| Ugly Radio Rebellion and Ike on tour; URR to back Ike's solo project [message #283566] |
Fr, 23 Juni 2006 18:21 |
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LOCAL MUSIC: Zappa fan hits the road
June 23, 2006
BY RACHEL MAY
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/ENT 04/606230400/1039
Layla Hall is a drummer and percussionist in Ugly Radio Rebellion, a
locally based Frank Zappa tribute band. For Hall, playing Zappa's
wildly humorous and complex music is a challenge she enjoys. "I'm a
big Zappa fan," she says.
The four-piece group is about to embark on a string of Michigan dates
and they're taking along Zappa's guitarist, Ike Willis, to perform
with them. How cool is that?
Willis worked with Zappa off and on from 1979 until Zappa's death from
prostate cancer in 1993. These days he also plays in a Zappa tribute
band called Project/Object. That's how the initial connection was made
-- Hall had the lucky chance to sit in with Project/Object in March at
the Magic Bag.
And taking the Willis connection a step further, URR is set to become
the backing band for Willis' solo project, which will also include
some Zappa music.
But playing Zappa's intricate stuff -- which features lots of odd time
signatures and challenging parts -- isn't an easy task. "We're usually
doing two or three things at the same time," says Hall. "We have a 'no
idle pinky' policy: If your pinky isn't doing something, it better
be." The group performs tonight at the Monterey Music Café in Allen
Park, Saturday at Founders' Brewery in Grand Rapids and Sunday at
Union St. Station in Traverse City.
For more: www.uglyradiorebellion.com
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