Update: Project/Object Cancels Spring Tour

Announced this afternoon via Facebook, the Frank Zappa Tribute band Project/Object is postponing their April 2016 tour dates until further notice. The cancellation comes due to the ongoing health issues surrounding the group’s production assistant-social media manager-merch seller Robin Gelberg, who survived a tragic car accident about a month ago near Shelby, NC; she is the partner of the band’s guitarist Andre Cholmondeley. According to Cholmondeley’s post, this is the first time Project/Object has cancelled concerts during his time with the band since the 1990s. A support page has been set up for Gelberg through GoFundMe.

Project Object2:58 pm For Immediate ReleasePROJECT/OBJECT TOUR POSTPONEDIt is with a heavy heart that I have to…

Original story:

On April 14, Project/Object will bring the sounds of Frank Zappa back to life on stage at The Hollow in Albany.

The alumni-based Zappa tribute band, featuring Ike Willis and Don Preston, is touring the Northeast this spring in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Zappa’s debut album, Freak Out! Willis’ booming baritone vocals and rhythm guitar appeared on Zappa band tours and albums from 1978 to the final FZ tour in 1988. Preston, a well-known synthesizer and jazz pioneer, played on the Mothers Of Invention records until 1974’s Roxy and Elsewhere; he has also scored soundtracks for feature films like Apocalypse Now.

The tour kicks off in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 7 and makes stops in Marlboro the following night before shows in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Rochester and closing out in Teaneck, New Jersey, on May 1.

Each show this tour will feature two sets of Zappa music with Willis and Preston; the Boston show is double billed with Consider the Source. And this April run continues the voter registration partnership with HeadCount, as shared on Twitter last month:

Project/Object: The Music of Frank Zappa has toured the United States, Canada and Europe during its 20-year existence. The group was founded in the 1990s by guitarist Andre Cholmondeley as a tribute to Zappa, who died of cancer in 1993 at 52. In 2015, Willis and Denny Walley came out of retirement for a special tour in celebration of Zappa’s late ’70s catalog, playing several shows in New York state. Alongside Willis (guitar, vocals), Preston (keys, vocals), Cholmondeley (guitar, vocals) and Walley (bass), the group will include musicians Ryan Berg (drums), Kendall Scott (keys, synths) and special guest Rich Rakowski (sax) at select shows.

Tickets for the 9 p.m. show at The Hollow are on sale through the venue’s website, along with passes for Brooklyn’s The Hall, Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo and Rochester’s Lovin Cup. Project/Object’s show at The Falcon in Marlboro does not require a cover charge for live music, but donations are appreciated. See the full tour dates below and visit the band’s website for more venue and ticket sales information.

Project/Object Spring 2016 tour dates:

4/7 – The Acoustic – Bridgeport, CT
4/8 – The Falcon – Marlboro, NY
4/9 – House of Independents – Ashbury Park, NJ
4/10 – Iron Horse – Northampton, MA
4/12 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
4/13 – The Middle East – Boston, MA
4/14 – The Hollow – Albany, NY
4/15 – The Hall – Brooklyn, NY
4/16 – Arch St. Tavern – Hartford, CT
4/17 – American Brewing Company – Harrisburg, PA
4/19 – The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD
4/20 – Club Café – Pittsburgh, PA
4/21 – Radio Radio – Indianapolis, IN
4/22 – Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
4/23 – Martyrs – Chicago, IL
4/26 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
4/27 – The Tralf – Buffalo, NY
4/28 – Lovin Cup – Rochester, NY
4/29 – Havana’s – New Hope, PA
4/30 – River St. Jazz Café – Wilkes Barre, PA
5/1 – Mexicali – Teaneck, NJ

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