First Listen: Robert Plant, 'Band Of Joy' on NPR Radio
From: NPR.ORG 2010.09.05

After 40 years of making records, Robert Plant still has the integrity I heard on the very first Led Zeppelin record in 1969. Not many artists fit that bill. It speaks not only to his uncommon and unrivaled voice, but also to his choice of musicians and influences.

Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss a few years ago produced a brilliant and timeless record in Raising Sand. Now, Plant has teamed up with Nashville songwriter, musician and friend Buddy Miller to make a new album called Band of Joy. The musicians include some of his bandmates from the Krauss tour, including Miller on guitar and various stringed instruments, as well as Darrell Scott and Patty Griffin.

Band of Joy is a celebration of music, and often music from the '60s - a decade where the blues, country, Celtic and rock all found common ground. Its rock, folk and blues tunes aren't new, but they all sound fresh and incredibly well-played. That's evident from the first guitar burst on a Los Lobos tune called Angel Dance.

There's restraint here that you wouldn't often hear on Led Zeppelin albums, but there's also power in that restraint. That discipline and prudence brings a feeling of welled-up emotion, of sadness and joy that unfolds brilliantly in the ears of the listener. This isn't the hammer of the gods; just a decent gut punch that's profound, earnest and perhaps even longer-lasting.

Band of Joy will stream here in its entirety until its release on Sept. 14. Please leave your thoughts on the album in the comments section below.

Click here to preview The Band Of Joy in its entirety.

Robert Plant Announces New York Show
From: TBLWEB.COM 2010.09.03

Robert Plant has announced a one-off show in New York on Sunday 12th September at the Bowery Ballroom, Delancey St., New York. Ticket go on sale noon today (Saturday) from http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Following on from the successful show at The Forum in Kentish Town the next morning Robert appeared on the BBC 1 Morning News show, waxing lyrical about the Band Of Joy project and doing his best to ignore the Zepp to reform question. Check out the clip here from the http://www.bbc.co.uk/ website.

"Oh, to be in London" Robert Plant brings joy to the Forum
From: TBLWEB.COM 2010.09.03

Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy made a triumphant debut at London's HMV Forum last night. The London audience were hugely receptive from the moment he kicked in with a driving Down To The Sea. The balanced set list included plenty of crown pleasing moments. Highlights: An effective Clarksdale arrangement of Please Read The Letter, a majestic House of Cards, a delicate stroll through All The Kings Horses and a delightful Angel Dance. The Zep injections were rapturously received - Misty Mountain Hop and Houses of The Holy had the audience singing along and it was emotional to hear the opening lines from Over The Hills And Far Away sung live in the UK for the first time since Cafe De Paris. Throughout the set, the individual strengths of the band shone through. Buddy was awesome on Monkey, and Patty supplemented Plant's vocals perfectly. Darrell Scott's multi instrumental talents added invention to every performance and collectively their voices blended at the right times to add substance to the arrangementts. The move away from straight rock may be beguiling to some but judging by the reaction here, those with open ears are finding much to admire in this new set up.

On the home straight Tall Cool One and Gallows Pole hit the mark. Just before Rock And Roll, a lady next to me exclaimed "I love you, Robert!" A sentiment that seemed to sum up the wave of goodwill that echoed throughout the Forum.

"Oh to be in England..." commented Robert towards the end. Judging by the reaction to this London showcase, fans across the country will be well pleased that Robert and The Band Of Joy will be back in the homeland come October.

Before the gig it was great to see so many familiar faces in the TBL meet in the Assembly Rooms pub. Many thanks for all those that dropped by to say hi. All in all these past few days have been a very welcome pre Birthday present for this particular writer.

Suffice to say The Band Of Joy journey is underway - catch it wherever you can.

Photo by Gary Foy

Photo by Gary Foy

The Groove Remains The Same Update! from Tichy!
From: KEYCLUB.COM 2010.09.03

DRUMMERS OF JANE'S ADDICTION, PAUL McCARTNEY AND RATT CONFIRMED TO PLAY AT JOHN BONHAM TRIBUTE, "THE GROOVE REMAINS THE SAME!"

Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction), Abe Laboriel (Paul McCartney) and Bobby Blotzer (RATT) have jumped aboard to perform at the BONZO: THE GROOVE REMAINS THE SAME concert on Saturday Zeptember 25th, 2010.

The night marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of Led Zeppelin drummer John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham. Bonzo is still the undisputed, most influential rock drummer of all time. The list of rock's biggest drummers paying tribute to Bonzo is a clear sign of is influence.

Whitesnake drummer/event co-organizer Briian Tichy says, "It is so nice to see all these drummers come together in the name of John Bonham on the exact day of the 30th anniversary of his passing. It has been a total labor of love putting this together with promoter/Zep Head Joe Sutton. We have many more surprises for the night, but just getting all these killer drummers in the same room in the name of Bonzo is too cool!"

The 'who's who' list of rock finest drummers performing their favorite song with a top secret house band are; Steven Adler (Guns 'N Roses, Adler's Appetite), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell), Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar, John Fogerty, studio legend), Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot), Bobby Blotzer (RATT), Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) Fred Coury (Cinderella), Jimmy D'Anda (BulletBoys), James Kottak (Scorpions), Abe Laboriel (Paul McCartney), Khurt Maier (Salty Dog), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction), Chris Slade (The Firm/ AC/DC), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot), Briian Tichy (Whitesnake/Foreigner/ Billy Idol), Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa/ Duran Duran) and Simon Wright (AC/DC / DIO). *Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge/ Rod Stewart) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater/Avenged Sevenfold) will perform via video.

The Groove Remains The Same tickets are available at http://www.keyclub.com/ and http://www.ticketfly.com

Robert Plant & The Band of Joy in London: "Welcome to the Church"
From: TBLWEB.COM 2010.09.02

Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy introduced themselves to a UK audience for the first time with an all inclusive eight song set list drawn mainly from their forthcoming album. This secret gig acted as a showcase launch for the Band Of Joy album in front of an audience of around 250. The location was One Mayfair, just off London's Oxford Street near Marble Arch – a plush converted church.

Dressed in a dark shirt and blue jeans, Robert immediatly led the band into an intensive delivery of Monkey. From the off, it was apparent how much of a democratic line up this is with Patty Griffin sharing the mournful vocal and Buddy Miller supplying subtle guitar effects.

"Welcome to the church... it's time to be christened in a new way" was Robert's between song patter before they launched into House Of Cards. This had Patty on acoustic guitar and a final verse that accented the drama of Robert's "It goes tumbling tumbling tumbling tumbling down.." masterful vocal. Robert drank from a cup before the band struck up the bluesy plaintive blues lament that is Cindy I'll Marry You Someday. This had some impressive banjo via Darrell Scott and Byron House on double bass.

From one blues spook to another. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down increased the drama and as Robert hugged the mic I had a brief mental flashback of the younger singer in similar style back at Knebworth Ala Nobody's Fault But Mine all those years ago. The moment he moved into a higher register as the song reached it's climax was just awesome. With no messing they were into Central Two-O-Nine with Robert on washboard igniting the action with a "Get This!" exclaim. Lot's of "Ahh Ahh" refrains with Patty and he ended his washboard solo with a Bonzo like flourish behind Marco Giovino's percussion.

"Here's one from Texas and Townes Van Zandt" was the intro to the bright and light Harm's Swift Way. This was a total truimph - Robert's beaming smile towards the close emphasised the good time warmth this unit conveys. It was also clear evidence of how much the singer is enjoying all this. As somebody near to him said to me recently "It's the happiest I've seen him in ten years."

The warm good vibes extended into the irresistibly likable Angel Dance. Here Robert allowed himself a couple of time honoured "Ooo yeah's" and a two step dance interaction with Patty that may well have him enlisted as a future Strictly Come Dancing contestant(or not!). Robert wrapped up proceedings with a fond farewell that made reference to Houses of The Holy. The whole band then jelled together for the now customary close I Bid You Goodnight with Robert sharing vocals with Patty, Buddy and the whole band.

"Thanks for coming out tonight... we'll see you tomorrow" was his parting words before the strains of Harry J All Stars reggae terrace anthem The Liquidator from the PA indicated that this showcase had come to an end.

Audiences ahead can expect more of the same and a little bit of added heritage from all parts of his expansive catalogue thrown in for good measure. On the evidence of this delightful opening showcase, this particular band will be spreading a considerable amount of joy around as the autumn hue arrives.

As the singer once put it, "The future is ahead...bright ahead. And it all starts shining again tonight at the London HMV Forum..."

Photo by Gary Foy

Photo by Gary Foy

Photo by Gary Foy

Photo by Gary Foy

BCC pre-order news & exclusive documentary
From: BCCOMMUNION.COM 2010.09.02

Black Country Communion's debut album, released on Monday 20th September, recently peaked at No. 2 in the Amazon UK pre-order chart, and has remained in the Top 10 of both the Amazon UK and Play.com pre-order album charts for the past 5 weeks.

BCC is comprised of Glenn Hughes (vocals, bass), Joe Bonamassa (guitar, vocals), Jason Bonham (drums) and Derek Sherinian (keyboards). The album is produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Rush, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Black Crowes).

At 7pm on Saturday 4th September, the UK's leading classic rock radio station PLANET ROCK will air an exclusive hour-long documentary interview with Black Country Communion. The documentary will feature Planet Rock speaking to the BCC members about the band's formation and future. The one hour radio special will also be repeated on Thursday 9th September at 11pm.

Presented by DJ Nicky Horne, the behind-the-scenes documentary includes exclusive interviews with Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham, plus a selection of music from their highly anticipated debut album. Also featured in the one hour special will be the song "One Last Soul", which has fast become one of the station's most requested tracks.

Tune into Planet Rock this Saturday to listen to the documentary online - http://www.planetrock.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1936427&spid=

Black Country Communion To Appear On Rockline Next Week
From: ANTIMUSIC.COM 2010.09.01
While you wait for Black Country Communion to release their album and announce their 2011 tour plans, you can catch them on the radio next week when they are the featured guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 8:30pm PT/11:30pm ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with the band by calling 1-800-344-ROCK(7625).

The English-American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa self-titled 12-track debut album will be officially released and available in stores in the UK and Europe through Mascot Records on Monday, September 20 followed by a North America release on Tuesday, September 21 through Bonamassa's own J&R Adventures label.

Fans can currently pre-order the album on the band's website http://www.bccommunion.com/ and download a free MP3 of the brand new single, One Last Soul.

All songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of Song Of Yesterday and The Revolution In Me, which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on Sista Jane and Too Late For The Sun. Also included is a new version of Medusa, the rock classic Hughes originally recorded with his first band Trapeze. The The album was produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig. It was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu in early 2010.

The seed for Black Country Communion was planted when Shirley saw Hughes and Bonamassa combine forces on stage in Los Angeles in Nov. 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King of the Blues event. Shirley then recruited Bonham and Sherinian for the project, which is named after the industrial area in the British Midlands where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised.

Black Country Communion is planning a tour in 2011.

Top 10 Robert Plant Songs
From: AOLRADIOBLOG.COM 2010.09.01
Matthew Wilkening from the AOL Radio Blog posted the Top 10 Robert Plant Songs from Plant's entire 40+ year solo career, including collaborations with Jimmy Page, Alison Krauss and The Honeydrippers.

Check out the AOL Radio Blog to see, hear and read lyrics from the entire list.

Robert Plant - Plant Has Moved On From Rock
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2010.08.31
Robert Plant has hinted he turned down the chance to reunite with Led Zeppelin because he's fallen out of love with heavy rock music.

After the band re-teamed in 2007 to honour late Atlantic record boss Ahmet Ertegun, fans clamoured for a full reunion tour.

But Plant has steadfastly refused, preferring to stick to his solo work and collaborations with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.

And in a new interview he reveals his interest in heavy rock has waned.

Confessing his ears "bled for two days" after attending a recent Them Crooked Vultures concert - featuring former bandmate John Paul Jones - Plant says, "I feel so far away from heavy rock now. It's quite odd, how mine and John's paths seem to have crossed over - we've sort of gone into each others' worlds a bit."

BONZO: The Groove Remains The Same - A Night to Honor John Bonham
From: KEYCLUB.COM 2010.08.30
Zeptember 25, 2010, marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. His groove and sound is considered to be the most influential of all rock-n-roll drummers; John "BONZO" Bonham is the undisputed king. BONZO will once again be honored in a special concert featuring rock's biggest names behind the kit at the Key Club in Hollywood.

On stage and for one night only, a rotating cast of guest drummers perform their favorite Led Zeppelin songs. Confirmed drummers include Steven Adler (Guns 'N Roses, Adler's Appetite), Vinnie Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell), Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar, John Fogerty, studio legend), Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot), Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) Fred Coury (Cinderella), Jimmy D'Anda (BulletBoys), James Kottak (Scorpions), Khurt Maier (Salty Dog), Chris Slade (The Firm, AC/DC), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot), Briian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner, Billy Idol), Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa, Duran Duran) and Simon Wright (AC/DC, Dio). Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart) will perform via video.

"Not a day goes by where I don't think of John Bonham's snare sound, and it hit me-'Why isn't there a BONZO tribute where every drummer gets up on a Vistalite kit, with gong and timpanis, and plays their favorite Zeppelin song?," co-organizer and scheduled drummer, Briian Tichy, said. "I thought of all the drummers I know that worship at the alter of John Bonham and being in LA, there are so many here."

Promoter Joe Sutton took care of the rest and has helped organize this striking tribute. His moxie for the all-mighty BONZO and Led Zeppelin has never wavered.

"First and foremost, Led Zeppelin is the greatest band in the world and it is not a coincidence that John Bonham was the drummer," Sutton said. "Bonham's drumming is one of the main reasons that they were able to sound so huge."

"I remember the day that John Bonham died, it broke my heart. Not only to lose a great man and the best drummer in the world, but to lose Led Zeppelin as a band was just devastating to myself and everyone I knew. So, to have a chance to put together a tribute 30 years later for the all-mighty BONZO, I will use all of my efforts and experience to put together a very special night."

Joining the drummers will be band members Brent Woods (guitar), Michael 'Denim' Devin (bass), Keith St. John (vocals), Stephen LeBlanc (keys), Briian Tichy (guitar).

BONZO: The Groove Remains the Same is Saturday, Zeptember 25, at the Key Club. Tickets can be purchased at Keyclub.com. The Key Club is located at 9039 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Jason Bonham Selling South Florida Home
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.08.26

According to BlockShopper South Florida, Jason Bonham, son of the legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and his wife have listed for sale a four-bedroom, four-bath home in Boca Raton, Florida for $899,000.

The Bonhams bought the property for $750,000 in Feb. 2005. The 4,225-square-foot house was built in 1993 in the Seasons subdivision. Mitchell B. Greenberg of Coldwell Banker is the listing agent.

Jason Bonham recently admitted that he was apprehensive before signing on to lead the upcoming "Led Zeppelin Experience" tour. Bonham, who filled in for his dad on December 10, 2007 when Zeppelin played their one-time-only reunion gig at London's O2 Arena, didn't want to disappoint the band, or sully his father's memory with a less-than-perfect tribute.

Bonham told The Pulse of Radio that he decided early on that a show like this had to be done with the utmost respect for the band - and himself. "When I was being offered to do this kind of a show, just to go 'round and play the Led Zeppelin songs and go 'round and play clubs; I mean, I just played with them, and I didn't want it to tarnish what I hold so dearly in my life as one of the greatest moments, really, to play with them, and to have that time rehearsing with them - Led Zeppelin, that is," he said.

Russia's Medvedev Tells U2's Bono That He's a Fan of Led Zeppelin, Too
From: BLOOMBERG.COM 2010.08.24

Dmitry Medvedev told U2 lead singer Bono that he's a fan of rock group Led Zeppelin over tea during a meeting at the Russian president's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Upon his arrival in Russia on Aug. 22, Bono joked that he would cancel a meeting with Medvedev after learning the president preferred Deep Purple to the Beatles, Kommersant reported.

Bono told Medvedev today that they have to overcome the differences in their musical tastes. Bono, 50, said he's a long- time Led Zeppelin fan, while he knows that Medvedev likes Deep Purple. The president countered in televised remarks that he also enjoys Led Zeppelin.

Bono met with Medvedev before U2's first-ever concert in Russia tomorrow at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium.

Medvedev, 44, has said previously that he likes to listen to classic rock. Russia's president since May 2008, Medvedev became a fan of Deep Purple as a teenager living in a cramped two-room apartment on the outskirts of Leningrad in the 1970s.

Deep Purple, whose music was banned by Soviet authorities, were flown to Moscow in February of 2008 to be the guests of honor at a concert in the Kremlin and met Medvedev. In a 2007 interview with Itogi magazine, Medvedev said he had the entire vinyl collection of Deep Purple. At school, he also listened to Black Sabbath. He said last year that his teenage son Ilya is a fan of the alternative rock group Linkin Park and that he also listened to the band's music from time to time.

Medvedev and Bono also discussed fighting against the spread of polio and HIV, Interfax reported. Bono spoke about his charity project that raises money to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. He asked Medvedev to recommend a Russian company that could join the project, the Russian news service said.

Release Date Set For Pictorial Autobiography
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.08.23

Upscale publishing house Genesis Publications has set a September 27 release date for Zoso, the new career-spanning pictorial autobiography of Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page. According to the Lemon Squeezings web site, Zoso, which is Page's first officially published work, will include more than 650 photographs and illustrations on over 500 pages. The number of photographs has increased by 50 since a June announcement that publication was being delayed three months so as to incorporate additional images and captions written by Page.

While all 350 copies of the deluxe edition were said to have sold out within two days of going on pre-sale in April, reservations are still being taken for the collector's edition. Page is signing and numbering every one of the 2,500 books in the limited run.

Check out the book's official microsite at http://www.jimmypagebook.com.

Page spoke to Mojo magazine, which previewed shots from the book in the February issue, and was asked whether he ever thought of taking the plunge and actually writing his memoirs. Page said, "I considered doing a posthumous book. And I'm not joking. I genuinely thought about doing one. As usual it seems like a silly idea, but it wouldn't have been a silly idea if John Lennon had done one, would it? You know what I mean?"

Black Sabbath's Bill Ward: The Music That Changed My Life
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.08.22

Goldmine magazine recently spoke to legendary Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward about the the artists and music in general that matter to him. You can read the entire article at this location.

While Ward is a fan of "probably anything" in the Led Zeppelin catalog, Led Zeppelin has the strongest memories for him.

"I love Jimmy [Page]. He's bloody great," Ward said. "When I first heard their very first album, we had a bunch of songs as well, but we hadn't recorded our first album, and then somebody brought over Led Zeppelin and we listened to it, and I'm listening to it and going, 'Holy crap.' You know, it sounded really professional and everything. I'd known [John] Bonham since I was 16 years old, and I'm listening to Bonham playing his chops, man, and I'm going, 'Wow.' I thought that that album was just completely out of sight. It was so good, and I love Jimmy's chops. We just sat around going, 'Wow.' We were in a different bag. We were working on 'What is this that stands before me? ...' and so we were in quite a different place, but that first album was just, like, holy crap, blew me away. Just a really very, very good album."

"All of us - Tony [Iommi], myself, and the likes of Geezer [Butler] and Ozzy [Osbourne], you know, we all knew Bonham, and we all knew Robert Plant. We were all from basically the same area, so we bumped into them all the time. We'd see them every other day or something," Ward recalled. "But I love John Paul [Jones], as well... What a bass player, man. He's doing good stuff. He's always been a brilliant bass player. He reminds me now of, unfortunately he passed away, John Entwistle. Entwistle's bass playing is just fucking phenomenal."

Read the entire article from Goldmine magazine.

Robert Plant interview: singer happy to entertain without Led Zeppelin reunion
From: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK 2010.08.22

Back in the 1970s, as the priapic frontman for Led Zeppelin, Plant pronounced himself a "Golden God". These days, with long, curling hair and roguish goatee beard, the 61-year-old rock deity comes over more as a wise old sage.

Sitting in a hotel lobby in Dallas, he says, in a soft, Midlands burr: "This city brings back a lot of memories. This was where I rehearsed for my first post-Zeppelin gig.

"It was all huge emotional chaos in me, 'cause I was about to go out without the great force field. I was the only one carrying this thing, this myth state, to the centre of stage. There was a huge feeling of loss."

It was his role fronting the ground-breaking, world-conquering rock quartet for 12 years that established Plant as one of Britain's greatest voices, and rock culture's most defining archetypes.

So what is he doing here, three decades on, playing a tour of intimate theatres with an all-singing ensemble of American roots and country virtuosos, in a group named in honour of his teenage psychedelic blues outfit, Band Of Joy?

