Multiple Led Zeppelin box sets to arrive in 2014

Individual box sets of newly remastered Led Zeppelin's audio catalog, along with bonus materials, are to be released at different points throughout 2014, Jimmy Page said today when asked in London.

"Each of the albums has been remastered, but it also has a companion disc with it," the guitarist told broadcaster Nicky Horne for Team Rock Radio. "Each disc will give a really intimate picture of the group."

They were in London, where Page was taking part in the Classic Rock Awards because not only was he presenting an award, but also Led Zeppelin was receiving one.

Film/DVD of the Year went to Led Zeppelin's DVD "Celebration Day," the playback of the band's triumphant 2007 reunion show, also in London.

Horne began his four-minute Q&A session with Page by asking him for some recollections about that concert. Before long, Horne switched gears and asked for some follow-up on the Led Zeppelin remasters.

They made news when Page's answers began to provide more specifics about the nature of the releases. For one, he said the work is already complete on the sonic aspects of the box sets. He explained that each album's companion disc would contain goodies such as alternate mixes and alternate takes.

As an example, he said Led Zeppelin III would appear in remastered form, as part of an individual box set, and on its companion disc we will find an alternate version of their blues number "Since I've Been Loving You."

"There's an incredible version of that," he said. "It's very raw in its approach. It's quite dramatic. It's cool."

Page did not divulge any other previously unreleased material that could be expected, so as to maintain the element of surprise.

When asked when the box sets would be released, Page could not point to any precise date. He stressed that they would be released not all at once but separately over time.

Acknowledging last year's remarks that these releases were to have started happening in 2013, and that the current year is almost over, Page said, "I'd rather hoped it would come out this side of the new year, but it will come out in the new year."

Then he trailed off and said something about it possibly not even being ready for this time next year. I chose to ignore that part, and you can too. The audio is available courtesy of Team Rock Radio's Soundcloud page.



On a side note, I'm sorry for the sporadic nature of this so-called "News" site; this is only the second news alert I've written this year. I am pleased to report that while I'm not doing as much writing, I am doing a lot of playing. Musically, that is.

Twice last year and once this year, I toured with the band Get the Led Out, filling in for one of their members. This enabled me to travel a bit -- Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin -- helping to replicate Led Zeppelin's studio recordings in a live atmosphere, much to the appreciation of eight separate crowds. One of the outdoor shows in Ohio this past summer may have had the largest audience I've ever seen.

Jason Bonham pleased as Led Zeppelin Experience tour kicks off in Canada

Photo by Glenn Francis,
www.PacificProDigital.com

Concertgoers at the Encana Events Centre in Dawson Creek, B.C., Canada, last night witnessed the first showing from the multimedia tour Jason Bonham has spent the last few months publicizing.

So far, the few firsthand accounts from inside the concert venue could not be more positive. Most of what's been said, however, comes from the band members themselves!

About six hours before his second show, Bonham took to the Internet to post his thoughts on the Friday night debut: "This was the opening night of the tour and all I can say is , Thank you for making it one of the best gigs of my life !!!!!!! xoxo."

Update: In another message, Bonham gives away much of the set list. Be forewarned of a possible spoiler alert before clicking here.

Some of his bandmates were also communicating online after the show thanks to the complimentary Wi-Fi on their tour bus. Their bass player, who shall remain nameless unless you click here, granted an e-mail interview to Lemon Squeezings.

"Jason was in heaven from where I was standing," the bass player writes. "It's safe to say he loved every minute of the first show and it was really fantastic to be a part of it with him and the rest of the boys."

Clips of "Since I've Been Loving You" and "When the Levee Breaks" from the opening show in Dawson Creek have made it online.

For Black Country Communion release, band plays secret London gig

Glenn Hughes;
photo by John Rahim

The members of Black Country Communion have been running the publicity rounds in support of their album release. Black Country was released in the United States today on the J&R Adventures label. While Jason Bonham is flying back to the U.S. straight after the band's London debut in front of 100 people at a secret show, singer and bassist Glenn Hughes remains in England where he'll begin touring right away.

The singer took some time today to update Lemon Squeezings on the success of last night's gig and how it came about. "We were in New York a couple of weeks ago doing the same thing, and we wanted to do a media show in England because the band's strength, we believe, will start from England, and it has today," said Hughes. "It's looking really strong here."

