To say that Frank Zappa was/is a massive influence to all musicians of a certain caliber is a gross understatement, equivalent with saying that "Barbra Streisand likes dolls" or "Hamilton was just an ok musical". Every musician we know, ranging from classical to jazz, rock to hip hop worships at the creative altar of Frank.
His free-form improvisations, experiments with sound, and trail blazing use of technology put him at the forefront of rock music, and many musicians have yet to catch up to the pieces he created. What kind of music did he create, you ask? Oh, just experimental rock, jazz, avant-jazz, psychedelic rock, proto-prog rock, doo-wop, comedy rock, avant-pop, experimental jazz...you know, the usual.
​For example, 'Cosmic Debris'; WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING HERE I DON'T KNOW BUT I LOVE IT. It sounds like music we've heard, but presented to us differently as if it had traveled through space and emerged from a worm hole the same but entirely different.
His music and creativity were matched only by his eloquence and his constant insistence upon questioning everything. Expecting a burn-out stereotypical acid jazz musician in this 1973 Australian television interview, viewers were instead treated to a thoughtful and incisive commentary from Zappa on music, politics, religion, and culture.
Every performance was art, every note held meaning, and this extended into his daily life and ethos. Most visibly, he testified in front of the "Senate Hearing on Rock Lyrics", a mid-eighties Reagan-backed witch hunt to vilify the "foul" lyrics in rock, hip hop, metal, and really any form of music Tipper Gore disagreed with. The outcome of these hearings were the "Parents Resource Music Center", with "parental advisory" stickers slapped onto any and every good piece of music.
After these hearings Zappa changed not-a-damn-thing and continued to compose, create, provoke, and inspire until his untimely death. Much like Zappa, Weapons of Creation has zero apologies for the political, experimental, artistic works they create. "Generation WE" is a loud, brilliant, incendiary piece of art and we here at GLM are thrilled to host it. Our only regret is that Zappa isn't around to see it.
This Friday at GLM we will premiere an entirely new, utterly original hip-hopera created from the local band 'Weapons of Mass Creations', 'GENERATION WE'.
A collaboration between Reno band Weapons of Mass Creation (WMC), and our partners in artistic crime at The Potentialist Workshop, Pan Pantoja's innovative production tells the story of four individuals in possession of a mysterious silver ticket. Each character is searching for the ever elusive Americana and finding a great deal more than they bargained for along the way.
When we heard "avant-garde" we screamed. SCREAMED. Is there anything as deliciously, vibrating-ly captivating as a new piece of performance art? A hip-hopera to take the times we live in and spin them from a story of silver thread into a tangled web of americana concept art? SIGN US UP. YES. YES WE ARE THERE WITH HATS ON.
When we first saw the script for 'Generation WE' we ran home and immediately began combing through our archives for the most innovatory images we've been hoarding in to use for just this very purpose. Please meet Chicagoan visual artist, brash, unapologetic artist of americana Christopher Wool.
His work screams with intensity and insistence. LOOK. LISTEN. SEE He commands. Black and red bleed onto canvas either like wounds, or stand in utmost attention in crisp stencils.
"SELL THE HOUSE/SELL THE CAR/SELL THE KIDS/FIND SOMEONE ELSE/FORGET IT!/I'M NEVER COMING HOMEBACK / FORGET IT!!!"
The reviews are in, and "Grounded" soars!
The Reno News and Review gave "Grounded" a FIVE STAR REVIEW, and we are FLYING!
From Jessica Santina's article: The fact that James’ character is unnamed gives her an everywoman quality. She could be any one of the thousand or so UAV pilots currently working for the U.S. Air Force. Her story isn’t particularly unique. But this is made all the more troubling when we understand the gravity of this fact. The sights she must witness as she destroys “military-age males on the side of the road,” along with precious, innocent members of their families, are occurring for real every day, around the world. Her story forces us to consider two important modern-day phenomena: 1) the unaccounted-for costs of technological advancement, and 2) the frightening fact that little in our world goes unwitnessed.
It’s a particularly unsettling 85 minutes, thanks to James’ impressive performance, which ranges from blissful swagger to fragile instability in unpredictable bursts, capturing the way in which PTSD can sneak up on its victims. Director Joe Atack’s production choices lend to this unsettling quality as well—a chair is placed squarely in the middle of a highway surrounded by sand, as video projections, light and a disquieting score effectively convey the pilot’s mental state.
With special call outs to Ashley MarieJames' searing performance and Joe Atack's brilliant direction, this review has only one downside: tickets for our five remaining performances are flying out the door. Purchase your tickets at the link below and trust us, you CANNOT miss this show!
Tonight Ashley took to the skies and soared in her role of The Pilot, under the brilliant direction of her co-pilot/director Joe Atack. Special thanks to Scott Rankin for set design and construction, and Luke Stiller for stage managing.
If you missed tonight's performance, you can purchase tickets at the link below for Friday and Saturday's show.