ZappaCast

ZappaCast

The official podcast devoted to chronicling the life and work of American Composer Frank Zappa.

Episodes

December 20, 2025 55 mins

Are you ready for a two-fer blast of the ZappaCast? In this episode -- part one of a two part spectacular -- Joe, Bill and Scott discuss the absolutely fabulous 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe edition of Frank's 1975 masterwork ONE SIZE FITS ALL! It's a splendid conversation, replete with lasers, strobe lights and smoke machines you can't see! Part two, a discussion of the new HALLOWEEN 78 box set, coming very soon!  A...

Mark as Played

Folks, more than ten years before there was the YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE series, there was THE IMPOSSIBLE CONCERT, a project put together by Frank for radio broadcast that was the prototype for the Stage series. In this hysterical, historical episode, Vaultmeister Joe takes Scott and Bill through the history of this project, we uncover some of its component pieces and speculate on others, and have a spiffnificent tim...

Mark as Played
July 11, 2025 67 mins

It’s the return of the ZappaCast!! And what an incredible treat we have for you! In this episode, we do a DEEP DISH dive into the new Frank Zappa album and film, CHEAPER THAN CHEEP! A virtually unheard of gem seeing the light of day from the Zappa Vault for the first time, Cheaper Than Cheep consists of performance material from a video shoot that Frank and the Mothers performed at for a television special that never materialized. ...

Mark as Played

Greetings to you all in this festive holiday season! In this decidedly enticing episode, Bill and Scott chat with Miss ABIGAIL DEVOE, host of YouTube's wildly popular VINYL MONDAY where she dives super deep into rock's greatest albums, including lots of brilliant Frank Zappa content! Abby shares with us her journey into the Zappaverse, and gives us some valuable insight into what it is about Frank Zappa that attracts a ne...

Mark as Played

We are back, kids! In this episode, Joe, Bill and Scott talk about the various new reissues of APOSTROPHE ('), a top-tier Zappa classic! We go all Deep Dish with you on the new Super Deluxe 50th Anniversary CD reissue of the album, and the two new vinyl editions that are now available! Come and get your love!!

Mark as Played

In this episode, the ZappaCast team takes a DEEP DISH dive into the new Frank Zappa album, Whisky A Go Go, 1968! This is a HUGE release, packed with interesting and unique events. We go inside the making of the album with Vaultmeister Joe Travers, and Joe takes some questions from you, our amazing listeners! Hoopla in every little sip!

Mark as Played

 That’s right, you heard right, the ZappaCast team chats with THE Art Tripp! You will know Art as the percussionist for The Mothers from 1968 to 1970, and as Ed Marimba, with Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. In this incredibly special episode, we chat with Art about his life and career, and the many highlights contained therein! This is a MUST listen! Hotcha! 

Mark as Played

 Well hello again, friends and neighbors! It's your old pals the ZappaCast team, ready with all the new that's fit to hear! And what do you we have ready to serve up hot and fresh? How about a DEEP DISH dive into the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of OVER-NITE SENSATION? Yes kids, the Vaultmeister himself shares his processes with all of us, taking us behind the scenes of this massively wonderful set! This is part two of...

Mark as Played

Well hello again, friends and neighbors! It's your old pals the ZappaCast team, ready with all the new that's fit to hear! And what do you we have ready to serve up hot and fresh? How about a DEEP DISH dive into the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of OVER-NITE SENSATION? Yes kids, the Vaultmeister himself shares his processes with all of us, taking us behind the scenes of this massively wonderful set! This is part one of ...

Mark as Played
November 28, 2023 38 mins

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, we here at ZappaCast Mobile Labs present part deux of our Deep Dish into the pleasure center that is Funky Nothingness! Scott and Bill grill Sir Joseph on the finer points (and moments) of this epic set. Worth the eartime, as we are sure you'll agree!