A small assembly of contest winners and media personnel attended the show, which was held at a rehearsal studio in London. The U.K.'s Planet Rock Radio broadcast the show live as the band ran through eight songs on the disc, including their remake of "Medusa" from Hughes's old band, Trapeze. "It was great, really successful, and it's really looking strong right now. It's all go. It's all Black Country Communion, baby," he said enthusiastically over the phone early in the London afternoon.

He believes they've achieved their goal in England for the time being, until they return next year for a longer trip. "We needed to do something in England, something in New York, and this is what we needed to do to get a foundation, a buzz going," explained Hughes.

Black Country Communion not afraid to jam on debut album

As the debut album from Black Country Communion is released later this month, fans will hear extensive jamming amid the 13 songs that span this 76-minute CD featuring Jason Bonham on drums. On a few of the tracks, the song sounds like it is about to end, but then somebody plays or sings something that pretty soon has everybody else jamming along, effectively giving the song a second life so that the track continues for another few minutes.

Glenn Hughes photo by Robert M. Knight

"This band is a live band, [and] the album was recorded live," said lead singer and bassist Glenn Hughes in an interview for Lemon Squeezings. "The reason why these songs sort of go on a little bit and there's that vibe of that, I don't know, psychedelia, whatever you want to call it -- it's just that we wanted to let it run ... like we used to do in the '70s. It was kind of that way, you know. We didn't want it wrapped up in a pretty little box. It wanted to be a little rough around the edges, so this is what we get."

One fine example of this is on a song called "Sista Jane." Hughes doesn't deny it sounds like your prototypical AC/DC song. He's stated before that he believes this disc will hold up well in CD collections against classics like Back in Black. When I even mention my AC/DC comparison on the phone to him, he gives me an "Oh, absolutely, yeah." I tell him his voice sounds like Sammy Hagar's on the same tune, that Joe Bonamassa's guitar first sounds like Randy Bachman on the Guess Who's "American Woman" and later sounds more long the lines of Cream's "Crossroads," and that the song ends just short of organist Derek Sherinian leading them into "Won't Get Fooled Again" by the Who.

At my mention of this last comparison, Hughes interjects, "Yeah, I was a bit concerned about that. I said to Derek, 'That might be going a little too far.' But, you know, it's kind of a tip of the hat."

Hughes spoke about his relationship with the late John Bonham, who used to drive him to his gigs with the band Trapeze and would even sit in from time to time. In doing so, Bonham would drum on the Trapeze song "Medusa," which Black Country Communion re-recorded for the debut album. "It's kind of crazy now to have both Bonhams play on that track," says Hughes. "I've known Jason since he didn't remember me when he was two or three years old."

Black Country Communion's official YouTube channel features some behind-the-scenes footage from the recording of the album. Here's the making of their song "The Great Divide," beginning with Hughes suggesting what one part should sound like, followed by producer Kevin Shirley urging them to give it a try.

The U.K.'s Planet Rock radio station dedicates its 6:00 hour tonight to Black Country Communion, premiering a behind-the-scenes audio documentary with exclusive interviews with the band plus some tracks from the album. In addition, the hour will include some songs from the album, which is to be released Sept. 20 in the U.K. and Sept. 21 in the U.S. As if that's not enough reason to listen, Planet Rock's website says the hour will also include "a very (VERY) special announcement about the band during the special on Saturday." Listen online at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific by tuning in to www.planetrock.com. If you miss it the first time, it repeats Thursday at 11 p.m. GMT/6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific.

Austin songwriter's 'never-ending quest' lands him spot on Robert Plant's album

Once, I spent part of an afternoon tucked away inside Robert's Western World, one of the honkytonks on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. I was so enthralled by the music a local by the name of Dave Cox was playing that I found myself incapable of leaving to go visit anything else in town. Of course, there would have been plenty of other places on Music City's main drag for me to check out, but why leave when I'd already found it?

What I'd found, I suppose, was "the only sound that matters."

Texas native Greg Vanderpool coined that phrase during the two years he spent as a struggling musician in Nashville.

"Texas is home, but I had a really good experience while I was in Nashville," he says in an interview for Lemon Squeezings. "I was spending a lot of time just really going out and hearing music almost every night and just soaking up everything I could. In a lot of ways, it was secondary education just because there are so many good players and writers in Nashville. ... I would go hear bands play all the time, and a lot of times by myself, and maybe drinking a little bit more than I should, in the constant, never-ending quest for some sort of musical fulfillment or gratification."

