Joan Jett and the Blackhearts playing for free as part of the Downtown Live concert series in Raleigh this evening. Lots of good local bands are also on the bill including one of my very faves, The T's.

Olympic Ass Kickin' Team at Sadlack's in Raleigh.

Looks like the remdublin.com site is active again. Clips from the upcoming Live from the Olympia CD/DVD have been uploaded: Songs from Reckoning, Songs from Dublin

Talk about your misinterpretations. I didn't read anything in there that even remotely reminded me of Lennon's comment, which was also completely misunderstood at the time.

I've definitely heard some Zeppelin shows where the band was not in synch. Just like any artist that's willing to go out on a limb, you're going to have nights where you shine and others where you falter. Comes with the territory, particularly if you're an artist that likes to take chances. That's part of the excessive side of rock n' roll that punk artists were skewering in the late 70s and early 80s (and for good reason); the obligatory drum, keyboard, guitar, etc. solos. I can't say I miss it myself.

No. I have favorite bands myself (Zeppelin included) but I could never be into just one artist and totally unaccepting of anything else. I'm all for different strokes for different folks. I believe this guy's comments have been totally misconstrued throughout the majority of this thread (as well as mine). It's not about artists being "chic" or "hip" enough, or belittling anyone, it's about being accepting of other types of music besides those that have set the standard whether it be Nirvana or Led Zeppelin. I don't listen to music for any sort of perception of hipness but because of what moves me.

As others have noted, when Zeppelin "jammed" it was somewhat more structured even though they extended the songs and definitely improvised. I would never confuse a Zep "jam" with one from from say, the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Phish, the Allman Brothers Band, etc. As for "wanking", some bands are certainly guilty of that. I guess another term would be pointless noodling. On some nights a band like the Grateful Dead could take you on a breathtaking musical journey. On others they went absolutely nowhere. It was always a highwire act with them which is the true beauty of the Grateful Dead, they weren't afraid to fail. That's why so many don't even come close to touching them in the live band department. When they were firing on all cylinders and locked in, they were one of the very best live bands on the planet.

In very few cases are bands successfully able to carry on after losing such a vital member as Layne. This may well turn out to be the case for this incarnation of Alice In Chains. It tends to be the exception rather than the rule. AC/DC were more successful after bringing in Brian Johnson but lots of folks still prefer the Bon Scott era. I imagine the same will turn out to be true with Alice In Chains, particularly if this version of the band is indeed a success. On the other hand, if Nirvana were to regroup some would be ecstatic while others would never fully accept them without Cobain.

More here.

Will this make musical history as Chinese Democracy was supposed to? A soundalike to me is almost an insult to the band. Sort of like how Ripper Owens was chosen to front Judas Priest and how Journey found their latest Steve Perry soundalike via YouTube.

'Freebird' ultimately unforgettable Lynyrd Skynyrd released the song 35 years ago. Since then, it has been an anthem, a demand, an ode to personal independence and the lamest heckle in the history of rock. Christopher Borrelli | Tribune reporter "Man, do not write this," said Bruce Finkelman, owner of the Empty Bottle on Western Avenue. "Let that song die. It's almost dead! There's a generation out there for whom this song means nothing! They're not yelling it like they used to!" Sorry. Thirty-five years ago, Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd -- playing next Sunday with Kid Rock at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park -- released the single "Freebird," and in the decades since it has been an anthem, a demand, an ode to personal independence, the lamest heckle in the history of rock. But what it has never been is forgettable -- not to the band who played it, not to the disparate acts who still get a rowdy "Freebird!" shouted at them, regardless of what they play or who they are. "The best thing about touring Europe is no one yells 'Freebird,' " said James McNew, bass player for the indie band Yo La Tengo. And yet, Finkelman is right -- depending whom you ask, people aren't shouting "Freebird!" like they used to. Tim Rutili, the Chicago musician who once fronted Red Red Meat and now leads Califone, said he only gets "Freebird!" shouted at him "maybe once every few years." Which is sad, because what would going to a concert be without that one person who shouts "Freebird"? To read the rest of the article click here.

Cheap Trick should be great. Too bad they aren't the headliners on that tour, which is where they belong. I'd have no interest whatsoever in seeing the other two bands.

From NME.com: Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin man recording together Dave Grohl at V Festival - check out our definitive Foo Fighters album review this week. Pic: Guy Eppel John Paul Jones hits the studio with Foo Fighters and Queens frontmen Dave Grohl is currently recording with Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. There were rumours of the trio working together as long ago as 2005, but according to Antiquiet.com, they have finally started recording together, and are currently in the studio in Los Angeles. Although the group are being tight-lipped about their plans, Homme's wife, Spinnerette's Brody Dalle, indicated that she had heard some of the trio's efforts. “I'm not at liberty to talk about it… but I think [the project] is pretty fucking amazing," she declared. "Just beats and sounds like you've never heard before.”

In the early 80s there was also new wave and punk. I was starting to grow out of my metal/hard rock phase and was getting more into artists like the dB's, R.E.M., Let's Active, the Replacements, the Cure, U2, the Alarm, 10,000 Maniacs, etc. What I wasn't into then was a great deal of what was on MTV including the synth heavy/drum machine type artists and the beginnings of hair metal.

Bump

Bump

Saw this posted elsewhere recently:

Best to get all the heavy lifting out of the way in time for the weekend.

I picked up on it but thought of it as rhetorical so I didn't reply.

http://www.ismichaeljacksonstillalive.com