July 2013 – Page 5 – Concertologist

SPACE ODDITY – DAVID BRIGHTON as DAVID BOWIE on AXS TV WORLD’S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS SEASON 2 OPENER 7/15/2013

This was a solid show to start the new season of The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands.

In addition to playing a bunch of songs that appeared on the “Changesbowie” album, there were many surprises in the season 2 opener for TWGTB.

Katie Daryl introduced David and the show began with “Fame”, which got the place rocking.

David Brighton did a fantastic and very convincing job playing Bowie tunes from each era, complete with costumes changes and special guests. He and his very capable band then launched into “Young Americans” and “Golden Years”.

Mick Adams from The Ultimate Stones came out and sang “Dancing In The Streets”, which really took the crowd by surprise. Given its normal format, the show went to a relatively early commercial break.

Katie took the stage and the curtain closed momentarily.

Following the commercial break, David came out in the Ziggy Stardust outfit. Space Oddity played “Rebel Rebel”, “Ziggy Stardust” and then mixed together “Changes” and “Space Oddity”.

From there, they played “Suffragette City” and “The Jean Genie”

An extended guitar solo allowed more time for another costume change and another group of tunes that started with “Let’s Dance” and “China Girl” from the early 80s.

Another highlight of the show was an appearance by Freddie Mercury (Gregory Finsley from Queen Nation). He came out and performed a rocking version of “Under Pressure”.

Then the band closed out the live telecast with “Heroes”, where Katie came onstage and said goodnight to the TV crowd.

The best part? Katie said they were going to play one more song played as they went off air and they closed the show with “Modern Love”.

This was a great way to start the season and sets the bar way high for the rest of the performers in season 2.

Next week? The Police Experience. This should be another outstanding show.

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BRIAN TICHY DISCUSSING UPCOMING A.L.I.V.E. shows with BUMBLEFOOT, REX BROWN and MARK ZAVON (70s KISS)at the Whisky, Las Vegas and Chino

JAMES LoMenzo JAM WITH KENNY ARONOFF BRENT WOODS ERIK HIMEL JIMMY DEANDA CHUCK WRIGHT BRIAN TICHY FREDDIE MERCURY LUCY’S 51 Toluca Lake 7/16/2013

Lucy’s 51 is a great venue and this was a jam to be at. James LoMenzo, Brent Woods and Kenny Aronoff make an incredible band.

It’s hard to thinks such an incredible jam could take place on a Monday. Tons of great songs were played and fun was had by all.

One of the biggest parts of the evening was seeing Greg from Queen Nation do a guest spot for the second time this evening (Earlier on live TV with Space Oddity/ David Brighton as David Bowie at the Roxy) with Brian Tichy joining in on the drums, as they tore through some Queen classics. The songs completely rocked. The all around musicianship was fierce. Everybody played their heart out and the crowd loved it.

INTERVIEW: BRIAN TICHY TALKS ABOUT THE UPCOMING MOBY DICKS CONCERT AND PLAYING LED ZEPPELIN’S DAY ON THE GREEN SHOW AT THE VIPER ROOM

PLAYING THE “A DAY ON THE GREEN” SHOW IN ITS ENTIRIETY JULY 20, 2013!!!

THE VIPER ROOM & METAL 4 BREAKFAST PRESENT: THE MOBY DICKS- PERFORMING LED ZEPPELIN’S 1977 OAKLAND SHOW – “DAY ON THE GREEN” SHOW PREVIEW

This marks the second time the Moby Dicks will be playing an epic Led Zeppelin concerts in its entirety for Metal 4 Breakfast at the Viper Room. To top their last performance here, this upcoming Moby Dicks show may be the most historically significant show they’ve put on to date.

Brian Tichy took some time on the phone to discuss his upcoming 3 hour Led Zeppelin show with The Moby Dicks at the Viper Room to pay tribute to arguably the greatest band ever with the exact set list of one of their most historic US concerts. In addition to being quite informative and incredibly knowledgeable about Led Zeppelin, he has an incredible sense of humor.

The Beginnings of the Band/ the Road To The Bonzo Bash

The Moby Dicks resulted from an idea Tichy had several years ago when he felt he needed to have a show with his friends to pay tribute to rock drumming icon John “Bonzo” Bonham on September 28, 2010 (the 30th anniversary of Bonzo’s passing) by having a Bonzo replica kit set up , for which various drummers take turns playing their favorite Zeppelin songs along to a house band of a guitarists, singer bassist and keyboardist. When it came time to book the show, he had no difficulty in recruiting an incredible line-up of drummers. That groundbreaking show lead to future shows and Michael Devin (original bass player, who is currently in Whitesnake) simply named them “The Moby Dicks” and they ended up building a band around the concept to play clubs and have some fun playing Zeppelin’s Music. The last few years have seen the show morph into a “Bonzo Bash” with many high profile appearances in California and Las Vegas on the West Coast and New Jersey and New York on the East Coast.

