Club Notes: Zappa Plays Zappa for new generation (VIDEO)

Frank Zappa's music was complicated, intriguing and set the bar for experimental rock performance. The innovative artist passed away in 1993, but he left behind a solid legacy of material.

Dweezil Zappa now wants to introduce his father's music to a new generation of fans, so he created the tribute band Zappa Plays Zappa.

Wednesday, the band brings the ultimate Frank Zappa party to the Fox Theatre for a Thanksgiving Eve concert. And yes, it sold out in record time.

"Music was all around me when I was growing up and it had a heavy inspiration on me," Zappa said. "I started playing guitar when I was 12. I realized that I pretty much needed to do this.

"I grew up listening to bands like Van Halen and I was inspired by the pyrotechnic approach to electric guitar. I spent all these years learning all these technical things, but then I got real serious about playing my dad's music."

Dweezil Zappa's had a pretty colorful career in the entertainment business. The artist was an MTV VJ, acted in the movies "The Running Man" and "Pretty in Pink" and composed the theme for "The Ben Stiller Show."

The musician also honed his rock guitar skills and he found the

Dweezil Zappa

"I had stopped playing for awhile to do this other stuff, but I'd gone through a complete transformation with my technical approach to playing," Zappa said. "I also realized that people under 30 had no idea about my dad's music. I wanted to them to hear iconic songs like 'G Spot Tornado' or 'Dog Meat' that have been overlooked.

"They're familiar with the comedic songs like 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow,' but there's so much more to Frank's catalogue."

Zappa decided that this tribute band would perform every note of his father's complex music. That's not an easy feat, but a young band of fresh players was brought in to accomplish the task.

"I specifically brought in a young group of players to add their depth and musical range," Zappa said. "They had the requisite skills and the right attitude.

"This is the fifth year we're doing the band, and every year we learn more and more songs. For this run of shows, we'll be learning eight new songs. The music we'll be bringing to Boulder will be pretty exciting and fast-paced."