Upstater Destinations: The Music of Frank Zappa, 1/10-1/11

  |  January 9, 2014

zappa

Even for the most seasoned musician with decades of experience playing music, Frank Zappa’s repertoire can be difficult closing in on impossible. With constantly changing meters, a miasma of  seemingly disconnected notes, and whacky lyrical sensibilities, his music is considered by some to be alienating (not us; we love Zappa), so it’s hard to imagine a bunch of kids covering Zappa in front of a live audience. And yet, that’s exactly what the students at the Paul Green Rock Academy are doing this weekend at the Woodstock Playhouse.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Rock Academy, it’s located on Route 212 about halfway between Woodstock and Saugerties. There, kids from 5-18 years old work with professional musicians and teachers to learn how to play rock and roll music. It’s a pretty cool concept, if you think about it: Kids learn the fundamentals of playing guitar, bass, drums, keys, and voice by learning to play the music they love the most. And they’re good at it, too. We’ve had the pleasure of sitting in on several of the Zappa rehearsals at the Rock Academy, and frankly, it was fairly mind-blowing. Here’s a video of Paul Green talking about the concert.

The Paul Green Rock Academy Presents: The Music of Frank Zappa goes down at the Woodstock Playhouse on January 10th and 11th. Tickets are $20. Check out the Rock Academy website for more information and upcoming shows.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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