The Present

Brian quickly reviewed the history of the band before fast-forwarding to earlier this year when Brian’s close friend and Moby Dick’s guitarist Brent Woods got together with Toddie B from Metal4Breakfast to conceive a show that had the identical set list of a historic Zeppelin show at the Viper Room last May. In addition to them recreating the record-breaking 1973 Tampa show (which, to date had been the most attended single band concert to date), they had Frankie Banali, an actual attendee of that very concert in ‘73, sit in as the drummers for a few songs during the show. It ended up being a remarkable evening with a nice, long Zeppelin set played by an incredible band that was well up for the task.In an effort to top their last performance here, this upcoming Moby Dicks show may be the most historically significant show they’ve put on to date.

As per the last Viper Room/ M4B “set list” show, and following their recent popular East Coast Bonzo Bash events, Brian Tichy will once again get behind the Bonzo replica kit (and perhaps do a little guitar again as well), Chas West will be on vocals, with Stephen LeBlanc on keyboards, Brent Woods on lead guitar and the band’s newest member, James LoMenzo on the bass at the Viper Room on July 20,2013. It seems like this theme/concept will continue for future Moby Dicks shows at the Viper Room to continue their authentic tribute to great Zeppelin shows past.

This interview took place prior to the first show at the Viper Room residency. Brian is absolutely hilarious behind a microphone, but completely ferocious behind a drum kit.

After reviewing the length of the set list, Brian confirmed that this is going to be around a 3 hour show, which should start around 10PM and will hopefully wrap up around 1:00AM. Brian said he would like if there was some time left over after the show and before the venue closes to “Have a hang with friends and fans. Chill out with people. Have a drink and crank some more Zeppelin on the sound system……in case you didn’t get enough Led Zeppelin”.

TOP CONCERTS OF LED ZEPPELIN:

Since this set list theme seems like it will be an ongoing effort/ residency, Brian was asked to name what he considered his top Led Zeppelin concerts of all time.

He started by saying he usually watches a compilation of live Led Zep performances that keeps him entertained. “The tunes are awesome, the players are awesome, they stretch out differently all the time……… it’s borderline metal, hippy dippy trippy, and everything else imaginable from blues to metal. He went on to mention ”nobody did that” at the time and it was much so more than other typically “experimental” bands back in the day, where everybody would just “do their thing”.

After some thought, notable shows that came to mind for him were Knebworth, Royal Albert Hall, Live at BBC, “Day On The Green” (the last live Zeppelin show in the US, which is what this upcoming concert is all about) and of course, Tampa (their previous Moby Dicks Viper Room show.) He also added that “ The Whisky set is cool, too.” There may be some hints there for future shows.

Recreating a 3 Hour Live Show

The conversation then switched over to discussing the effort that went into these shows to recreate a 3 hour concert. For this particular show, he said there are some new songs in this set that he doesn’t play often and others he hasn’t played since high school, such as “Ten Years Gone”, but he said he could definitely sit down and play that one. He also said it takes more effort to recreate the guitar and bass parts with planning and the proper equipment and sounds and credited the other members in the band for having to get prepare for this monumental effort. He also went on to say “We know them, we just have to LEARN them”. For a show like this, they’ll typically do a full rehearsal and figure out what needs to be worked on from there. Those songs and song parts become the main focus of the remaining rehearsals. Then they sound check it and let it rock. He added, “It’s harder to learn songs you’ve never listened to.” “Chas, Stephen (and previously Michael Devin) all played and toured with Bonham, so they already put in their time and know so many of these songs.”

The conversation then turned to individual band members. Brian brought about some great points about Chas’ remarkable ability to perform these songs at a very high level for hours on end. For the marathon shows, Chas rehearses for days on end, including some grueling 14 hour days. Tichy attributes Chas’ ability to sing Zeppelin all night to the fact that he is focused and “He’s a total Zep head”. Brian explained that Chas can be up there with over 20 drummers, saying that for every drummer “you have to give them the same as last guy. There’s “Drummer #25” up 4 hours later…. Mike Portnoy is up there. This is his ONE song. It’s an interesting mentality.” He’s proud of Chas’ for his ability to handle the demanding vocals duties like a true pro.

With the “extensive bunch of bad ass guitar players” he’s played with, he credits Brent Woods as the one with whom he thinks may have the best pure tone of all of them. As far as he’s concerned with his playing, “It’s all there.”

