Ike Willis to play Corvallis show

By Nancy Raskauskas

The Entertainer

CORVALLIS - Frank Zappa tribute band Pojama People, which has members hailing from Portland and Eugene, will import the talents of former Portlander Ike Willis for a show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27, at Squirrel's Tavern, 100 S.W. Second St.

Willis was the singer/guitarist on most of Zappa's output from 1979 through the last tour of 1988. He will join drummer Glenn Leonard and his wife, Alli Bach (percussion, winds and vocals), Brian Casey (bass, vocals), Ted Clifford (keys) and B-Bo (guitar) of Pojama People for the show.

Leonard was formally the drummer with a New York/Philadelphia touring Zappa tribute band called Project Object, which is where he met Willis. But his love for Zappa's music came much earlier.

"By the time I was 14, I was exposed to his music and fell in love with it immediately," Leonard said. "Growing up in the '70s, it was Frank's heyday, and growing up in Philadelphia I was exposed to a lot of live shows."

Leonard narrowly missed the chance to audition as a drummer to play with Zappa when he stopped touring in the early 1990s. Zappa later died of cancer in 1993.

"I did the next best thing, I worked with some of his sidemen keeping the music alive," Leonard said. "That's sort of our mission."

"We feel it's important to take some liberties to update the material," Leonard said. "Ike is a genius at making up lyrics on the spot."

"Anything goes," Leonard said. "And that was true to Frank's vision."

CHECK IT OUT

WHO: Pojama People with Ike Willis (Frank Zappa tribute).

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28.

WHERE: Squirrel's Tavern, 100 S.W. Second St., Corvallis.

INFO: 753-8057 or www.liveat

thespace.com/pjp/.