Gary Lucas and Captain Beefheart in 1980

Gary Lucas was a featured guitar soloist and member of the final edition of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Following Captain Beefheart’s death, Lucas has set out to pay tribute to his former band mate through a series of Captain Beefheart Symposiums. During the symposium, Lucas “will show rare archival footage of the band, spin unreleased tracks, project slides of Van Vliet’s paintings and drawings, discuss the history of the group and many of the great musicians who came through the ranks of The Magic Band and illustrate Van Vliet’s quirky and idiosyncratic methodologies and techniques with a live solo guitar performance.”

The next Captain Beefheart Symposium will take place at San Francisco’s The Independent this Friday, February 11. The event will feature several special guests, including Talking Heads multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison, Terry Van Vliet and Victor Hayden (The Mascara Snake).

Harrison recently produced Lucas’ forthcoming Gods and Monsters album, which is scheduled for release on May 7 via Knitting Factory Records. The Ordeal of Civility features Lucas’ current ensemble: bassist Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers, Flying Hearts), drummer Billy Ficca (Television) and keyboardists Jason Candler and Joe Hendel. Harrison—a longtime friend of Lucas and his various collaborators—also performed with Brooks in the Modern Lovers.