It's a familiar scenario in Nashville. You can just duck your head into one of the many buzzing establishments, where people are free to come and go as they please, with nobody at the door to collect a cover charge. But you can step inside and hang, just to check out what the music's like in there. If it's not your speed, you can go on to the next place. At each entrance, you hope for the best and mutter to yourself something akin to the words of this refrain:

"I'm looking for the only sound that matters. Is there one in here?"

Listen to the interview

Vanderpool returned to Texas with that finished song and a lot of other original tunes he'd written during his days in Nashville. "The Only Sound that Matters" made it onto the second album from his Austin band Milton Mapes. The album is Westernaire, released in 2003. And now that track has been picked up by Robert Plant for his new album.

Zep tribute band to revisit California '77 show on anniversary

The California-based tribute band Led Zepagain is scheduled to perform its rendition of a 1977 Led Zeppelin concert 33 years after a six-night string of shows all at the Forum in the Los Angeles area. The tribute act is to perform an all-ages show this Saturday, June 26, at the Grove of Anaheim.

Led Zepagain has performed retrospectives of the concerts from that era for the past two-and-a-half years under the banner of "The '77 Tour Revisited." Guitarist Steve Zukowsky tells Lemon Squeezings the band attempts to keep everything pretty true to the form of those concerts.

"We've got the same outfits," he says. "I've got the white dragon poppy suit that [Jimmy] Page wore, and [drummer] Jim Kersey has the stainless steel drum kit that Bonham used then. We try and make it look like a '77 show and do a typical set list."

Part of Zukowsky's affinity toward the shows of the '77 era was because he attended one in Oakland, California, at age 14. "I had been playing guitar for probably a couple of years at that point. I think I started when I was 12," he says. He said he found the concert to be "just very inspiring -- I remember coming back from that show [saying], 'Man, I've gotta learn how to play "Over the Hills and Far Away."' That was so great."

In January 2004, Zukowsky had the opportunity to turn the tables around and perform for Jimmy Page. The Led Zeppelin guitarist showed up, unannounced, at a Led Zepagain concert in Hollywood. "It was a complete surprise to us," Zukowsky says, laughing.

Indie rockers Low excited to hear Robert Plant sing pair of their songs

Ask Alan Sparhawk what it's like to have a song of his covered by Robert Plant, and you're asking only half of the question. Not one but two songs written with his Duluth, Minnesota-based band Low are making it onto the release Band of Joy this September.

"Come on, man, it's Robert Plant singing your tunes," he laughs in a phone conversation. "He can do whatever he wants, man. I'm excited. I'm super excited."

The two songs, "Silver Rider" and "Monkey," originally appeared on Low's album The Great Destroyer, released five years ago on the Sub Pop Records label. Sparhawk, who plays guitar and sings alongside his wife Mimi Parker in Low, says that although he hasn't yet heard either of Plant's takes, he has a feeling they'll be to his liking -- in part based on some of Plant's past cover material.

"Because of his skills and because of the people he's working with, I think he has tons of freedom to really find the essence of how he wants to play a song," says Sparhawk. "I think songs really are sort of little roadmaps, and I think good artists can take a song and work with it and make it their own."

In an interview for Lemon Squeezings, Sparhawk discusses the meanings behind both songs, but he's also quite talkative when he's asked about some of his favorite Led Zeppelin recordings. One of them is the posthumous outtakes compilation Coda, which he says is how he first started listening to the band:

"That one really kind of got me in and, I don't know, people may disagree, but I do feel it was a great first record to absorb."

Sparhawk is also a fan of the early concert footage on Led Zeppelin's DVD set, and he's particularly impressed with how Plant comes across:

"In '69 and '70, people were barely starting to use monitors and stuff, and Robert's just totally nailing that stuff. That's really hard to do. It's really hard to sing well and in pitch and with that much tone in a live rock situation, and he was just nailing that stuff. You just don't see that when you see footage of other bands playing live even back then. It's pretty rare that somebody had it together that much."

You can listen to the interview with Alan Sparhawk of Low here:

Also, check out the group's official website, www.chairkickers.com.

Previously unheard '70s interview with Jimmy Page to air on radio

Jimmy Page rarely sat down for interviews in the late 1970s, a fact that has been attributed to his growing mistrust of the press at that time. One interview with the Led Zeppelin guitarist taped during this successful period for the group will be heard for the first time next week.

This interview of Page was conducted by one of his peers in the musical field, singer Long John Baldry (shown at left), who along with Page had been a member of the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars in 1963. Their recorded conversation takes place during Led Zeppelin's heyday, looking back on the time both musicians took part in the U.K. blues boom of the early '60s.