"Well, that's what I feel like," he says. "Somewhere between a teenager and an old man, making my debut album. It's freedom."

Plant genuinely seems to be having the time of his life. While fans and former band mates have been clamouring for a Zeppelin reunion, Plant has been resolutely pursuing his own idiosyncratic path.

And it has taken him somewhere close to where it all started, singing blues and folk in clubs around the English Black Country.

"The sort of haphazardness of the way this thing developed makes me think of those glorious days when there was no concern about maintaining success, it was just so free."

The original sixties Band Of Joy featured Plant and lifelong friend, the late Led Zeppelin drummer, John "Bonzo" Bonham.

Plant depicts himself as a white kid trying to interpret "all that kind of miasma of the dark voodoo hoochie coochie black American thing".

Band Of Joy, he says, were fiercely in pursuit of something they all felt was "absolutely crucial" but which few others could be persuaded to embrace.

"We only had three or four places we could play in the UK and the rest of the time we'd be siphoning fuel out of cars in the middle of the night and nicking milk off doorsteps at 4am. I had nothing to lose, so it was just sort of 'who cares, as long as it's jumping?'"

It is this mindset that Plant seems to have fully embraced. Working with outstanding American musicians such as the guitarist Buddy Miller and the country queen Patty Griffin, he runs Band Of Joy as a kind of revue, with all the members harmonising and taking turns at lead vocals as they cover old songs in a huge range of styles: blues, gospel, folk and country (and enough reworked Zeppelin covers and hints of wild psych rock to keep old fans entranced).

Plant was 19 when he was recruited in 1968 by session guitarist Jimmy Page for a new group, bringing in his old friend Bonham alongside bassist John Paul Jones.

Despite a perception that Plant has spent much of his solo career trying to shut the door on his time as a rock god, he remains hugely proud of Led Zeppelin.

"We were never a middle of the road band, we were really quite fearsome."

But he has admitted that his heart went out of it after his five-year-old son, Karac, died of a viral infection in 1977. The subsequent (drink related) death of Bonham in 1980 hit him very hard and the group decided to break up.

Plant's career has followed a wayward path, taking him from the vintage R'n'B of The Honeydrippers to a wild concoction of hybridised world music with his band Strange Sensation.

In 2007, his extraordinary, ethereal album with the bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, set him on another path, exploring roots Americana.

It went on to win five Grammy awards in the US, including Album of the Year.

But just as his Krauss collaboration was lifting off, Zeppelin reunited for one night only at the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert at London's O2 Arena in December 2007, with Jason Bonham taking his father's place behind the drum kit.

"I really had a wonderful time," says Plant. "It was the best Led Zeppelin gig since 1975." Many would like the reunion to have continued, including his band mates. When I spoke to Jimmy Page earlier this year, he said: "You'd better ask Robert Plant what the future of Led Zeppelin is."

So I put the question directly to Plant: would he do it again?

"I don't think so," he sighs. "You've got to have a lot in common with the people you're working with at this time in your life. Everything has to move on and forward, in all relationships.

"I know that bands that haven't put out a record for 10 years are playing to 20,000 people a night. But that's not the achievement. The achievement is to knock yourself out. It's a very selfish thing. The tail must never wag the dog."

So instead of touring stadiums, Plant is taking his personal roots revue around small venues.

"You can create an intimacy that this music kind of demands and its not getting lost in some crazy cube which is going to be holding a car show the following week.

"Theatres are built because they were the boards for entertainment. Something about looking up into those proscenium arches and seeing all the dangling ropes and all that stuff makes you think 'yeah, I've actually made it! I'm an entertainer'."

Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy play London's HMV Forum on Sept 2. The album Band Of Joy is released by Rounder on Sept 13.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Tour Dates Announced
From: JBLZE.COM 2010.08.16

30 dates have been announced for Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience. The son of late Led Zep drummer John Bonham will perform songs from his dad's old band's back catalog.

For a complete list of shows, go to http://www.jblze.com/index.php?page=Tour.

Slash, Jason Bonham To Perform At New York Jets Home Opener
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.08.14
Legendary guitarist Slash (Velvet Revolver, Guns N' Roses) will perform during a pre-game tailgate concert at the New York Jets' home opener on September 13 against the Baltimore Ravens. Slash will be joined by Myles Kennedy, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls and Jason Bonham, son of the legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and currently of Black Country Communion. Scherzinger will also sing the national anthem.

Slash will perform on the plaza just outside the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Led Zeppelin - Noisettes' Led Zeppelin Collaboration
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2010.08.13

John Paul Jones sits in at Africa Express concert in Spain
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.08.12

Chan Chan

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience on Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld
From: JBLZE.COM 2010.08.11
Jason Bonham was on the late night FOX news channel show Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. His brief interview was about 5 minutes long. He said that he was doing 30 shows in 30 days. The number 30 being very significant because 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of his father. The host asked him who else was playing in what Jason Bonham called the "Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience". He said that he was not revealing names yet and that he was keeping it close to his chest.

So far, only 3 dates have been announced. The big announcement with hopefully come on Monday, August 16. Other stops on the tour include Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Oct 21 Merrillville, IN @ Star Plaza Theatre - 7:30PM Buy Tickets
Nov 4 Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center - 8:00PM Buy Tickets
Nov 21 Riverside, CA @ Fox Performing Arts Center - 8:00PM Buy Tickets

Led Zeppelin art gift up for auction
From: THISISTHEWESTCOUNRY.CO.UK 2010.08.10

Black Country Communion's debut single available as free MP3 download
From: BCCOMMUNION.COM 2010.08.10
Black Country Communion - the English-American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, have today posted a free MP3 download of their debut single One Last Soul on their official website - www.bccommunion.com.

The song will be featured on BCC's highly anticipated debut album released in the UK/Europe by Mascot Records on 20th September, followed by 21st September North American release on the J&R Adventures label. Produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), the album was mastered by legendary Bob Ludwig, and recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California.

Recently premiered on the UK's leading classic rock radio station 'Planet Rock', "One Last Soul" has become one of the station's most requested songs of 2010.

Robert Plant opens new Wyre Forest Discovery Centre
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.08.10

Led Zeppelin Reunion Show 'Too Heavy' for Robert Plant
From: SPINNER.COM 2010.08.06
Robert Plant has revealed that the famous Led Zeppelin reunion show at the O2 Arena in 2007 was "too heavy" for him, and that after the show he had to slink away and have a few quiet drinks on his own.

He also described fobbing off the Gallagher brothers backstage after the gig, which was held to pay tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records.

Plant, who is regularly cooling speculation of another reunion between the surviving Zeppelin members, told Mojo magazine, "Well, what could you do afterwards ...? Twenty minutes after we finished, the Gallagher brothers were leaning on the door of my dressing room and one of them said, 'You're the real f---ing thing, you are.' I said, 'I've known that all down the line -- but I think you need to go a little further round the corridor, next door on the left.' And I went."

He added: "[I] ended up in the Marathon [pub in Camden], drank four bottles of Keo [lager] and half a bottle of vodka then went to bed. Because I had to get away from it. I'd done it. Had to go.

"[It was] too heavy. Beautiful - but talk about examining your own mortality ... Crazy."

This week Plant announced three additional dates for his Band Of Joy solo tour this October, with new shows in Edinburgh, Gateshead and Liverpool. He plays a one-off show at the Forum in London on Sept. 2.

Plant, Bonham kept apart by wife
From: TORONTOSUN.COM 2010.08.06
Robert Plant was once banned from hanging out with wildman John Bonham because the drummer's wife thought the singer was a bad influence.

The late Bonham's wife Pat didn't care for Plant and tried to stop her husband from spending time with him.

The Led Zeppelin rocker recalls, "His wife Pat had banned me from being anywhere near John, because it meant financial doom and distress on all levels.

"In her Black Country brogue, Pat would say, 'Don't go near Planty, it's all gonna go t**s up'."

Glenn Hughes Talks Black Country Communion
From: PEARLDRUMMERSFORUM.COM 2010.08.04

Robert Plant's "Angel Dance" video now on YouTube
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.08.03

Black Country Communion's 'One Last Soul' World Premiere on Planet Rock tomorrow night
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.08.01
Black Country Communion's first single, One Last Soul, from their self-titled debut CD will debut on Planet Rock, UK's Classic Rock Station, on Monday, August 2, 2010 between 6:00PM and 10:00PM (1:00PM-5:00PM CDT) on legendary broadcaster, Nicky Horne's radio programme.

Fans in the United States and everywhere else in the world won't have to worry because you can listen to it live on PlanetRock.com or check out their archives at a later time.

Black Country Communion in Top Ten on Amazon UK's pre-order chart
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.07.31
Black Country Communion's debut CD/DVD set is currently in the Top Ten on Amazon UK's pre-order chart. It is set to be released by Mascot Records on September 20, 2010 for £8.93.

The CD/DVD set features 12 album tracks on CD, plus a bonus DVD that features interviews with the band, exclusive studio and live images, Kevin Shirley's (Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) album production notes, The Great Divide music video, 'Behind The Scenes' in-studio footage, plus live tracks as performed by BCC at Riverside, California.

Interview with each of the members of Black Country Communion can be viewed below.

Black Country Communion Album Coming in Three Formats
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.07.28
Black Country Communion's debut CD will be available on September 28, 2010 in the United States (and September 20, 2010 in the UK). It will be available in three formats: a single-disc CD, a limited edition two-disc CD/DVD set and a double-sided 12" inch vinyl album. The CD/DVD set features 12 album tracks on CD, plus a bonus DVD that features interviews with the band, exclusive studio and live images, Kevin Shirley's (Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) album production notes, The Great Divide music video, 'Behind The Scenes' in-studio footage, plus live tracks as performed by BCC at Riverside, California. The single CD and the CD/DVD set are now currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

The new rock supergroup features Joe Bonamassa (guitar, vocals), Glenn Hughes (vocals, bass), Jason Bonham (drums)and Derek Sherinian (keyboards).

Face The Music - Can you guess all these British music icons?
From: BRITISHMUSICEXPERIENCE.COM 2010.07.24
Think you know your Lennon from your Lennox? Guess all 64 British Music Icons to win fantastic prizes.

Click on any face to start, guess them all right and you'll get a huge ego PLUS the chance to win a pair of tickets to Vintage atGoodwood, the L.E.D Festival, Rod Stewart in concert at The O2, a signed Epiphone Guitar or a private tour of the British Music Experience for you and 9 friends!!

The British Music Experience is Britain's new interactive exhibition of Rock 'n' Pop at The O2, London. Interact with over 60 years of British music history from Trad Jaz to Dub Step. Learn about the fascinating people and moments that made British music history from the prototype Rock 'n' Rollers to the pioneering Dance DJs. Unleash your inner Rock Star and get hands on with guitars and drums; mix and sing in the Gibson Interactive Studio and record your own dance video. Discover how rock, pop, dance and other genres have influenced British history and modern culture with state-of-the-art technology and incredible artist memorabilia. All have played a part and now, so can you.

To play, go to http://www.britishmusicexperience.com/facethemusic/.

John Paul Jones Signature Manson Bass Now Available
From: MI-PRO.CO.UK 2010.07.22
After many years of refining, researching and testing, bass legend John Paul Jones has placed his name to the Manson bass guitar that he has used regularly across his projects for the last 16 years.

The Manson John Paul Jones E-Bass model is a replica of the bass made by Hugh Manson in the early 1990s and has been his primary choice ever since.

Featuring a maple through-neck construction, figured maple top, aged cherry sunburst high-gloss lacquer, an ebony fingerboard, EMG pickups and active circuit, Hipshot D-Tuner, Schaller machineheads and Badass bridge, the specs reflect the current upgraded hardware of the bass John is currently using on tour with Them Crooked Vultures.

As well as being a member of this ensemble that also includes Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, Jones is also, of course, known for his time with Led Zeppelin and has used a vast collection of Manson's models over the last three decades, both in live and recording situations.

Competitively priced at £2099, the bass is now available exclusively from Mansons Guitar Shop and comes with a high-quality gig bag.

For more information or to order, go to the Manson Guitars website.

Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy - The Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, TN
From: TIGHTBUTLOOSE.CO.UK 2010.07.14

First reports filtering across the Atlantic from Roberts Memphis gig last night shows a varying set list covering all corners of the singer career. Kicking off with Down To The Sea from Fate Of Nations before the first single from the forthcoming Band Of Joy album Angel Dance. Next is the Page/Plant number Please Read The Letter returning back to the original rather than the Robert/ Alison version. House Of Cards follows before dipping into Led Zepp 4 for a slower tempo version of Misty Mountain Hop. Lows Monkey follows before a three song medley of Oh What A Beautiful City/Wader In The Water/In My Time OF Dying Medley in a traditional gospel setting. Two songs from his successful Raising Sand album follow, Rich Woman and Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On). All The Kings Horses from Mighty Rearranger follow before Patty leads use through a version of Nobody's Fault But Mine. Next up is Satan Your Kingdom Must Go and Central Two O Nine from the Band Of Joy album, the latter featuring Robert on wash-board (?). Houses Of The Holy is premiered in Memphis tonight and gets the crowd up on it feet before a rocking Tall Cool One. After Robert introduces the band it's into Townes Van Zandt song Harm's Swift Way. Before a rollicking version of Gallows Pole. The band return to the stage for an encore of Thank You before a swing intro to a song, what it is isn't obvious until the first line: "Been a long time since I rock 'n' rolled." Rock And Roll closes the first night of the first tour by Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy.

Set List:
Down To The Sea, Angel Dance, Please Read The Letter, House Of Cards, Misty Mountain Hop, Monkey, Oh What A Beautiful City/Wader In The Water/In My Time OF Dying Medley, Rich Woman. Gone Gone Gone, All The Kings Horses, Nobodys Fault But Mine, Satan Your Kingdom Must Go, Central Two O Nine, Houses Of The Holy, Tall Cool One, Harms Swift Way, Gallows Pole

Encores: Thank You, Rock And Roll

Jimmy Page's Sussex home on sale for £8 million
From: THEARGUS.CO.UK 2010.07.14

A rock star's former Elizabethan home is up for sale for £8 million.

Plumpton Place manor house comes with six bedrooms, five en-suite bathrooms, a tennis court and its own moat and was once the home of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

The Grade II* listed building comes with three lakes, two cottages and a three bedroom mill house with its own working water wheel.

Set over three floors the house has a sitting room 48ft long and a library that is 550 square feet.

The luxury pile will offer any potential buyer with the right bank balance a haven in the South Downs six miles from Lewes and set in its own 62 acres of land.

Recorded in the Domesday Book as being the site of two watermills the original house, which was probably E-shaped and thatched, was built in the mid-16th century.

The house fell into ruin in the early twentieth century but was resurrected by Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life magazine, who employed his favourite architect Edward Luytens to create his dream home.

Unfortunately for Mr Hudson he died in 1936 before Luytens's imagination was fully realised, creating the east wing of the house with the double height music room.

Jimmy Page bought the property in 1972 before selling it ten years later for £650,000.

The current owner, American venture capitalist Tom Perkins, has owned the building since the mid-eighties and is looking for a tenfold increase on the £800,000 he reportedly put down on the property.

A spokeswoman for estate agents Savills, is managing the sale along with Knight Frank, said they were unable to divulge the current owner's reasons for selling the property.

It wouldn't be the first time the building has fetched an enormous fee on the market, having once been bought for £4,000 in 1620 by the then governor of Arundel Castle.

Robert Plant gets star in Memphis music sidewalk
From: Associated Press 2010.07.13

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is being honored with a star in a music sidewalk in Memphis, Tenn.

Plant was presented Monday with a star that will be placed on the Orpheum Theater Sidewalk of Stars on Beale Street.

The Commercial Appeal reports that the award honors Plant for what are described as tireless efforts to preserve the blues.

During the presentation ceremony, Plant spoke of blues pioneers like Sonny Boy Williamson, Sleepy John Estes and W.C. Handy in acknowledging that a generation of British musicians owe a debt to early Southern blues artists.

Led Zeppelin came 'real close' to touring without Robert Plant
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2010.07.12

The son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham, claims he, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were "real close" to reuniting with a new singer before disagreements with Robert Plant forced them to cancel a proposed reunion tour in 2008.

"I think ... basically, they agreed to disagree," Bonham told MusicRadar. "After a while, it was just time to move on." Although it's well known that the band considered returning to the road, it has never been clear how much of these plans were just rumour. According to Bonham, the project was very real. "We did a year of writing and putting stuff together," he said. "I loved working with Jimmy and John Paul. It was so much fun."

In fact, this group reportedly worked better together than Bonham's "current" band. "I think we felt more like a band than Black Country Communion... It got as close as you could get." But while reports at the time had Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy stepping in for Plant, Bonham claims a different frontperson was going to take Led Zep's main mic. "Nope," he said, when asked about Kennedy. "There was somebody else. Somebody else was involved - and that's all I'll say. But as I said, I loved the time we had together. I can't even explain it, it was just great."

Please, please, please don't let it have been Steven Tyler.

Harvey Goldsmith almost missed Led Zep O2 Reunion concert
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2010.07.10

Music mogul Harvey Goldsmith almost missed out on the one-off Led Zeppelin reunion he helped stage in 2007 - because his father-in-law died as the supergroup were about to take the stage.

The British promoter put the Ahmet Ertegun tribute show together in London after meeting with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page at the label boss and producer's memorial.

Goldsmith introduced the show at the O2 Arena and then heard his wife Diana's father had died as he left the stage.

He tells CelebrityAccess.com, "It was very difficult. Very difficult. It was quite odd really. I went onstage and introduced the show. As I was walking offstage, my phone kept ringing. I kept switching it off. It'd ring again. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I picked up the phone, and there was a call saying that my father-in-law had just died.

"I had to go and find my wife and tell her the news. She was upstairs watching the show. You can imagine the decision: 'Do I go? Do I stay? What do I do?' Fortunately, my wife is quite strong. She said, 'You have to stay here, I'll go.' My head was all over the place, as you can imagine."

But he'd already achieved the near-impossible - by persuading Led Zeppelin to reform.

He adds, "I have a belief in life that if something is meant to be, it will happen. This was meant to be, and that was it. I was very close to Ahmet. (His widow) Mica asked if I would do something in London with all the British acts, so I set about... putting a show together. The original idea was to do two days and to reflect all of those British acts (Ertegun had worked with at Atlantic Records), from the Rolling Stones to Phil Collins to Cream to Eric Clapton. We even looked at ABBA. All sorts of things.

"When I went to the memorial service (in New York), I saw all three of the Zeps there. I went up to them and I said, 'You are the only guys who didn't perform at this.'

"Then we got back (to London), and we talked about it... I suddenly thought, 'This is ridiculous. The one act that Ahmet adored was Led Zeppelin. He loved the Stones and he loved other acts, but Led Zeppelin was his love. So I just dropped them all a note and said, 'Forget about what everybody has said about touring and just do this one (show) for Ahmet.' All I asked them to do was to play for 15 minutes or a half-hour.

"One after another, they came back immediately and said, 'We should do this.' Then, they said, 'Well, we don't know if we can play yet. We're going to go away for two or three days of rehearsals without anybody else with us. No management. Nobody. Secretly. Just to see if we can play.' A week later they called me up and we had a meeting. Everybody was there.

"Jimmy (Page) came into the room, and he said, 'Well, we tried it out, and we've thought about it. We decided... we want to do the whole show.' I just looked at him, aghast. Thereafter, the rest of it (a bigger artist tribute) didn't make any sense. Everybody had seen everybody else. It wasn't that those other acts weren't important, but it just didn't make any sense because it would be such an anti-climax. So that's how it came about. It was as simple as that."

But fans' hopes that the reunion would spark a full tour have never materialised and the bandmates remain fixed that a full get together is unlikely.

New Robert Plant Fall 2010 UK Dates
From: 2010.07.03

It was just announced that there are four new concert dates in England this fall for Robert Plant.

• HMV Forum, London - Thursday, September 2, 2010
• St David's Hall, Cardiff - Tuesday, October 26, 2010
• Symphony Hall, Birmingham - Wednesday, October 27, 2010
• Palace Theatre, Manchester - Sunday, October 31, 2010

If you pre-order Robert Plant's new CD, The Band of Joy before 8AM GMT on July 5, 2010 on HMV's website, you will have access to pre-order tickets for these UK dates before they go on sale to the general public on July 9, 2010.

Delay in Jimmy Page Book
From: 2010.07.03

Due to delays in the Jimmy Page pictoral autobiography, it will not be available until September 2010.

Jimmy Page is said to be adding new photos from his archives and from other photographers. Genesis Publications feels that it is important to include these additions to creat a more comprehensive book.

