We once again want to thank everyone for coming out in October to check out the band and celebrate some Zappa music with us.. It truly was a blast and the weather cooperated, even with the record breaking East Coast snow scares on the night of the closer in NYC! Please spread the word–we’ll be doing a quick run to ring in 2012.. This quick little “Tourlette” features our long-time partner-in-crime IKE WILLIS on guitar and vocals, as well as a couple new additions to the Project/Object family — Dave Johnsen‘s schedule is packed so we’ll have a great sub in the bass chair with MAX JOHNSON, and Eric Svalgard is focusing on other musical ventures and his School Of Rock in Wilmington DE – we thank him for HUGE dedication and incredible playing for these many years. On this upcoming tour we’ll introduce on keys an old friend (who I’ve somehow never performed with!)   KENDALL SCOTT..! Both gentlemen plucked from the fine state of ..New Jersey! OF course the fantastic Liz Cary will be in attendance at a show or two – details to follow….OK – stay tuned for lots more merriment and fun announcements…watch this space!!!

-Andre´

Tue 12/27/11 - World Cafe Live – Philadelphia PA – Tix/Info
Wed 12/28/11 – Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore MD – Tix/Info
Thu 12/29/11 – Arch St. Tavern – Hartford CT - Tix/Info
Fri 12/30/11 – Regatta Bar – Cambridge MA – Tix/Info
Sat 12/31/11 – New Year’s Eve !! Mexicali Live – Teaneck NJ – Tix/Info

Meanwhile we have completed plans for some shows in Europe this summer — of course we are proud to return to ZAPPANALE for the fourth time since 2002..

Then we continue onto Lithuania for the first time..

PROJECT/OBJECT with IKE WILLIS & RAY WHITE

For the first time ever in  LITHUANIA

Friday August 26 – Vilnius, club NEW YORK

Saturday August 27 – Palanga, club RAMYBE (near Baltic sea)

The show is being put on by our dear friend in Vilnius, Arturas

Arturas Mironcikas: promoter

Agency RELAX Live!
Laisves pr. 60, LT-05120 Vilnius, Lithuania
tel.: +370 5 212 87 06       www.relaxlive.lt

We’re really looking fwd to this — another historic stop for Ike & Ray who have never played together there..or at all, from what anyone can recall! I’ll never forget when I was working there – because it was the day after election day 2008. Because of the time difference, after the show we stayed up way late into the am to hear election results. I remember calling my mom from Vilnius, where there was a great vibe about this new american President….

Stand by for some more EU news, and we hope to see you there!

We are getting ready for a very cool festival we will play: The Flood City Music Festival on Sat 6 August 2011. This special show will feature one of Frank Zappa’s most well known vocalist/guitarist – the one and only  IKE WILLIS….

Later in August we will be in Europe, stand by for complete info on that very soon.  These shows will feature two of Frank Zappa’s most beloved vocalist/guitarists,  IKE WILLIS & RAY WHITE …. Look for us on the schedule for the 2011 ZAPPANALE in Rostock DE.

We’re all keeping busy with lots of other musical projects, check back soon for some cool links to our various musical worlds.

P/O guitarist Andre´ Cholmondeley is rehearsing with Delicious and recording some strange new music, now that school is out, his day job is often on tour with other artists, tour managing or working in the crew, or doing guitar/bass tech or teleprompter etc.

After  a fun and historic tour in April with Eddie Jobson & John Wetton’s “UK Reunion” , he’ll be out this summer working for Steve Howe on the YES/STYX tour. If you’re at a show be sure to say hi!. The new Yes album sounds awesome, it’s a return to their progressive roots, with a sounds reminiscent of “Drama” and “Going For The One”.

P/O bassist Dave Johnsen is busy teaching bass, writing & recording, and playing live with his band Quisqueya. Dave’s new site is www.davejohnsen.com

Check out his band QUISQUEYA here, or at their Reverb Nation page here.

P/O keyboardist Eric Svalgard & drummer Ryan Berg are also busy teaching at School Of Rock, Wilmington DE, and are busy with lots of other gigs in the area.

IKE WILLIS has just re-released a great single from his second album, “Dirty Pictures”. The song is called “EYE OF NEWT” and Ike was inspired by the former speaker of the house to write this song in the late 90s. But NEWT is back! Check out the song here on YouTube, and you can BUY the single on here at iTunes……

Crank Some Frank!!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) Posts

Project/Object w Ike Willis & Ray White 2010 EU Tour “FIRST TOUR TOGETHER IN EUROPE SINCE 1984 for Ike & Ray !!!”

Tue 18: Milano IT    The Blue Note
Thu 20: Eindhoven NL Effenaar
Fri 21: Dresden DE Tante Ju
Sat 22: Dortmund DE Music Theater Piano
Mon 24: Aschaffenburg DE Colos-Saal
Tue 25: Berlin DE Fritz Club
Wed 26: Bremen DE Modernes

STAY TUNED/CHECK BACK FOR FALL 2010 DATES..!

