Good Times at Davey Wayne’s in Hollywood hosted a special Zappa-themed night to celebrate the release of Funky Nothingness, the lost album of the late Grammy-winning artist Frank Zappa. The funky ’70s retro bar was transformed into a Zappa-themed bar Thursday, June 29 for a Funky Nothingness House Party with music from the vinyl spinning duo Freak Out.
The Zappa take over included a VIP party before opening to the public at 9 p.m. where fans and friends bonded over the release of what is considered to be the sequel to Hot Rats and the predecessor to Chunga’s Revenge. The bar dedicated an entire wall full of merchandise, letters, ticket stubs, concert flyers and more to the LA-based artist. The special celebration also called for three Zappa-themed drinks, one of which came with a free Zappa-themed mug to the first 20 people who ordered the beverage. The bathrooms were also decorated with Zappa’s trademark mustache as a decal on each mirror. Those who attended were also able to enjoy a photobooth, free giveaway items such as Zappa postcards, stickers, and more.
In 1969, after The Mothers of Invention disbanded, Zappa released his groundbreaking 1969 solo debut, Hot Rats. Fusing jazz and rock, the innovative album became one of the artist’s bestselling releases, thanks to classic tracks like “Peaches En Regalia” and “Willie the Pimp.” Over the following year, in between various projects, he assembled a core group to lay down tracks at Los Angeles’ recently opened Record Plant. Zappa returned to the producer’s chair and was joined by musicians such as Ian Underwood, Don Harris, Max Bennet, and Aynsley Dunbar to record hours worth of original compositions. The collection was inspired by covers, extended improvisations with R&B and blues roots, and influences of the emerging jazz fusion scene. Zappa managed to identify his favorite takes and mixed the tracks for release, but never released the material. It is believed he was sidetracked when meeting Flo and Eddie and was inspired to work with the comedy rock duo. Zappa died from prostate cancer in 1993 and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming the first inductee who had a considerable career as a composer and performer of modem music.
However, the taped sessions were unearthed from Zappa’s massive vault more than five decades later by Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers and Ahmet Zappa. The multi-track master tapes for the recordings were found on a variety of formats. Nevertheless, the two compiled an 11-track album naming it Funky Nothingness after a bluesy, stripped-down piece that the artist recorded in 1967. Produced and compiled by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers, Funky Nothingness officially released on Friday, June 30 and is now available via Zappa Records/UMe in a variety of formats.
Funky Nothingness is available on vinyl, CD and streaming platforms. For more information on Funky Nothingness or the legendary composer, guitarist, producer and bandleader Frank Zappa visit here.
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