Jason Bonham


Jason Bonham, son of the late John "Bonzo" Bonham, does not take lightly the responsibility of carrying on his father's legacy. Having made a head start at drumming while he was a child, Jason is now passing on the same lessons to a third generation of Bonham drummers.

John Bonham's death in 1980 left such an impact on the surviving members of Led Zeppelin that they knew immediately they could not continue as they were. Yet Jason Bonham's familiarity with the band made him a shoe-in to join his father's bandmates on the few occasions reunion concerts have taken place.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of Bonham's most successful album release to date, the Platinum-certified disc The Disregard of Timekeeping released by his band, Bonham. To mark the milestone, he recently toured with a new band and played under the banner of "An Evening with Jason Bonham."

In the past, Bonham has also toured and/or recorded with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Foreigner, UFO, Paul Rodgers, Joe Bonamassa, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Healing Sixes and Motherland. He also acted in the movie Rock Star and appeared on the reality TV show "SuperGroup."

- What's the latest on Jason Bonham?

Friday, March 20, 2009

Led Zeppelin members, where are they now? Short answer: the United States!

It's been all quiet on the LedZeppelinNews.com front. Just like much of last year, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones aren't making any public statements about their plans. And now with Robert Plant off the road, and with Jason Bonham not doing anything we know of, it seemed appropriate to comment on everybody's last known, current or predicted near-future whereabouts.

As previously predicted here, Jimmy Page is set to be in Cleveland on April 4, when he will speak at the induction ceremony of Jeff Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to reports by the Cleveland Plain Dealer and USA Today. Earlier this month, photographer Ross Halfin reported on his blog that he was shooting Page for some upcoming projects, the nature of which he did not discuss. One thing we do know is that Page stars in a movie to be released in theaters this summer, "It Might Get Loud."

John Paul Jones sat in with Sara and Sean Watkins in Los Angeles during their performance on March 5 at Largo at the Coronet. I am willing to bet he joins them again tomorrow night, March 21, for the Watkins Family Hour's special appearance. Sara Watkins's debut solo album, produced by Jones, is set to be released April 7 on the Nonesuch label. (Watch this space for a review of the CD soon.) And on April 16-19, Jones will be in New York for the premiere of some new music of his, a collaboration with Sonic Youth.

Jason Bonham is also said to be in Los Angeles tomorrow night for a performance by the tribute band based out of that city, Led Zepagain. Guitarist Steve Zukowsky says Bonham is confirmed to attend the band's concert at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard on March 21. The tribute act is set to revisit Led Zeppelin's 1977 tour with the complete set list, faithful recreations of the equipment and costumes, plus the lasers, fog and other lighting that were a staple of the band's final tour of North America. With rear-screen visuals added, it looks to be a show not to miss -- an assessment Bonham seems to be willing to give a chance.

Robert Plant was known to be in a recording studio in Nashville with Alison Krauss in January, just prior to picking up five Grammy awards each in Los Angeles. Krauss is now said to be preparing for a tour later this year with her regular group, Union Station, which may mean that any future projects between her and Plant are on hold for the moment. In the meantime, Robert was last spotted in his hometown of Wolverhampton, England, greeting a racecar driver who was a fan of his.

His son, Logan Plant, is currently making big news. Logan's band, Sons of Albion, is in the United States for the first time, appearing in Austin, Texas, at the presently ongoing South by Southwest Festival. You may recall that Plant gave a keynote speech at this event in 2003 and performed at that time with his own band, the Strange Sensation. Following three gigs in Austin, the Sons of Albion move on to New York City for three more gigs in small clubs. They are set to appear March 24 at Annex, March 25 at Fontana's and March 26 at the Delancey. And who knows if some paternal support is in the cards at any of these New York shows!

So, even if there isn't a Led Zeppelin reunion on the horizon, there are still plenty of opportunities to catch the surviving members of Led Zeppelin and their relatives!

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John Paul Jones is now in one of the hottest and hardest rock bands, Them Crooked Vultures. The frontman, handling lead guitar and vocals, is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters is on drums. As for Jones, he offers not only bass and keyboard but also mandolin, keytar, lap steel and whatever else is needed.

One album was released in November, and another is forthcoming. A tour of North America completed in November, and the band now heads to Europe in December and Australia in January.

- What's the latest on Them Crooked Vultures, the group featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme?

- What else is John Paul Jones up to?