Today we look back to April 5, 2006…

Zero for Three

Following last month’s Colorado reunion shows, Zero has announced that it will return for three weekends of festival gigs over the summer. Zero is confirmed to appear at the Health & Harmony Festival on June 10 in Santa Rosa, CA, followed by two days at the High Sierra Musical Festival on June 29-30 and will cap it off at the Gathering of the Vibes (which is slated to return to Mariaville, NY on August 17-20). The Zero line-up for the March 9-11 shows (which presumably will return this summer) included: Steve Kimock, Greg Anton, Martin Fierro, Liam Hanrahan, Judge Murphy, Pete Sears as well as special guests Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Arnie Green and John Morgan Kimock.

Zappa Plays Zappa in the U.S.

The Zappa Family Trust has confirmed the U.S. Dates of its Tour de Frank. Dweezil Zappa will be joined by Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio, Napoleon Murphy Brock and many others in what is billed as the first OFFICIAL presentation of Frank Zappa Music since the Composer himself departed for his final tour in 1993. The group will be in Europe from May 15 through June 9, after which it will return home for a series of theater shows beginning on June 11 in Philadelphia. Other confirmed dates include New Yorks Beacon Theatre on June 12, The Orpheum in Boston (June 13), Los Angeles’ The Wiltern (June 23) and The Warfield in San Francisco (June 24). Prior to any of these shows, Dweezil will bring his ensemble to the Jammys at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on April 20. Oh yes and be sure to check out the Frank Zappa cover story in the latest issue of Relix.

SCI at Fuji Rock

The String Cheese Incident continues to fill in its summer tour itinerary. The week following its 10,000 Lakes Festival performances, the group will travel to Japan for two shows at the Fuji Rock Festival. On July 28th the band will appear on the Green Stage, and the following night SCI will headline the Field of Heaven Stage. Beyond that it is certainly possible that the group will be back in the U.S. for another incarnation of its Jammy-nominated Big Summer Classic Festival. As for Fuji Rock, other acts include Red Hot Chili Peppers, North Mississippi Allstars, Mogwai, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Broken Social Scene.

Acoustic MMW

Beginning this evening at the Egg in Albany, Medeski Martin and Wood will perform four consecutive acoustic shows. It has been six years since the groups live acoustic release Tonic and as of late the band rarely has performed in such a context. Following this evenings gig, MMW will appear on Thursday in Manhattan at the NY Society for Ethical Culture, on Friday at Philadelphias Kimmel Center and on Saturday at the Inter-Media Art Center in Huntington, NY.

Jamm in Jamaica Hangover

It has taken a while for both fans and performers to recover, but news has finally trickled back from last weekends Jamm in Jamaica festivities. From March 25 to April 2, Donna the Buffalo, Railroad Earth, The Big Wu, Hot Buttered Rum, the Everyone Orchestra, David Gans and Vince Herman performed more than 18 shows on Negrils Seven Mile Beach. ekoostik hookah also debuted its current lineup, which features original vocalist/guitarist John Mullins (who first left hookah in 1996). For the Everyone Orchestras set, Matt Butler recruited a number of his fellow festival performers including the entire Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Vince Herman, ekoostik hookahs Dave Katz, Eric Lanese and Cliff Starbuck, David Gans, Railroad Earths Andy Goessling, Donna the Buffalos Jeb Puryear, plus local Rasta Donovan and members of the reggae band The Overtakers (who led the ensemble on a version of No Woman, No Cry). In addition, during the Everyone Orchestras performance, Hermans son Silas sat in on hand drum for a number of songs and Marvin Clark—-a hotel security guard—— break danced. While in Jamaica, the Everyone Orchestra also organized a donation drive and visited a local hospital where Butler and Hot Buttered Rum performed. “All the members of the staff were jiggin’,” hospital administrator Audrey Clark said. “We in Jamaica know about rum, but we didn’t know rum could be hot and buttered!”