Their interview is both "intimate and revealing," according to a press release issued by Denny Somach Productions for the nationally syndicated "Get the Led Out" radio show hosted by Carol Miller. (Disclosure: I work as a consultant to the show and its website.)

In addition to reflecting on their days performing live with Cyril Davies, Page recalls the formation of Led Zeppelin and discusses their first tour as a new lineup of the Yardbirds. In this exclusive, Web-only audio sample of the interview, Page chats about Led Zeppelin's earliest American gigs leading up to a supporting role at the Fillmore West in San Francisco in 1969.

"Get the Led Out" airs on about 70 radio markets in the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Indianapolis. Local airdates for this episode vary by station but should take place between Monday, June 14, and Sunday, June 20. Check your local listings or call your local classic rock station for more information.

Ian Anderson remembers Jethro Tull sharing bill with Led Zeppelin

Jethro Tull is back in the United States again today for another tour. Singer/floutist Ian Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre have made a habit of touring the United States for many years, going back to the days when they shared bills with Led Zeppelin in 1969.

Today, Anderson remembers getting on well with most of the members of Led Zeppelin but admits the relationship between him and Robert Plant might not have gotten off to a good start. And although offstage antics distanced the two bands, he still has a big respect for Plant's vocal abilities and looks.

Chris Welch focuses on memorabilia in new Led Zeppelin book

Chris Welch is set to release his first book on Led Zeppelin in 12 years. His follow-up to "Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song" is due next week in the United Kingdom.

The title of the new book is "Treasures of Led Zeppelin," and its U.K. release is set for Thursday, May 13, by Carlton Publishing Group.

In a new interview, the longtime Melody Maker journalist says the book is written from the point of view of a fan or collector. The title "Treasures of Led Zeppelin," he says, has to do with diehard fans' "eternal interest for things like T-shirts, posters, memorabilia of every kind."

The 64-page book includes 90 photographs and 16 memorabilia reproductions, some of which is sourced from the collection of fellow author Howard Mylett. Other pieces referenced in the book are courtesy of other collectors, says Welch:

"A lot of it came from various collectors around the countryside, fanatical collectors [of] ticket stubs from shows, and programs, illustrations. The album covers, of course, are a very important part of the look of Led Zeppelin."

Welch admits he is not much of a memorabilia collector himself, but for 12 years he did own one particular artifact that was given to him by a member of the band. He tells the following story about receiving this gift from John Bonham:

"I was interviewing John, and it was going very well. He was a very personable and friendly guy, and we went out for a drink near his home. He had a farm house in the country. We went to the country pub and had a lot to drink and were talking about our favorite drummers, people like Buddy Rich. At the end of the interview, he realized that I was a keen drummer as well, so he insisted that his roadie give me this brand new Ludwig drum kit, which was stashed away in a barn at the back of his farm. And, of course, I made fake protests, saying, 'No, John, you can't possibly give me a drum kit.' He was very generous and very kind. ... I kept it for about 12 years. I did use it and played it as well."

Welch is also the author of the biographies "Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin," "John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums" and "Power and Glory: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant," as well as books on Cream, Steve Winwood, Jimi Hendrix, and two-part series on David Bowie.

The interview was conducted by radio producer Denny Somach while visiting London last month. More of Welch's interview is scheduled to air in an upcoming episode of DJ Carol Miller's Led Zeppelin-centered radio show "Get the Led Out," which has been syndicated nationwide since January 2009.

In a previous interview also for the radio show, Welch discussed home movie footage he shot while touring Europe with Led Zeppelin in 1970.

A tentative U.S. release of Welch's new "Treasures" book is set for October.

Latest British rock LP heard at Americana music festival: 'Abbey Road'

As anyone could have learned on LedZeppelinNews.com yesterday afternoon, the album the Waybacks and special guests performed at MerleFest this year was Abbey Road by the Beatles.

MerleFest is billed as a festival dedicated to Americana music, and yet every year the Waybacks played a Hillside Album Hour set, the subject of the set has been a British rock gem. This Beatles choice follows the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers last year and, of course, Led Zeppelin II in 2008. (The Zep set was officially released for digital download.)

Waybacks singer, guitarist and founding member James Nash responds to the observation regarding British albums and American music in the conclusion of my three-part interview with him. (To recap, Part One is here, and Part Two is here.)

Part Three also contains Nash's thoughts on how John Paul Jones introduced him to soul music.

