John 'Drumbo' French Reunites Captain Beefheart Alumni For Solo Album: City Of Refuge In Stores November 18, 2008

Los Angeles, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Proper Records) - John 'Drumbo' French has reunited fellow Magic Band alumni Bill Harkelroad (aka Zoot Horn Rollo), Mark Boston (aka Rockette Morton), Greg Davidson (aka Ella Guru), and John Thomas for a solo recording of all new compositions entitled 'City of Refuge'. The self-produced album was recorded in London and at various locations in the U.S., and lands stateside November 18th on Proper Records.

"I think 'City of Refuge' is important because it re-visits a style of music that was founded by Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) and developed by various Magic Bands over the years. The music on this album came to me as total inspiration from being involved in The Magic Band reunion project. Listening to the music of Don Van Vliet and singing with the band, I realized that I was re-visiting my musical roots and wondered about how I had strayed so far away," French says.

As the drummer and music director for revered iconoclasts Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, French made central contributions to a handful of LPs - notably 1969's mind-altering, revered masterpiece 'Trout Mask Replica', on which he first acquired the antic stage-name 'Drumbo' - that vastly expanded the parameters of contemporary music. French's influential contributions can also be found on projects with Frank Zappa, Mallard, Crazy Backwards Alphabet, Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson, among others.

French plans a U.S. tour in conjunction with his upcoming book, 'Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic, Vol 1', to be released early next year.

Basic Release Information: Drumbo/City of Refuge Catalog: PRPCD024 Release Date: November 18, 2008

Track Listing: 1. Bogeyman 2. Bus Ticket Outta Town 3. Blood on a Porcupine Quill 4. City of Refuge 5. Abandon 6. Get So Mean 7. Maybe That'll Teach Ya 8. To The Loft of Ravenscroft 9. The Shirt Off My Back 10. The Wicked Witch of War 11. Whose Side Ya On 12. The Withered Hand of Time