Thursday, November 29, 2012

Gail Zappa wants you to distribute the Roxy CD

Gail Zappa tries an unorthodox method of spreading her late husband's music. This is how she puts it:
***
"Dear People of Earth who are interested in anything & everything concerning The Roxy Performances,

So you’ve always dreamt of being a music mogul and running your own record company, huh? But you ask yourself, “How could I get a Real Record Deal?” “I mean,” you say to yourself, “I think I could do this as well as anyone – I have important opinions to share.”  Well here’s your chance to be part of Zappa Music Business History and become an AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR of a Real (REAL!) Live (LIVE!) Zappa Record.  One more time for the world: Recorded by Zappa, Performed by Zappa, featuring some of your favorite Mothers, and Material, AND all under the Roof you’ve been waiting for:  The Roxy!  No ELSEWHERES about it.

What???  It’s True.  We here at Zappa Records are looking for a few good men and women – approximately 1,000 highly motivated, sensitive and discerning individuals – to sign up as Official Independent Distributors of a never-heretofore-released, thoroughly Authentic Zappa Master Recording.  And this is not just any thoroughly authentic Zappa Master Recording either. No, this is the one many of you have been beyond craving.  Please sit down to read this part:  This is the Roxy – the Soundtrack – yes, it is the introductory Soundtrack, the Prequel if you will – the Project/Object of your Dreams.  76 unadulterated minutes of fabulous frenzy await you.  And the opportunity of a life–time: Roxy By Proxy! Should it be determined that you become an Officially Licensed Authorized Zappa RBP Distributor, you can make as many copies of the record as you can possibly distribute – AND exce pt for reporting to us your sales & customers (just like any other record distributor) and paying us the publishing, YOU keep the money. AND you get to collect royalties from what is sold at Barfko-Swill AND you will also be entitled to a special wholesale price available to the OLAZRBPDs (Officially Licensed Authorized Zappa ROXY BY PROXY Distributor) exclusively.

Apart from being Official Release #96 this is a Music Biz First.  How is that you might well ask:  We figured you might like to participate in the wonderment so we have devised a way to let you in behind the scenes of every Artist’s necessity - a music distribution deal – but in this case we’ve cut to the chase. We need to get the record to you so why  shouldn’t you be part of the process?  You can help us help you by helping you help us.

So here’s the deal: getsome.zappa.com for all the information and the ACTUAL LICENSE.

Thanks in advance for your Consideration.

xxx,

gz"

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Donald Fagen interviewed on WAMC today

Donald Fagen was a guest on The Roundtable radio show on WAMC, Albany, N.Y. today. They phoned him up to talk about Sunken Condos and other things.

The interview is online here.

Dave McMacken on painting the cover of Frank Zappa's Over-nite Sensation

How about a 15 minute look at the cover of Frank Zappa & The Mother's Over-nite Sensation from 1973 with the man who painted it; Dave McMacken:

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Swedish sex and sin (yawn...) to help sell new Rolling Stones song/album

Rolling Stones got a new singer?
So here it is. The brand new song from the Rolling Stones. And we feel - as Swedes - somewhat obliged to mention it as it is directed by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund and featuring Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander in the Millenium trilogy with additional appearances in Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows and Prometheus).

Mick and Noomi
Jonas delivers his familiar mix of explosions, fast food gluttony and sex (i.e bare breasts.) Nothing new. It's all a bit "been there done that", but at the same time it sort of gels with the Rolling Stones persona we've gotten to know over the decades.
The band supplies an OK tune called Doom and Gloom destined to help sell the latest compilation GRRR!, released to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary.

Playing on Donald Fagen's Sunken Condos



The third and final part of harmonica player Will Galison's Sunken Condos sessions story is available here:

Part 3

Interesting read!


You find the previous parts here:

Part 1

Pert 2

And here's Will's own homepage!

Friday, November 23, 2012

New Jimi Hendrix album release 2013

Yet another posthumous Jimi Hendrix album is on its way. It's called People, Hell and Angels and will be released in March 2013. It includes 12 previously unreleased songs.
The songs on the upcoming album may have been planned for a follow-up to Hendrix's double album Electric Ladyland.

jimihendrix.com reports that "Hendrix toys with horns, keyboards, percussion and a second guitar, exploring fresh diversions from his legendary guitar work."

Also: To celebrate 70 years since Jimi was born fans will be able to see a movie of Jimi's entire set from the 1969 Woodstock festival. The film Hendrix 70: Live At Woodstock hits the cinemas from November 26.

Read more on Rolling Stone and jimihendrix.com.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Donald Fagen and Michael Leonhart on Art of the Song radio show

Hurry on up over to the Art of the Song website to hear Donald Fagen and Michael Leonhart as guests for the full hour. It aired on radio stations last week and will be available on the homepage just this week, so hear it while you can!