Another notification said that additions would be made to the binding of the book.

Either way, this can only mean good things for those who have ordered the book, which is still available if you have not ordered your copy yet at Genesis Publications website.

The Real Reason Robert Plant was in Chicago
From: For Badgeholders Only 2010.07.02

Robert was in town to film a music video for his cover of Los Lobos' Angel Dance in the Little Village neighborhood of South Chicago.

He flew into Chicago on Monday night, having a meal at David Burke's Primehouse at the James Hotel, even thrilling guests in the lobby with an impromptu jam session.

The next day was a work day. He spent his off-camera time catching up on World Cup on the TV of a little western wear clothing store next to one of the shooting locations, shopping in the bodegas and local shops, taking pictures, and chatting with the public.

Filming went long and Los Lobos was running very late getting to their soundcheck at Grant Park's Petrillo Band Shell. They did their last take, jumped into an idling squad car, and were whisked away with lights ablaze and sirens screaming.

Thanks to Brian and the Chicago Sun-Times

Robert Plant Jams With Los Lobos At The Taste Of Chicago
From: YOUDOPIA.COM 2010.06.30

In the words of the guy who shot the second video in this post, "He just jumped onstage with Los Lobos. It's fucking amazing!"

Last night (6/29/10) Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys played a gig at the Taste of Chicago. At the end of Los Lobos' set, Robert Plant came up and sang Treat Her Right. It was cool, spontaneous, and the Coolest Shit Ever.

This video has the whole performance, but I wanted to include the shorter, incomplete clip (bottom) because of the commentary of the guy shooting the video. He's on the phone with someone, and obviously just blown away. Makes me smile that music can make people giddy. It's a good thing. By the way, this happened on the 30th anniversary of this Led Zeppelin show.

Jake Holmes sues for Dazed And Confused
From: TMZ.COM 2010.06.29

Well, you knew it was bound to happen eventually. Court documents were filed in United States District Court, Central District of California by attorneys for Jake Holmes, a songwriter/performer from New York City, yesterday (June 28, 2010). It seems that Jimmy Page nicked a song that Jake Holmes had written in 1967 entitled Dazed And Confused.

Jimmy Page, while on tour with the Yardbirds in New York City in November 1967, saw Jake Holmes perform Dazed And Confused in Greenwich Village. Four months later, The Yardbirds had recorded the song, on the French TV Show Bouton Rouge (of which the audio ended up on the Yardbirds' 2000 compilation CD Cumular Limit).

Page brought the song with him to the New Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin, but he somehwat changed the lyrics and the music. He received sole credit on the first Led Zeppelin album.

Jake Holmes is suing Jimmy Page, Super Hype Publishing, Atlantic Recording Corporation and Rhino Entertainment Company in civil courts for copyright infringement.

Jake Holmes claims to have registered Dazed And Confused on or about July 18, 1967 with the United States Copyright Office and filed copyright registration on or about December 7, 1995. Holmes also claims that Page authored a composition entitled Dazed And Confused without authorization or permission. Page, Super Hype, Atlantic and Rhino willfully infringed on the Plantiff's rights by issuing Led Zeppelin I, The Song Remains The Same, BBC Sessions, How The West Was Won, Mothership, Led Zeppelin DVD, The Song Remains The Same movie and the Mothership Bonus DVD.

Holmes is seeking $150,000 per infringement.

This, of course, is not Jimmy's first brush with copyright infringement. In the late 1970s, the publishing company that handled songs by Ritchie Valens sued Led Zeppelin for their song Boogie With Stu. The lyrics are similar to Valens' composition Ooh! My Head. Led Zeppelin had originally gave credit to Mrs. Valens, Ritchie's mother, but eventually gave a settlement to the publishing company. Arc Records sued Led Zeppelin for the Willie Dixon song Bring It On Home. Willie Dixon had to sue Arc Records to receive any of the settlement money. In 1985, Willie Dixon himself sued Led Zeppelin for their song Whole Lotta Love, which has lyrical similarities to Dixon's song You Need Love. Money that he won in the out-of-court settlement in 1987 went to his foundation Blues Heaven.

Holmes is seeking a trial by jury. It is good for Page because with current copyright laws, Holmes can only sue for the last 3 years.

Read the court documents filed here.

Robert Plant Previews Upcoming Band of Joy Album
From: ROLLINGSTONE.COM 2010.06.25

Last night, Robert Plant dropped in at a dimly lit bar in the East Village near the end of a listening session for his newest album, Band of Joy, and for a few brief moments, admitted he didn't know what to talk about. "Should I tell you about the Butter Queen and the Plaster Casters in Chicago?" he said, referencing some of the most famous groupies in rock history. "That's not quite as relevant now as back then - and penicillin is easily available now."

Holding a microphone in front of a small crowd at New York's Back Room, the Led Zeppelin frontman quickly changed the subject to the new disc, due September 14th on Rounder Records. Band of Joy follows the intimate, moody vibe of his Grammy-winning collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, but the songs are more powerful, like the blazing spiritual classic "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and a hard-driving take on "Harm's Swift Way," a rare Townes Van Zandt track.

Band of Joy was originally Plant's experimental blues outfit in Birmingham, England, from 1966 to 1968, which helped earn him the nickname "The wild man of the blues from the Black Country." John Bonham joined in 1967. While Plant's Zep days were often too demanding to allow him time to appreciate American music, one of his earliest singles was a cover of the Rascals' "You Better Run" in 1966. Plant was 17, playing with the Tennessee Teens for Columbia Records, and says the track went nowhere. "It disappeared without a trace," he remembered. "Forty-one years later, I finally decided that it was worth working with American musicians."

Resurrecting the Band of Joy, Plant picked out top-notch roots musicians and session players for the group: multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott, guitarist and co-producer Buddy Miller, drummer Marco Giovino and bassist Byron House. "I'm working with arch-bishops of good taste," Plant said.

The band first hit the studio last December, recording in the 10 days leading to Christmas, but Plant was a bit disappointed with the results. "It sounded like Moby Grape outtakes," he said. "I was in absolute heaven. But I took it home and realized there was absolutely nothing that kicked up." He called up Patty Griffin and asked her "to add her Shangri Las-type vocals," Plant said. The singer gave the group the jolt Plant was seeking: "After Christmas, we went into overdrive."

"People say to me, 'How do we know what you're going to do next?' " he said. "And I have no idea what I will do. I just know that the first four hours when you meet musicians are the most crucial in your life with those guys. You know then whether there's something really magical there or if you're just churning it out. I don't like to go anywhere near that latter condition." After speaking about musical magic, he overheard King Khan and the Shrines' "I Wanna Be a Girl" playing on the bar's stereo and demanded to know the name of the garage-rock band.

Band of Joy hits stores September 14th, but Plant and his Band of Joy will tour before that, hitting 12 Southern cities in July. "I'm happy to be in what seems to be a familiar condition," he said. "I'm touring without a record. In this day and age, the Eagles can't even do that."

Jimmy Page visits samba school in Rio
From: GLOBO.COM 2010.06.23

Jimmy Page made an appearance at the famous samba school Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Mangueira in Rio this week. Pictures below show Page with drummer (and president of the school) Ivo Meirelles.

Page declined to talk with local press and was also planning on visiting other samba schools.

He is in town until Monday, June 28. Meirelles said that Page is planning on returning to Rio in September to record an album with musicians at the samba school.

Going veggie with Robert Plant
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2010.06.20

It wasn't easy grabbing a decent stew in Carnaby Street with the Led Zeppelin singer, says Caroline Boucher.

Oh lordy, but Robert Plant was good looking in the heyday of Led Zeppelin. And it fell to my good fortune to interview him an awful lot in those early days of the 70s. The band's office was at the mucky end of London's Oxford Street towards Tottenham Court Road– the bit that now has tacky leather jacket and dodgy shoe shops (in those days it boasted a Dolphinarium. Imagine the cruelty).. It was cramped and unglamorous and had a terrifying lift in which I was once trapped with their very large and very unpredictable manager, Peter Grant, so interviews were usually conducted in a nearby coffee bar.

One day we decided to be healthy and headed off towards Carnaby Street and the fledgling health food restaurant, Cranks. It was pretty much the first of its kind in London and everything in it was heavy. Dense bread, muesli like a clay soil, thick vegetarian stews, lots of sprouted things and all served on thick brown crockery as hefty as flowerpots. We burped our way through the obligatory interview, Plant gorgeous with his curls and endless legs, and all other customers either too cool or too oblivious to bother him.

We ate some carrot cake, drank coffee and then lurched out on to Carnaby Street. Almost immediately Plant spotted a shirt he wanted. Patterned voile in lilac, a bit see-through. Just the job for a gig. Plant flourished his chequebook – to no avail. The rookie assistant, clearly not a fan, wanted ID. Very politely Plant went to the front of the shop, picked the new Zeppelin album off the rack and brought it to the till. No go. Cut no ice at all. Suddenly the shirt, the cake, the coffee all lost their lustre at once. We marched back to the office.

Yardbirds Bassist Recalls Photographing Early Days of Led Zeppelin
From: SPINNER.COM 2010.06.18

Even though he'd been a member of the most impressive guitar band in rock music, Chris Dreja abruptly quit the music business after the Yardbirds split in 1968. While bandmate Jimmy Page went on to form Led Zeppelin, Dreja worked with the rock legends not as a bassist but as a professional photographer.

"I got fed up with how my life was being controlled by often half a dozen people who were out of order," Dreja tells Spinner. "I wanted control of my own destiny."

Dreja is currently one of two original members of the reformed Yardbirds (drummer Jim McCarty is the other), which just ended their most recent tour. For more than three decades, he was a commercial and editorial photographer, and while it might seem odd for him to quit rock 'n' roll for photos, Dreja says he intended to be a visual artist even before the Yardbirds.

"I was at art school along with many other creative people," says Dreja, who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Yardbirds. "And I always had a love for photography."

In fact, he says, he was actually shooting photos while with the Yardbirds in the '60s.

"I was there with the Detroit riots and Watts," he says. "And I used to sell the photos to American magazines."

While the Yardbirds didn't have longevity on their side, the band was a significant link in the evolution of British blues with songs like 'For Your Love,' I'm a Man' and 'Shapes of Things.' The three lead guitarists were never in the band at the same time, though Beck and Page were briefly in the group together.

"They were friends," Dreja says, noting that Page had recommended Beck for the band. "But they've got egos, big egos in one way or another. It was a bit of a cacophony of sound, two gunslingers shooting at each other. It didn't work for us."

Beck left the group after 18 months and eventually the band split when singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty wanted to pursue acoustic music while Page wanted to veer toward hard rock. Page formed a new band -- the future Zeppelin -- briefly calling it the New Yardbirds. While various sources have reported that Dreja was initially a part of that band, he claims that's not true.

"I was never asked," he says. "John Paul Jones was the best bass player in Europe at that point. He was a perfect match."

Dreja would have a significant contribution to Zeppelin's first album, though -- he shot the band photo, which appeared the back of the self-titled record. "They paid me $15," he says, noting that the band was still playing gigs in pubs at the time.

"I thought Page had a pretty good chance of putting a good band together," he says. "Of course, I didn't know how good they were going to be."

Two years later, he was hired to do promotional photos for the band -- for $25 -- and Zeppelin had changed considerably from the young and naive musicians in that first photo.

"With Robert Plant, you could tell how much more of a rock god he had become," Dreja says. "And with John Bonham, you could tell he was spaced."

Dreja would shoot other famous artists, including Andy Warhol, but his photography career was much quieter than his rock career. However, it did provide more money than his rock 'n' roll royalties, which, he says, added a little extra income every now and then.

"It was just like Christmas money," he says.

TCV Announce London Benefit Concert
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.06.16

Them Crooked Vultures a/k/a Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones have announced the addition of a London date to the band's July festival run.

The new show, to be held July 5th at Brixton O2 Academy, has been organized to provide aid to TCV friend and Homme collaborator, Brian O'Connor.

Brian O'Connor, best known as the bass player for the Eagles of Death Metal, has been diagnosed with cancer, and is without medical insurance. Net Proceeds from the Brixton O2 Academy show will be contributed to a fund which has been established to assist with Brian's medical aid. Tickets for the July 5th performance will be available beginning 9:00 am Friday, June 18th.

The July 5th performance at Brixton expands an itinerary that includes appearances at Hove, Peace and Love, Roskilde and Werchter festivals.

If you are unable to attend Brixton O2 Academy, but would still like to aid in Brian's treatment, please visit www.pablove.org, reference "Brian" in the memo section of Paypal.

Brian O'Connor, 7/20/2009
(Photo by: SylviaBoBilvia)

Them Crooked Vultures draw massive crowd for sunny Download set
From: NME.COM 2010.06.12

Them Crooked Vultures drew a huge crowd to Download festival's Main Stage yesterday (June 11), playing to an audience basking in glorious sunshine.

The band, which features Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones, tore through their set, which was elongated to 75-minutes by numerous extended jams and individual solos.

"It's a fucking beautiful day out there," Josh Homme quipped before the band played 'Scumbag Blues', which they turned into an epic nine-minute-long jam.

"We got to get loose today," Homme told the audience midway through the track.

Before playing 'No One Loves Me And Neither Do I', Homme introduced each of his band members, with Led Zeppelin's Jones getting by far the biggest cheer from the crowd.

The band's set also saw live guitarist Alain Johannes play solo while the rest of the band watched from the wings, while Jones also played a five-minute keyboard outro at one point.

Andie Airfix Design Series
From: BRITISHMUSICEXPERIENCE.COM 2010.06.11

There is a number of events coming up at the British Music Experience, including a Design Series with the first being The Art of Heavy Rock, featuring Andie Airfix and Mark Wilkinson, both renowned for recognisable albums covers by bands such as AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Judas Priest. You may know Andie Airfix more specifically for his artwork for the cover of the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions CD, as well as Led Zeppelin DVD.

They will be with us for an evening on Tuesday 13th July, to discuss their work and give like-minded artists a view into how they got into the industry and share their work.

As most of our events are free, we encourage people to sign up to a guest list online, this and all the event information can be found here: http://www.britishmusicexperience.com/heavy-rock.

Thanks to Thanks to Michael Commerford

Previously unheard Jimmy Page '70s-era interview to air
From: LEDZEPONLINE.COM 2010.06.11

Jimmy Page discusses his earliest U.S. tour dates in a previously unheard interview with Long John Baldry to be aired on Carol Miller's Get the Led Out during the week of June 14-20, 2010.

For more information, view the official press release and click here to find out where you can listen to Get The Led Out.

Listen to the preview clip below.

Thanks to Steve "The Lemon" Sauer

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page celebrated at Mojo Awards
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.06.11

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has been inducted into the Mojo Hall Of Fame at the magazine's award ceremony.

Singer Richard Hawley won the best album prize, while Kasabian's single Fire was named song of the year.

But Florence and the Machine, who led the field with four nominations before the London event, was overlooked.

Page, who last won a Mojo award for the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion, revealed he was working on new material with a number of different projects.

He has been taken on by Robbie Williams' management company IE.

"I'm just looking forward to making some music and surprising people with it," he said.

"It won't be just teaming up with lots of people who are [big] names. I've got an idea of something which I've had for a long time and now's the time to do it."

But he declined to give further details about his collaborators or his new direction.

Black Country supergroup unveils track listing
From: 2010.06.10

For immediate release, London, England -

Black Country Communion the Anglo/American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, today confirmed the track listing and release date of their debut album Black Country.

Released by Mascot Records in the UK and the rest of Europe on Monday September 20th, followed by a North American release through J&R Adventures on Tuesday September 21st, the album was produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig.

All songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of Song Of Yesterday and The Revolution In Me which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on Sista Jane and Too Late For The Sun. Also included is a new version of Medusa, the rock classic Hughes originally recorded with his first band Trapeze.

Album Track Listing:

1. Black Country
2. One Last Soul
3. The Great Divide
4. Down Again
5. Beggarman
6. Song Of Yesterday
7. No Time
8. Medusa
9. The Revolution In Me
10. Stand (At The Burning Tree)
11. Sista Jane
12. Too Late For The Sun

Read the full official online press announcement here - http://www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/mascot/BlackCountryCommunion.htm.

Jimmy Page attended a weekend of shows
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.06.07

Jimmy Page was busy this weekend, attending shows on both Friday and Saturday nights.

On Friday, June 5th, Jimmy Page spotted in a balcony seat at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, London, England at a performance by Roy Harper.

The next day, on Saturday, June 6, Jimmy was spotted at the side of the stage at Rage Against The Machine's free gig at Finsbury Park, Harringay, London, England.

1973 Zep Photos up for auction
From: BONHAMS.COM 2010.06.03

fifty six black and white negatives, a corresponding set of prints and two contact sheets, taken by Bengt H. Malmqvist, are up for auction at Bonham's UK as part of an Entertainment Memorabilia auction, beginning June 23, 2010.

Pre-auction estimates are £20,000 - 25,000. The lot contains the following footnote:

At the beginning of March 1973, Led Zeppelin arrived in Scandinavia at the start of a European tour. What must have been one of the most bizarre events involving the band (even by their standards!) was a reception held at Stockholm's leading sex club, the Chat Noir.

It is believed that it was Peter Grant who suggested to Metronome Records, the Swedish company representing Atlantic, that this be staged at such a venue. During the proceedings, which included a naked couple performing on a small stage, the band was presented with a number of gold album sales awards. According to Börje Ekberg, head of Metronome, Bengt H. Malmqvist (1928-2008), one of Sweden's leading record sleeve photographers in the 1950s and 1960s, was the only photographer invited to record the occasion.

The great majority of these images are previously unseen. One was recently published in the book 'De legendariska åren - Metronome Records' and a few images are thought to have appeared in a Swedish men's magazine at the time. This unique collection has never been offered before and comprises all images taken on the day. Sold with the photographer's copyright.

The John Bonham Story: City Man Country Boy
From: DRUMMAGAZINE.COM 2010.06.01

The response to TRAPS 25-page John Bonham article has been terrific and we are now glad to share the full version of it with drummers worldwide.

Robert Plant Previews New Album in London
From: BILLBOARD.BIZ 2010.06.01

Veteran rocker Robert Plant unveiled his new album project Band of Joy in London earlier today (June 1).

Speaking at a reception in events venue Il Bottaccio, Belgravia, which had been specially decorated as a rundown farm for the occasion, Plant introduced himself by saying: "I was in a psychedelic band and there's never been a more surreal point than this one."

Prior to the singer's brief appearance, for which he claimed to have coincidently been passing, guests were treated to the first playback of Plant's new record -- the eagerly awaited follow-up to 2007's Raising Sand, the artist's multiple Grammy-winning album with Alison Krauss.

Band of Joy takes its name from the blues band that Plant fronted before he joined Led Zeppelin, although Plant is the sole original member to participate in this new incarnation.

As previously announced, Plant is set to tour Band of Joy later this year with a 12-city trek beginning in Memphis on July 13. Further dates are set to follow in the fall, according to a statement posted on the artist's official website (www.robertplant.com).

Universal is set to drop the 12-track record internationally Sept. 13. Its U.S. release will be handled by Rounder, according to a statement on the artist's website.

Commenting on the record, which was met with an enthusiastic reception from all present, Plant revealed that he recorded "24 songs in 15 days" for the record, adding, " The enthusiasm and rebirth of everybody involved was fucking phenomenal. It stretched us all."

Similar in tone and instrumentation to Raising Sand, Band of Joy includes a series of knockout vocal contributions from American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. Buddy Miller, who also features on the album, co-produced the album.

Darrell Scott, Byron House and drummer Marco Giovino additionally star on the record, according to Plant's web site, although at this stage Universal is remaining tight-lipped about whether any other guest musicians contributed to the record or on what tracks artists appear. Universal staffers at the launch also declined to confirm if Band of Joy was to be considered a solo project from Plant or whether it is a group endeavor with shared writing credits.

Billboard.biz, can, however, report that the new record forms a triumphant follow-up to Raising Sand, replicating the raw organic sound of its predecessor while, at times, pursuing a rockier direction.

Standout tracks include album opener Angel Dance, a driving blues number, Silver Rider, an epic duet (probably with Griffin), which alternates between quiet relaxed verses and an infectiously catchy rock chorus, and I'm Falling In Love Again, a beautifully soulful country ballad.

Elsewhere on the record, You Can't Buy My Love delivers a foot-tapping cross between Johnny Cash and Hamburg-era Beatles, while Monkey momentarily harks back to Plant's days in Led Zeppelin with its potent mix of feedback, grinding rock riffs and deep bass. The wonderful Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down, meanwhile, is a blues number which pushes Plant's still-powerful vocals to the fore.

