Banned From Utopia

After the death of Frank Zappa in December 1993, many friends and musicians who had worked with him were at a loss. In the summer of 1994, promoters from the Jazz Open festival in Stuttgart, Germany contacted former members of Zappa's Mothers of Invention and asked if they wanted to perform a a tribute concert to the late musician. Agreeing to the project at the last minute, the ten members of Band From Utopia performed and were well received. The result was a live release, Music Of Frank Zappa, which was released on Muffin in 1995. The same year, the group released Band From Utopia, Vol. 1, an album which featured Zappa songs such as Mother People , Chunga's Revenge and Pound For A Brown. Maintaining the integrity of the original work while adding its own input, Band From Utopia toured throughout Europe and North America, including performances with the Seattle Symphony. In 1995, the group released Band From Utopia, Vol. 2 on Muffin. The group, which has also been known as Banned From Utopia, also released So Yuh Don't Like Modern Art, an album featuring Frank Zappa instrumentals as well as five original songs. The group has also had some lineup changes, but usually consists of ten members. ~ Jason MacNeil