Mark as Played
October 24, 2023 60 mins

Well looky here! In this episode, we introduce the newest member of the ZappaCast team -- Zappa fanatic, musician and all-around good guy Bill Camarata! Bill joins Joe and Scott for a deep-dish (Chicago, what up?) dive into the extraordinary world of FUNKY NOTHINGNESS. All the geeky nitty-gritty you could ask for and more! 

Mark as Played

Did you think we were done talking about Frank Zappa's greatest unreleased masterpiece, The History and Collected Improvisations of The Mothers Of Invention?  Yes, we know that we just finished our three episode run on this subject (check them out here). The credits rolled.  But then we thought, "If our favorite Marvel movie can have a fancy post-credits scene, then why can't we?

It's time to roll the t...

Mark as Played

Congratulations! You made it to the final installment in this series of three very special Zappacast episodes where Scott Parker tries to solve the mystery of Frank Zappa's greatest unreleased masterpiece: The History and Collected Improvisations of The Mothers Of Invention.

Scott is joined once again by producer Phil Surkis, and Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers. Together, they try to summon their superpowers to ...

Mark as Played

Welcome to the second in a series of three special Zappacast episodes where Scott Parker takes you along on his quest to uncover the holy grail of Frank Zappa projects: The History and Collected Improvisations of The Mothers Of Invention.

Joining Scott is producer Phil Surkis, and Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers, as they investigate this infamous unreleased Frank Zappa box set. It was planned for release as a 12 LP bo...

Mark as Played

This is it. This is the big one. Join host Scott Parker on his quest to uncover the holy grail of Frank Zappa projects: The History and Collected Improvisations of The Mothers Of Invention.

Scott is joined by producer Phil Surkis, and Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers, as they investigate this infamous unreleased Frank Zappa box set. It was planned for release as a 12 LP box in 1969. When it didn't come out,  FZ ke...

Mark as Played
February 24, 2023 54 mins

Scott Parker, Joe Travers & Phil Surkis ain't messin' around, as they chat with the best Zappa drummer you never heard in your life. Yes, David Logeman, from the short lived spring/summer 1980 lineup, is on hand to celebrate the new release Zappa '80: Mudd Club/Munich.

You'll hear a first hand account from Mr. Logeman of what actually happened on the floor at the Mudd Club, the night when both Vinn...

Mark as Played
December 9, 2022 59 mins

Zappacast celebrates the 50th anniversary of FZ's "big band" period with a deep dive into the just released Waka Wazoo box set!
 
You'll hear from the Vaultmeister himself, Joe Travers, who assembled this comprehensive collection of recordings that show what went into the making of the classic albums, Waka Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. 

Eat Those Questions:  Host Scott Parker and Phil Surkis are ...

Mark as Played
October 14, 2022 48 mins

The Zappacast crew celebrates the new release, Zappa '75: Zagrab/Ljubljana!  Joe "Vaultmeister" returns to take Scott Parker and Phil Surkis on a guided tour of this rare band playing in a rare location!

Why did FZ fly the band to Yugoslavia in the midst of his fall tour? Why is this the only multitrack recording of this band? Why did FZ strip down his band after the success of the '74 tours? Scott and...

Mark as Played
September 9, 2022 57 mins

He was the voice of Billy the Mountain. He was the voice of Jeff Simmons'  bad conscience. Heck, he was even the voice of god! It's safe to say that Frank Zappa trusted Jim Pons voice.

Scott Parker and Phil Surkis were honored and thrilled to chat with The Leaves/Turtles/Mothers legend, Jim Pons.  Jim did not disappoint with amazing stories from his brief, yet bright time with the vaudeville edition of The Mothers.

Jim shar...

Mark as Played
June 10, 2022 50 mins

What is it about Erie, PA? Is there something in the wooder? Scott Parker and Phil Surkis chat  with Joe Travers about his latest passion project: Zappa: Erie, a 6CD box set featuring three unbelievably fantastic shows made in and around his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania - Edinboro College (5/8/74), Gannon University (11/12/74), and The Erie County Fieldhouse (11/12/ 76).

Plus, Joe reveals the origin of how the Vaultmeist...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Burden

    The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.

    SmartLess

    "SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.