FiDOplaysZAPPA

He was tied to the whipping post with dental floss, he visited the city of tiny lights, was bamboozled by love - and he always sang with his voice on top: We're talking about Robert "Bobby" Martin, who shaped the sound of Frank Zappa's band from 1981 to their farewell tour in 1988 as the lead singer. And alongside and after that, he worked on a long list of productions with big names (Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, Michael McDonald, Prince, Etta James, Patti Labelle, The Moody Blues, and many others). It took two songs at Zappanale 2022, and the spark was ignited between the 74-year-old American, who neither looks nor sounds his age, and the Swiss tribute band FiDOplaysZAPPA, celebrating their 20th anniversary last year. And actually, in the last beats of "Montana," which Martin intoned as a special guest at the FiDO’s gig, it was clear: That couldn't have been it. And it's not over yet: Just like on the three well-attended tours in 2022/23, Robert Martin - now not as a guest of honor, but as the lead singer of the full-length program - will also climb aboard the Nightliner with the FiDOs in 2024 to show: Frank Zappa's music is not dead, it doesn't even smell funny. “The result is magnificent. The choice of compositions is excellent and the arrangements and the performance are stunning, to say the least. “ United Mutations, BE "..They manage to capture the madness and magic of Zappa in a way that both takes liberties and respects his vision." Music Street Journal, USA