May 9 2001 Temple Bar located on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.
Project Object performs two shows with Ike Willis on vocals and guitar. Additional special guest stars include Don Preston, Bunk Gardner and Arthur Barrow.
We arrived after the first show which I was told, spotlighted Don and Bunk's chops and notions. After wending our way up the stairs to the dressing room (which strongly suggested the pseudo psychedelic dungeon motif (maybe it was the Indian tapestries and the incessant incense burning. Temple Bar. Get it?), and spotting celebrity and long time FZ fan Matt Groening holding court with several members of Project object, we were immediately confronted with Don and Bunk, in addition to even more members of Project Object, Ike and Arthur. Greetings were exchanged after which all in attendance were regaled with Don's remembrance of Lennon and Yoko sitting in with the Mothers at the Fillmore East. But alas, there are no new sordid details to reveal. When asked how the first set went, Bunk replied that he and Don were not used to playing with an ensemble that played this loud and he was having a hell of time hearing what pitch he was actually playing. Not to mention that he was not familiar with any of FZ's material after he left the band. Damn! Showtime was approaching so I donned my cloak of invisibility and descended the stairs to take an acoustically friendly listening area in the back of the jam packed room. The band numbered seven not counting Ike. Rick Bartow - bass, vocals, Andre Cholmondeley - guitar, vocals, Robbie "Seahag" Mangano - impossible guitar, vocals, Mumbo (AKA John Cochran who wore female undergarments on his head), - drums, vocals ,keys, percussion, Wes Paich - drums, vocals, keys, percussion, Wes also sported a cranial adornment consisting of a woman's bra. He had arranged the cups so that they appeared to top off a mutant bat helmet of some kind. Jordan Shapiro - synth, Fender Rhodes, vocals There was also a trumpet player who's name I did not get who appeared on stage intermittently. They all hail from New Jersey and all are younger than thirty. I did not get a copy of their set list as we were under the impression that we were making an unauthorized recording of the show, only to find out later that technology had failed us once again. However, they performed a vast array of material from the Zappa canon, including many that I thought I'd never see a FZ cover band attempt. 'Cheepnis' and The Evil Prince' being two prime examples. And even though none of them approach the vocal level of Nappy or Ray White, their prowess was serviceable and acceptable to this long time fan. Ike of course handled most of the lead vocal work (though not all), and was in fine voice, sounding just like well, Ike Willis. The crowd was immediately whipped into a frenzy from the get go and a number of them didn't stop contorting and twirling until the final chord had diminished. Don and Bunk also took to the stage initially and truth to tell, both looked a little uncomfortable during their limited solo spots. After an hour Arthur was introduced to much applause and cheers and took over the bass chores for the duration of the show, which included his usual stellar performance. I do recall that 'Stick It Out', 'Society Pages', 'Lucille' and a few others were relived to this distorters satisfaction. In addition he performed a perfectly languid and beautiful solo during their terrific performance of the ever-popular 'Chunga's Revenge'. If Project Object shows up in your area, it's guaranteed that that you'll have one of your better experiences in the world of Zappa cover bands. Terrific players all, including both drummers that switch stations from drums to keys throughout the extravaganza. And more than that, they are true young and enthusiastic fans of Frank's unique and unbelievable musical legacy. A+, How ya' gonna' beat that? Now if Gail would only do something with the tapes left in the vault before we all die, we'd be even happier.
Arf!
Lucy Gomez
They also have a spiffy website www.projectobject.com
Go to Lucy´s August 2001 column
