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March 6, 2009
Fresh Interview With Geddy Lee of Rush
On a recent visit to New York City (he didn’t mention the purpose of his trip), Geddy Lee, bassist and lead vocalist for Canadian rock legends Rush, stopped by the studio at radio station Q104.3 – a station that bills itself as “New York’s Led Zeppelin Station.” That’s kind of nice to hear about since I figured all the stations down in that neck of the woods had switched formats to hip-hop by now.
As seasoned Rush fans would expect, Lee was his usual humble and soft-spoken self during the interview, which is available in three parts on the stations website. Make sure your allow pop-ups when you visit the station’s site since 
the videos are delivered in that fashion and will play in Windows Media Player for most viewers.
There was the usual interview talk about the well-recognized dedication of Rush fans as well as some things you usually don’t hear during an interview with one of the guys from Rush. Particularly the issue of a certain celebrity who lost her virginity while Rush’s Tom Sawyer played in the background, which may or may not have resulted in Lee’s face turning a bit red, depending on the accuracy of DJ Jim Kerr’s observation.
There was a good deal of discussion about the recent release of Rush: Retrospective 3, which Lee jokingly referred to as “absurd.” The new release is a CD/DVD set which features some re-mixed tracks from their Vapor Trails album as well as some live cuts that have not previously been released. The DVD features what Lee refers to as “just about every video we have made from that period (1989-2008) as well as some live concert footage and their rare national TV appearance on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report from last summer, which, by the way, I still have in my DVR.
We also learn that Rush has appeared in a new movie, a fact many dedicated Rush fans probably are well aware of, and leads to a few comments by Lee regarding the historic lack of popularity of the band among females, although he says that appears to be changing somewhat these days. Although well-accustomed to seeing bored and unhappy looking female companions in the crowd at Rush concerts who have shown up for the sake of their partner, Lee says that he is starting to see situations lately where the roles have been reversed. Rock on, ladies!
Although not a great revelation for Rush fans, Lee confirms that the group is considering a new album that they may start to work on in the fall, after they have had a chance to relax for a while and “recharge their batteries.” Something Neil Peart seems to be fully immersed himself lately.
You can grab a copy of Rush: Retrospective 3 at Amazon.com
October 31, 2008
Current Status of Led Zeppelin May Have Fans Dazed And Confused
Back in the news again are our favorite on-again-off-again classic rock supergroup, Led Zeppelin. Although some devoted fans may feel ill when they hear that name in association with the group without the presence of late drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin is the name that everyone is still using to refer to these guys, and I’m certainly not going to start calling them something like “Chickenfoot.”
After the recent revelation that Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler had been jamming with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, there were rumors of Tyler filling in for Plant on a Led Zeppelin tour. Frankly, I’m a little afraid to hear what those devoted Led Zeppelin fans might say if that came to pass. There have been reports of fan outrage being vented in various online forums regarding any tours hitting the road and using the name Led Zeppelin without Robert 
Plant planted in front of his microphone.
Veteran promoter Harvey Goldsmith seems to be in agreement with many fans and says he does not see the point of a Led Zeppelin tour without Robert Plant. “I doubt it will be called Led Zeppelin. I just think it’s a lot of talk, I think it’s wishful thinking. Whether they all come together and do something in the future, they may,” Goldsmith said.
Anyway, dedicated Zep fans may be able to breathe a little easier after it was announced that Tyler’s recent jam sessions with the boys in the U.K. was nothing serious. According to Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford, who was heard on the syndicated Todd n Tyler Radio Empire, the sessions were just for fun.
Whitford also said the whole idea might have been an effort to “light a fire under Robert [Plant],” which is the same rumor we heard a while back when it was reported that some other singers had been auditioning for Plant’s spot on a possible Led Zeppelin tour. Hooking up with Tyler may have been an effort to bring the big guns to bear on Plant, since Whitford agreed when asked if Steven Tyler was one of the most intimidating singers that could have been brought in to help motivate Plant.
Recent comments from John Paul Jones suggest that he, Page and Bonham have been having a great time rehearsing, and are very anxious to get out and play. A comment by Robert Plant saying that he would not be ready to take part in a Led Zeppelin tour for at least two years does not make the reality of a Led Zeppelin tour, or as close as we’ll ever see to one, appear to be coming to a venue near you in the near future.