The album closes with blues rock number Even This Shall Pass Away, which finds Plant singing, "What is wealth the King would say/Even this shall pass away" before culminating in an extended instrumental outro.

Band of Joy was an appropriate title for an amazing group of people who had nothing to lose," Plant told the assembled media audience before leaving the room, declaring: "I'm off to make another one."

Top 10 Bass Players
From: SPORTINGNEWS.COM 2010.05.31

Bass players, like percussionists, are often the unsung heroes of their bands. You might not notice them, but you would definitely know if they were missing.

This survey is a little different. While my others were confined solely to rock music, I lifted that when it came to the bassists – there are some players from the jazz, funk and R&B genres that have to be mentioned when talking about the top performers on this particular instrument.

Once again, the usual disclaimers apply. This is by nature a subjective exercise, and I will almost certainly overlook or leave someone off the list. So I invite you to point out any glaring omissions.

1. Stanley Clarke
2. Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report)
3. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)
4. Geddy Lee (Rush)
5. John Entwistle (The Who)
6. Jack Bruce (Cream)
7. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
8. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures)
9. Michael Peter Balzary, AKA Flea (The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
10. Gene Simmons (Kiss)

Honorable Mention: Sting , Phil Lynott, Bootsy Collins, Steve Harris, Phil Kingsbury, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten, Phil Lesh, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Chris Squire, Oteil Burbridge, Bill Wyman, Krist Novoselic, Geezer Butler, John Mcvie, Duff Mckagan, Tina Weymouth, Adam Clayton, Jason Newsted, Justin Chancellor, Timothy B. Schmidt, Billy Sheehan, Jeff Pilson, Tom Hamilton, Michael Anthony, Roger Glover.

Sons of Albion coming to the US this summer
From: MYSPACE.COM 2010.05.29

The Sons of Abion might be coming the United States for some tour dates this summer, according to a recent post on their Facebook page.

In a thread giving thanks to the fans that saw them play at Hoxton Underbelly on May 28, 2010, one reply asked how they could get the Sons of Albion out to Chicago, to which a reply was that "it might be sooner than you think."

On their official Myspace page, it says that they have a summer of shows planned across UK, USA and Europe, and even Japan.

The Sons of Albion released the single "I Feel You" this spring.

Carlos Santana covers Led Zeppelin
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2010.05.28

Rapper NAS, Joe Cocker, Chris Cornell and The Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek have teamed up with guitar great Carlos Santana for his new album of classic rock anthems.

Nas performs AC DC's Back in Black with Santana, while Cocker tackles Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing and Soundgarden frontman Cornell provides vocals on a rendition of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love.

Manzarek joins Santana for a new take on The Doors' Riders on the Storm, and the guitarist insists the updated version of the song is "really far out and psychedelic".

Santana tells Rolling Stone magazine he was aiming to make a record that would turn women on: "I paid special attention to the groove so the females would get completely aroused."

Ross Halfin has more to say about Jason Bonham
From: ROSSHALFIN.COM 2010.05.28

In today's diary post, Ross Halfin has more negative words to say about Jason Bonham.

Said hello to Joe (Bonamassa) after who told me Jason Bonham is now going to be the singer in the Led Zeppelin Experience, dressing up in women's blouses to scream about going to Valhalla. Only thing is Jason needs to lose three hundred pounds first, plus Robert Knight (or "Shite" as he's better known) is directing the visual production. Robert Shite (a man who walks around dressed as a member of Poison) claims to be the first photographer to shoot Led Zeppelin, which is rubbish, and even stranger he also claims he and Jimmy Page are friends, and I know that's not true. Let's hope Jason gets on the Bonamassa diet soon. The Led Zeppelin Experience... yuk.

This comes after comments earlier this month from Halfin called Jason Bonham 'a breadhead'.

Perhaps if Jimmy Page gives his backing, Halfin will be quiet. Not likely.

Kevin Shirley: 'Imagine putting together your dream band'
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.05.28

Producer Kevin Shirley has worked on projects for bands such as Aerosmith, the Black Crowes and Led Zeppelin. He says Zep was one of his "first loves," the type of music he grew up on, along with Bad Company and Deep Purple.

The secret to producing, he says, is to make "the type of music you love to listen to." However, it can be tough to do that when you've hardened with age and experience. Shirley concedes, "After almost thirty busy, passionate years making records, there are only a handful I love," he confesses.

There was one time last year that Shirley fell in love musically once again. It happened on Nov. 12, 2009, at the House of Blues in Hollywood, Calif., when one of his closest friends and favorite guitarists welcomed to the stage a former member of Deep Purple. The two performers were guitarist Joe Bonamassa and singer/bassist Glenn Hughes.

Shirley says Bonamassa takes the cake as a guitarist. "It's his lyrical fluid guitar style, rooted in the deepest blues traditions, that touches my soul," Shirley attests. "And he can flat out rock, all the time keeping his own style front and center. There's no copycat styling there, just 'Always On the Road' Bonamassa."

As for Hughes, he's just as complimentary. "Will the voice of rock please step up," he emphasizes. "The enigmatic Glenn Hughes! He sings [and] plays everything from metal to soul. ... There's nobody else around that can match the talents of Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers and still be unique."

Below are pictures taken from in the studio recording Black Country Communion. Photos by Marty Temme

Robert Plant backs Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.05.27

Speaking by phone from Wales to a radio show in Florida this morning, Robert Plant made some friendly banter with Jason Bonham, who was on a separate phone line.

The two musicians were last seen onstage together during the Led Zeppelin reunion concert on Dec. 10, 2007, when Bonham took the place of his father, drummer John Bonham, and played along with Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones.

Both musicians were given some time to discuss their own projects, Plant kicking things off alone in a first segment by discussing his upcoming album and tour. When Bonham was patched in following a commercial break, the hosts of "The Paul and Young Ron Show" sat back and listened as Plant and Bonham playfully bantered back and forth.

"The whole deal with Zep was that the four of us were always pushing and re-crafting that whole game that we were in. You can repeat something for so long but not forever. I think the whole adventure with Led Zeppelin has carried on in my spirit. I carry a flag for invention and making something quite exciting and unusual."
Robert Plant

Plant explained to the hosts that Bonham, who was just a school-age kid in the early 1980s, played drums on some of Plant's earliest studio demo sessions as a solo artist. Bonham remarked that it was while Plant was taking him to school that he was recruited to come along to the studio to sit in on drums. Their chummy exchange set the tone for the rest of the interview, during which they supported each other's upcoming projects.

"I'll be there at your show, Robert," said Bonham.

"Well, I'll be there at my show too," Plant joked.

The interview did include the first endorsement by any member of Led Zeppelin of the upcoming tour called Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience.

Read more...

Jason Bonham's band settles on new name, Black Country Communion
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.05.27

Black Country Communion: from left, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, lead singer and bassist Glenn Hughes, drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Derek Sherinian

Just a few hours in advance of a morning radio appearance by Jason Bonham, the name of his band also featuring Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes and Derek Sherinian has been revealed. An official web site has been launched for the group now called Black Country Communion.

The band has uploaded footage of its March 17 onstage run-through of a new track called "One Last Soul."

The previous name of Black Country, first reported by the press in January, was eventually rejected. Bonamassa, the group's guitarist, recently told Classic Rock magazine that "somebody else had a prior claim" on the name Black Country, and that the group had selected a new name but was not ready to announce it.

Black Country Communion is now on the Web:

Black Country Communion has recorded an album, and its release is expected this September with a tour to follow in 2011. The band's official Web site has a mailing list sign-up for future updates.

At 8:20 a.m. Eastern today, Bonham and Robert Plant are scheduled to join South Florida radio's "The Paul and Young Ron Show." The reason for their joint appearance was not publicly disclosed in advance of their interview.

Bonham is soon expected to announce details of a separate project, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, which he says would tour North America later this year and play 30 dates in honor of his father, John Bonham, who passed away 30 years ago this September.

Plant will be on a tour of his own this July, in support of an album also to be released this year, tentatively titled It's Rude to Say No.

New Tokyo Date for TCV - July 28
From: SMASH-JPN.COM 2010.05.27

Them Crooked Vultures announced today, via Twitter (@crookedvultures), of a new date at Shibuya AX in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on July 28, 2010.

Doors open at 6:00PM and the show starts at 7:00PM. Tickets are 7000 YEN (US$78), which does not include an advanced drink fee charged at the door. Tickets can be pre-ordered starting at 12:00PM on June 8 and are on sale to the general public on June 19th at 10am at this location. No word yet on or if there is an opening act.

Them Crooked Vultures are also in Japan to play at the Fuji Rock Festival on July 30, 2010.

John Paul Jones was last in Japan in 2003, performing with Paul Hackett, Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone as part of Guitar Wars 2003, on August 28, August 29 and September 1.

John Paul was also in Japan in 1999, in support of his first solo album Zooma, for a trio of dates with Nick Beggs and Terl Bryant.

Jimmy Page promotes The John Bonham Story on BBC 6
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.05.25

Jimmy Page appeared on the Lauren Laverne radio show (@laverneshow) on BBC 6 Music this morning to promote The John Bonham Story, premiering on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 15:00, narrated by Dave Grohl.

Jimmy spoke praises about John Bonham, how he was better than other drummers "...he kept finessing his technique...and his vision of the drums, he had a definite vision to drums and how they should be played and how they would fit in with the band and how they would be soloed, in his solos."

He also spoke on the first time that he met John Bonham, when Bonham was drumming with Tim Rose and also when Ronnie Verrell, Tom Jones' drummer, had a conversation with Jimmy Page in Los Angeles in March 1970 and Verrell asked Jimmy if John Bonham had used two bass drums on the track Good Times Bad Times on the first album and Jimmy Page said that it was only one bass drum. Verrell wanted to know where Bonham was and wanted to meet him and Bonham was absolutely astounded to meet him.

Lauren Laverne got the obvious question out last in the interview in which she asked if Led Zeppelin would ever get back together to do one of the big festivals, like the Glastonbury Festival. Jimmy replied to never to rule it out for him in the future, although he said it with a bit of a laugh.

The interview can be listened to below.

Jimmy Page on BBC 6Music Tuesday 25th May 2010 - Lauren Laverne Show
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.05.24

Jimmy Page will be coming into BBC 6Music tomorrow (25th May 2010) for a live interview on Lauren Laverne's show between 11.15 and 12.00.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/lauren_laverne/

Thanks to Paul Thomas/BBC

Chris Slade wants to find Jimmy Page & Jason Newstead
From: MERCURYNEWS.COM 2010.05.22

In a Mercury News article on Jason Newstead's art gallery exhibit and life after Metallica, Jason revealed that he received a text message from former AC/DC and The Firm drummer Chris Slade, who texted he was "looking for (Jimmy) Page and Newsted."

"Jimmy Page and Chris Slade," he says, with a laugh. "What time do you want me there? When you get called by your first name by guys whose posters you used to have on the wall - and still do, as my dad has kept my old room the way it was with the posters of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and AC/DC - surreal is the word for it."

Chris Slade performed on stage with Jimmy Page from 1984 until 1986, supporting the two albums The Firm and Mean Business. Since then, Chris performed for 5 years with AC/DC and then 5 years with progressive band Asia. This year, Slade has been a member of Steel Circle, an AC/DC Tribute band.

Jason Newstead joined Metallica in 1987, shortly after the death of the band's original bassist Cliff Burton and then moved on to Voivod, Rock Star Supernova and appeared along with Jimmy Page at the 2009 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame all star jam, performing Train Kept A' Rollin'.

If this trio comes to fruition, perhaps Jimmy Page will actually perform the music that he said last year is waiting.

Last TCV Date is Fuji Fest Jul 30
From: SMASH-UK.COM 2010.05.11

Them Crooked Vultures' last scheduled tour date is July 30, 2010 at Fuji Rock Festival 10 at the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa, Niigata, Japan. They scheduled to perform right before opening night headliners Muse.

Tickets start at ¥16,800 (US$182) for a 1-day ticket on up to a 3-day ticket for ¥39,800 (US$431). They can be purchased for people from Japan at http://www.smash-uk.com/frf10/ticket_japan.html and everywhere else in the world at http://www.smash-uk.com/frf10/ticket_overseas.html.

Singer/Guitarist Josh Homme has some dates scheduled in Germany with Queens of the Stone Age in late August and drummer Dave Grohl is set to go into the recording studio with Foo Fighters by September. No plans have been announced for John Paul Jones during this hiatus from TCV. Perhaps he can finish up that third solo album that he's been talking about for at least 3 1/2 years.

This will be their 75th performance, beginning last August at Chicago's Metro with a midnight performance debut.

Ross Halfin calls Jason Bonham 'a greedy Breadhead'
From: ROSSHALFIN.COM 2010.05.10

In today's diary entry on his website, Ross Halfin called Jason Bonham "a greedy Breadhead".

Jason Bonham is doing a Led Zeppelin Tribute Tour of Canada and America, which just shows you what a greedy "Breadhead" Jason really is. I'm sure his father's turning in his grave. Apparently Jason is now called Bonzo Junior - vomit. He has no shame...

This might be another part of the puzzle with the band formerly known as Black Country and their issues from last month.

Producer Kevin Shirley had posted on April 23rd to his Facebook page that "...Black Country looks to have imploded, with a completed album in the can! We set out as friends and lovers of music, to make something special. Then the managers got involved... and kept changing their wants, ultimately demanding EVERYTHING! I can't absolve all the musicians - but one I can completely absolve, is the one who actually has a career and has just been voted Best Guitarist in the World - who was 100% open ALL the way. And he doesn't ride on anyone's coattails... see below. Maybe they'll come to their senses.... I'm not holding my breath."

The next evening, bassist/singer Glenn Hughes posted via the following to his Twitter account: Don't worry..we have made an amazin' album...we aint splittin' up..we want everyone to hear this..GH

All appears to be well again in the BC camp, until Kevin Shirley writes to the diary on his website on May 3rd that After the recordings were complete, managers stepped in and said nope, sorry - my guy needs MORE.

Is Jason Bonham in it only for the money? He certainly has the right and I am sure that the remaining memebers of Led Zeppelin have given their approval to Jason's Zeppelin project. Only time will tell.....

TCV May 16th Floor Seating Change - GA Floor Tickets Now Available
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.05.09

Them Crooked Vultures May 16th Windsor Casino Floor Seating Change GA floor tickets now available here: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/100044728E2E5EF2?artistid=1360584&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Attention Them Crooked Vultures Fans P1 Floor

TCV May 11 Show Venue Change
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.05.07

The Them Crooked Vultures show initially planned for Tuesday, May 11th @ has been moved.

The new venue is Capitole du Quebec located at 972 rue Saint-Jean http://www.lecapitole.com

Show date and show times remain the same.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored at Capitole du Quebec

Tickets for THEM CROOKED VULTURES @ Capitole du Quebec ON MAY 11th are available @ http://www.billetech.com/html/resinfo.htmI?l=EN&EVNT=TC1105S

Never-before-seen Zep '69 footage: 'You Shook Me'
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.05.02

The West German TV show "Beat Club" filmed Led Zeppelin lip synching to two songs on March 27, 1969. Neither clip made it to air that year, but when "Whole Lotta Love" was big in early 1970, the TV show took its existing Led Zeppelin footage and spliced it together to the tune of that song. One full year and a day after the filming, an episode aired with this composite "Whole Lotta Love" video. After this, the original footage, of two songs from Led Zeppelin's first album, was then forgotten about for good.

As "You Shook Me" begins, the camera is on Robert Plant, who should have started playing harmonica earlier than he did, only seconds in. No retake was necessary, however. You can also see John Bonham, oddly positioned not in his usual center place but on the left side of the screen, missing some cymbal crashes and inserting at least one where it doesn't belong.

Perhaps the most awkward moment of all can be claimed by John Paul Jones, who wasn't playing any keyboard instruments with any regularity in live performances until 1970. In this clip, he has to walk mid-song to take a new spot at an organ, give up playing his bass temporarily, and replicate an organ solo he might not have actually played more than once since he'd recorded it five months earlier.

On the other hand, Jimmy Page does a rather decent job of duplicating his guitar solo from the studio version. Moreover, the onstage chemistry between him and Plant is apparent at center stage.

It should be noted that not all the synchronization errors are Led Zeppelin's fault. The "You Shook Me" video appears to run faster than the audio itself, and so by the end of the clip, the visuals precede the sound by approximately a full second.

Led Zep Legend joins Adrian Chiles for farewell
From: EXPRESSANDSTAR.COM 2010.05.01

Adrian Chiles was joined by Led Zeppelin rock legend Robert Plant as he presented The One Show for the very last time on BBC1 last night.

The singer and Wolves fan, who lives near Kidderminster, wore a black and gold scarf as he helped see Baggies boy Mr Chiles make an emotional goodbye to the programme.

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg also recorded video messages for the presenter who is leaving the BBC after 18 years.

Adrian said: "I can't believe that, I thought they were look-a-likes at first."

The show also featured a special message from the Albion team and a highlights package showed a clip of the 43-year-old, from Hagley, hosting his first ever programme, Working Lunch, with the BBC. Sir Alan Sugar, star of The Apprentice, also joined in the farewell. Mr Chiles said: "I don't know what I will do without The One Show."

He will be joining ITV's GMTV show later this year.

Bonham Plans Major Led Zeppelin Tribute Tour
From: GIBSON.COM 2010.04.30

Led Zeppelin might not be hitting the road anytime soon but Jason Bonham, the 43-year-old son of the band's late drummer John Bonham, is in the early stages of planning a multimedia tour that would celebrate the legacy and music of the group in a similar spirit as current road shows "Experience Hendrix" and "Rain, A Tribute To The Beatles."

Bonham has apparently been rounding up possible collaborators for the show, which will tell the band's story through archive footage and live performances.

He's planning on calling it "Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience," and plans to play 30 shows in North America sometime this year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of John Bonham's passing.

According to a press release, "Multiple set changes take you through Zeppelin's meteoric climb as you are transported to Madison Square Garden in 1973, Earl's Court Arena in 1975, The Knebworth Festival in 1979 and closing with the O2 arena show where Jason joined the band for their final farewell performance."

This wouldn't be the first time Bonham has paid tribute to Led Zeppelin, whose surviving members he has frequently sat in with. In 1997, he released an album of covers with the Jason Bonham Band called In The Name Of My Father - The Zep Set.

The drummer was most recently involved with guitarist Joe Bonamassa's supergroup Black Country but according to producer Kevin Shirley's Facebook page it appears that project has temporarily been put on hold.

TCV May 12 Show Venue Change
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.04.29

Them Crooked Vultures show initially planned for Wednesday, May 12th @ CEPSUM, has been moved. The new venue is METROPOLIS located at 59 rue Sainte Catherine St E. Show date and show times remain the same.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored at METROPOLIS.

Tickets for THEM CROOKED VULTURES @ METROPOLIS ON MAY 12th are available here.

Bettye LaVette Invited by Robert Plant to Open on His July Tour
From: PR-USA.NET 2010.04.28

The stars are aligning for Bettye LaVette and the May 25 release of "INTERPRETATIONS: THE BRITISH ROCK SONGBOOK," as Robert Plant has invited Bettye to open for his July tour. Bettye's 3rd album for Anti-, and the follow-up to her Grammy-nominated "Scene of the Crime," is earning considerable praise from both the press and her artist peers, and she's already booked for a performance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" for June 23.

The request to join the legendary Led Zeppelin vocalist on tour is not so much a notch in Bettye's belt as it is another link in the chain: Her latest work is an impassioned dissertation on the much-documented influence that American blues and soul had on British rock n' roll -- but more than that, it's an exploration of how those echoes from a foreign shore in turn influenced and reshaped American blues and soul. Fittingly, Bettye's rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic (sic)"All of My Love," will premiere exclusively on AOL's "Spinner" April 27.

The direct link to download the MP3 is http://aolradio.podcast.aol.com/aolmusic/mp3s/Bettye_LaVette_All_My_Love_128.mp3.

Tour dates with Robert Plant are as follows:

July 20, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
July 21, 2010 - Tucson, AZ @ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
July 23, 2010 - Dallas, TX @ Meyerson Symphony Center
July 24, 2010 - Houston, TX @ Woodlands
July 26, 2010 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's
July 28, 2010 - Mobile, AL @ The Saenger Theatre
July 30, 2010 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Theatre
July 31, 2010 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront

Updates from Glenn Hughes on Black Country
From: GLENNHUGHES.COM 2010.04.25

Glenn Hughes tweeted Friday and Saturday updates about the "imploded" Black Country project.

