By Danny Coleman
originally published: 09/11/2015
Ya' know; it's a lot less than ten years ago," says front man/Robert Plant portray-er Bruce Lamont of Led Zeppelin 2; a Zeppelin tribute band. "We all come from playing original music; in the '90's this wouldn't fly but it's a new era so we receive less and less criticism for what we're doing and the audiences are also much younger so we're turning on new and different fans to the music of one of the greatest bands of all time."
Born from an annual Halloween costume event at a local bar; Lamont, guitarist Paul Kamp, bassist Matthew Longbons and drummer Ian Lee came together and never looked back. "We've all played in bands all around the Chicago area," explained Lamont. "One of the local bars had an event every year where the area musicians were invited to dress up and perform as their favorite musical heroes; we chose Zeppelin. It went over really well and we enjoyed it so we thought, maybe we have something here and kept at it. In 2007 we upped the ante a bit and started wearing costumes; the silk shirts, Paul wore the Jimmy Page type outfits and our bookings started to increase. Around 2009 we started hitting the road and we've been doing it ever since."
Lamont says that the individual's choice of Zeppelin was an easy one; as each band member counts the group as a huge influence on their musical careers. He recalled his first exposure to the music legends and even credits his mom as being the one to turn him onto the mighty quartet whose music can still be found ruling high school parking lots post final bell and beyond all over the world. "I remember when I was a kid, my first exposure goes back to WLS in Chicago. My mom had a 1974 or a '76 Ford LTD and whenever we'd go places she'd have that station on and she liked what they now call classic rock but she was a Zep fan. I was young and I'd want to listen to other stations but she wouldn't let me," he said with a laugh. "In 1982 I was given a copy of "Led Zeppelin IV" and I heard that opening guitar of "Black Dog" and then "Stairway" and I was just hooked. Up until then I liked whatever stuff was around and what my mom made me listen to in that Ford but that album; that album was like a gateway drug to harder rock music."
The talented foursome who make up this now national touring act have all experienced success with other bands and at various levels. Kamp had great success with a local Chicago band, Busker Soundcheck; which garnered spots on "Best of" lists as well as an individual nomination for "Best Guitarist" in Illinois. Bassist Longbons, an accomplished trumpet player, began playing bass circa 2001 and quickly became a road warrior; touring the U.S. and Europe extensively which included shows with Alice Cooper, The Allman Brothers Band and a nod as the "Best Unsigned Bassist 2004" at the "National Emergenza Battle of The Bands." Longbons also handles the keyboard and mandolin duties in the band.
Ian Lee mans the Ludwig kit for the band and like John Bonham is the driving force in the group. This native Canadian has opened for Ted Nugent and performed with members of Cheap Trick, Veruca Salt and Urge Overkill. Then there's Lamont; the hardest rocker of the bunch and a mainstay in Chicago's metal scene. Performing in several metal acts and with a solo CD of his own; Lamont views Led Zeppelin 2 as more than just another band. "I look at this as more than just a tribute band; for me, I consider it an acting gig too. This is almost like musical theater, it's a tribute band but the lighting, the actions make it more of a production and total experience. We try to inject a little "Oomph" into the show; the disc "How the West Was Won," that's a good example of where we are as a band with our live shows."
Lamont says that although he claims to be "Embarrassed to say so," he has never seen Robert Plant live in concert. Instead, he has studied and listened to countless recordings and videos; picking up nuances and vocal styling through media. "I've listened to many bootlegs and have tried to take a little something away from each performance because Robert rarely does the same thing twice. I watched videos and whatever is out there. I'm really digging what he's doing now, today with Alison Krauss and his solo stuff; really great. There's very little difference in Plant's motions at 20 and at 60 something; he's just so consistent."
The band tries to present itself in the same manner by reproducing as true a Zeppelin sound on stage; which often times sounds like the aforementioned bootleg recordings from the '70's. Lamont says that's their goal and one they strive to achieve with every passing show. "We do many different things many ways but we do try to create as real a Zeppelin live sound as possible. We do "Thank You" like the BBC Sessions, we throw in "Stairway," "Moby" and "Whole Lotta Love" from another era and we're cooking towards the end.
Crowds have been exceptionally receptive and growing exponentially says Bruce. "Well, let's put it this way; let's just say that on this tour alone, the audiences are two to three times larger then our last tour. About 30 minutes into our set we hit "Dazed and Confused" and the few who aren't are soon on their feet. Everyone is into it; young fans, old fans and everyone in between are really loving the music."
The band has been on the road for quite some time now and have a full schedule ahead of them. To discover more about Led Zeppelin 2 please go to
www.zep2.com .
Recently there were two shows of note; the first was the "Born To Run Turns 40" celebration at Bar A in Belmar and the second was Hank Woji with Sonny Kenn and George Wirth at the Saint in Asbury Park.
Jesse James Warren and Terry Camp did a great job assembling some of the best musicians the Jersey Shore has to offer; topped off by former E Street drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez and current E Street drummer Max Weinberg in a tribute to Springsteen's masterpiece. Weinberg kicked the entire evening off with a short speech about the album's rightful prominent stature and place in American music history and performed the iconic title track as an already rambunctious crowd was instantly whipped into a fever pitch; setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
Former Garden State denizen Hank Woji returned to his roots for a show at The Saint in Asbury Park. Playing with his assembled band for the first time as a unit; Woji smiled, laughed, cajoled and laid down some of the sweetest sounds he could muster from his touring ensemble. A great stage presence was enhanced by his obvious joy of performing and those in attendance were not the least bit disappointed. Woji's hand picked selections of the ageless Sonny Kenn and one of the best singer songwriters to ever walk the planet, George Wirth; made this show flow easily from start to finish like a meandering stream through a countryside.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS:
Alchemist & Barrister 28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Thursday Jazz" feat. Jacob Kelberman Trio
Sun. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Wed. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri Band
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri 8:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Blend Bar & Bistro911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Brothers In Exile, Alustrium, Iron Front, Abandon Earth. All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Take Back,Zorigami, Vine Street, Blackout, (TBA). All ages, $10
Sun. 5 p.m. The Browning, Evacuate The City, The Things They Carried, The Second Phase, Lost In Betrayal, (TBA). All ages, $12/$15
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Shakera Jones (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night
Cream Ridge Winery
145 Route 539 Allentown
(609) 259-9797
Sat. 12 p.m. "Bluegrass Festival & BBQ" feat. State Line w/ Paul Unkert, Travis Wetzel and Friends, Home Cookin'
Sun. 12 p.m. "Bluegrass Festival & BBQ" feat. Steve Lutke and the Appalachian Uprising, Old Faithful Bluegrass Band, Home Cookin'
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Gypsy Mother
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Visoon (9 p.m.) Visoon
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) Mike Estabrook
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Soul Custody Trio
Mon. 8 p.m. Perry Wolfe
Tues. 8 p.m. Dick Gratton
Wed. 8 p.m. Johnny Moskal
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Fri. 8 p.m. Charles Laurita & The Mischief
Sat 8 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd.
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Bigg Romeo
Sat. 8 p.m. Christine Martucci. Doors at 6 p.m., $20
Sun. 6 p.m. Sandy and the Sneaky Petes
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Wed. 7 p.m. Freedy Johnson, Jeffrey Gaines, Eli, Leslie DiNicolo. Doors 6 p.m., $20
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. F2 & The Anchovy Brothers
Sat. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Spencer Johnson
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike Montrey Band
Sat. 9 p.m. The Fermenters
Sun. (3 p.m.) Anthony Sacchetti (9 p.m.) Tim Pourbaix & Sean Wiggins
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Tim
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series at the Capital Green
201 Barrack Street Trenton
Sat. 7 p.m. Blondes / A Love Like PI. All ages, Free outdoor event
Millhill Basement
300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Sat. 9 p.m. Mothers, Logan Carpenter, Mikki Hopwood, Joey Affatato, (TBA). $10
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Bob E. Luv. $5 (with college ID), $15 (without)
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) "Special 9/11 Commemoration/Fundraiser for The Feel Good Foundation" feat. The Hott Mess Too, Kym D.
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. City Hicks
Sat. 9 p.m. No Limits
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius
Sat. 10 p.m. Seth Tieger Band
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. (8:30 p.m.) Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. The Muggs / Ripped. All ages, Doors 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Scott Sharrard Band. Allages, Doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Xcluzive
Sat. 9 p.m. Riversbend
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Trenton Buzz
702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Cinema Thursday Presents: (TBA)
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday Presents: "Old Work Meets New" by Howard Michaels
Sat. !0 p.m. "After Party" w/ DJs Jay Kountree, Dave Robb. Ages 21+
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. The Letters Home.($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Commonwealth Choir w/ Moonbreaker.($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign ups 6:30 p.m.)
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
All shows 21+
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
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