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Banned From Utopia: Tink Walks Amok / Thirteen

By Mike Jacobs
November 2, 2025
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The late Frank Zappa was known for, among many other things, having some virtuosic touring bands. Even the bandleader's demise wasn't enough to break the bond of many members of his various touring ensembles, who formed "The Band From Utopia" in 1994, just after the maestro's passing. Later re-monickered "Banned From Utopia," the group recorded So Yuh Don't Like Modern Art (Favored Nations, 2002), which featured a smattering of Zappa-esque original tunes alongside a handful of retooled—and notoriously challenging—Zappa classics. "Tink Walks Amok / Thirteen" finds our heroes soaring through deliciously odd-metered, yet infectiously accessible territory. Their former boss would be proud, methinks. Featuring "Zappalumni" Arthur Barrow (as Tink), Bruce Fowler, Tom Fowler, Walt Fowler, Ed Mann, Tommy Mars, Robert Martin, Kurt McGettrick, Albert Wing, Chad Wackerman, and augmented by the late Mike Miller on guitar.

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