Tichy also spoke of his long-standing relationship with bass player James LoMenzo, who has recorded albums and shared the stage with Brian in bands such as Pride and Glory, Slash’s Snakepit, and Lynch Mob before joining forced in the Moby Dicks. Being in bands together over so many years make them a very formidable rhythm section.

He said he met Stephen when Michael Devin hand-picked him for the Bonzo Bash gigs. Since they played together in Bonham, Brian just took his word for it an that was that. As expected, Stephen had the sound and parts down and has really added a great element to the performances. Even though there’s hardly time to get to know someone other than on a musical level during something as intense as a Bonzo Bash rehearsal, he’s gotten to know him on a more personal level over the last few years. He describes Stephen as “quiet, reserved and totally cool. He nails all the tones and he’s a fun improviser.

No Quarter is a big part of their live jam and, according to Brian, it just “goes where it goes, but we’re out own players in the band. We take chances”, which is something he really enjoys about being in this band.

Outside of their planned residency, he explained that the Moby Dicks have no current plans of an “actual tour”, but there will be several “one-off” shows that will most likely pop up in the LA and Las Vegas area. He even hinted at having a “viewers choice” set list one evening where the fans get to pick the songs.

After having a discussion about Brian getting more Zeppelin tattoos (he only has Page “ZOSO” right now) and was told of the waitress at the Rainbow with the perfectly tattooed Runes on her arm. Just by hearing this, and without knowing her or evening seeing a picture (which was taken by permission a while back), Brian immediately offered her free admittance to this show her awesome tattoos. He Got very excited and said “she needs to be on the guest list”.

To conclude our chat, Brian was read the set list for the show and asked to give his quick, initial thoughts on each song:

SONG REMAINS THE SAME- “Unique song and groove…… nobody sounds like that!”

THE ROVER – “Great riff, great chorus”

SICK AGAIN – “Some people love it, but it was never in my top list of Zeppelin songs”

NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE “Epic……. and hard arrangement”

OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY “Awesome guitar tune…. a song whose true melody can’t be messed with…. (referring to Robert Plant lowering the pitch later on)”

SINCE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU The best blues song in the entire history of the world!

NO QUARTER – “Best half-time and one of Led Zeppelin’s Top 5…….. one of the most badass songs ever. You don’t know what’s going to happen. There are the chords you didn’t see coming. No band ever did anything like that before. They set the standard”

TEN YEARS GONE– “Page peaking!”

BATTLE OF EVERMORE– (moment of silence) “What do you say? I don’t know what to say about that one. Where’d THAT come from?”

GOING TO CALIFORNIA “Cool, mellow Zeppelin.”

MYSTERY TRAIN (it’s a cover song by Junior Parker) – “Gotta listen to it” (but he’s sure he can pull it off.)

BLACK COUNTRY WOMAN – “A classic!)

BRON-Y-AUR STOMP “Quirky Zeppelin” (he talked about how he enjoys this with his other band S.U.N.)

TRMPLED UNDER FOOT ; “Great, funky Led Zeppelin”

WHITE SUMMER/ BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE – “Page doing his thing”

KASHMIR – “EPIC ! The epic of epics!”

ACHILLES’ LAST STAND – “One of their mightiest – really showing their might….even on Presence)

STAIRWAY- “Never Heard It”

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE- – “Never Heard It”

ROCK N ROLL – “Never Heard It”

That was a great way to conclude the conversation.

Here is the set list that The Moby Dicks will be bringing back from 36 years ago this:

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Metal 4 Breakfast Presents: The Moby Dicks (Led Zeppelin Tribute)
Featuring Chas West on Vocals, Brent Woods on Guitar, Brian Tichy on Drums, Stephen Leblanc on Keyboards, James LoMenzo on Bass

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THE VIPER ROOM & METAL 4 BREAKFAST PRESENT: THE MOBY DICKS- PERFORMING LED ZEPPELIN’S 1977 OAKLAND SHOW – “DAY ON THE GREEN” SHOW JULY 20, 2013 PREVIEW

JULY 20, 2013!!!

PLAYING THE “A DAY ON THE GREEN” SHOW IN ITS ENTRIETY

THE VIPER ROOM & METAL 4 BREAKFAST PRESENT: THE MOBY DICKS- PERFORMING LED ZEPPELIN’S 1977 OAKLAND SHOW – “DAY ON THE GREEN” SHOW PREVIEW

Per the first M4B Moby Dicks show and the popular nationwide Bonzo Bash events, Brian Tichy will once again be playing the Bonzo replica kit, Brent Woods will be playing a Jimmy Page double neck, and James Lomenzo will be performing John Paul Jones’ bass parts to perfection, while Stephen LeBlanc’s demonstrates his keyboard wizardry and Chas West recreates the classic vocals of Robert Plant at the Viper Room on July 20,2013 to pay tribute to arguably the greatest band ever.

