BCC in London Dec 30

Black Country Communion performed show number two of their mini-two show tour of England last night, and Dave Lewis was there:

Black Country Communion gave an abject lesson in the art classic rock at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire last night...

The musicianship throughout was awe inspiring...

For me this(No Quarter) was simply the best cover version of a Zep track I’ve ever heard live. It typified the sheer class of a unit of musicians who are evidently loving playing together.

Black Country Communion are the real deal. Catch them at a festival near you in 2011.

Great clip of them playing No Quarter from Wednesday night's Wolverhampton gig:





Black Country Communion (20:30-22:00)

Black Country
One Last Soul
Beggarman
Revolution In Me
Down Again
Too Late For The Sun
Song of Yesterday
The Ballad of John Henry
Great Divide
Medusa
No Quarter
Sista Jane
Drum solo >
Black Country (Reprise)
Burn (Encore)

Band of Joy go Bluegrass

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival is an annual event put on by Planet Bluegrass in Telluride Colorado. The weekend long festival goes in June, and has featured some of the biggest stars in country and bluegrass music in it's 37 year history.

This year, along with star acts like Bela Fleck and Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy will be featured at the 38th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

The festival runs the weekend of June 16-19, 2011 and tickets are available from shop.bluegrass.com or 800-624-2422. Tickets are $155 each and camping packages, ranging from $55 - $265/weekend, are available.  Be sure to read the descriptions of the campgrounds, as I noticed one that is on a school ground, thus a strictly enforced alcohol and tobacco ban are in effect.

Going Back To The Black Country

I am a messenger
This is my prophecy
I'm goin' back
To the Black Country

Black Country Communion predicted they would return to the Black Country, and last night they did. The world conquering heros returned with their first full show as a unit - a second show will go tonight in London.

They played a 90 minute set for 3,000 fans at a "famous old venue."

The first review is in by Ian Harvey at the Express and Star:

Not since the days of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and, of course, the mighty Slade has the Black Country had a rock supergroup it can call its own.

That small oversight was well and truly laid to rest last night as Black Country boys Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham introduced American counterparts Joe Bonamassa and Derek Sherinian to the Civic for Black Country Communion’s first ever full concert . . . where else but in the Black Country?

...Bonamassa, unleashed from his day job as the saviour of blues rock, was a revelation, clearly relishing being not just a band leader but a band member. He must have been relaxed because instead of the usual designer suit and sharp shoes, he was sporting jeans and trainers . . . still designer, of course.

It’s virtually impossible to pick highlights, such was the consistency throughout the 90-minute set, but perhaps special mention should go to the foot-to-the-metal Sista Jane, Bonamassa’s showpiece Song of Yesterday, and the extended workout of Too Late For the Sun, Shernian’s keyboards more to the fore than on disc.

My own spy in the building commented as well on Bonamassa and said the show was "...absolutely SUPERB!"

Tight But Loose's Dave Lewis is off to tonight's London show, so I would expect a very comprehensive review at TBL sometime in the next few days.

From city to shire
We come from the heartland
We walk thru the fire

We rise to the measure
The line in the sand
It's cold on the mountain
And this is our land

I am a messenger
This is my prophecy
I'm goin' back
To the Black Country

*********************



Setlist

• Black Country


• One Last Soul


• Beggarman


• The Revolution in Me


• Down Again


• Too Late for the Sun


• Song of Yesterday


• The Ballad of John Henry


• The Great Divide


• Medusa


• No Quarter


• Sista Jane


• Black Country


• Burn (encore)

Black Country Communion Rock Wolverhampton

Black Country Communion stepped on the stage in Wolverhampton tonight, playing their entire debut album plus classic tracks from Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Joe Bonamassa according to Nightwatcher's House of Rock and The Voice of Glenn Hughes.

On top of the songs from the album they played Led Zeppelin's <em>No Quarter</em> Deep Purple's <em>Burn</em> and Joe Bonamassa's <em>The Ballad of John Henry</em>.



Love that Jason Bonham bass drum and Bonamassa's painted amps.

Rolling Stone Calls Band of Joy #8 in 2010

Rolling Stone Magazine has released it's list top 30 albums of 2010. Along with other albums of the rock genre by Kid Rock and Kings of Leon, and by established artists such as John Mellencamp and Elton John, Robert Plant's Band of Joy comes in at #8.