Also, listen to what Nash has to say about the man who produced the last Waybacks studio album, Nashville session bassist Byron House, who will be part of Robert Plant's Band of Joy on an album and tour later this year.

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What album could possibly follow 'Led Zeppelin II' and 'Sticky Fingers'?

When James Nash and his fellow members of the Waybacks decided to play Led Zeppelin II at MerleFest two years ago, there was a specific line of thinking that informed their decision. Because it's a live show, Nash explains, you'd have to play something that rocks right off the bat and keeps up the party atmosphere throughout.

The same thought went into their selection of Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones for their Hillside Album Hour set last year.

But what legendary disc could possibly follow up those two picks? Those who are at MerleFest right this minute are finding out. If you're on this site while the Waybacks take the stage, you can find out simultaneously as James Nash reveals what album they're playing in Part Two of this installment of the LedZeppelinNews.com Interview Series.

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John Paul Jones and his ties to MerleFest, as told by 'Dr. Banjo,' Pete Wernick

When musician Pete Wernick goes to MerleFest this time each year, it's not just his performances that festival goers look forward to. They also get the opportunity to learn tips from him in "bluegrass jam camps" he convenes. The man nicknamed "Dr. Banjo" holds these workshops focusing on improvisation several times a year, not just at the annual music festival taking place this weekend in North Carolina.

John Paul Jones has attended MerleFest in the past and jammed with Pete Wernick and many others onstage. In this installment of the LedZeppelinNews.com Interview Series, "Dr. Banjo" discusses how his friendship with Jones came about. Also, he reveals why the Led Zeppelin/Them Crooked Vultures bassist seems to fit in so well with the acoustic music crowd.

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James Nash of the Waybacks, always changing it up at MerleFest

Here's another installment of the LedZeppelinNews.com Interview Series, this time with James Nash, singer, guitarist and founding member of the Waybacks.

His group will be performing two sets this weekend as part of MerleFest, held annually in North Carolina. One of those sets, featuring some special onstage guests, will be the Waybacks' yearly Hillside Album Hour.

Continuing a tradition they started in 2008 when they performed Led Zeppelin II in its entirety as a surprise to those gathered, they will play another full-length album set tomorrow afternoon. Its identity is currently unknown but will be revealed in Part Two. So, if you won't be at MerleFest to witness it in person, visit LedZeppelinNews.com again tomorrow at 4:45 p.m. Eastern time to find out what album the Waybacks will perform!

Here's Part One of my three-part conversation with James Nash of the Waybacks. In it, he discusses his musical influences, how the Hillside Album Hour came about, and why Led Zeppelin II was chosen to kick off the tradition. Also, he learns a Led Zeppelin history lesson regarding the famous blues musician performing onstage nearby.

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The trouble with being a music critic

"I didn't want to be a critic, in the strictest sense of the word. I wanted to write about music. I wanted to talk about music. I wanted to share every song I loved and discuss every song I hated. What I did not want to be was a pretentious, smug critic who writes year end reviews for famous magazine where you make not so much a list of albums you loved, but a sampling of bands and songs that prove your indie cred and show just how smart and hip you are, knowing full well that the majority of those reading your article will have heard of maybe two bands on your entire list."

So writes Michele Catalano in a post published today by the site True/Slant.

Michele's not alone. Remember the name Danny Goldberg? He was Led Zeppelin's publicist for a few years in the 1970s and was promoted to an executive position with Swan Song Records.

In 2008, he authored a memoir called "Bumping into Geniuses: My Life Inside the Rock and Roll Business." In it, he tells multiple stories including that of his short-lived and uncomfortable rendezvous with being a rock music critic. He disliked it for reasons other than the ones Catalano cites today.

Goldberg also shared that story last year when recording an interview for Carol Miller's syndicated U.S. radio spotlight on Led Zeppelin. Here's what he said during that interview. His story takes you through his the transition from being a rock critic to soon thereafter working as Led Zeppelin's publicist.

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"I never was really a great critic. Part of my problem was that I just didn't like criticizing rock musicians. I was too much of a fan. There was a time when I wrote a critical review of the Rascals. I loved the Rascals, but I said that their guitar player, Gene Cornish, was just twanging the guitar -- because he was just kind of an average guitar player compared to these amazing guitar heroes of the late '60s like Jeff Beck and [Jimi] Hendrix and Eric Clapton. So, he called me and complained about the review, and I felt terrible that I had hurt this guy's feelings. I mean, I'd seen his picture on album covers and he was part of this band that made these songs that I love like 'I've Been Lonely Too Long' and 'People Got To Be Free.'