This marks the second time the Moby Dicks will be playing an epic Led Zeppelin concerts in its entirety for Metal 4 Breakfast at the Viper Room.

Over the last few months, the promotion has managed to bring several incredible shows to the venue.

Metal4Breakfast’s debut show was a star-studded, sold out affair that rocked incredibly hard with Sebastian Bach, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Matt Sorum and Frankie Perez ) and earned rave reviews, in addition to being recapped by Blabbermouth.

And to top their last performance here, this upcoming Moby Dicks show may be the most historically significant show they’ve put on to date.

Last time, not only did they deliver a superb performance of 1973’s Record-Breaking Show From Tampa Bay , but they went WAY above and beyond any expectations by absolutely killing it, as Brian’s playing was on fire, Brent Woods literally became Jimmy Page, while Chas’ singing is at the top of his game and James LoMenzo absolutely nailed each and every bass part

Heavy Metal Hill met up with Toddie B, Metal 4 Breakfast creator, to discuss the upcoming Moby Dicks’ recreation of a Led Zeppelin show at the Viper Room.

HMH: Metal 4 Breakfast is a cool name…. kind of like Heavy Metal Hill. How did you come up with it?

Toddie B/ Metal 4 Breakfast: Back in 2006, I became a die-hard AX7 fan. I’m an old time classic rock guy, but really started following new metal bands.

Every morning, I’d wake up for work and it would be a new heavy metal song playing on my alarm. One morning, I said here we go again…. “Metal for Breakfast”.. and that started it.

HMH: You really hit the ground running with your first two shows, which have been among the very best HMH has seen of the year so far. The first Moby Dicks concert you promoted at the Viper Room was just incredible and the band really was on fire. That show meant a lot to you on many levels. What made this show so great?

TB/M4B: Led Zeppelin is and has been my favorite band from early teens throughout my adulthood. There hasn’t been a day in the last 35 years That I haven’t listened to them. When I was 12, I saw the Day of the Green concert. That’s when I realized that rock no roll music gets in your blood and stays in your blood. LZ has brought rock-n-roll to what it is today. This particular show broke all previous attendance records in the US for a stadium concert.

(YOU ADDED MORE HERE THAT I CAN TRANSCRIBE AT A LATER TIME, IF I NEED TO……. AND PERHAPS THE SAME WITH OTHER RESPONSES AS WELL.)

HMH: Having guest and part-time Moby Dick Frankie Banali, an actual attendee at the very concert they were paying tribute to, come up and play drums on a few songs was about as authentic as it can get. Was that intentional?

TB/M4B: Actually, it wasn’t. Brent, Brian, Chas and James are a tight knit group that have been hanging out together since the 80s. They invited a few guys and Frankie happened to show up. It really just worked out.

HMH: It’s very cool that the first M4B Moby Dicks show (from 1973) was nearly 40 years to the day of the performance at the Viper Room (May 5, 1973/ May 11, 2013). Was that coincidence, good timing or both?

TB/M4B: That was by design. My idea was to recreate some of the greatest shows they did in the US the same month of that year.

HMH: This show will be played almost 36 years to the day (July 23, 1977/ July 20, 2013) – an anniversary of sorts. You’re just 3 days off.

The 1977 was the last US show played and it happens to be just 3 days shy of the 40 year mark where they played their last show here before Bonzo passed and the band broke up.

How cool is that?

TB/M4B: Actually, all the future shows will be the same way and as close as possible to the original in every way. Solos, equipment, everything. Say 99%.

HMH: Brian Tichy and James Lomenzo have a long history together. Tell me some of the bands that both Brian and James Lomenzo were both in, either at the same time or otherwise…

TB/M4B: Oh gosh. Ozzy, BLS, Lynch Mob, Slash’s Snake Pit,, and the list goes on. James was also in White Lion and Megadeth. Chas and Brian have also both been in Foreigner. Chas was also in Bonham as well. Brian has been in Whitesnake and Billy Idol as well.

Here is the set list that The Moby Dicks will be bringing back from 36 years ago this:

The stage set was pretty neat last time. And Brent already has the bar stool for this show. What more is being added? Equipment? Guest Stars? Other surprises?

Toddie B: The stage will be set up as close to the original as possible with the same amp heads, cabinets, exact drum set and gong. Really as close to the original as possible.