There’s happier news for Led Zeppelin fans whose album collection may be a bit lacking, and who also subscribe to Sirius or XM satellite radio. The recently-merged broadcasters are launching a brand-new Led Zeppelin channel tomorrow at 6:00 PM Eastern Time, which will feature all Zeppelin all the time until December 31. There are plans to play just about every songs from the group’s catalog as well as interviews with band members from the archives. The Led Zeppelin channel will occupy channel 12 on Sirius and channel 39 on XM.
October 20, 2008
Some Scots Feeling Snubbed By AC/DC
Although the upcoming AC/DC tour will include a number of European dates, Scotland is not scheduled to host a single one of them, and some Scottish fans are feeling a little betrayed by the rockers from down under.
A Scottish DJ has taken the ire of his fans to the airwaves by boycotting any AC/DC tracks during his drive time radio show. Rock Radio DJ David "The Captain" Grant plans to exclude AC/DC from his song list unless they agree to visit Scotland and put on a show for their fans there.
"I will not be playing another AC/DC song on my show for a long time to come, or until the band change their mind on coming to Scotland as part of the tour,” says Grant.
Although the Black Ice tour will be making stops in Dublin, Manchester, London and Birmingham, no dates have been planned for Scotland, which apparently does not suffer from a shortage of AC/DC fans, many of which have called Grant’s show to express their disappointment.
Apparently, brothers Angus and Malcolm Young were actually born in Glasgow, which, as you might expect, adds a little dose of salt to the wounds that some dedicated AC/DC fans in Scotland are now suffering with.
Glasgow was also the city where the group’s first live album was recorded. If You Want Blood was recorded at the Apollo in 1978, so it’s clear that AC/DC has some long-lasting connections with Scotland.
The radio station where Grant works has started an online petition in an effort to persuade AC/DC to add Scotland to their tour itinerary, which will be presented to the band’s record company.
Since AC/DC has revised their schedule at least once already, and added new dates for the North American audience, perhaps the Scots have a chance at getting the group to make at least one more addition.
You can read more about this at The Evening Times.
October 17, 2008
Classic Rock Briefs For Friday, October 17, 2008
Jimmy Page Says Led Zeppelin Does Not Desire A Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Although Page expressed his appreciation for the efforts of dedicated fan Rocky Dickerson, who organized a campaign to secure a star for the legendary rockers, Page’s spokesperson says, “He (Page) has asked me to thank you for this interest but he does not feel that this is something that he can endorse.” Full Story.
Geddy Lee And Neil Peart of Rush To Appear on Upcoming Radio Show
Always refreshing to hear compared with a lot of other rock stars, the guys from Rush often come across as a bit more down-to-earth and brainy, but usually manage to be pretty funny and entertaining at the same time.
Bass player Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart (sometimes referred to as “The Professor”) will join Joe Benson for his syndicated radio program, Off The Record, on Sunday, October 19. For the full scoop on what station you can hear the program on in your area, or on the net, check out the Off The Record website.
Eagles Return For CMA Performance This Year
Once again, the Eagles will be performing on the Annual Country Music Awards. Also scheduled to perform at the event are Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney and The Wailers, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban.
The 42nd Annual Country Music Awards will take place at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 12 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) and be aired on the ABC Television Network. Full Story.
August 25, 2008
Jason Bonham Leaving Foreigner At The End of August
Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drumming legend John Bonham, has revealed his intent to leave Foreigner, who he has been with since 2004.
In a recent interview with Detroit classic rock radio station WCSX, Bonham broke the news that he will be leaving Foreigner at the end of the month. The interview took place on the morning of August 22 with WCSX’s JJ & Lynne, while the group was in town for a performance at the Renaissance Center.
Although the interviewers asked about the possibility of further developments on the Led Zeppelin front and whether Bonham’s departure from Foreigner has anything to do that subject, Bonham indicated that it was "too early to tell" whether or not he will be working with them again, although he admitted that he had been over to the U.K. a few times to work with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and play around with some new material.
Bonham said that his primary reason for leaving Foreigner at this time has more to do with spending time with his family than anything else.
He does still talk about his participation with the other three original members of Led Zeppelin at the O2 show, as well as every other opportunity he has had to play with them as "magical," and is hopeful that he will be working with them at some time in the future.
You can listen to and download the entire audio interview on the WCSX website.