Andre’ here — wrapping up a six-week tour with KEITH EMERSON & GREG LAKE. I’m in the stage crew, and bass & guitar tech for Greg Lake. It’s been an amazing experience to say the least…A fan since I was 14 or so, Keith has been my fave piano & Moog player for ages. I’m lucky to have worked with my overall favorite synthesist and keyboard player (and Zappa alumnus!) — Eddie Jobson as well. Folks, despite the difficult couple years I’ve had — it’s a charmed life and I am eternally thankful and humbled by that on a daily basis. To be able to make a living working in music, for some of the best in their field, truly amazing and a life’s work. Anyway — more late on the Emerson/Lake tour, and the ELP reunion in London in July. Check here and on my facebook – just search there for my name “Andre Cholmondeley” and friend me! We also have a Project/Object page there as well….Cheers!!

Dave Johnsen is working with his trio as well as the band GLINT

http://www.myspace.com/davejohnsen

Yours truly (Andre’)…I will soon be doing a short run with my trio HIDDEN AGENDA …we will open some dates for STRETCH, the legendary jazz/funk/rock/blues trio with Dave LaRue, Glenn Alexander and original drummer Bill Elder!! This is a kind of 25th year anniversary run for all of us — we used to go see these guys in the mid 80s in NJ, and opened for them a few times. Stand by for NY/CT/PA/NJ dates.

Eric Svalgard is doin’ his thing at www.schoolofrockde.com and playing some shows as well…

Jim Ruffi is doing a lot of gigs in NJ/PA etc — check him at www.jimruffi.com

This tour was great! Thanks so much for showing up — and making the shows memorable for us. We were so psyched so many people shared in the 25th Year Tour Reunion of Ike Willis and Ray White. Sadly, Ray had a real bad throat/bronchial infection for a couple days, we apologize if you were in one of those cities…and we’ll make it up to you! But generally — it was amazing to see and hear these two guys – this combination that Frank Zappa himself saw so many times as the combo he wanted… The historic albums they have done — so many vinyl copies of which we saw — it was an honor to perform some of those very songs with them, for all of you.

More later – but thanks again for supporting our venture to celebrate and salute the music and art of this most unique of American Composer/Guitarists — Frank Zappa. We are happy and proud that almost 15 years after we started touring, there are many bands now throughout the USA and the world touring and doing Zappa music as well. But we’re also very proud that we remain the band that is dedicated the most to presenting YOU the FAN with a chance to see the Actual Alumni , the genuine items, the people who played on Zappa’s records and toured with him. We appreciate you letting us know you enjoy that. And — despite the obstacles, we’ll continue to do so.

So far we have played live onstage or toured with a list of Zappa alumni including Ike Willis, Ray White, Ed Mann, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Denny Walley, Don Preston, Mike Keneally, Robert Martin, Bunk Gardner, Bob Harris, Thana Harris, Jimmy Carl Black, Arthur Barrow, Roy Estrada, Bruce Bickford.

We’ve performed with many people associated with Zappa or his bands – people like Al Malkin, Jerry Cuccurullo, Andrew Walley  (Denny’s grandson), Geronimo Black (JCB’s son). Performing a number of times with Frank’s sister Candy (Patrice) Zappa was a joy every time and we look forward to performing with her again, hopefully this year. We’ve shared the stage with too many incredible guests to list like Ed Palermo (Ed Palermo Big Band), Jon Fishman (Phish), Gary Lucas (Gods & Monsters, Capt Beefheart Magic Band) David Fiuczynski, Al Schnier, Chuck Garvey, and Jim Loughlin of moe. and so many more.

I say all this to simply review the last decade and a half and say THANK YOU — thanks for supporting what we do, even in lean times. Thanks you for sharing our love of this often off-the-wall music. We have a lot of great plans for the future and we will keep you posted thru all these new communication channels.

Zappy New Year,

Andre’

Since Frank Zappa died in 1993, his music has enjoyed a remarkable posthumous career. His albums are still in print and easily available on CD, but that’s true of John Lennon and Jerry Garcia, too. What makes Zappa unique among the rock stars of his generation is that his work is continually being rearranged, performed and recorded by musicians outside the rock sphere. A search of his name at Amazon.com turns up recent recordings by classical ensembles, big bands and even a Baroque chamber orchestra.

In other words, Zappa is not just an oldie, an object of ’60s nostalgia. He is on his way to becoming a classic in the mold of George Gershwin, another American composer whose music has been mined and adapted by generations of singers and instrumentalists.

Project/Object, which returns to Sellersville Theater 1894 this weekend, adheres more closely to the format Zappa established for his stage shows, particularly those from the late 1970s and early ’80s. André Cholmondeley, guitarist, Zappaphile and driving force behind the group, likes the sound of the stripped-down rock groups — guitars, bass and drums overlaid with some synthesizers and vibraphone — that Zappa employed after his mid-’70s flirtation with big, horn-laden orchestras…

For full article go here