Don't worry..we have made an amazin' album...we aint splittin' up..we want everyone to hear this..GH - Sat 24 April 17:13

Goodnite my puppies..just spoke to Kevin..we are workin' hard to deliver the greatest new Rock album of the year..we are passionate.. GH - Sat 24 Apr 00:38

To all my fans,i need you too know that I have not been bustin' my Ass for nothin,.I have returned to Rock..wanna share it with you,love U G - Fri 23 Apr 17:32

Is Black Country No More?
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.04.23

According to a post today on Kevin Shirley's Facebook page, the band formerly known as Black Country is no more.

"Black Country looks to have imploded, with a completed album in the can! We set out as friends and lovers of music, to make something special. Then the managers got involved... and kept changing their wants, ultimately demanding EVERYTHING! I can't absolve all the musicians - but one I can completely absolve, is the one who actually has a career and has just been voted Best Guitarist in the World - who was 100% open ALL the way. And he doesn't ride on anyone's coattails... see below. Maybe they'll come to their senses.... I'm not holding my breath."

Moments later, Shirley replied that he was talking with Glenn Hughes, so it's possible that there is still hope for the band to continue together, even since the entire album is in the can.

On March 17, 2010, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Jason Bonham made their world debut at Riverside, California's Municipal Auditrorium, with an performance as an encore at a Joe Bonamassa gig. They performed two numbers, an original entitled "One Last Soul" and a cover of the Deep Purple tune "Mistreated".

Bonamassa spoke to VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner about what is going on with the group.

"The band has a name and I won't say it until it's trademarked and on a CD," he said. "The record is done and it'll come out in September. And after that, whatever comes of it is great.

He continued, "People are going, 'Is it gonna tour? Is it gonna tour?' I don't even want to address that because at the end of the day, nobody wants to see a band that made a bad record. So my concentration in the short term is always make the record as good as it can be because there's a lot of expectation."

Thanks to BLABBERMOUTH.NET

JPJ on violin?
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.04.15

Last night at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California, Them Crooked Vultures premiered a new song named "Can't Possibly Begin To Imagine". It featured bassist John Paul Jones on violin.

This is the first time in his nearly 50 year musical career that John Paul Jones has played violin on stage in a song. In true JPJ fashion, he switched mid-song to finish the song on keyboard.

Allegedly, JPJ learned how to play the violin during his years in Led Zeppelin and he had also received a quick mini-lesson from My Grammy Moment 2008 winner Ann Marie Calhoun (as shown in the picture below).

Can't Possibly Begin To Imagine

TCV Rock Out on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Show
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.04.14

Them Crooked Vultures finished a two night residency at the Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night. They performed to capacity crowds at the outdoor Bud Light Golden Wheat Outdoor Stage in Los Angeles, CA.

"Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "Gunman" were performed on April 12, 2010 and "New Fang" and "Dead End Friends" were performed on April 13, 2010.

Perhaps there was a buzz in the audience from the first night's performance because the crowd was much more outwardly receptive on the second night.

The band has four more dates in April before taking a three week hiatus then heading to play dates in Canada then back to the US and then off to play to European Festival dates before taking an indefinite break.

Mind Eraser, No Chaser

Gunman

New Fang

Dead End Friends

Neal Preston LZ Book Signing
From: PRESTONPICTURES.COM 2010.04.10

Neal Preston, Led Zeppelin's official tour photographer, will be signing copies of his new book Led Zeppelin: Photographs by Neal Preston along with Cynthia Fox of 955KLOS at the Festival of Books at UCLA on Sunday April 25th at High Noon at the Book Soup booth.

Neal Preston became Led Zeppelin's photographer of choice during the early 70's and no other photographer enjoyed such unlimited access or captured the romance and mystique of this legendary group more successfully. His pictures of JImmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham are held in the highest esteem by fans throughout the world and indeed by the group themselves.

In addition to the iconic photographs, the book also features an interview with Neal Preston conducted by Cynthia Fox, the midday personality at Southern California's Best Rock 955KLOS.

Cynthia Fox has been a highly regarded radio and TV personality in Los Angeles for over 20 years, known for her work at KMET, KCET-TV and KLOS. She has conducted in depth interviews over the years with Pete Townshend, Brian May of Queen, the Edge, Tom Petty, David Gilmour and many more. KLOS streams worldwide at 955KLOS.com

Thanks to Cynthia Fox!

Jimmy Page autobiography available for purchase with June distribution
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.04.09

As originally reported at www.LedZeppelinNews.com, two limited editions of a pictorial autobiography from Jimmy Page were announced today and made available for pre-order in advance of a shipping date set for June.

The leather-bound books, which contain 650 photographs as chosen by the Led Zeppelin guitarist and narrated with his first-ever written self-reflection, are now available for purchase from Genesis Publications of Surrey, England.

At more than 500 pages in length, this book is "Genesis Publications' biggest ever limited edition," the company said in a mailing to customers. The deluxe edition, whose books are numbered 1 through 350, sells for £695 (approximately $1,060), while the collector's edition, whose books are numbered 351 through 2,500, sells for £395 (approximately $602). Both editions are autographed by Page.

In an interview published in the February issue of Mojo magazine, Page commented on why he chose to make his autobiographical debut with the Genesis Publications name. "I've seen Genesis books before and I've really got a lot of time for the way they produce their books, they're really quality items," he said. "As someone who's always been interested in having a library themselves, I appreciate fine bookbinding and their whole ethic of what they do and what they're trying to do with a whole catalogue of books."

For more information on this unique publication, visit the book's microsite at www.jimmypagebook.com.

According to Bruce at Genesis Publications, Jimmy reserved #666 of the Collector's Edition for himself.

Fool In The Rain Converted Into Modern Art Picture
From: CNOTEART.COM 2010.04.08

cNoteART, a company that can turn any song into modern art (a "cNOTE"), has announced that it has transformed "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin into a fine art image. The "Fool in the Rain" cNOTE is available in a variety of sizes and options via cNoteART's Custom Print Collections.

"Led Zeppelin's 'Fool in the Rain' feels like several distinct musical pieces crafted into one complete song," Erik Rosen, founder of cNoteART, said. "It is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. That is a great description of the 'Fool in the Rain' cNOTE. The song parts are appealing and discrete, but when the cNOTE is viewed as a whole, it is a striking image."

For more information, visit www.cnoteart.com.

A cNOTE is a musical image. It is music transformed into fine art. Colored rectangles in cNOTE images represent musical notes. Wider rectangles equal notes of longer duration. Rectangle color indicates a note's pitch. Erik Rosen discovered cNOTE during a stem cell transplant. cNoteART is the only source for cNOTEs.

More Led Zeppelin on Absolute Classic Rock
From: ABSOLUTECLASSICROCK.CO.UK 2010.04.07

Absolute Classic Rock has re-launched the station as the Home of the Great British Guarantee, which means they're playing British rock classics on the hour, very hour. And Led Zeppelin is one of the key bands they're featuring as part of this new approach to the station. There is a new website: www.absoluteclassicrock.co.uk, plus the obligatory twitter feed: @absoluteclassic and Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Absolute-Classic-Rock/228372980324?ref=ts

Robert Plant Voted as one of Q's Greatest Frontmen Ever!
From: QTHEMUSIC.COM 2010.04.07

Q Magazine's The 100 Greatest Frontmen issue hits the shelves today, with 36 pages of exclusive new interviews, pictures, and essays from the 100 greatest singers, showmen, and performers that have defined the world of music. Housed in a special slipcase cover, swaggering Mancunian Liam Gallagher tops the countdown, voted for by readers of Q Magazine and users of QtheMusic.com. In the issue Kasabian's Tom Meighan talks about his experiences with the ultimate rock and roll star, "He doesn't come offstage and have a fucking back rub while he's cuddling his pet poodle. The attitude stays."

Elsewhere in the list Bono offers up his advice on being a frontman, Damon Albarn reminisces on the finest moments from his multiband resume, and Matt Bellamy shares his experiences at the helm of the Muse ship. Expect to see pioneers such as Morrissey, Ian Dury, and Kurt Cobain too.

For more information click here http://www.qthemusic.com/liamgallagher/

Q also takes a peek inside the bedroom of Q's "best new frontwoman," Florence Welch, an exclusive insight into the mind of the Florence and The Machine star, which is filled, as expected, with "ghosts and "sex monks" amongst a few other things.

Knebworth 1990 CD Re-Released
From: GIBSON.COM 2010.04.07

Knebworth - like Newport, Montreux and New Orleans' JazzFest - is a hallowed name in concerts and has been since 1974 when the park's first festival bill, with the Allman Brothers, drew 60,000 people to the village roughly 29 miles north of London.

One of the sprawling outdoor venue's most historic events was June 30, 1990's "Silver Clef Award Winners Concert," featuring Genesis, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Robert Plant with guest Jimmy Page, Tears for Fears and Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The awards presentations are an annual fundraiser for a music therapy center, and in 1990 the ante was upped by gathering that impressive group of recipients for a benefit concert.

The re-released Live At Knebworth captures that concert on two CDs and offers a sampler of the sounds and flavors of big-time '80s rock. There are heavily digitally-processed guitars and layers of over-wrought synthesizers. But on the plus side, there's the crunch of Jimmy Page and the nimble constructions of Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour, plus Eric Clapton.

Jimmy Page on "Wearing and Tearing": British boogie kings Status Quo charge through their hits, "Dirty Water" and "Whatever Your Want," and a cover of John Fogerty's "Rockin' All Over the World," with their classic twin six-string twang, but the beef arrives when Page guests with Robert Plant for a careening version of "Wearing and Tearing." It was 12 years since the tune was cut for Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door, but it sounds like Page has arrived straight from the album's sessions. And he looks like he's having a ball as he rips through the tune's gritty riffs, smiling and laughing with a gorgeous Les Paul slung over his shoulders.

The following tracks in which Robert Plant performed have been included:

1. Hurting Kind
2. Liars Dance
3. Tall Cool One
4. Wearing And Tearing (w/ Jimmy Page)
5. Rock And Roll (w/ Jimmy Page)

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page Joins Fans At JLS Gig
From: GIGWISE.COM 2010.03.29

Led Zeppelin star Jimmy Page watched boy band JLS perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 25.

The guitarist took his children along to the gig in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, according to The Sun.

The former X Factor stars wowed fans with a hit-laden set, which at one point saw them joined by Lemar for a rendition of 'What About Love'.

Meanwhile, band member Marvin Humes has revealed that the group plan to head to America later this year to record their second album.

The Teenage Cancer Trust gig series continues tonight (March 29) at the Royal Albert Hall with a performance from The Specials.

Noel Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys and Them Crooked Vultures have already taken part in the ten-day event.

Robert Plant to tour with new Band of Joy
From: NJ.COM 2010.03.26

Robert Plant, Abu Dhabi Corniche, North Stage,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, April 25, 2009

There is still no Led Zeppelin tour on the horizon, but the band's frontman, Robert Plant, will tour the United states with a new group, which he is calling the Band of Joy, this year. Twelve dates -- none in the Northeast -- have been confirmed, with a promise of "further dates in the fall," and a Band of Joy album on the rounder label in late summer or early fall.

The group will include singer Patty Griffin, singer-guitarist Buddy Miller; multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Darrell Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino.

Judging by the lineup, this would seem to be a rootsy project, along the lines of Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss.

"It's been a blast working on these new songs...and I'm enjoying such creativity and vitality," said Plant in a press statement. "It's been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove."

Here are the confirmed dates:

July

13 Memphis, TN The Orpheum Theater
15 Little Rock, AR Robinson Center Music Hall
16 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
18 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater
20 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater
21 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater
23 Dallas, TX Meyerson Symphony Hall
24 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
26 Austin, TX Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater
28 Mobile, AL The Saenger Theatre
30 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
31 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheater

Thanks to Vincent Polselli

Them Crooked Vultures RAH Photos
From: ROSSHALFIN.COM 2010.03.24

Rock photographer (and well known humanitarian) Ross Halfin attended Monday's Them Crooked Vultures performance at Royal Albert Hall in London and has posted pictures to his website.

His main thoughts of the show were that "The show was loud, Deep Purple loud. The bass and drums moved you, literally. Good light show as well. Came home feeling deaf - I sat in bed and realised I could only hear out of one ear..."

Them Crooked Vultures on BBC Radio 1 Today
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.03.24

The Zane Lowe radio programme is scheduled to have Them Crooked Vultures in session from the BBC Studios in Maida Vale today at 1900.

For more information and to listen, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rhddt.

Led Zeppelin Say No To Download Festival Get Together
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2010.03.23

The members of Led Zeppelin have turned down another lucrative offer to reform, turning down the chance to headline Britain's Download Festival in June (10).

Promoter Andy Copping has revealed he approached Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and asked them to consider a get together for his event at Donington Park.

He tells British radio network XFM, "Every single festival in the world approaches Led Zeppelin or their management to get them to play at their festival. Loads of money gets thrown out. It's not what they want to do at the moment and that's fine. They probably never will, but everyone has a stab at it."

Plant, Page and bassist John Paul Jones reformed for a tribute to music mogul Ahmet Ertegun in December 2007. Plant has since shot down all attempts to reunite the rock supergroup.

TCV To Release Single In Support Of 'Record Store Day'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.03.23

According to the Led Zeppelin fan site LedZeppelinNews.com, rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures - which consists of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) - will release a 10-inch picture-disc single on vinyl, consisting of "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "Highway One" backed with an audio interview, via select independent record stores on "Record Store Day" (April 17).

"Record Store Day" celebrates the continued existence of independent record stores, mostly through live in-store appearances, performances and special limited-edition releases that will only be sold through participating stores on the day itself, which is April 17 this year.

For a list of participating stores, go to this location.

In the video below, Homme explains what "Record Store Day" is and how customers can participate.

Them Crooked Vultures released its self-titled debut album in November 2009 to a slew of critical acclaim and in just a few short months saw additional accolades including "best of 2009" lists from Spin, MySpace and Time Out. The album, which has reached gold and platinum status in a number of territories, including U.K., Canada and Australia, is available in stores and online now.

Them Crooked Vultures's CD sold 70,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Vultures rock the Albert Hall
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.03.23

Having pulverised crowds from Blackpool to Glastonbury, it felt almost overdue for a band with the regal pedigrees of Them Crooked Vultures to grace the rarefied surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall.

The thoroughbred supergroup of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones kicked off the Teenage Cancer Trust's annual eight-night run of with the heaviest music to echo around the hallowed Hall since Jones came here with Led Zeppelin.

"There's a list of the legendary venues that you cross your fingers and some day hope you'll be able to play," Grohl told 6 Music news beforehand.

"This is definitely one of them. This might be at he top of the list."

Dave Grohl's not wrong to also suggest that even the most sceptical audiences experience a lapse of jaw control on seeing this quartet perform together for the first time, and supergroups are undoubtedly built for the big occasion.

Buckling down, there was scarcely a sign of Homme's usual swagger or Grohl's boyish sense of humour for the first song and a half.

The first glimpse came as the volley of riffs and drum rolls finally relented in the breakdown of Dead End Friends, allowing the crowd to swap nods for smiles and for Homme to corral some more outward displays of audience enthusiasm.

But Them Crooked Vultures are no rabble rousers in the vein of a band like Kasabian - who played the same stage almost exactly a year ago - and their sonic pummelling frequently felt more like a showcase than a participatory experience.

That's not to suggest, of course, that anyone who's ever been a fan of any of the members' constituent bands would object to a showcase of such staggeringly taut rock.

The chemistry between the band's members is so undeniable - together they seem a perfect choice to expose the home of the Proms to rock music that delights in polishing its own jagged edges.

One need only witness the brilliance of twin harmonic solos in Scumbag Blues, Grohl's astonishing rhythm changes or Alain Johannes casually employing four-finger neck picking for a desert blues vignette mid-set to realise that.

The only thing conceivably left in the tank was an encore, but with several songs clocking in well over the five minute mark the set list felt sufficiently muscular.

Crowds have gladly let Them Crooked Vultures get away with more than their fare share of magnum opuses and peculiar moments (like Homme's cabaret-esque vocals in Interlude w/ Ludes) in the past year, and as yet the novelty factor remains untarnished. It would be a shame to see even a speck of that chipped away through repetition.

Now we're seven months and an album on from the initial impact of such an imagination-capturing musical experiment, one can't help wondering whether stages like this would be a fitting moment to wrap up this round of solos, however impressive they are.

But for a date with Download festival in June, their Coachella festival slot next month would seem like an obvious time for the band to take a pause, a mere 20 miles from their Joshua Tree nest (as the vulture flies, of course).

That's not to write the epitaph of Them Crooked Vultures either - if the talent of its members is proven by anything, it's the way in which their musical projects have evolved so impressively over time.

More Grohl, Homme, Johannes and Jones please, just maybe not more of the same.

Set List:
Nobody Loves Me
Dead End Friends
Scumbag Blues
Elephants
Highway 1
New Fang
Gun Man
Bandoliers
Mind Eraser
Caligulove
Interlude w/ Ludes
Daffodils
Reptiles
Warsaw

TCV kick off Teenage Cancer Trust gigs in London
From: NME.COM 2010.03.23

Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones brought their band back to the UK for the first of the shows hosted by The Who's Roger Daltrey, that will also see appearances from Suede and Noel Gallagher.

After an opening set from Linda Perry-produced rock band Little Fish and an appeal and introduction from Daltrey about the charity, the band played for almost two hours.

Singer/guitarist Homme told the crowd, "What an absolute pleasure to see you all here this evening. London let its hair down for the right reason, huh?" before leading the band into 'No One Loves Me And Neither Do I'.

The supergroup went on to run through the majority of their self-titled debut album, plus unreleased song 'Highway One'. After single 'Mind Eraser, No Chaser' Homme looked over to former Led Zeppelin bassist Jones and quipped: "I think we're the heaviest thing here since you played here last, Jones."

Them Crooked Vultures played:

'No One Loves Me And Neither Do I'
'Dead End Friends'
'Scumbag Blues'
'Elephants'
'Highway One'
'New Fang'
'Gunman'
'Bandoliers'
'Mind Eraser, No Chaser'
'Caligulove'
'Interlude With Ludes'
'Spinning In Daffodils'
'Reptiles'
'Warsaw'

The show was watched by Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, his Last Shadow Puppets bandmate Miles Kane, Life On Mars actor Phillip Glenister and The IT Crowd stars Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry.

The Teenage Cancer Trust shows continue tonight (March 23) at the London venue with a comedy show including acts such as Noel Fielding and Jimmy Carr.

Meanwhile this year's Shockwaves NME Awards Big Gig will take place as part of the run, with this year's Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music recipents The Specials playing on March 29.

Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and The Who are among the other bands playing Teenage Cancer Trust shows this year. NME.COM will be bringing you full reports from the shows, while Absolute Radio will have live recordings and interviews from the gigs.

Them Crooked Vultures winding down temporarily
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.03.23

According to Led Zeppelin news site, www.LedZeppelinNews.com, Just before Them Crooked Vultures took the stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night, Ben Jones of Absolute Radio conducted a revealing interview with the band in which John Paul Jones, Josh Homme and Dave Grohl had nothing to hide.

There were no secrets as the three of them answered questions about what plans are still ahead for the band. Their current touring takes them through the beginning of August, after which point the two younger members of the group are to tackle other projects. Ben Jones didn't ask John Paul Jones what was in his own future, and there was no suggestion of a Led Zeppelin reunion either.

A concert review for NME reports on the event, the first night of a week of shows benefiting the Teenage Cancer Trust, whose patron is Roger Daltrey. TBL/Web provides a rundown of last night's proceedings from the perspective of superfan Dave Lewis, who contrasts the Royal Albert Hall then and now, weaving in the fact that the venue was home to one of Led Zeppelin's most famous gigs 40 years ago.

A second Them Crooked Vultures album has not been recorded by this point and no one should expect a second album this year, the interview for Absolute Radio makes apparent. Reuniting their band eventually to go about another set of tour dates in support of a new album is still in the cards, as they've long said. Homme employed an interesting turn of phrase, saying it was like playing a game of calendar roulette to see when all three would be available again.

At least 15 shows remain before the band's current bout of activity winds down, and announcements of added shows within the pre-August time frame have been popping up in the past week. Fans in the Los Angeles area can now expect to see the group at Club Nokia on April 14. A third Canadian date, May 16 in Windsor, Ontario, was announced to complement the previously announced pair of dates in Quebec City (May 11) and Montreal (May 12). Further shows in the United States and Canada in April and May might be announced as well.

This band's planned hiatus comes at just about the right time for Rodrigo Davies, who covered last night's gig in an article appearing this morning on the Web site of BBC Radio 6 Music. That writer suggests that Them Crooked Vultures is on the verge of wearing out its welcome riding on the coattails of the music from its one brilliant album:

Now we're seven months and an album on from the initial impact of such an imagination-capturing musical experiment, one can't help wondering whether stages like this would be a fitting moment to wrap up this round of solos, however impressive they are. ... [I]f the talent of its members is proven by anything, it's the way in which their musical projects have evolved so impressively over time. More Grohl, Homme, [supporting onstage musician Alain] Johannes and Jones please, just maybe not more of the same.

The video states:

Two weeks after this video was shot, Dave was rushed to doctor due to the onset of unwanted physical effects caused by too much caffeine.

For reals. He was kind of a mess.

Since then, he has reduced his intake of the super delicious hot beverage to a healthier level.

"'Fresh Pots' -- that was a year ago. The 'Fresh Pots' thing was about a year old, and we were in the studio making our record, and I was drinking a lot of coffee. At one point, I was doing Vultures stuff at night, Foo Fighters stuff during the day, and I had a newborn at home. And so, I was sleeping maybe, like, two or three hours a night on an air mattress in a guest bedroom --"

"Yeah, I had too much coffee, and I started having chest pains, so I went to the hospital, and they told me to stop drinking so much coffee."

JPJ guests on Robyn Hitchcock album released today
From: LEDZEPPELINNEWS.COM 2010.03.22

According to Led Zeppelin news site, www.LedZeppelinNews.com, John Paul Jones is a special guest on the new Robyn Hitchcock album released today in the United Kingdom. The album is called Propellor Time, credited to Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3, and appears on Sartorial Records.

A news release about the album says the music was recorded during six-day sessions back in 2006. Artist management for Jones could not confirm exactly which tracks he played on, nor what instrument or instruments he played.

From what I would guess listening to it, Jones may have played mandolin on two of the songs, "Luckiness" and "Born on the Wind." I would love to receive confirmation of this!

The album can be downloaded in MP3 and FLAC (high-definition) formats from Hitchcock's official store, which also has compact discs and vinyl available for purchase.

Them Crooked Vultures Tonight @ RAH
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.03.22

Them Crooked Vultures are set to his the stage tonight at the Royal Albert Hall @ approximately 9PM London Time with opening act Little Fish.

They are performing on night two as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust's 10 years of music and comedy at the Royal Albert Hall.

Scheduled to appear on later nights at the Royal Albert Hall include other performers such as Suede, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and The Who.

TCV Soundcheck. Photo courtesy of Little Fish

Black Country's World Debut
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2010.03.18

After his March 17, 2010 performance at Riverside, California's Municipal Auditorium, Joe Bonamassa came out bathed in blue stage lighting and under spotlight and announced that there were a lot of rumors that he had joined a band. He said that it was true and that a bunch of friends decided to get together to rock.

He then introduced bassist Glenn Hughes, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Jason Bonham and after a short drum intro, proceeded to play two upcoming songs "One Last Soul" and "Mistreated".

"One Last Soul" seemed to be very formulaic, very radio-friendly, very verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-verse-chorus. "Mistreated" was much more blues oriented, beginning with a nice intro from Joe Bonamassa, some nice chunky riffs throughout and some killer high notes from vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes.

Hopefully, more details will come forth from these four and some more live appearances too.

One Last Soul:

Jimmy Page book almost done?
From: ROSSHALFIN.COM 2010.03.18

According to his March 18 diary entry, Jimmy Page's autobiography photo book has been completed.

For more information, and to register your interest, please click here to submit an email to Genesis Publications. Please include your name and address to receive a complimentary brochure we will be sending in due course.

Featuring a wealth of unseen photos from his own archive, Jimmy Page unveils his first official published work to be presented as a hand-crafted book, in a limited edition of only 2,500 copies worldwide.

No official word on the price of the book has been made public yet, however other books by Genesis Publications have been sold for $400-$1000, so it is definitely going to be a high-end piece of work.

Them Crooked Vultures Invade Canada
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.03.17

2010-05-11 - Quebec City, QB Pavillion De La Jeunesse
2010-05-12 - Montreal, QB CEPSUM Stadium

Led Zeppelin Rarity Turns Up at Car Boot Sale in England
From: PREFIXMAG.COM 2010.03.17

Sometimes important and long-lost rock music artifacts turn up in the most unlikely places. Consider the story of Warren Hill, a man who was flicking through old records at a yard sale in Chelsea in New York and came across an acetate of the Velvet Underground's lost Scepter studio sessions. Hill ultimately sold his find, which cost him 75 cents, for a cool $25,000.

Now, a bootleg copy of a Led Zeppelin show from St. Matthew Baths Hall in England from 1971 has been unearthed at a car boot sale. Vic Kemp, who found the item, paid the equivalent of around $5 for the record. No recordings of the show have previously surfaced, making this a holy grail-like item for Led Zeppelin fans.

"It must have been recorded by someone standing at the front with a microphone," said Kemp. "You can hear [singer] Robert Plant talking to the audience quite clearly." It's not known whether Kemp will cash-in on his find, although he could likely make some serious money from the recording, which includes previously unheard versions of "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog," and many other classic tracks.

Sneak Peak at Mary J. Blige's "Stairway" cover
From: MTV.COM 2010.03.17

HipHollywood.com and HipHopNews24-7.com have both posted clips on Youtube of Mary J. Blige in the studio, recording a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven". See the clips below.

She also recorded "Whole Lotta Love" and an original song entitled "I Can't Wait" for an upcoming release.

"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' - it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."

Them Crooked Vultures Upcoming Dates
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.03.16

Them Crooked Vultures have a decent handful of upcoming tour dates this spring and summer. Below is a list of CONFIRMED dates.

2010-03-22 London - Royal Albert Hall
2010-04-16 Indio, CA - Coachella
2010-04-17 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
2010-04-19 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
2010-06-03 Vienna, Austria - Stadhalle
2010-06-04 Nurnberg - Rock Im Park
2010-06-06 Nurburgring - Rock Am Ring
2010-06-08 Paris, France - Zenith
2010-06-10 Amsterdam - Heinecken Music Hall SOLD OUT
2010-06-11 Donnington Park - Download Festival
2010-06-30 Arendal - Hove Festival
2010-07-01 Borlange - Peace And Love
2010-07-02 Roskilde - Roskilde Festival
2010-07-04 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival

Let's hope that they come back to the States this fall!

Kiss And Tell: Ace Frehley On Led Zeppelin
From: MAGNETMAGAZINE.COM 2010.03.16

Ace Frehley: Jimmy Page is one of my heroes. From recording and performing, Led Zeppelin was it for a long time. A friend of mine recently brought over a bootleg DVD copy of Zep's reunion show a year or so ago in London, and it was great to see. Robert Plant at the Grammys last year was inspirational to me. Chalk one up for the old guys who still got it! Who knows? Maybe that'll be me next year accepting for Anomaly!! Ha ha ha. Video of the reunion show after the jump.

Dave Grohl - FRESH POTS!
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.03.15

View a humorous look into Dave Grohl's insatiable coffee habit below.

Also, For more 'in the studio' footage of Them Crooked Vultures, visit http://bit.ly/tcv_amazon_page this Sunday, March 21st.

STOP PRESS: Show of Peace Postponed
From: THEBEIJINGER.COM 2010.03.13

Back in January we reported on the Show of Peace, announced with much fanfare (with the support of rock legend Jimmy Page), and supposedly scheduled for April 17 this year. Aside from a "clarification" issued by the organizers when theBeijinger.com and China Music Radar reported that one of the "confirmed" acts was actually playing in Japan the night of the concert, the promoters have been suspiciously quiet in recent weeks. So it was no surprise when we received a notice today stating the Show of Peace has been postponed until October.

This was the full text of the notice, issued by the organizers and confirmed by the "Show of Peace" committee when contacted by the Beijinger:

"With the agreement of Ministry of Culture, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the organizers of the International Show of Peace Concert have discussed and decided to change the date of the concert to October 10, 2010 - 10/10/10.

The concert, originally planned for April 17, will be held at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium. The CPAFFC has considered all aspects. To ensure the absolute success of the concert, the leaders concerned have deliberated and decided to adjust the date of the concert to October 10th, 2010."

The Beijinger has heard whispers that the organizers have faced pressure to move the concert inside the Bird's Nest National Stadium (rather than staging it beside the stadium as originally planned). Word is that a crowd inside the stadium is considered easier to control. Fair enough too - you never know what could happen at a concert for world peace.

More news if and when it comes to hand - but don't hold your breath Beijingers. It's a long wait till October, and we all know what happened to Oasis... and the Buzzcocks... and the Killers... and Dylan. Still, at least the Back Street Boys have made it to town.

New Paul Rodgers Collection Includes The Firm
From: WMGK.COM 2010.03.11

Coming on March 29th is The Very Best Of Free & Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers. The 15-track British import will also be released as a 26-track expanded iTunes version featuring solo tracks along with those by the Firm -- Rodgers' 1980's band with Jimmy Page, and the Law -- his 1990's short-lived team up with the Faces and Who drummer Kenney Jones. The full 26-track online version marks the first time Rodgers' entire career has been chronicled on one collection.

The full iTunes tracklist for The Very Best Of Free & Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers is: Bad Company: "Can't Get Enough," "Rock Steady," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Rock N' Roll Fantasy," "Run With The Pack," "Seagull," "Shooting Star" Free: "My Brother Jake," "Be My Friend," "The Hunter," "Little Bit Of Love," "Fire And Water," and "All Right Now," "Satisfaction Guaranteed" (The Firm); "Muddy Water Blues (acoustic)" (Paul Rodgers); "Soul Of Love" (Paul Rodgers); "Radioactive (12" Mix) (The Firm); "Live In Peace (Live) (The Firm); "The Hunter" (Live from BBC) (Paul Rodgers), "Saving Grace" (Paul Rodgers); "Midnight Moonlight Lady" (Live at Wembley 1985) (The Firm); "Over You" (Paul Rodgers); "Laying Down The Law" and "Missing You Bad Girl" (The Law).

Masterclass at Metropolis
From: LEGENDMASTERCLASS.COM 2010.03.02

West London's legendary Metropolis Studios have been used for classic recordings by acts as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, The Clash, Beyonce, Led Zeppelin (2003's DVD), The Who, Lily Allen, Iron Maiden, the Rolling Stones and many, many more.

This enigmatic building and studios, named after Fritz Lang's evocative and futuristic film of the same name, will host the first LLRM EVENT.

TUESDAY 27 APRIL to SUNDAY 2 MAY 2010

30 PLACES ONLY will be allocated for the experience of a lifetime and be tutored/mentored by famous stars and producers.

You will RECORD in the same studios as GEORGE MICHAEL

REHEARSE and WRITE in the same custom room as LADY GAGA

MIX in the same control room as PAUL McCARTNEY

JAM in the same studio as BRIAN WILSON

MASTER in the same room as ROBBIE WILLIAMS

For more information CLICK HERE.

EMI Sells Olympic Studios
From: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK 2010.02.27

The studio, where the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin recorded some of their most famous tracks, has been sold for around £3.5m to a businessman who is considering a number of options for the site including opening a cinema.

EMI's decision to sell Olympic, in Barnes, south-west London, comes days after the troubled music group U-turned on a decision to sell Abbey Road studios after public outcry over the future ownership of the site where the Beatles recorded most of their records.

Sources close to EMI said the group decided to sell Olympic after ending recordings at the loss-making studio last year. Best-selling Irish rock band U2 recorded its last album No Line On The Horizon there as recently as December 2008.

Previous to that the site has hosted numerous rock and pop acts as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice who recorded their rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar there.

The studio mothballed the studio last year.

The Rolling Stones were one of the first bands to use the studio after it was opened in 1966, laying down tracks for the album Between The Buttons and then recording their next six albums including Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers there. Led Zeppelin recorded their first album there in 1968, and followed it with tracks for all their albums until 1975. In the 1980s Duran Duran, Roxy Music and Spandau Ballet also used the studio.

EMI lost £1.75bn last year, including a £1.04bn write-down. Guy Hands, founder of Terra Firma, which owns EMI, has asked investors to put £120m into the business to avoid breaching its banking covenants.

Earlier this month, said it would retain Abbey Road despite receiving a £30m bid last year. The group said it was planning to sell a minority stake in order to modernise the loss-making north London studio, but said in a statement: "We believe that Abbey Road should remain in EMI's ownership." Sir Paul McCartney and Andrew Lloyd-Webber were among the voices calling for the studios to be saved.

EMI's loss, which included a £1.04bn write-down, was revealed in accounts for Maltby Capital, the Terra Firma investment vehicle that owns the home of Coldplay and The Beatles. Guy Hands, the founder of Terra Firma, has asked investors to pump £120 million into the business to avoid breaching its banking covenants. Terra Firma is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with Citigroup, which it accuses of duping it into buying EMI for £4.2bn on the eve of the credit crunch. Citigroup denies the claim.

Over £200,000 Raised For Sound & Vision Abbey Road Event
From: TIGHTBUTLOOSE.CO.UK 2010.02.26

Last night's Sound & Vision Event at Abbey Road raised nearly a quarter of a million pounds for Cancer Research UK.

Throughout the evening the ongoing Silent Auction saw heavy bidding on the vast array of rare framed exhibition photos lining Studio 3 featuring The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Blur, Oasis and many others. The Zeppelin attractions included a framed Neal Preston photo of Page & Plant at the Minneapolis rehearsal in 1975 and a collage of photos taken by Led Zeppelin 3 sleeve designer Zacron at the homes of the four members in 1970 which went for over £1,500.

The Live Auction than boosted the total further. A set of large framed prints of the recent Royal Mail Classic Album Covers including the Zep 4 image signed by Jimmy, Robert and John Paul Jones, sold for £12,000. A Robert Plant package which included a print of the Eddie Kramer Stargroves photos singed by Robert, a double platinum gold disc for Raising Sand and a framed Led Zeppelin 3 album sleeve print signed by Zacron raised nearly £6,000. Zacron himself was on hand to show the design on stage during the auction. A package to have a tour of the Abbey Road studios with Sir George Martin and son Giles and travel to Las Vegas to see The Beatles Love Cirque du Soliel show topped £20,000.

Heartfelt speeches regarding the charity were made by founding patron of the event Sir George Martin and Cynthia Lennon. George also reminded us we were in Studio 3 where he had conducted the orchestra for A Day In The Life, and Cynthia guided the audience through a spontaneous version of Those Were The Days. Roy Orbison's widow also took to the stage to offer one of Roy's favourite Gibson guitars for auction. A moving speech on stage by a recovering cancer sufferer further enhanced the sterling work of Cancer Research UK.

The musical performances included a set from David Gray. Host and co patron of the event Bob Harris introduced Beth Nielson Chapman noting that Robert Plant had seen her DVD of a performance with the London Oriana Choir which led to his involvement tonight. Beth explained her own fight with breast cancer and the death of her husband from cancer before performing a moving song titled Colour Of Roses with the London Oriana Choir conducted by David Drummond, along with How We Love from her new album.

Robert took to the stage flanked by Nigel Eaton on hurdy gurdy - Nigel was part of the MTV Unledded show in 1994 and Page & Plant tour in 1995.

A brief humorous hurdy gurdy run through of Stairway To Heaven from Nigel led into Roberts opening performance. This was a Scott Walker song from his 1995 Tilt album (Robert name checked Phonogram/Fontana record company man Dave Bates beforehand for having faith with that album). Farmer In The City featured a compelling vocal performance backed by the choir. The repeated refrain of "Who are you twenty one, twenty one, I'll give you twenty one, twenty one" sending shivers down the spine.

Robert then made reference to his trip with Jimmy to the cottage in Snowdonia all those years back laughing at the photo from that era on the auction screen behind him. He then explained how the next song had appeared on the Incredible String Band's album Hangman's Beautiful Daughter and acknowledged the work of Mike Heron.

The song I Bid You Good Night was part of the A Very Cellular Song track on the Hangman album. "A song," said Robert, "We always wanted to play at the end of a Led Zeppelin show but instead we always did something loud like this (adopting rock god pose). Well now I can do it". The song gospel leanings (Robert also mentioned it had been recorded by deep blues singer Alan Lomax), benefited greatly from the choir's intricate vocal arrangement.

Finally there was a fitting Abbey Road related tribute. During the night there was much comment and support on stage for the keeping of Abbey Road as a national institution following the news it was to be sold. ("It might make a great hotel" Robert quipped). Alongside Beth, David Gray and Newton Faulkner, the finale was a rousing My Sweet Lord ("In memory of George") performed in the very studios it had been originally recorded 40 years ago and on what would have been George Harrison's 67th birthday. Bob Harris duly noted that George's widow Olivia would have loved to have been at the event and had sent her best wishes.

With that the band and choir left the stage. Bob came back to announce the totals raised on the night and the winning bidders lined up to collect and take home their exhibition prints.

I had a quick word with legendary Zep PR guru B.P. Fallon on the way out and had a final look next door in Studio 2 where all that legendary Beatles music was made - it's amazing how it looks much the same as it did back then.

The generous donations on the night and memorable musical performances combined to make this Sound & Vision Event sponsored by Shepperton a huge success for the Cancer Research UK charity - for further info and donations visit:

cancerresearchuk.org.

www.soundandvisionofficial.com/.

As for Robert - this was indeed a unique performance backed by Nigel and the London Oriana Choir delving into the songs that as he once said he keeps "in his back pocket." Watching him at close proximity sing with such mesmerizing conviction on the 35th anniversary of the release of Physical Graffiti, I was reminded of that quote from the 1975 US tour when he said "By the end of the tour I felt I could sing anything".

Well he can sing anything - from forlorn torch ballads to spiritual recitals as was once again proved tonight.

From 66 to Abbey Road and Nashville ahead. His journey continues.

Dave Lewis

February 26th 2010

Them Crooked Vultures Spinner Interview
From: SPINNER.COM 2010.02.25

Bluesy metal trio Them Crooked Vultures -- Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl -- are the textbook definition of a supergroup. But backstage at New York's Roseland Ballroom before a recent concert, these acclaimed musicians came across as anything but heavy.

In this exclusive video interview, the guys -- who will reportedly be recording a second album this summer -- discuss their first gig and their recent visit to 'Saturday Night Live.'

Who singer wants to team up with Page
From: IOL.IE 2010.02.23

Roger Daltrey wants to start a super-group with Jimmy Page.

The Who singer is keen to form a new band with the Led Zeppelin guitarist and go back to the blues roots he established before he started writing songs with bandmate Pete Townshend.

He told UK radio station BBC6 music: "I'd love to do something, I'd love to do an album with Jimmy Page. He needs a singer to drive him. I'm a great blues singer.

"I don't sing the blues with The Who, but that's what I used to be before Townshend started writing. I used to be a great blues singer."

Led Zeppelin Bassist Says MySpace Ruined Band Names
From: WSJ.COM 2010.02.17

When former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones recently formed a new rock band, the music flowed easily. The struggle: inventing a name for the group.

Between takes in a recording studio, Mr. Jones brainstormed about names with his new band mates, including former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, then checked them online. Their first choice, Caligula, turned up at least seven acts named after the decadent Roman emperor, including a defunct techno outfit from Australia. Eventually the rockers decided on Them Crooked Vultures. The words held no special meaning.

"Every other name is taken," Mr. Jones explains. "Think of a great band name and Google it, and you'll find a French-Canadian jam band with a MySpace page."

Robert Plant Working On New Solo Album
From: NIGHTWATCHER 2010.02.16

Robert Plant is apparently in the midst of recording a new solo album entitled It's Rude To Say No.

Zeppelin fansite Lemon Squeezings reports that Plant has been in Nashville working on the new record with producer Buddy Miller and that the new album will be released later this year.

The news comes via a reporter for the Herald Courier who was doing a piece on musician Darrell Scott, who apparently appears on the new record.

Scott is quoted as saying "Those two-plus weeks were some of the most memorable times I've ever had in the studio. The number-one thing is that Robert loves music. You think they're posing and just getting through it, but I was humbled with how Robert Plant loved the music -- old country, blues, rockabilly."

Darrell Scott reportedly plays instruments as mandolin and glockenspiel on the new record. According to the report Plant was working on classic songs including "Cindy", a traditional bluegrass number also recorded and performed under the title "Get Along Home, Cindy".

Coverdale/Page - Special Edition On The Horizon?
From: BRAVEWORDS.COM 2010.02.14

In 1993, Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page joined forces under the moniker Coverdale/Page and released a self-titled album.

Although there are no plans for the pair to record any new material or reunite for any shows, Coverdale reveals that "EMI have recently been making overtures to me about putting a 'special edition' together after they heard there were several unreleased tracks... but, time & resource is the problem...

