20 November 2009

Hello Everyone,

We just completed our show in Austin. We played at Stubbs which is a BBQ restaurant with a nice outdoor venue attached. The crowd was very enthusiastic and there were a lot of youngsters out there. I even met and held an 11 month old who came with his parents to check out the show. He was wearing some serious ear muffs for protection.

The real highlight for me was being able to share the stage with one of my favorite guitarists on the planet, Eric Johnson. He joined us for Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy and Muffin Man. I play his signature Stratocasters on tour and it was a real thrill to have him up there with us.

We played a lot of new songs tonight. I always get a little nervous when we play new stuff. I had a few glitches on some of the new ones because I stepped on the some of the wrong buttons and got the wrong sounds here or there. I'll be sure to improve my tap dancing over the next few days. Overall I thought we managed the new tunes well. They will keep getting better as the tour progresses. That's just how it goes on the road.

In any case, there was a fun and spontaneous feel to the show tonight and we'd love to come back to Austin anytime. Good night Austin Texas wherever you are...

Regards, DZ

POSTED BY DWEEZIL ZAPPA AT 2009-11-20 10:57:43

18 November 2009

Hello Everyone,
It's been a while since I've had a chance to catch up with you. I'm currently sitting in a hotel room in Austin Texas. We begin our 12 show Fall tour here tomorrow night. We had a chance to rehearse some new songs last week. They are all from different eras. We will be playing at least 8 new songs we haven't played on any other tour. We have a few more we'll keep working on at sound checks.

Which ones are they? You'll all find out after the setlist gets posted tomorrow. Here's a hint though, a few highly requested numbers from Joe's Garage, an instrumental classic from the Helsinki concert, a special FZ arrangement of a song from Reuben And The Jets, another little something from Chunga's Revenge and a couple of other things to boot.

On another topic, I'm sure many of you are concerned about the status of the YCFOSA Downloads. They have obviously been marred by some snafus along the way but that doesn't mean they won't get finished. They will and they will sound every bit as good as the Chicago show you all have. Many people have suggested that I just deliver FOH reference mixes and be done with it. I think that would be a mistake and the inferior sound would further spoil the experience for everyone. I'm not interested in that. At this point it is just me working on all of this stuff and I'm heading into a period of time in between tours where I will be able to really get a lot done.

Once again I apologize for the lengthy delays and I appreciate your patience.

See you on the road.

Regards, DZ

POSTED BY DWEEZIL ZAPPA AT 2009-11-18 18:50:21