"After that, I had a hard time writing anything critical, which was a real problem if you were a critic. The rock writers were getting more and more cynical and critical because rock radio was emerging as sort of the direct pipeline between the groups like the early Led Zeppelin and this mass, growing audience -- the equivalent of Woodstocks all over the country. And so, the critics decided their identity was more to be critical, to have standards to tell a subculture of, sort of, intellectual rock fans what was good and what wasn't. And although I loved being friends with a lot of these people, and still am friends with a lot of them today, I wasn't one of them. I was too much of a fan.

"So, P.R. -- public relations -- became a much better place for my energy because that's a job where being a fan is a plus instead of a minus. Soon after I went to work for a big P.R. firm in New York that wanted a rock 'n' roll guy in their employ, Led Zeppelin became a client."

There are more great stories like this in "Bumping into Geniuses," and a whole lot more in his radio interview. This includes recollections from Goldberg's days providing management to Nirvana about how big a fan drummer Dave Grohl was of John Bonham:

"Dave Grohl loves Led Zeppelin, and he loves to hear stories about Led Zeppelin. He just wanted to hear stories about John Bonham. My relationship with Dave Grohl consisted primarily of trying to think of John Bonham stories to keep him entertained. I think to this day if he could go out with Jimmy and Robert and Jonesy, he would do it in a minute."

At the time of this interview with Goldberg, Grohl's band with John Paul Jones, Them Crooked Vultures, had just been formed but had not yet been made known publicly.

Anyway, Michele Catalano starts off the piece on music criticism by mentioning Led Zeppelin in the first paragraph: "I needed for the world to know exactly what I thought of the latest Led Zeppelin album."

Well, Michele? Here's your invitation! What is it you'd like to get off your chest about Led Zeppelin albums? What were you doing the first time you heard Houses of the Holy? What memories and emotions of yours are attached to "Kashmir"?

Texas Pop Festival '69 attendee raises money for historical marker saluting event

The last date of Led Zeppelin's summer 1969 tour came as a surprise to the members of Led Zeppelin. Booking the band at the Texas International Pop Festival on Aug. 31 was tour manager Richard Cole's idea, and he hadn't yet gotten word to singer Robert Plant when he was advising an audience in Dallas not to buy tickets to the festival believing ads that said Led Zeppelin would be there. Plant said those ads were incorrect, and that the band would be back home in England at the end of August.

The promoter who was listening to Plant's comments was not happy.

Find out the rest of this story in this latest installment of the LedZeppelinNews.com interview series, as told by Richard Hayner, who is writing a book on the festival.

Hayner attended the Texas Pop Festival over Labor Day weekend 1969, and he now collects memorabilia from the event as well as stories of others like him.

It was held the same month as Woodstock but two weekends later. It doesn't have the same iconic cultural impact as Woodstock, and it probably never will, even despite all the similarities between the two.

The Merry Pranksters were at both festivals with Ken Kesey's magic bus, Further.

Hugh Romney and the Hog Farmers were at both, too, although purists will be quick to inform you it was at the Texas Pop Festival that Romney received his nickname, Wavy Gravy, from B.B. King.

One difference between the two festivals? Woodstock didn't have Led Zeppelin. The bragging rights go to the town of Lewisville, Texas, which did host Led Zeppelin at the Texas International Pop Festival.

The book Hayner has vowed to complete this year is only one way he is trying to raise the profile of the concert, whose 40th anniversary recently passed without much ado. Hayner says many who live in the Dallas area today are completely unaware that another Woodstock-era festival was held locally.

To change that, he's arranging for the state to award a historical marker to memorialize the Texas International Pop Festival. He's hopeful it will be placed strategically at a location near the original site where it can be observed by many waiting for trains at a soon-to-be-opened commuter rail station.

To raise the requisite funds associated with a state historical marker, Hayner has arranged an all-day concert event to be held Jan. 31 at the Flying Pig Roadhouse in nearby Lake Dallas, Texas.

The show will feature the Led Zeppelin tribute band Swan Song, and other acts playing the music of festival performers Santana and Janis Joplin, as well as a headlining set by Texas guitar legend Johnny Nitzinger, who was an attendee at the festival.

There will be door prizes, a raffle, and a tour of Hayner's own Furthermore bus, painted to resemble Kesey's original Further, which today rests in peace inside a swamp where it was parked (away from the reach of the Smithsonian Institution -- you know, The Man).

