eastern European prostitutes in the Amsterdam Red Light District co-written by Zap Mcinnes and Ike Willis. It can be bought via all the usual digital outlets: CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes and Spotify.
ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis are putting together an European Spring 2016 tour.
» ZAPPATiKA on Facebook
» ikewillis.com
HCTF review of The Pony Suite.
ZAPPATiKA main man Zap Mcinnes and Ike Willis joined forces for The Pony Suite, with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward. McInnes toyed with the concept of a composition about Eastern European prostitutes who end up in the darkness of the red light district in Amsterdam, but never got around to finish it. Enter Ike Willis to share the burden and the presto: a full-on suite now sees the light of day.
Prostitutes, the pimp and the randy clientele all have their own voice and things get quite nasty lyrically (Tipper Gore and her ilk will hate it), but it is the music that drives home the horror behind this sorry tale. Sax player Jeff Hollie tears it up and Fred Händl provides a deceptively gentle piano part.
ZAPPATiKA main man Zap Mcinnes and Ike Willis joined forces for The Pony Suite, with fellow Zappa alumni Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward. McInnes explains:
I once wrote an original concept surrounding My Little Pony . The pony is actually representative of the Eastern European prostitutes who end up in the darkness of the red light district in Amsterdam, never to return to the forests of Lithuania and Rumania having been trapped into this lifestyle by manipulative pimps. Now, in our first ever collaboration, Ike Willis and I have orchestrated a completely new work incorporating elements of that original pony concept mixed with some newer ideas and some of Frank Zappa's lyrics. The music is written & orchestrated by Mr Willis and myself. It is performed by ZAPPATiKA, featuring both Jeff Hollie and Craig Twister Steward. Ike Willis also features very strongly of course. The Pony Suite is pompous comedy, it is even operatic in parts but can best be described as prog-jazz-classical-rock. This new recording both evolves the Pony concept to fruition and also introduces some new characters such as the Beastial Boys and the Black Ninja. The PONY SUITE has now gone into final mixing and will be released on September 1st!
Digital Mastering will be done at Electric City in Brussels by award-winning engineer/producer Alan Ward.
» ZAPPATiKA on Facebook
» ikewillis.com
HCTF review of "Live in Liverpool".
Anglo-Dutch tribute band ZAPPATiKA will be on tour with Frank Zappa alumni Ike Willis and Jeff Hollie in July. The Leiden show will be recorded for a future live CD/DVD release named Anything Can Happen Next.
Live dates:» ZAPPATiKA on Facebook
» ikewillis.com
HCTF review of "Live in Liverpool".
Watch ZAPPATiKA and Ike Willis perform Lucille at the Zanzibar Club in Liverpool - 2015/05/18. They will be on tour in March with another Frank Zappa alumnus: sax player Jeff Hollie.
Live dates:» ZAPPATiKA on Facebook
» ikewillis.com
HCTF review of "Live in Liverpool".
Anglo-Dutch tribute band ZAPPATiKA will be on tour with Frank Zappa alumni Ike Willis and Jeff Hollie in March.
Live dates:"Live in Liverpool" - a show with Ike Willis recorded at the Zanzibar Club on May 18th, 2014 - is available thru Bandcamp.
» ZAPPATiKA on Facebook
» ikewillis.com
HCTF review of "Live in Liverpool".
Frank Zappa alumnus Ike Willis and Anglo-Dutch band ZAPPATiKA did a short tour in May. The final night of "Just Passin' Thru" at the Zanzibar Club in Liverpool on May 18th is now available via Bandcamp.
Over the years Willis has joined a handful of Zappa tribute acts on stage, playing guitar and singing songs from Joe's Garage, Tinsel Town Rebellion, You Are What You Is, and The Man from Utopia. With hiss instantly recognizable voice he is a natural for being in the spotlights. ZAPPATiKA are one the better acts keeping Frank's music alive. The show in Liverpool was an inspired one, with Lucille, The Torture Never Stops and Muffin Man as the highlights.
"Live in Liverpool" is a self-released album. Buy it from their website.
Tracks:The Frank Zappa Revue with ZAPPATiKA, Ike Willis and Zappa sax player Jeff Hollie will be on tour in March: The Netherlands (March 19), France (March 20) and the UK (March 21 @ Raven Hall, Corby) and March 22).
Anglo-Dutch band ZAPPATiKA have a show with former Zappa Sax player Jeff Hollie in Leiden on January 3rd:
Live date:
The venues for the Ike Willis with ZAPPATiKA "Just Passin' Thru" have just been announced. Tickets sale starts February 22.
Live dates: