Interview by Kris Peters
Led Zeppelin are one of the most revered and respected bands EVER.
Their contribution to music is legendary and the indelible mark the band and their music has left on generations of music lovers is immeasurable.
The death of drummer John Bonham in 1980 brought an end to that era of original music, but his, and the music of Led Zeppelin, lives on in the form of Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening (JBLZE) which was formed by and is the musical heartbeat of John's son Jason.
It is more than a tribute band. Much more.
It is a labour of love, honour and respect for Jason, who grew up with the sounds of Whole Lotta Love, Ramble On and more reverberating through the walls of his home.
JBLZE is an extension of that childhood, faithfully harnessed to capture the musical essence of a time gone past that will never be repeated. It is a faithful adaption of Led Zeppelin songs from the heart of one of the only people left in the world who can truly claim to be a part of that evolution, and one which has entertained audiences the world over.
Now, it is Australia's turn to experience the musical magic of JBLZE when the band touches down for a string of shows this April.
Jason joined HEAVY for an insightful chat about the band and the many moving parts that bring it to life.
"It's an honour to bring my Father's music in a live setting, with some personal stories and get to know the fans a lot more," he began. "Zeppelin only got there once so I love to carry the torch. It started off 13 years ago as one of those things I said I would do once and pay homage to my Father. I said I would do thirty shows and we had a video wall and home footage and I would tell a few stories, and then I realised it wasn't so much about what I thought of Led Zeppelin. Everybody shared with me - through social media, or even at the concerts - how much Zeppelin meant to them. It was mind blowing and very emotional. I'd never really gone into it in that depth before so it was an eye opener for me to do that. It was a way for me to still have to play with them and everything we did in 2007 when it all stopped... It was still kind of an open wound for me that still hadn't healed. In some ways I wanted to address it but at other times I wanted to leave it open, but it was the best way I could ever think of. Just to go on there, perform the music from my heart, tell a few stories of life with the old man. He was just Dad. I didn't know the bonzo side of him too well, so it really grew from that. The next thing you know we were seven years in playing in front of 16,000 people doing festival shows and I never imagined in my wildest dreams a thing I started purely as a way of expressing and playing Led Zeppelin music would suddenly take a whole energy and a life of itself. We've been doing this 13 years now, and it still doesn't get old. It still feels as fresh as the first day we did it, and that's the secret. We don't overplay it. We don't try and do 100 shows a year. If we do 35 shows a year that's all we wanna do."
In the full interview, Jason tells us what to expect from the show, how accurate the songs are to their original versions, choosing between different recorded versions of the songs, capturing the feel of the era led Zeppelin's music was created in, his upbringing under the Led Zeppelin umbrella, pressures and expectations growing up, reproducing the sounds live and more.