Zoso - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience

Over the 28 years and over 4500 shows since ZOSO came together as a group in the mid-‘90s, the seemingly tireless quartet continues to earn its well-deserved reputation as being, in the words of The L.A. Times, “head and shoulders above all other Led Zeppelin tributes.” The reasons for that are manifest. For starters, surely no singer has ever captured the distinctive timbre, range, power, and seductive force of Robert Plant’s vocal delivery as adroitly as ZOSO’s lead vocalist and founder, Matt Jernigan, whose flowing, corkscrew blonde locks and leonine stage moves evoke the Plant persona perfectly. ZOSO co-founder Adam Sandling, the band’s multi-instrumental master of electric bass, keyboards, and mandolin, likewise echoes John Paul Jones’ myriad gifts to a tee, allowing the four-piece ZOSO to perform fully fleshed-out versions of classics like “Kashmir,” “Trampled Under Foot,” and “Stairway to Heaven” that demand up to six members or more to execute in other Zep-inspired ensembles. That’s not the ZOSO way; instead, the band draws liberally and meticulously from Led Zeppelin’s recorded live output to present a vivid performance picture of the classic live Zeppelin of 1970-1977. No wonder the St. Petersburg Times noted that, in addition to their virtuosity and spot-on visual presentation, ZOSO was also “the most exacting of all the Led Zeppelin tributes.” Meanwhile, the band’s new blood has turbo-charged the ZOSO formula even more. Drummer Bevan Davies, the band’s burly, black-haired batteur since 2015, flattens the band’s fans nightly with his Bonhamapproved triplet blasts, tympani thunder, and fat, lumbering grooves. Davies boasts an impressive pedigree that includes touring tenures with the likes of Danzig, Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, Static X, and regular gigs with The Cult’s Billy Duffy. Taking on the demanding Jimmy Page chair for ZOSO in May of 2021, new lead guitarist James Volpe Rotondi (aka “Jimmy”) brings an equally high-level CV to the table, as a former member of Humble Pie, Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle, and French superstars AIR. Decked out in Page’s iconic dragon matador jacket, two-tone shoes, and cascading black hair, Rotondi wields his Gibson Les Paul and double-neck guitars like he was born to it, with a huge, crafted tone and a stunning technique that weaves together Page’s roots in blues, country, funk, and fingerstyle. Still, while the players’ provenance, and the band’s deep history, speak for themselves, it’s that highwire musicianship combined with ZOSO’s spot-on recreation of the mythic presence of Led Zeppelin onstage that keeps their dedicated longtime fans coming back for more year after year. What’s more, new generations of ZOSO devotees in their teens and Twenties are likewise lining up to experience for themselves the power and majesty—and yes, the alluring combination of danger, spontaneity, skill, and sexuality—that define a world-class Led Zeppelin concert. “[ZOSO is] the closest to the original of any Led Zeppelin tribute,” proclaims the Chicago Sun-Times, and they are not wrong. ZOSO’s ongoing invitation to all generations, all ages, all backgrounds of Led Zeppelin fans, then, is a very simple one: Relive it . . . LIVE.

Descendants

The Descendents

Milo Aukerman: Vocals, Ph.D. Stephen Egerton: Guitar Bill Stevenson: Drum Ogre Karl Alvarez: Bassmaster General The DESCENDENTS invented pop punk. Overstatement? Perhaps, but spend ten minutes scanning FM or the idiot box and you're bound to witness a ditty or video that tips its hat to a musical genre that was refined to a high art -- if not created outright -- by the 'Dents. Formed in 1978 against the fertile musical backdrop of Los Angeles' South Bay scene (see: Black Flag, Minutemen, SST Records, etc.), the caffeine-addled crew released their first 7" single "Ride The Wild" as a trio in 1979. Not long after, the boys recruited one Milo Aukerman (microbiology Ph.D. in waiting and poster boy for adolescent ne'er-do-well alienation) for vocal duties. Milo's fervent mic delivery coupled with his knack for hitting the lyrical nail on its heartrending head plunged him headfirst into the band's fold, and together they released the "FAT" EP in 1981. 1982 saw the release of the stellar "Milo Goes To College," a penultimate fusion of hooks and heartache which inspired the LA Times to write, "perfect for the little guy who was ever called a nerd and never got the girl... (its) earthy humor conveys what is often an inarticulate rage". And Milo really did go to college, leaving the practice room for the hallowed halls of higher education. Drummer Bill Stevenson went on to beat the skins for Black Flag while the guys temporarily hung up the DESCENDENTS moniker, only to reunite with Aukerman for 1985's "I Don't Want To Grow Up" and 1986's "Enjoy!" The two releases comprise the perfect case study in the dualistic, yin/yang nature of the band's output. While the former is a veritable user's manual for post-pubescent angst, sizing up the themes of life, love, and uncertainty with infectious wit and dizzying energy, the latter is perhaps most notable for its testaments to the, umm... follies of flatulence. Their cover of the Beach Boy's "Wendy" on "Enjoy!" is at once familiar and revelatory, the perfect amalgam of pop sensibilities and punk execution that would earn them fans the world over. With the introduction of new members Karl Alvarez and Stephen Egerton on bass and guitar respectively, the release of 1987's "ALL" full-length saw a band that had truly come into its own. While the tongue in cheek delivery remained intact, the music had become at once visceral and from the gut, a complex balance of straightforward delivery ("Clean Sheets", "Coolidge") and fringe-y, free jam inflections ("Schizophrenia", "Uranus"). The band toured incessantly throughout the mid and late '80s; all that time on the road paid off in spades in the form of two live albums, "Liveage!" and "Hallraker." And then Milo went back to college. The extant members went on to form the band ALL with ex-Dag Nasty vocalist Dave Smalley, continuing their prodigious musical output while maintaining a hectic tour schedule. It was not until 1996 that we'd see another DESCENDENTS release with "Everything Sucks," a perfect return to the pop punk form that the band had become known for. Fast forward to 2003, and lo and behold, the DESCENDENTS are back in the saddle with two new efforts slated for the release in 2004: a four song EP entitled "'Merican," and a bona fide full-length LP's worth of new material that goes by the name "Cool To Be You." Seeing as how punk is now a household name, and the ubiquitous "girl song" milieu infests the airwaves, will the DESCENDENTS reclaim their title as Kings of the Lovelorn Anthem? Only time will tell, but this much is certain: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the DESCENDENTS must go to sleep with flushed cheeks every night of the week.

EST Gee