We've been archiving lots of tapes, cassettes & videos at home recently & we have discovered a ton of the demos Jimmy & I made which could be very interesting for some people to hear...

We also filmed a lot of our writing & recording sessions... so, I feel we could put a terrific 'special' together that would be a treat to have... but, in reality, JP & I have never discussed re-issuing, or making another CP album... There is always the possibility of something happening... I just can't see it in the forseeable future as I am busy with 'all things Whitesnake'...

Personally, I am thrilled I had the opportunity to work with one of my musical heroes... & to maintain a healthy, loving friendship with him...

At times, I feel some people don't understand that Whitesnake is my passion... I don't really look beyond what is possible outside... It's a very broad canvas for me to paint on... no boundaries... no restrictions... Oh... & I'm my own boss... Not too shabby..."

John Bonham on RS Readers' Rock List
From: ROLLINGSTONE.COM 2010.02.13

Between Dave Grohl on Saturday Night Live and Zak Starkey filling in for the Who's Keith Moon during the Super Bowl, drummers were in the spotlight this past weekend, so we asked our readers to tell us the greatest of all time. After counting up the votes, and there were lots of them, it comes as no surprise that Bonzo himself, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, was voted Number One, beating out Moon, Grohl, Rush's Neil Peart and more. And despite a grass-roots effort to get The Muppet Show's Animal on the list, we kept the results to drummers with a human pulse. (Check out RS' Greatest Singers and Greatest Guitarists stories, too):

1. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
2. Neil Peart (Rush)
3. Keith Moon (The Who)
4. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures)
5. Stewart Copeland (The Police, Oysterhead)
6. Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
7. Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith)
8. Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)
9. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
10. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
11. Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
12. Danny Carey (Tool)
13. Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
14. Buddy Rich
15. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)

More US TCV Dates & SIRIUS | XM
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.02.11

Two additional US dates have been announced for The Crooked Vultures.

April 17, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint. TICKETS
April 19, 2010 - Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium. TICKETS

Don't miss an exclusive interview with Them Crooked Vultures on SIRIUS XM's Alt Nation channel (SIRIUS 21 and XM 47) this Friday, Feb 12 at 6pm ET. The interview will be rebroadcast throughout the weekend. For more info and to get a Free Online Trial, visit http://www.sirius.com/altnation.

More Info on Jimmy Page's Autobiography
From: GENESIS-PUBLICATIONS.COM 2010.02.08

According to a recent email sent out by Genesis Publications, details will be confirmed within the next couple of weeks on the first official published work on Jimmy Page.

For more information, and to register your interest, please click here to submit an email to Genesis Publications. Please include your name and address to receive a complimentary brochure we will be sending in due course.

Featuring a wealth of unseen photos from his own archive, Jimmy Page unveils his first official published work to be presented as a hand-crafted book, in a limited edition of only 2,500 copies worldwide.

No official word on the price of the book has been made public yet, however other books by Genesis Publications have been sold for $400-$1000, so it is definitely going to be a high-end piece of work.

Whole Lotta Love Performed on Idolos Portugal
From: IDOLOS.SIC.SAPO.PT 2010.02.07
Diana Piedade, a 24 year old from Lagos, Portugal sang "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin on last night's (February 7) Finals show of Idolos Portugal, a reality television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol.

Filipe Pinto, a 21 year old from S. Mamede de Infesta, Portugal, is in the Top Two with Diana.

Diana chose Whole Lotta Love in the category "Song I Want To Win The Idols" and also sang Ray Charles' song "Hit The Road Jack" from the movie Ray.

Under Diana's bio page in the Idolos Portugal website, her musical tastes include rock, metal, blues and jazz. That was clearly shown in her performance last night, which you can view down below. Her mid-range voice has been very strong and confident all throughout the competition. She was very reminiscent of Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes, who also has performed Whole Lotta Love in the past.

The winner of Idolos Portugal Edicao 2009 will be announce on February 14, 2010.

Thanks to Nelson Silva

New Them Crooked Vultures News
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.02.07

Them Crooked Vultures performed last Saturday night (February 6) on Saturday Night Live on NBC. They performed their two singled "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "New Fang".

Most fan reactions were unified in reaction that the performance was very good and that a lot of camera time was given to John Paul Jones, who in Led Zeppelin took a step back into the shadows giving Robert Plant and Jimmy Page the spotlight.

The only negative comments were that the audio mix over the television was not ideal, with Josh Homme's lead vocals not appearing out in front of everything else. I noticed that during "No Eraser, Mind Chaser", John Paul Jones' backup vocals were practically non-existant. This could be due to Dave Grohl screaming his matching backup vocals. Also buried in the mix seemed to be John Paul Jones' Korg Kaoss pad for effects in "Mind Eraser, No Chaser".

In other news, Them Crooked Vultures will make an appearance at this years Rock Am Ring/Rock Am Park festivals, which take place on June 4th-6th 2010. Tickets on sale now at http://tickets-per-post.de.

According to The Crooked Times, Vol. 11, there is a new online merchandise store for Them Crooked Vultures and a new discount code which will save 10%. You can sign up for future volumes of The Crooked Times at http://bit.ly/crooked_times.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler auditioned for Led Zeppelin
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2010.02.05

A member of Aerosmith has revealed that frontman Steven Tyler auditioned for - and was rejected from - a possible Led Zeppelin reunion.

According to guitarist Joe Perry, Tyler was called in for the aborted Led Zep reunion attempted by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham in 2008. Though Robert Plant refused to be involved, the remaining band-members spent several months under the illusion that they could replace him. Their talks with singer Myles Kennedy are well documented, but Perry claims Tyler also staggered into the Zeppelin practice room. "It's something I've never talked about before," Perry told The Pulse of Radio. "It's a kind of window into how hard it's been to keep the [Aerosmith] partnership together."

"Steven disappeared and I called around. Somebody said he was in London trying out for Led Zeppelin." The rehearsals, Perry said, were "shambolic" - and Tyler didn't even seem familiar with the Led Zeppelin catalogue. The ill-fated New Led Zep decided to pass. "Page felt really awkward about the audition, but ultimately it was a group decision."

With Tyler in rehab for an addiction to painkillers, Aerosmith may also pass on their long-time singer. Tyler has threatened to sue, but Perry maintains that Aersomith are considering replacements. "You've gotta think outside the box," he said. The band's new singer could even be a woman. "[There were female singers in] a lot of the bands I was in before [Aerosmith] ... It was really good - a lot of great songs. So that's definitely a possibility."

Perhaps Perry could put in a call to Mary J Blige. The R&B icon has recorded a new version of Stairway to Heaven with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, guitarist Steve Vai, American Idol judge Randy Jackson and former Michael Jackson side-woman Orianthi. "I've been a rock'n'roll fan for years," Blige told the LA Times. "Once you get lost in the rock'n'roll moment of [singing], all you can do is scream to the top of your lungs or go as low as you need to go. It's not a head thing - it's a spirit thing."

Mary J Blige and Blink-182's Travis Barker Cover Led Zeppelin
From: GIGWISE.COM 2010.02.04

Mary J Blige has teamed up with Blink-182's Travis Barker for a cover of the Led Zeppelin classic 'Stairway To Heaven'.

The soul singer also drafted in Steve Vai, American Idol judge Randy Jackson and Michael Jackson's ex-touring guitarist Orianthi for the unique take on the 1971 rock classic.

Currently in the midst of recording the song at Studio A at Hollywood's iconic Capitol Records building, Blige told Spinner.com: "I think this song is not hard at all because it's based on pure emotion.

"You gotta get lost in the rock 'n' roll moment of it all, and once you get lost in the rock 'n' roll moment of it all you can do is scream to the top of your lungs or go as low as you need to go. It's not a head thing - it's a spirit thing."

The cover will appear as a bonus track on the European release of Blige's new album 'Stronger With Each Tear' on March 15th.

TCV Charity Auction for Haiti Earthquake Relief
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.02.03

Proving just how much they rock, Them Crooked Vultures blew two speakers during a truly epic set at one of their Australasian shows. The band decided that instead of throwing these away, they would isgn them and put together a couple of excellent packs for a benefit auction to raise money for the victims of the devestating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday 12 January 2010.

Up for auction are two Them Crooked Vultures packs, each containing:

A blown speaker signed by Homme, Grohl, Jones and Johannes
Drumsticks signed (& used!) by Dave Grohl
2010 Australian tour poster
Australian tour shirt
Official Tour Merchandise stubby holder
Official embroidered tour patch
Official "Working Pass" from the tour
Set list from show
Letter of Authenticity signed by Them Crooked Vultures' Tour Manager

The two packs will be auctioned separately on e-bay HERE and HERE from Wednesday 3rd - Sat 13th February 2010.

All proceeds will be donated to the Australian Red Cross Haiti Appeal.

TCV at Download Festival & RAH
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.02.01

Them Crooked Vultures have announced two additional live dates, March 22, 2010 at London's Royal Albert Hall and the Download Festival at Donington Park.

Homme, Grohl and Jones will perform as part of the 10-night line up to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Teenage Cancer Trust. Tickets go on sale on Friday 5 February, and can be purchased from the following websites: http://www.teenagecancertrust.org, http://www.royalalberthall.com and http://www.gigsandtours.com.

The exact date, time and stage for the Download Festival have yet to be announced. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased from http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/.

Vultures promise second album
From: STUFF.CO.UK 2010.02.02

Rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures say they will release a new album in 2010.

The band - consisting of Foo Fighters' front man Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones - released their debut album in November last year to almost universal acclaim, and they played two blistering shows in New Zealand over the weekend.

Speaking to Stuff.co.nz before their Auckland show on Saturday night, Jones promised a second Them Crooked Vultures album would be released in late 2010.

"We'll do a second album this year," Jones, 63, confirmed. "By the end of summer, something like that."

Asked whether the other members of Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age wanted their front men back, Jones said they'd get them "eventually".

"I haven't really stolen them - it's Dave's baby, it's his fault," he said. "They'll get them back - one day."

Jones said he was excited to be part of the Vultures and admitted the band's success had helped make up for Led Zeppelin fans disappointed by the lack of a full-scale reunion.

"(Zeppelin fans) have been disappointed a long time - they're getting used to it ... I think they're enjoying (the Vultures). It doesn't sound like Led Zeppelin but it's got a similar sort of vibe. It's a groovy, exciting rock band"

Chemistry, hard work and "people who know what they are doing" were the key elements to a successful rock act, Jones said.

"We're all hard workers. In a way we need to do this, for ourselves. Once we committed to it we worked as hard as a young band would, put the hours in.

"It's got to be good - we've got reputations to uphold more than anything else."

Plant Attends Wolves' legend's birthday
From: EXPRESSANDSTAR.COM 2010.02.01

A host of football legends past and present turned out to celebrate the 90th birthday of former Wolves goalkeeper Bert 'The Cat' Williams.

Rock star and Wolves vice-president Robert Plant and 1966 World Cup goalie Gordon Banks were among the 250 guests who joined Bert at Molineux for his special birthday lunch yesterday.

There was an appearance half way through by Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, who arrived from the club's Compton Park training ground to hand Bert a bottle of champagne. Other former players who attended the lunch included Steve Bull, John Richards, Ron Flowers, Eddie Stuart, Fred Davies, Phil Parkes and the club's current goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Read the entire story at http://www.expressandstar.com/2010/02/01/bert%E2%80%99s-big-90th-bash-recalls-golden-years/.

Robert Plant Charity Event
From: GIGWISE.COM 2010.02.01

Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant has announced a one-off, ultra intimate charity gig in London next month.

The 61-year-old rock legend plays the Sound & Vision show in aid of Cancer Research UK at Abbey Road Studios on February 25th.

Plant's unique set will include support from American singer-songwriter Beth Nielson Chapman and the London Oriana Choir.

Fans can bid for the chance to attend the show on the Sound & Vision eBay site at http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=cancerresearchukauctions from today.

As well as the Robert Plant show, items up for auction in the sale include a guitar signed by all four members of The Prodigy, a Kaiser Chiefs drumskin signed by the whole band, plus handwritten lyrics from Tori Amos, Doves, Mumford & Sons and more.

TCV on the cover of Guitar World
From: GUITARWORLD.COM 2010.01.28

Combine Led Zeppelin's blues-inspired riff rock with Nirvana's post-punk aesthetic and the stoner metal sounds of Queens of the Stone Age. What do you get? Them Crooked Vultures, rock's latest supergroup, featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme.

To find out what brought these rock luminaries together-as well as the secrets behind their sound-pick up a copy of Guitar World's March 2010 issue, on sale February 9!

New Them Crooked Vultures US Tour Dates
From: THEMCROOKEDVULTURES.COM 2010.01.26

For those of you who missed Them Crooked Vultures in the United States last October, you have multiple opportunities to catch them again in 2010.

As of today, you can catch Them Crooked Vultures at the following locations:

February 6, 2010 - Saturday Night Live (w/ host Ashton Kutcher) on NBC - 10:30PM CST
February 8, 2010 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom More Info
February 10, 2010 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte More Info
February 11, 2010 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle - More Info
April 16, 2010 Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - More Info

Jimmy Page seems to be coming around to music video games
From: EXAMINER.COM 2010.01.23

Originally, Jimmy Page, the guitarist and mastermind behind the legendary rock group, Led Zeppelin, hated Guitar Hero and Rock Band. He, along with other musicians like Jack White, have spoken out against people playing games like this instead of picking up real instruments. Unlike Page, however, Jack White's music has been ever-present in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series.

Page may be coming around to the idea of having his music in these games, however. During a recent radio interview, Page discussed the possibility of getting Led Zeppelin in music video games.

"It's always a possibility that someone who's playing those games may well want to actually take the step on their own. Or maybe they're already playing guitar and they play that rock game," said Page. "Y'know, it's a fun thing to do, you get an understanding of the timing of music, with that you can have fun with on it. I think the most important thing is that with an instrument, you should just really have fun with it and enjoy it."

That seems to be a total 180 from what he said last summer. Now he seems to feel as though exposure in music video games could actually push players towards learning the real instruments. Page also feels as though having Zeppelin's music enshrined in these games could be a good way to get players to honor the late John Bonham.

"You think of the drum part that John Bonham did on Led Zeppelin's first track on the first album, 'Good Times Bad Times,'" says Page. "How many drummers in the world can play that part, let alone on Christmas morning?"

There seems to be a very positive notion towards music video games ever since The Beatles: Rock Band was released. Shortly after that major release, both The Who and U2 expressed interest in getting a full game devoted to their band. This could just be the latest in big-name bands coming around now that they see the games as not only a great way to promote their music, but a great way to add to their overall legacy and legend.

Owner aims to bulldoze Earls Court after Olympics
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2010.01.22

Photo by Sarah Lee

Earls Court is one of London's largest and oldest entertainment venues, and it will host volleyball matches at the 2012 London Olympics. But its rich and varied history could come to an end following the games, with new owners planning to demolish the venue to make way for a housing project.

The Earls Court exhibition centre and Olympia, a further multi-purpose venue also in west London, were bought by Capital and Counties - a subsidiary of the FTSE 100-listed property company Liberty International - earlier this month.

The company has revealed plans to bulldoze the Earls Court complex, which covers around 26 acres, and integrate it into a huge residential area that will straddle the two London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Gary Yardley, chief investment officer at Capital and Counties, said the company was looking to undergo a "comprehensive redevelopment" replacing Earls Court with housing and refurbishing Olympia to take on the exhibition business, but it would need planning permission.

"The main building was built in the 30s. It has its restrictions in terms of what you can use the building for and the flexibility of the building, and in the long term the building would need a major refurbishment and overhaul," he said.

Capital and Counties has a website outlining plans for the Earl's Court area, which states the new development "would mean thousands of new homes and create thousands of jobs for local people".

Hammersmith and Fulham council said there was a need to provide more affordable accommodation in the borough, and the site could help deliver that.

Paul Colston, managing editor of Exhibition News magazine, said the move would reduce the number of world-class exhibition venues in the UK from three to two - the ExCel centre in London's Docklands and the NEC in Birmingham.

TCV gig airs on Austin City Limits on Feb. 13
From: CITYBEAT.COM 2010.01.20

Gas up the ol' Tivo (that's how they run, right?) and set it for Jan. 23, when the Austin City Limits live music TV program (one of the best shows on television, especially for real music fans, and the longest-running one) airs its episode featuring Cincy-bred/Austin-based rockers The Heartless Bastards. Each hour-long show is split between two artists (unless ACL gets a big-wig like R.E.M. or Pearl Jam or, apparently, Them Crooked Vultures) - the Bastards' show will be shared with Neo Roots kings The Avett Brothers.

The rest of ACL's new season (its 35th) doesn't look too shabby, either:

Jan. 16: K'NAAN/Mos Def
Jan. 23: The Avett Brothers/Heartless Bastards
Jan. 30: Steve Earle/Kris Kristofferson
Feb. 6: Esperanza Spalding/Madeleine Peyroux
Feb. 13: Them Crooked Vultures (featuring Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones)

Austin City Limits airs on local PBS affiliates on Saturday nights. Go to http://www.pbs.org/tvschedules/ and put in your zip code/TV provider to search for the exact time.

Them Crooked Vultures review - Perth
From: WATODAY.COM.AU 2010.01.20

ASHLEE CRABBE
January 20, 2010

This week it was Perth's job to welcome super-group of the noughties Them Crooked Vultures to Australia.

The frantic crowd was cheering as soon as Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones and Joshua Homme stepped foot on stage.

When front man Homme took the microphone and shouted 'are you ready to have a good time?' the crowd already were.

Opening the night at Challenge Stadium were local boys The Novocaines, who admitted to the crowd "we haven't played at anything this big before so it's pretty exciting."

The young band played songs from their latest album and went wild onstage, the lead singer even got the stiff crowd moving at the end by thrashing around the stage - an amazing feat given how tight his jeans were.

But the crowd were definitely saving themselves for the big guns and couldn't control their excitement when the time came.

It was so much more than just three mates coming together from separate bands. The fact that they all already have their 'day jobs' probably led to the ease and comfort at which they were playing.

Following on from a young punk band really made the juxtaposition obvious. Here were three older guys with a tonne of experience under their belt, with no egos because each member of this newly formed band had more previous experience than the next.

Each band member seemed like they were genuinely having a good time and felt comfortable to let loose.

John Paul Jones of Led Zepplin strutted around the stage with his bass like the legend that he is. The majority of the crowd would not have had the pleasure of seeing Zepplin live, and this was definately the next best thing. Jones moves like a true rock god and drew the biggest cheers from the crowd.

Dave Grohl became a household name as front man of the Foo Fighters, but true fans still love him as the drummer for 90s grunge legends Nirvana. It was sublime to see him back in this roll as drummer head-banging through the whole set. However one of the main disappointments of the night was that he remained completely mute throughout the show, offering no banter or comments for the audience to play off.

Joshua Homme, Queens of the Stoneage frontman, really lends his sound to the band. Chief lyricist when writing the album, Homme's influence is clear and the majority of the songs have a real QOTSA feel to them. Homme oozed charisma from the front of stage. He is a big guy and if he was your neighbour you'd imagine him to be awkward on the stage. But Homme moved and strutted with real style.

Opening the night with lead album track No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, the band had the audience in a spin. Then Scumbag Blues, the third track took the sound level down a notch and really showcasing Homme's voice with backing vocals from Jones and Grohl. Radio hits New Fang and Mind Eraser, No Chaser were also favourites and inspired the crowd surfers.

It was clear that majority were there to purely view the three rock legends on the stage, rather than for the new songs that they had produced. Unsurprisingly there were more Nirvana t-shirts spotted in the crowd than Them Crooked Vultures merchandise.

Overall the set was tight. Guitars were swapped after nearly every track - there is no shortage of cash here and the guys took advantage of the legion of instruments at their disposal. John Paul Jones was impressive, especially his keyboard solo toward the end of the night. The last ten minutes of the show was pure instrumental with Homme taking over the stage, perhaps for a little too long but this didn't disappoint die hard fans.

There was a splattering of empty seats through the stadium as the event didn't sell out. But every person in the crowd desperately wanted to be there, perhaps to witness a part of rock history that may never be repeated.

Photo gallery: http://www.watoday.com.au/photogallery/entertainment/them-crooked-vultures-perth-gig/20100120-mln3.html?selectedImage=0

Them Crooked Vultures to appear at Coachella 2010
From: TORONTOSUN.COM 2010.01.19

This year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is reconnecting with its inner hipster.

After booking classic-rock headliners like Roger Waters, Paul McCartney and Prince over the past couple of years, the festival is returning to its edgier ways in 2010, with a lineup topped by rap superstar Jay-Z, British art-rockers Muse and Damon Albarn's cartoon-rock ensemble Gorillaz.