Keep waiting, Jimmy Page — he's not coming back. Plant followed up his dreamy roots-romp Raising Sand (2007) with an album that was edgier and rootsier: Plant and his bandleader, guitarist Buddy Miller, pursue ancient songs and modern tangents with a black-light glow on this psychedelic exploration of blues and country, covering Los Lobos, Townes Van Zandt, the slow-core band Low and public-domain gospel as if they are all stops on the true road to nirvana.

Rolling Stone's top 10 of 10:

• Kanye West: My Dark Twisted Fantasy


• The Black Keys: Brothers


• Elton John & Leon Russel: The Union


• Arcade Fire: The Suburbs


• Jamey Johnson: The Guitar Song


• Vampire Weekend: Contra


• Drake: Thank Me Later


• Robert Plant: Band of Joy


• Eminem: Recovery


• LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening

Band of Joy Top Album of 2010

In a pick of top albums of 2010, England’s The Daily Mail picked Robert Plant’s Band of Joy as the best:

…(Plant) is… fully convincing the wider world that his talent didn’t begin and end with Led Zeppelin… The 62-year-old Plant’s resurgence… has been remarkable… (the) rock legend singing tender ballads such as House of Cards and Silver Rider with astonishing sensitivity…

Zeppelin Caroling

Washington’s BIG 100.3, in conjunction with Zep Fest 2011, are Zeppeling up Christmas with 24 hours of non-stop Led Zeppelin.

From 10PM EST Dec 24, Christmas Eve, to Midnight Christmas night. You can listen on 100.3FM, or listen to their on-line player.

There will be, besides all those Zeppelin Carols, many chances to win Zep Fest 2011 tickets (which are on sale now).

When you just can’t stand one more version of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, turn the dial (we’re analogue folk here) to 100.3 or, if you fancy using those internets, click here. All Zeppelin, All Christmas.

Tight But Loose Issue 28

Dave Lewis has begun sending out Tight But Loose Edition #28. Featuring Jimmy Page’s book launch, John Paul Jones’ Classic Rock Award, Robert Plant’s Band of Joy tour and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience and more TBL28 looks like it will be jam packed.

It also has a great cover (right), with an amazing, casual shot of Jimmy Page.

Dave is sending out the edition in batches, but warns that unprecedented winter weather in England may cause delivery to be slower than usual:

Realistically, given all the current conditions, I would hope all UK subscribers will receive their copies by the end of the first week of January. Europe, USA and the rest of the world will follow soon after with expected delivery by mid January.

Tight But Loose is available from the Tight But Loose website.

The Groove Remains Very Similiar

Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy put together a tribute concert to John Bonham in September, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death, called The Groove Remains The Same. The show, featuring Tichy fellow Whitesnaker  and  Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience bassist Michael Devin and Keyboardist/steel guitar/guitarist Stephen LeBlanc, went very well. Now Tichy is putting together two more Groove Remains The Same shows in California: On January 12th at the Key Club in Hollywood and the 13th at the Galaxy Theatre in Anaheim. The star of the show is an Amber Vistalite drumkit with Bonham's 3-ring-logo backdrop, on which a number of feature drummers play Led Zeppelin songs, accompanied by the Moby Dicks:

• Brian Tichy on guitar


• Michael Devin on bass


• Stephen LeBlanc on keyboards.

The September 25th show also featured Keith St. John on Vocals and Brent Woods on Guitar. No word on whether those two will be reprising their roles, but it is a good bet that they do. The scheduled drummers will include:

• Steven Adler - Guns 'N Roses, Adler's Appetite


• Carmine Appice - Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne


• Vinny Appice - Black Sabbath/ DIO/ Heaven And Hell


• Kenny Aronoff - John Cougar, Smashing Pumpkins


• Frankie Banali - Quiet Riot


• Charlie Benante - Anthrax Galaxy show only


• Bobby Blotzer - RATT


• Fred Coury - Cinderella


• Jimmy D'Anda - Bulletboys


• James Kottak - Scorpions


• Abe Laboriel - Paul McCartney, Sting


• Khurt Maier - Salty Dog


• Xavier Muriel - Buckcherry Galaxy show only


• Stephen Perkins - Jane's Addiction Key Club show only


• Chris Slade - AC/DC, The Firm


• Chad Smith - Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot


• Jason Sutter - Foreigner, Chris Cornell Key Club show only


• John Tempesta - White Zombie, The Cult, Testament Key Club show only


• Brian Tichy - Whitesnake, Foreigner, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne


