Project Object Show 28 March 2003 in Buffalo
Prelude
Border Guard: "Where you folks going?"
Bob (driving): "Buffalo."
Border Guard: "What for?"
Bob: "Rock and roll show."
Border Guard: "Who's that?"
Bob: "Frank Zappas old band."
Border Guard: "Go on through."
Total elapsed delay at the border to get into the US: 20 seconds.
Act I
Project/Object is André Cholmondeley, guitar and vocals, Dave Johnsen, bass and Glenn Leonard on drums, this time 'round with Ike Willis, Napolean Murphy Brock and Don Preston on stage at the Tralfamadore Café in Buffalo, NY.
CC Note: "...the Planet Tralfamadore, Where The Flying Saucers Come From..." is from "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, and "...the "future" takes place in a glass dome on the planet Tralfamadore, to which Billy Pilgrim has been mysteriously spirited along with the woman of his fantasies (Montana Wildhack, played by Valerie Perrine)...". KV and FZ had similar theories about the nature of time.
Set 1
(Note: I'd originally noted titles as their root, i.e. "Sinister Footwear" could describe any number of versions of the tunes employing those two words. After I put the page up " jimmie d , Project Object's official archivist and recording engineer..." sent me an email with some corrections as to what title they use to describe the set.)
Don Preston synthesizer solo from his new release…may have been called "Space Fucker" joined by AC, DH and drums. Later, "Buffalo Sound & Space Sculpture"
Sinister Footwear II solo vamp (Move It Or Park It). IW on stage.
Andy. NMB on stage.
Montana
Filthy Habits
The Duke of Prunes. DP and NMB, everyone else off stage.
Canard Toujours
Hungry Freaks, Daddy
You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here.
Stick It Out
Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder. Solo by DP alone on stage.
Big Swifty
San Ber'dino
Interlude
At the intermission I stand up to stretch 'cause my ass is asleep, and behind me is a little girl, maybe 12 with her dad and I asked "How ya like the show so far?" She sort of krinkles up her nose and scowls and her Dad laughs and says he's trying to get her interested but you know.... So I say "Well, I've got a 12 year old daughter at home and her favourite song is "Stinkfoot", what's yours?" Without a moments hesitation she says "Baby, Take Your Teeth Out."!
Act II
Set 2
Excentrifugal Forz
Apostrophe (Apostrophe')
The Idiot Bastard Son (mainly DP and NMB)
Oh No / Orange County Lumber Truck (inst.)
(I'm sure the lead-in notes are from Oh No, and the flow is the same as WRMF, but jimmie d says "Oh No was not perfomed. The vocal section is actually part of Son Of Orange County. Listen to the Roxy & Elsewhere album."Trouble Every Day
jimmie d says "Trouble Every Day (is actually More Trouble Every Day) (Roxy & Elsewhere version)"Keep It Greasey
Interlude
Standing in line for the can, the kid behind me starts talking about having never known about Zappa before and I say a couple of words and he says "You're Canadian!" Never found out how he knew that...do I talk funny or sumin'?
Encore
Cosmik Debris (Whoa dere, Dubya…where you going…)
I'm The Slime
The ones striking me as nicely executed are bolded. BUT don't get me wrong, all the tunes were bang-on. These guys can play the hard stuff and they've got just the right amount of their own eyebrows to compliment the old guys. (Jus' kiddin', guys!) I'd never seen Ike Willis before and was impressed with his playing; Napolean seems like more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I don't remember seeing Don in any other incarnation of the Zappa bands except the one in August 1969. What more can I say than that? 34 years later...phew! Anyway, I got to shake his hand and thank him. Didn't see Ike around after the show.
The shots below were taken with my digital and I still haven't figured out how to adjust the shutter (If, indeed I can!), so unfortunately they're fair-sized suckers. As before, I claim copyright on 'em all...you can use for private use if ya want, and free for commercial to PO, DP, IW, NMB and AC.
The staff at the Tralf are all pretty cool and I don't doubt I'll be back.
The Ike Willis website (Ike, using IP numbers for a website's dicey...they can change tomorrow and no one would find ya!)
The Don Preston website If I remember correctly Don and NMB have just finished up workin' on a new Grandmothers CD...
Napoleon Murphy Brocks site (thanks for the info provided by peter van laarhoven - belgium www.united-mutations.com
Postlude
Border Guard: "You folks buy anything while in the States?"
Bob (driving): "Not a thing."
Border Guard: "Go on through."
Total elapsed delay at the border to get back into Canada: 20 seconds.