According to the website "they discussed a wide range of topics including songwriting, stage fright, writers block and moleskin journals."

Donald Fagen on Sirius Radio and Michael Leonhart on Inside MusiCast

ML interview coming soon to Iciside MusiCast
Two listening opportunities for the Steely Dan fan coming up in the next few days:

Tonight; Wednesday November, 21 Donald Fagen and Michael Leonhart will be on The Bob Edwards Show on Sirius Radio talking about the album Sunken Condos. To be able to hear it you need to be a subscriber to Sirius satellite radio or get a 30 day free trial subscription to catch it on the web.

The next must-hear doesn't demand you subscibe or sign up for anything. It will be freely available online:

Monday November 26 you can hear Michael Leonhart on the Inside MusiCast podcast. Go there now and check out the archived shows! Lots and lots of interviews - some of them Steely Dan related. The curent as-we-write podcast features guitarist Drew Zingg.

Friday, November 16, 2012

The Dukes Of September show filmed tonight (November 16, 2012) for PBS and DVD

According to this article from Billboard Magazine they're filming a special concert with The Dukes Of September (Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs) tonight at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York for a PBS pledge drive and a future DVD release.


The PBS taping was mentioned in this article a month ago, where Donald Fagen was quoted as saying that Steely Dan will likely tour again in 2013.
New information in the Billboard article above is that The Dukes Of September will do a tour starting in late 2013 and continue into 2014.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 17:

Check out what a couple of the audience members thought of the show in the comments section. Thanks for sharing!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Donald Fagen on Letterman tonight! (Thursday November 15)

With conflicting info initially saying the day is as either Thursday November 15 or Friday November 16, the final word seem to be November 15.

Here's a few social media updates. Connect the dots and you get the band members as well as the song being played on The Letterman Show. We're hoping for a second tune one to appear as a web exclusive on the Letterman homepage...







UPDATE November 16:

And here's the song performed:

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Radio Dupree Top 30 - November 2012

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
Are You Experienced

2. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Dog Breath
Carnegie Hall (4 CD Set)

3. Donald Fagen - Florida Room
Kamakiriad

4. Donald Fagen - I.G.Y.
The Nightflly 

5. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen - Yellow Peril
Catalyst

6. Yes - Rhythm of Love
Big Generator

7. Jimi Hendrix with Curtis Knight - I Got You (I Feel Good)
Knock Yourself Out

8. David Bowie - I'm Afraid of Americans
BBC Radio Theatre

9. Jethro Tull - Minstrel in the Gallery
Live Bursting Out

10. David Bowie - An Occasional Dream
Space Oddity

11. Pink Floyd - Crying Song - More (soundtrack)
12. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - On the Way Home - 4 Way Street
13. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - How Could I be Such a Fool? - Freak Out!
14. Donald Fagen - On The Dunes - Kamakiriad
15. Sting - Shadows in the Rain - The Dream of the BlueTurtles
16. Emerson Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition (excerpt) - Pictures at an Exhibition
17. Frank Zappa - Broken Hearts are for Assholes - Sheik Yerbouti
18. George Duke - I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry - My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings
19. Donald Fagen - New Frontier - The Nightflly
20. Frank Zappa & The Mothers - Zomby Woof - Over-Nite Sensation

21. Donald Fagen - Slinky Thing - Sunken Condos
22. David Sancious - Come on if You Feel Up to it... - Forest of Feelings
23. Santana - Brightest Star - Zebop!
24. Donald Fagen - H Gang - Morph The Cat
25. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - I Don't Live Today - Are You Experienced
26. Jethro Tull - Rainbow Blues - M.U. - The Best of Jethro Tull
27. David Bowie - Sound and Vision (Remixed version 1991) - Low
28. George Duke - Funny Funk - My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings 
29. Donald Fagen - Security Joan - Morph The Cat
30. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Up From the Skies - Axis: Bold as Love

-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

Hello chart aficionados! We're happy to report that thanks to listeners reactions to what we've played over the past 30 days, we could've compiled a Top 86 chart. But we decided on keeping it to a Top 30. Where Jimi Hendrix is number one and also shows up three more times.
And while our Album of the Month; Donald Fagen's Sunken Condos must settle for one showing; at 21, the first couple of weeks heavy Fagen airplay resluts in a number of songs from his previous albums making the chart.  Add a generous sprinkling of Zappa and the ususal suspects and you've got yourselves a chart for November 2012.


N.S.

Friday, November 02, 2012

Growing interest for vinyl records

The interest for vinyl records is growing. In Sweden sales of new lp:s and singles has risen from 11,000 to 108,000 in the last five years, Swedish television SVT reports.
"Add to that the huge market for used vinyl", says Radio Dupree station manager Siggy Huckle.
What about the cd format then? Not much hope, due to SVT:s Kulturnyheterna