HMH: Band Members

Tell us some things that perhaps we don’t know about guitarist Brent Woods.

TB/M4B: Brent Woods is one of the most sought-after session guitarist in the industry He regularly works with Gene Simmons and is a very private person, yet a hard working studio musician. Non-stop worker, early riser. Sometimes he spends 12-14 hours in the studio. In my opinion, he is one of the most amazing, underrated guitarists on the planet and has an incredible work ethic. HE does movie work, just completed a project with Fred Coury from Cinderella.

Brent, as a kid, got hooked in with Randy Rhoads. Randy gave him weekly lessons for years. Brent can play any genre and is very creative. Good laid-back guy….. one of the easiest guys to work with that I’ve promoted thus far and he’s a close friend of mine.

I was at a Kings game with Brent a while back when Brent told me about one of his only regrets in life.

During a lesson with Randy Rhoads, his mom wanted to take a picture of me and Randy with our guitars. He said he was shy and unprepared, so he passed on the opportunity. He’ll regret that forever.

HMH: Chas West is singing better than ever. His vocals are on the next level? Do you know how he upped his game the way he did?

TB/M4B: Chas is very serious about his work. He takes care of himself physically, and he is constantly in the studio practicing. I was also told that Dave Meniketti gave him the advice to get 8 hours of sleep every night and that is a huge secret to how Chas has been able to outdo himself as his career continues.

The Moby Dicks are some of the hardest working musicians out there. They work from 6-10 hours a day. It’s such an honor to have this

I am so appreciative of what they are doing and am honored to be their promoter.

HMH: Stephen LeBlanc is quite the impressive keyboard player. His playing is absolutely phenomenal, yet he always seems to be unassumingly rocking out at the back of the stage adding incredible keyboard parts. What do you have to say about him?

TB/M4B: As you know, Stephen is also the keyboard player in Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. He is as good as they come. A truly solid musician that really rounds out this excellent band.

HMH: Brian Tichy is hilarious. Is he fun to work with?

TB/M4B: Brian is a handful, for sure. He’s an absolute perfectionist and it shows in his drumming. I think he is one of the top 5 drummers in the world and is a blast to work with. He’s always humorous and light-hearted , yet he demands perfection.

You had a killer raffle for a guitar at a previous M4B show. You’re also doing a promotion/giveaway for this show. What exactly is it?

TB/M4B: I’m very appreciative when fans come out and spend their hard earned money.

I want to give back. One of the first 100 fans to buy a ticket will be the lucky recipient of a brand new snare drum,. And, from now on, there will be a giveaway at every Moby Dicks show at their Viper Room residency.

Do you know if the Moby Dicks are going to tour some more?

TB/M4B: Yes. Absolutely. I have some bigger stuff in the works. The Viper Room residency is just a start… There will be more later this year….

Anything else you’d like to talk about to the people that are interested in this show and these musicians?

TB/M4B: I want to thank all the musicians, bands and everyone involved in the shows at the Viper Room.

What else in on the “Breakfast Plate” for M4B?
TB/M4B: We are talking about it…. Steve Stevens is in the studio recording Billy’s new album. Look for something big with Steve and Franky Perez and “perhaps” several others, this fall (big hint there).

Which songs on the set list for this show have the fondest memories and why??

TB/M4B: “Since I’ve Been Loving You” – It was one of the songs at my wedding and is very near and dear to my heart. I still listen to it 3 times a week.

No Quarter - this became a favorite song of mine while growing up up in the liberal county of Marin in the late 70s… As you can imagine, the “post-hippie era”.

Going to California - obviously near and dear to my heart as well with me being a 4th generation Californian. It’s in my Top 5 of favorite Zeppelin songs.

White Summer/Black Mountain Side – when I was young, I was a firefighter and we all listened to this song nightly, which always brings back some really great memories.

Stairway to Heaven - By far my fondest memory and favorite song. I slow danced to Stairway with my first girlfriend at a junior high dance . It’s been my favorite song since then.

Unlike several promoters out there, Metal 4 Breakfast is obviously putting on these shows for the right reasons and has the right idea about putting on meaningful, quality concerts with great musicians. Judging from previous shows and their promising futures, you can be sure to expect big things from the Moby Dicks and Metal 4 Breakfast for this show and other events you won’t want to miss.

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Metal 4 Breakfast Presents: The Moby Dicks (Led Zeppelin Tribute)
Featuring Chas West Vocals, Brent Woods Guitar, Brian Tichy Drums, Stephen Leblanc Keyboards, James Lomenzo Bass with Made In America and Falling Still

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