Other notable acts on the mid-April bill: Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup of QOTSA's Josh Homme, Foo Fighters's Dave Grohl and Led Zep's John Paul Jones; college rockers Vampire Weekend; Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke; Jack White's latest side project The Dead Weather; Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas; synth-rockers MGMT and more.

The roster is also heavy on reunion tours, with appearances by slacker-rock ensemble Pavement; Public Image Limited, led by former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (ne Rotten); new wave spud-boys Devo; emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate; hip-hoppers De La Soul; rockers Faith No More; ska legends The Specials; and even '60s funk icons Sly and the Family Stone.

This year's Coachella festival runs from April 16-18 in Indio, Calif., about 200 kilometres east of Los Angeles. Three-day general admission passes cost $269 and go on sale Jan. 22. See www.coachella.com for more info.

Black Country To Complete Debut Album In April
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.01.19

A new supergroup has been formed with Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa and Derek Sherinian. They are calling themselves Black Country, taking their name from the industrial area in England from which Bonham and Hughes both hail. The band is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) cutting tracks for an upcoming album to be released in late 2010 or early 2011.

With Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) on drums, Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper) on keyboards, Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze) on bass and vocals and Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, the band already has six tracks cut. The next recording session will take place in March and the band hopes to finish recording in early April. Shirley made the announcement on his web site: "So there it is folks - the cat is out the bag! This is Black Country. The songs are all original and what a lineup. They are all the very best players in the world, for my money!"

Shirley added, "Jason Bonham is a totally unique drummer and a supreme, yet oh-so-tasty powerhouse. Derek Sherinian is super versatile, and is playing mostly overdriven Hammond organ in this ensemble and is the color on the palette. Glenn Hughes plays bass and sings with a range very, very few can even get close to, and Joe Bonamassa, perhaps the best blues rock guitarist around, plays hard riffing guitar as well as adding his signature vocals alongside Glenn. You'll just have to wait - we're planning to get this out late summer, and it's promising to be phenomenal!"

Paul McCartney nearly joined Them Crooked Vultures
From: NME.COM 2010.01.18

Paul McCartney has revealed he asked about joining Them Crooked Vultures on bass, only to be told by Dave Grohl that John Paul Jones had already beaten him to it.

McCartney said he was first told about Them Crooked Vultures by Dave Grohl when the two went out to dinner together after playing together at last February's Grammys ceremony.

"We went out for a bite to eat afterwards and Dave told me he was starting this band with Josh [Homme]," he told the Daily Mail. "I asked him who was playing bass and he rather sheepishly told me he'd approached John. So you read it here first; Paul McCartney was nearly the bass player in Them Crooked Vultures."

Jimmy Page on Planet Rock Radio - Jan. 16
From: PLANETROCK.COM 2010.01.15

Planet Rock is running two exclusive interviews with Jimmy Page, Jack White and David Guggenheim in conjunction of the new release "It Might Get Loud"

7pm, Sat 16th Jan:

Jimmy Page on Planet Rock - a special hour long programme on the new documentary, ‘It Might Get Loud'. Jimmy talks to Planet Rock at length about his involvement in the film and its other two stars, Jack White (who also appears in the Planet Rock show) and the Edge. Jimmy talks candidly about the project and revisiting the birthplace of Led Zeppelin 4, Headley Grange.

7pm Thursday 21st Jan:

Academy Award winning Director Davis Guggenheim talks to Planet Rock about the making of ‘It Might Get Loud', starring Jimmy Page, Jack White and the Edge. Davis talks openly about securing Jimmy for the project and his contributions to the film.

For more details visit www.planetrock.com.

Planet Rock can be heard on DAB digital radio, Sky 0110, Virgin Media 924, Freesat 730, www.planetrock.com and on now on iPhone

Planet Rock - the UK's classic rock station is the home of Alice Cooper's breakfast show, Rick Wakeman's Saturday show and is the only national radio station dedicated to playing classic rock.

Planet Rock won "UK digital Station of the Year" at the Arqiva Radio Awards 2009 and at the Freesat Awards 2009.

Planet Rock broadcasts to 708,000 weekly listener (RAJAR Q3 09)

Thanks to Jon Norman

Jason Bonham's New Band Black Country Recording Album
From: SPINNER.COM 2010.01.13

"I'm like the one up there representing the Bonham family. that's kind of how I should look at it," Jason Bonham told Spinner backstage at L.A.'s Wiltern, where he would later honor his iconic father, John Bonham, as part of Guitar Center's Drum-Off last weekend. The event is a competition for aspiring stickmen and showcases some of the world's greatest drummers, including Tommy Lee, Tool's Danny Carey and Billy Cobham, among others.

There's no question, Led Zeppelin is part of his family and legacy, an inheritance he proved worthy of when he so successfully filled in for his father at the band's O2 reunion show in December of 2007. But he says, breaking the hearts of millions of fans, that part of his life is indeed over. "As far as the big question, the big one, I think that one's come and gone now. But it was a lot of fun while it lasted," he says, echoing Jimmy Page's sentiments in recent interviews that the Zep reunion is not going to happen.

And like his bandmates that night, Bonham is moving on to new music. "I just literally went into the studio last week for two days with one person I'd done an album with before, very quickly, and then the other was a friend of my father's I got to meet later on, Joe Bonamassa and Glenn Hughes, and we're working on a new project with a working title of Black Country," Bonham says. "We just went in with [producer] Kevin Shirley and played riffs and just jammed for two days. And that's really exciting."

Bonham says the new group, which takes its name from the industrial area in England that he and Hughes -- best known for his work with both Deep Purple and Black Sabbath) come from -- is in fact a band. "We're actually recording an album, literally in that process of jamming it out and editing and putting together and going, 'Yeah, that's really cool,'" he says. "Joe just wanted to play guitar so with Glenn on bass and vocals, it's a power trio."

Slash Backs Plant's Decision To Ditch Led Zeppelin
From: XFM.CO.UK 2010.01.13

Slash has sensationally come out in support of Robert Plant and his decision to put the kibosh on a Led Zeppelin reformation. The guitarist, who also revealed he'd been offered millions to get back with Guns N' Roses, told men's magazine GQ:

"When Robert Plant said he didn't want to tour after the comeback show, I thought that was the right thing. It was a special night, so why ruin it?"

On the rumours surrounding him re-joining his former bandmates in Guns N' Roses, Slash crushed any hopes of burying the hatchet with Axl and co.

"If I hear great music we did together, I respect it for what it was and appreciate it. But I'm not like everyone else around the band who wants to somehow try to recreate it because there's so much money to be made."

Jimmy Page Show of Peace Press Conference
From: STRAITSTIMES.COM 2010.01.13

BEIJING - LEGENDARY Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, Aerosmith, and the Black Eyed Peas will headline a free April concert on Beijing's Olympic Green, promoters said Wednesday.

The 'Show of Peace,' is scheduled for April 17 to mark Earth Day, which is celebrated each year to promote awareness of environmental issues, promoter Rick Garson said. He called it the first-ever global peace and environment concert in China featuring world famous celebrities and musicians.

'Tickets are free. You can't charge for peace and green. It is going to be for everybody, it's like China's gift to the world and the people,' Garson told reporters. 'What we are going to do is raise money, obviously, from sponsorship, international distribution, merchandising, Internet, ringtones, DVDs, CDs. That's how we are doing it, it is being self-funded as we speak.'

Organisers were also talking with other artists about performing, such as Pearl Jam, Lady Gaga, Green Day, and 50 Cent, while numerous Chinese musicians were being brought in too, he said. Organisers hope the concert will be beamed live around the world via television and the Internet to mark this year's 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

'My belief in music as a universal language is the reason I returned to Beijing to voice my support for the Show of Peace,' said Page, who performed the Led Zeppelin classic 'Whole Lotta Love' at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics last year. 'This (concert) is a tribute to the power of music and its positive effect.

Music has been one of the most powerful languages that speaks to the heart of the people around the world.' Sponsors include the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the China-based non-profit Joint-US China Collaboration on Clean Energy, the United Nations' NGO Pathways to Peace, and Ted Turner's Captain Planet Foundation. -- AFP

Jimmy Page Says Les Paul, Not Himself, Was "Guitar Hero"
From: GIBSON.COM 2010.01.08

Fans may beg to differ, but Jimmy Page insists he's not a "guitar hero." That accolade, he says, is a title more befitting the late great Les Paul.

""I can't think of a greater guitar icon than someone who has the musical intellect to change what was there before, and take music in another direction," Page said, speaking to the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph during a visit to Gibson's London offices. "That's a guitar hero for me."

Covering an array of topics, Page also modestly told the Daily Telegraph that he feels he "never mastered the guitar."

"Either I was playing it or it was playing me," Page revealed, "it depends how you look at it. As a kid, the only things I had to do were go to school, do my homework, and play guitar. I play maybe every other day, now. But I don't think of it as practice. I want to see if there is a new shape, a new pattern of chords, a new riff. I'm always looking for the creative spark. Always."

Page went on to say that despite being the driving force behind Led Zeppelin, the band was a "group personality."

"I knew from what I'd learned being a session musician that the key was to capture the performance while there's a mass enthusiasm going on," he said. "It becomes totally passionate, you feel the music. A lot of music today, they work electronically, tidying everything up, but that living energy has become sanitized. In Led Zeppelin we managed to do some of those major albums in three weeks. People today can't understand that. It's beyond them."

Page plans to release new music sometime this year. To read more of his conversation with the Daily Telegraph, click here.

Led Zeppelin guitarist launches stamp collection
From: HERALDSUN.CO.UK 2010.01.07

As first reported at Led-Zeppelin.org on Oct. 15. 2009...

Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has launched a new set of stamps in the U.K. featuring classic album covers from the last 40 years.

British postal service Royal Mail went through thousands of pieces of artwork to draw up a short list of 10 for the set, released today.

They include Led Zeppelin IV, the classic 1971 album that contained Stairway To Heaven and which sold 32 million copies.

Page, who helped design the artwork for IV, said: "Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him, that sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

The stamps depict the covers of albums from the past 40 years including Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd and Parklife by Blur.

The other albums featured are: A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay; Power, Corruption And Lies - New Order; Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones; London Calling - The Clash; Screamadelica - Primal Scream; The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie.

Guitar Center's Tribute to John Bonham
From: GUITARCENTER.COM 2010.01.07

Tomorrow night, January 8, 2010, Jason Bonham will pay tribute to his father, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham at the Guitar Center's Grand Finals at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA.

The events start at 7PM and will include a performance by Bezerk, a project presented by Motley Crue's Tommy Lee and whose members include Chad Smith, Matt Sorum, Jose Pasillas, Abe Cunningham, DJ Aero, Sully Erna, Jay Weinberg and BANG!

Stephen Perkins will be hosting the Drum Off '09, the search for the top undiscovered in the galaxy.

Also, there will be an exclusive collaborative performance by Danny Carey and Brann Dailor.

Tickets are on sale now at livenation.com for $10.

Vistalite Jason Bonham Kit Featured in Feb. 2010 Modern Drummer
From: MODERNDRUMMER.COM 2010.01.06

On December 10, 2007, Led Zeppelin reunited at London's 02 arena as part of the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund benefit. News of the highly anticipated reunion caused absolute fan hysteria and a media frenzy. Jason Bonham proudly took the stage in honor of his father, John, paying tribute by debuting a revamped Ludwig Vistalite kit, akin to the amber Vistalites made famous by Bonzo in the classic Zeppelin performance film, The Song Remains The Same. The new kit sported some badass upgrades that Bonham and Ludwig were so stoked about that the company decided to offer the setup in a limited run of one hundred. We were lucky enough to get our hands on one before they were all snatched up.

The most obvious modifications Bonham made to the drums are the black powder-coated hardware and the yellow shells. Black and yellow naturally form a vivid combo, but the powder coating adds another dimension of contrast that makes the drums really pop. Although all the hoops and Imperial lugs are black powder-coated, per Jason's request, the swivel nuts and tension rods are black nickel-plated. The front head of the massive 26" kick displays the image of the ill-fated Hindenburg that graces the cover of Led Zeppelin's debut album. Whether intentional or not, to me the depiction of an album cover, rather than John Bonham's symbol of three interlocking circles, represents Led Zeppelin as a whole-and that's befitting considering the event for which the kit was made.

The sizes of Jason Bonham's Vistalites remain true to Ludwig's "Zep Set" configuration: a 14x26 kick, a 10x14 rack tom, 16x16 and 16x18 floor toms, and a 61/2x14 Supra-Phonic LM402 snare. The acrylic shells are the standard 1/4" thickness, with reinforced seams, and are outfitted with classic blue/olive badges.

List price: $5,348

To listen to sound files of this kit in action, click here.

For more information, go to ludwig-drums.com.

'69 Texas International Pop Festival Historical Marker Benefit
From: TEXASPOPFESTIVAL.COM 2010.01.06

From: peace@texaspopfestival.com
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010
Subject: Texas Pop Festival Book and Historical Marker

It's taken awhile for me to update you, and I apologize for the neglect. I had hoped to have the book ready for publishing in time for the fourtieth anniversary, but health problems got in the way, so I'm making it my goal to do it this year. As you will soon see, I have a special reason for wanting to get it done by the 2010 anniversary.

This fall, I applied for a Texas State Historical Marker to go near the site of the Texas International Pop Festival! Is that cool, or what? And get this, the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) has granted permission to place the marker at their Hebron Station, a depot now under construction for the A-train light rail that will soon be running. Hebron Station is just across the field from where the main stage for the festival stood. The station will provide us with lots of bored foot-traffic just standing around, waiting for a train. That means lots of people reading the plaque. In addition to the official state marker, I hope to purchase a plaque with a reproduction of the great Lance Bragg poster from the festival. As sponsor of the marker, I have to come up with the $1500 for the marker by the beginning of February; then, if we can get the additional plaque, I'll need to pay for that, too.

In order to raise the money, the Flying Pig Roadhouse, in Lake Dallas, has offered to hold a benefit where we will get the door (money paid as cover charge). We've come up with a date, Sunday, January 31, and time, 1:30 - 8:00 p.m. That's the Sunday before the Superbowl. We've got a pretty nice list of bands who have agreed to donate their time for the cause.

We'll also be giving away some door prizes and have a raffle for CDs and other memorabilia, some autographed. In addtion, Furthermore, the Texas Pop Festival hippie bus, will be there for folks to walk through and admire.

Here is a list of the bands and their scheduled playing time (which could change):

1:30 - 2:30 - Piece of My Heart (to do a tribute to Janis Joplin)
3:15 - 4:15 - Soul Sacrifice (Santana tribute band)
4:45 - 6:00 - Swan Song (Led Zeppelin tribute band)
6:30 - 8:00 - Johnny Nitzinger (legendary guitarist)

(Drawings for prizes will be held between sets, and you must be present to win.)

The Flying Pig is located right on the I-35E service road at 5008 E. Stemmons Frwy. (I-35E), Lake Dallas, TX.

Admission is $10 and all proceeds will go toward the historical marker. Anything left after that will go toward the plaque.

If you're not too far away, I really hope you'll come out to see us. I'd love to meet with you and have a chat. If you can't come out, keep in mind that I will accept donations. They can either be sent to me in the form of a check or money order or by Paypal to this email address ( http://mail.texaspopfestival.com/cgi-bin/compose.exe?id=01b90b522fd8f03cb993faf52e9ebe07bb21&new=&xsl=compose.xsl&to=peace@texaspopfestival.com ). Checks can be made out to Richard Hayner and sent to me at 1112 Bayfield Dr., Denton, TX 76209. But begging for money wasn't my intention of writing. So...

Keep in mind that, besides the http://www.texaspopfestival.com/ website, there's also a MySpace page ( http://www.myspace.com/texaspopfestival ), a Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Hayner/681792337#/pages/Texas-Pop-Festival/258156575111 ) and a Yahoo Group ( http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/texaspopfestival/ ) dedicated to the festival.

You're invited to join us there.

Once the historical marker has been granted (and I feel really confident it will), it takes several months for them to make it. When it is put up, it's customary to hold a dedication ceremony. Meanwhile, Hebron Station is set to open in August. With all that in mind, I think it would be fantastic if we could have a huge dedication ceremony with live bands and who knows what else on the 41st anniversary. My hope is to get the city of Lewisville and DCTA involved as well as the County and State, which are already involved through their historical commissions. Perhaps it can be a joint marker dedication and grand opening for the station. We'll see, and I'll keep you posted.

This will be great, not only for the memory of the Texas Pop Festival, but for Texas music history. If you know anyone who was at the festival or would be interested, please forward this email to them.

Peace,
Richard Hayner

Forthcoming Jimmy Page Autobiography
From: GENESIS-PUBLICATIONS.COM 2010.01.04

Announcing a new career-spanning pictorial autobiography. Featuring a wealth of unseen photos from his own archive, Jimmy Page unveils his first official published work to be presented as a hand-crafted book, in a limited edition of only 2,500 copies worldwide.

For more information, and to register your interest, please click here to submit an email to Genesis Publications. Please include your name and address to receive a complimentary brochure we will be sending in due course.

Registrants will be offered the first chance to pre-order this new edition, ahead of publication and at a preferential rate.

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to writing with further news.

Jimmy Page: "I've seen Genesis books before and I've really got a lot of time for the way they produce their books, they're really quality items. As someone who's always been interested in having a library themselves, I appreciate fine bookbinding and their whole ethic of what they do and what they're trying to do with a whole catalogue of books." (MOJO, Jan 2009)

Piece of history at Page's house
From: BBC.CO.UK 2010.01.04

BBC Berkshire has a pictorial slideshow of The Thames Boathouse in Pangbourne, where Jimmy Page lived from 1967 to 1973. Also included is a story about Robert Plant visiting the new owner in 2003.

You can view it here.

Jimmy Page's Plant plea
From: TOURDATES.CO.UK 2010.01.04

Jimmy Page said the fate of Led Zeppelin rests in the hands of Robert Plant.

The legendary guitarist said he hasn't ruled out a reunion with his genre-defining 70s group, but whether they will play together again is up to original singer Robert.

He said: "You'd better ask Robert Plant what the future of Led Zeppelin is. Musicians can always play together but I don't think you can go out with a band called Led Zeppelin if you haven't got the original vocalist."

The future of Led Zeppelin is in doubt however, as Robert is presently recording a new album with vocalist Alison Krauss - a follow up to their award winning debut together, 'Raising Sand' - while the group's other surviving member, John Paul Jones is now a member of supergroup Them Crooked Vultures.

Meanwhile Jimmy plans to play live in 2010 no matter what happens - as he's been getting restless since the last Led Zeppelin live comeback, at London's O2 arena in 2007.

He said: "Next year I have every intention of playing music live and manifesting it. I've got the music waiting, and that's what I'll be doing. It's been two years since the O2, so it's time to do that."

Robert Plant's womanly celebration
From: ABS-CBNNEWS.COM 2010.01.03

Robert Plant wants to spend New Year's Eve in the arms of a woman.

The 61-year-old rocker - who has famously lived a life of sex, drugs and rock n roll excess - admitted he will be looking for love over the holiday season.

He said: "Where would I like to welcome in the New Year? In some warm, tantalizing arms."

Although he is looking forward to celebrating New Year's Eve, the former Led Zeppelin singer isn't looking forward to the next decade because all it holds for him is "more attention to bladder control".

He added: "I don't think I've aged gracefully. When you can feel the breeze of the Grim Reaper, there's nothing graceful about that fear, because I'm only a third of the way through the adventures I want to have."

However, the star has made some New Year's Resolutions - to improve his driving.

He explained: "I park my car by touch, using the wheels as a guide to when I've hit the kerb."

Paul Stanley Says Meeting Jimmy Page Was 'Stunning'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2010.01.01

The Pulse of Radio reports: Paul Stanley hardy gets star struck, but says that being introduced to Jimmy Page in 1976 was one of the greatest meetings of his life. Stanley spoke to the Las Vegas Sun and recalled that during the recording of KISS' "Destroyer" album, he finally met one of his greatest inspirations, remembering, "Led Zeppelin was mixing 'The Song Remains The Same' soundtrack, and we were coming into the studio after them. We were in the lobby, and Jimmy came up and he knew who I was, and who the band was. It was stunning. Not five years earlier, I was in the audience, watching Led Zeppelin with my mouth open, just not believing it."

Stanley, who'll turn 58 on January 20, says that the things that spurred him and KISS to super-stardom still drives the band to carry on. "There's no substitute for the enormous crowds, or the response or the mania that we see and that's directed at us," he says. "There's no substitute for me getting up onstage and having 15,000 people calling my name - y'know, all the accoutrement, all the stuff that goes along with it... the women, everything."