• Joe Travers - Zappa Plays Zappa, Duran Duran


• Simon Wright - AC/DC, DIO

JasonBonmham Interview on KLOS

Jason Bonham performed at the Mark & Brian Christmas Show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Thursday night. Jason performed with an all star Band that featured Joe Perry, Paul Rodgers, Michael Anthony and Steve Lukather. Before the show he sat with Sal Cirricione, and had a lot of interesting things to say:

On Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, he says there is a possibility of more Led Zeppelin Experience shows next year.

On Black Country Communion, Bonham confirms that they will be recording in LA in January, with Kevin Shirley again producing. It looks like BCC will tour beginning the end of May or early June, although the time line is not clear yet.  Any Led Zeppelin Experience shows will likely go off between those dates.

Finally, and most significantly, is his mention of a DVD of the Zeppelin 02 show:

“Nothing is official, as yet. I only know that because Robert had said that he’d watched it. I really do hope that it eventually will see the light of day. It’s just nice to know that Robert had seen it, so I knew something, but it was nice that he rang up and said ‘Wow, it sounded great.’”

Lots of exciting news from Jason Bonham, including hopes that maybe that 02 DVD will eventually see the light of day.

ZepFest 2011

I try, I really do, to not just be a rehash of what everyone else is doing. There are other, more established Led Zeppelin blogs who already do so much, so well. If I can give a story a personal touch, I’ll jump all over it. If I’m just rehashing, I stop and wonder what I’m adding to the discussion.

The other blogs in their entirety, have been doing a wonderful job of promoting ZepFest 2011 (in fairness, the other bloggers all seem to have been invited to speak at ZepFest 2011). My plan was to hold off, start talking about it sometime in the new year. Come the spring, ZepFest is going to be a huge Zeppelin story, so I thought I’d wait.

That’s what I thought. Things change. A couple of things have come up. First, I won a Led Zeppelin I 8-track (in-gently used, 1969 Chevelle not included) on their 12 Daze of Zepmas. I recommend everyone on Facebook join their mailing list, and watch for the The 12 Daze of ZepMas. Trust me, you can win.

Then the guys at ZepFest decided to link up to this blog. Great blog, they call it. When guys have good sense like that, they become hard to ignore.

So for the record, here’s the pertinent bits:

ZepFest 2001

The Worlds Largest "Zep Fest"
Memorial Day Weekend
May 27, 28, 29 2011
Washington DC

50+ Bands on 5 stages
"Interactive" Festival Grounds
DJ's-Speakers-Authors - Largest collection of Zeppelin Memorabilia ever assembled - secret shows - surprise guests.

It’s going to be a great event.

Dolphins Dancing Days

If you are heading to next Sunday’s Miami Dolphins Buffalo Bills game, there’s an extra treat for you. Besides being one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL, this Sunday, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience will be playing at the pre-game.

The Experience will be playing the Land Shark Tailgate Stage on the AT&T Grand Plaza at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. The pre-game tailgate concert will begin at noon.

Glenn Hughes on BCC

Classic Rock magazine interviewed Glenn Hughes on the occasion Hughes receiving a Classic Rock Award (A gong) for for his work with the charity Childline:

Whenever they call on me I’ll be there, no problem at all. I urge all my musician mates to do the same.

Childline is a counselling service for children and young people who both Hughes and his wife are involved with - and good on both of them.

While they had him, the subject of Black Country Communion came up. Hughes suggested Led Zeppelin fans might just enjoy the show:

Two UK shows are booked for late December and we commence work on the second album on January 10 at the same studio in LA that the Hughes/Thrall album was made...

They’ll feature most of the first album and we might throw in a Led Zeppelin cover and some other things.