Proceeds are to go toward funding the historical marker and, ultimately, a plaque featuring artwork from the festival.

For ticketing information, visit www.TexasPopFestival.com.

Tribute band Get the Led Out hopes to organize charity gig

Things have been going rather well for Get the Led Out, the Philadelphia-based Led Zeppelin tribute band that welcomed some very special guests onstage when they played New York last week -- so well, in fact, that the band has some lofty goals.

For one thing, guitarist Paul Hammond has expressed interest in expanding beyond their current gigs up and down the I-95 corridor and taking their show overseas.

"We want to travel the act, and we'd like to go overseas," says Hammond. "We're trying to further the act and take it to more people, and as of right now, we have hit some major cities, so we're very happy that we can do Philadelphia at the Electric Factory, we can do Baltimore [at] the Ram's Head Live, New York [at the] Nokia Theater, Boston [at the] House of Blues."

Special guests sit in as Led Zeppelin tribute band jams on Aerosmith, Ted Nugent

When you play a show in New York, you can expect some special guests show up. That's exactly what happened when Philadelphia-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out played the Nokia Theater in Times Square one week ago, on Jimmy Page's birthday.

Their Jan. 9 show saw the presence of a few special guests, which even spilled over onto the stage. Singer and guitarist Derek St. Holmes joined Get the Led Out during the show to jam out on Ted Nugent's memorable solo from "Stranglehold."

Also joining them for that song was Graham Whitford, the son of Aerosmith's Brad Whitford. The young guitarist, whose father once recorded an album with St. Holmes, traded licks on "Stranglehold" and also shared the lead on "Sweet Emotion."



Before the show, LedZeppelinNews.com caught up with Get the Led Out singer Paul Sinclair, who discussed his affection for Aerosmith, particularly Steven Tyler, who with Robert Plant is one of two singers he's often told he resembles in terms of his singing style and stage presence.

"Those are the two vocalists that I spent my life focusing on, so I guess when I decided I was gonna be a rock singer and, you know, to hell with college or whatever else, the reason was because I had such a passion and love for that music that Steven Tyler and Robert Plant had involvement with," Sinclair said. "So I just immersed myself in that stuff, so I guess you could call me a two-trick pony."

Listen to part one of my interviews with Get the Led Out singer Paul Sinclair and guitarist Paul Hammond here.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Update: Part two, in which Sinclair and Hammond discuss the genre of Led Zeppelin imitators and various trends in rock music, is also available.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Violinist Eric Gorfain discusses playing onstage with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and his string quartet tribute albums

If you saw any of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's 1995 tour stops in California, Idaho or Utah, or even any of the musically adventurous shows in Japan the following year, then you've seen Eric Gorfain in concert. An experienced session violin player who'd begun his professional career in Japan, Gorfain ended up translating for Page and Plant as needed while touring with them in February 1996.

As opportunities presented themselves, Gorfain later founded a string quartet called The Section and released an astounding 16 volumes of tribute albums over the course of five years. The first, released in 1999, was dedicated to Led Zeppelin and featured Gorfain's string arrangements of 11 Led Zeppelin tunes. A second volume dedicated to the group followed in 2002, digging deeper into the band's catalog with renditions fit for a concert hall. (All except "Whole Lotta Love" on the first release, which features distorted violin and distorted vocals; play that one at a cocktail reception, and watch all the stuffed shirts choke on their pâté.)

Continuing with his session work, Gorfain has had the pleasure of laying down violin parts for an array of artists no matter what genre, recording for artists as diverse as Live, Uncle Kracker, Kanye West, Foo Fighters and James Blunt. He says one particular career highlight came when he played on "Saturday Night Live," backing Christina Aguilera for a musical performance. Lately, he's been producing music by Sam Phillips, the former wife of T Bone Burnett and author of the only previously unheard song on Raising Sand with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

Gorfain took some time to speak with LedZeppelinNews.com about his experiences backing Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and arranging their music, and what projects he has going into 2010. You can hear the full interview below.

Exclusive interview: Myles Kennedy thrilled to have written with Zeppelin members

Photo credit: Albe Serra, Barcelona, Spain, June 2008

Singer Myles Kennedy has opened up to LedZeppelinNews.com in an exclusive interview about his experiences writing music a year ago with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. The interview, recorded for the producers of Carol Miller's "Get the Led Out" Led Zeppelin spotlight radio series, was conducted on Dec. 16 by LedZeppelinNews.com.

