Don Preston and Bunk Gardner, both original members of the the legendary Mothers of Invention with Frank Zappa, are gearing up for an exciting east coast tour called The Don & Bunk Show. The duo will be playing a full range of Zappa's music from Freak Out to Zoot Allures. The evening will be full of the zany antics, wild improvisations and strange electronic music the early Mothers were famous for, along with the expert mastery of their instruments. "We're doing this tour because I think Zappa fans need to come and hear how Zappa's music was performed by the originals," says Don Preston. "Hey people! We're still doing it!"
Bunk Gardner and Don Preston are featured on several albums with the original Mothers of Invention (along with various later compilations of unreleased material by Frank Zappa) which include Absolutely Free, We're Only In It For The Money, Cruising With Ruben & the Jets, Uncle Meat, Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Gardner also appeared on Zappa's first solo venture Lumpy Gravy, while Preston went on to appear on several albums after the break-up of the original Mothers, which include Fillmore East, June 1971, Just Another Band From L.A., Roxy & Elsewhere as well as the feature film 200 Motels.
The Don & Bunk Show started in 2001 with the duo wanting to show audiences their unique abilities that were revealed in Zappa's first band. Gardner and Preston have both been long known for their amazing improvising abilities and interpretation of Zappa's music. They have recorded two CDs for Brain Records: Ahead Of Their Time and Joined At The Hip. Bunk has also recorded and/or performed with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Geronimo Black, Tim Buckley, The 4 Winds Ensemble, ANT-BEE and many others. Don Preston has recorded/performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, The Residents and many others. He has also completed 23 film scores including Apocalypse Now. Don Preston was quite possibly the first person to add synthesis to live rock performances, taking Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention into uncharted musical territories over several tours and albums. Today, four decades after having built "analog synthesizers" from scratch before most people had heard of such things, Preston is a living legend and a pioneer who now tweaks synths on his Apple laptop.
The Don & Bunk Show started in 2001 with the duo wanting to show audiences their unique abilities that were revealed in Zappa's first band. Gardner and Preston have both been long known for their amazing improvising abilities and interpretation of Zappa's music. They have recorded two CDs for Brain Records: Ahead Of Their Time and Joined At The Hip. Bunk has also recorded and/or performed with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Geronimo Black, Tim Buckley, The 4 Winds Ensemble, ANT-BEE and many others. Don Preston has recorded/performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, The Residents and many others. He has also completed 23 film scores including Apocalypse Now. Don Preston was quite possibly the first person to add synthesis to live rock performances, taking Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention into uncharted musical territories over several tours and albums. Today, four decades after having built "analog synthesizers" from scratch before most people had heard of such things, Preston is a living legend and a pioneer who now tweaks synths on his Apple laptop.
The Don & Bunk show will be appearing on the following dates:
Mar. 17 (pre-tour gig) Hollywood Studio Bar &Grill - 6122 Sunset Blvd - Hollywood, CA
Mar. 21 The Garage - Wilmington, DE
Mar. 24 Bearsville Theater - Woodstock, NY
Mar. 25 Rongovian Embassy - Trumansburg, NY
Mar. 26 The Magic Room - Boston, MA
Mar. 27 The Lilly Pad - New Haven, CT
Mar. 28 TBA
Mar. 31 The Hi Hat - Provincetown, RI
Apr. 1 Sullivan Hall - New York, NY
Apr. 2 The Black Lodge - Philadelphia, PA
Apr. 3 Orion - Baltimore, MD
Some of the songs the duo will be performing are: Flower Punk, Help I'm A Rock, Uncle Meat, A Pound For A Brown On The Bus, Eric Dolphy's Memorial Barbeque, Holiday In Berlin Full Blown, I Am The Slime and many other beloved Frank Zappa compositions.
For more information: www.myspace.com/donandbunk
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