According to his Facebook page, Hughes had been very busy writing songs for BCC2, as he's currently calling it. A few weeks ago he noted he played what he had for Kevin Shirley, and it was well received. But he apparently wasn't done there, offering today:

My every wakin' moment is spent workin' on new BCC songs here in Brazil... I have no choice... the tap has been turned on... I am grateful... GH

It sounds like it will be a good 2011 for Black Country Communion.

Unpacking Jimmy Page

Rick Barret of Zeppelin Collectibles.com received his copy of the Genesis Publication book, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page on Dec 10 - the third anniversary of Led Zeppelin's celebrated 02 arena concert.

Rick took a video of himself opening the book, and flipping through it the first time. Nice treat for fans who didn't get a book. And another reason to kick yourself for not buying one.

Robert Plants Adds Toronto Show

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy have added a second Toronto Show.

The Band of Joy are set to bring their North-Eastern American tour to Toronto's Sony Centre on Saturday January 22nd. The second show will be the following night, January 23rd, at the same venue.

The Sony Centre is formally the O'Keefe Centre where Led Zeppelin played in November 1969. Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience also stopped there in October.

Tickets for the 2nd Robert Plant and the Band of Joy Toronto Show go on sale the Saturday, December 11th.

Band of Joy Makes Spin Magazines Top 40

Spin Magazine just released it’s top 40 albums of 2010 and Robert Plant’s Band of Joy came in at 35 with a bullet. Along with modern acts such as Eminem (38), The Black Keys (30), Gorillaz (23), Drake (16), M.I.A. (8) and Kanye West (1) plus Canadians Arcade Fire (3) and Neil Young (28) and a bunch of acts this geezer has simply never heard of, Plant’s album is an out of place honour.

“Old, weird Americana, steeped in the black hours before Sunday morning comes down,” says the review at Spin. “The restless Plant seems more at home than ever.”

And the Nominees Are

The Grammy Awards tonight announced their 2011 nominees during a televised concert. Led Zeppelin members record three nominations this year, two to Robert Plant, and one to John Paul Jones’ band Them Crooked Vultures.

Robert Plant:
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only)
Silver Rider
from: Band Of Joy

Best Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)
Band Of Joy

John Paul Jones:

Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals.
Singles or Tracks only.)
New Fang
Them Crooked Vultures
from: Them Crooked Vultures

Plant won five Grammy’s in 2009, including album and record of the year, for his collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.

Previously, he won a Grammy in 1998, with Jimmy Page, for the song Most High, from the Walking Into Clarksdale CD

As near as I can determine, this is John Paul Jones first Grammy nomination, although he has previously conducted a 20 piece orchestra that performed with the Foo Fighters in 2008.

The 53rd annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 13th.

Jason Bonham Does Hollywood

Some gigs are more important than others. Hometowns, for example. Or  New York. For James Dylan, singing with Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, it was Philadelphia:

Philly was very special for me because Averelle and our son and three daughters were there.

For anybody associated with Led Zeppelin, add Los Angeles to the list.

A week ago now, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience stepped on the stage at Pantages Theatre in Hollywood with Paul Stanley and Steve Lukather in the audience and Jason's sister, Zoe Bonham, waiting in the wings, the Experience broke into Rock and Roll/Celebration Day. Andrew Bansal from Metal Assault was on hand to bear witness to the night:

No concert involving Led Zeppelin is complete without "Stairway To Heaven". This was no different, and they did complete justice to the most beautiful song ever written.

Overall, Jason was absolutely flawless on drums and I could feel a lot of emotion in his performance... The same can also be said about vocalist James Dylan whose voice was truly magical throughout the entire two and a half hours that he was on stage. Guitarist Tony Catania was absolutely brilliant and possessed a natural likeness to Jimmy Page in terms of appearance and stage presence, without even seeming to make an effort to do so. Multi instrumentalist Stephen LeBlanc and bassist Michael Devin also did their parts excellently well.

John Bonham is no more, but now I know for sure that he continues to live on in his son's body and enthralls crowds across the world.

A deeply emotional, mesmerizing and entertaining performance.

Zoe Bonham, John's other child and Jason's younger sister, joined the band onstage to play organ on When the Levee Breaks. Levee was one of the show's highlights already, Jason letting a video clip of dad lay down the groove for the for the song.  Nice to have both of his children playing along with him.

John Bonham must have been watching on with a tear in his eye.