Kennedy, who sings and plays guitar with the band Alter Bridge, first confirmed in January 2009 reports that he had spent part of 2008 rehearsing for a new, unnamed band to be formed with three-fourths of the trio that had recently performed as Led Zeppelin for one night in London. By the time Kennedy spoke up, the project had only recently been called off. All he was comfortable saying about it at the time is that he was "very grateful" for having had the experience.

Now that a year has passed since the project fell by the wayside, Kennedy has thoroughly answered a set of specific questions provided exclusively by LedZeppelinNews.com, seeking details about that collaboration.

The occasion for this interview was the release of the first live DVD from Alter Bridge. While unfinished business has prevented a deluxe edition of the Live from Amsterdam set from being released in stores so far, Kennedy says the fan reaction to a version being sold online has so far been positive, as was the fan reaction during the concert.

Filmed during a concert in Amsterdam on Dec. 7, 2008, the DVD shows the audience enthusiastically singing along to Alter Bridge's tunes. In the interview with LedZeppelinNews.com, Kennedy attempts to put into words the kind of rush he gets from hearing an entire audience singing back to him lyrics and melodies that he helped to create. He also discusses the onstage experience of singing cover songs like Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" in a live setting.

As one can tell from viewing the DVD, Alter Bridge concerts provide a wide range of dynamics, from hard rock to solo acoustic material. Asked to name some of the musical influences on having such a diverse set, Kennedy signaled he and his bandmates are all influenced by Led Zeppelin, "the greatest of all time." A former session player who worked on heavy metal and hard rock in his earlier years, Kennedy said bands like Metallica, Slayer, Tesla and Journey have all impacted Alter Bridge songwriting.

A slightly earlier Alter Bridge concert date other than the Amsterdam show was originally planned to be the time and location for the DVD shoot, and that was on Nov. 8, 2008 in London. Kennedy says he recalls that show, held at the O2 Brixton Academy, as being a particularly thrilling night and one he wishes could have been documented on video. It was only after that concert that he learned Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were in attendance, obviously checking him out as their group with him was still under consideration at the time.

By the time Alter Bridge went on the tour that saw them play in England and mainland Europe last November and December, Kennedy had already been rehearsing for months with Page, Jones and plus Jason Bonham. He says he is grateful to the drummer, who was an acquaintance of his from years earlier, for calling him to England to take part in the rehearsals.

In helping to craft some new material with the trio, Kennedy contributed both lyrics and melody but not any guitar. It was his voice they wanted, and he says he wasn't even sure if they even knew at that point he could play guitar. Kennedy spoke about being in his comfort zone singing and not playing guitar while also being recognized as a guitarist, such as when his Alter Bridge bandmate Mark Tremonti asked him to contribute a guitar lesson to a DVD project of his.

Since plans for the prospective band joining Page, Jones and Bonham with him fell through by the end of 2008, Kennedy has remained positive about his experience and continued writing new material. He says he has finished work on a solo album and is considering releasing it independently next year.

Solo work is not all that's in his future. Now that the Creed reunion tour is complete and his Alter Bridge bandmates are once again freed up, they have been in Florida writing material they intend to begin recording in February. He says he was surprised whenever he hears it reported that his group had broken up, although he does believe hardcore Alter Bridge fans are aware the band has always intended to continue making new music following the Creed tour.

Early this year, Jones was secretly rehearsing and recording with a new band of his own, Them Crooked Vultures. Kennedy says he was already a fan of Dave Grohl's work with the Foo Fighters and Josh Homme's work with Queens of the Stone Age, so it made sense to him that their collaboration with Jones was going to be a good one. He says he received an e-mail from Jones inviting him to come see Them Crooked Vultures live, so he attended their Oct. 24 concert in Portland and enjoyed it immensely. Asked if Jones recycled any of the material from his rehearsal sessions with Page and Bonham, Kennedy says he doesn't recognize any of the material.

He is also highly complimentary of Page, adding that while he was at first nervous about being in the presence of such "genius," both Page and Jones were able to make him feel comfortable in their working environment.

When LedZeppelinNews.com informed Kennedy during the interview that Page had just announced his intention to release some new music and play it live next year, he said he couldn't be more pleased that both Page and Jones would be giving fans the opportunity to "continue to feed off the masters." He says he looks forward to hearing Page's new work.

At the conclusion of the LedZeppelinNews.com interview, Kennedy had kind parting words for the interviewer, Steve Sauer.