ROBERT PLANT CBE
Robert was among the 966 people recognised in the New Year Honours and was awarded a CBE in recognition for services to music.

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PIC. Frank Melfi

JOHN PAUL JONES IN AMERICA
Full report on JPJ’s recent US appearances
With thanks to Randy Ray

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COVERDALE ON ZEP REUNION
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PR INSIDE

JEFF BECK COMMENTS ON REUNION RUMOURS
Jeff Beck is the latest fellow musician to comment on the reunion rumours.
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JPJ TEAMS UP WITH SONIC YOUTH
John Paul Jones is teaming up with Sonic Youth and a Japanese violinist Takehisa Kosugi for a soundtrack to a special dance piece.
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RAISING SAND NOMINATED FOR FIVE GRAMMY AWARDS
Robert and Alison’s Raising Sand album has been nominated for five Grammy Awards in the 51st annual Grammy Awards event due to be staged in Los Angeles on February 8 2009.
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SARAH WATKINS ALBUM DUE IN APRIL 2009
The John Paul Jones produced album by Nickel Creek songwriter/fiddler Sarah Watkins is due for release on April 7th 2009. Sarah has just signed a record deal with Nonesuch Records. The self-titled debut album Sara Watkins, features a wide range of colleagues and old friends, including alt-country duo Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas; colleagues from the bluegrass world like Tim O’Brien, Punch Brothers’ Chris Eldridge, Ronnie McCoury, and Rayna Gellert; and her Nickel Creek band mates Chris Thile and Sean Watkins. Already widely respected for her musical ability on the fiddle, Watkins’ skills as a vocalist and songwriter are highlighted on this solo project. She wrote or co-wrote eight of the 14 songs on the record, which also includes renditions of tracks by Jimmie Rodgers, Jon Brion, Norman Blake, and Tom Waits.

Sarah Watkins got to know John Paul Jones when they briefly toured together in 2004 in an ad hoc group called Mutual Admiration Society. He had long encouraged her to make a record of her own, offering his services. As Watkins recalls, “A couple of years ago I saw John Paul Jones at the Cambridge folk festival. He came up after Nickel Creek’s performance and said that if I didn’t let him produce my record he would never talk to me again. I was thrilled that he was that excited about it.” She continues, “John was an absolute dream to work with. I can’t imagine anyone else with whom I would have felt more confident or comfortable. I think his undeniable musicianship and kindness made the ensemble on each song sound like a band that had played together for years.”

IT MIGHT GET LOUD FOR US CINEMA RELEASE
The guitar documentary "It Might Get Loud," starring guitarists Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge, is finally set to get a theatrical release after it was announced that the film was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sony said it intends to "open the film next summer."

The documentary was directed by Davis Guggenheim, best known for his directorial role for the Academy Award-winning "An Inconvenient Truth." It has been screened three times to date, all during the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Sony Pictures Classic says in a press release: "It Might Get Loud" is a music lover's dream. The film covers three generations of guitar players (The Edge, Jimmy Page, Jack White) and our plan is to attract the three generations of fans when we open the film next summer. We are pleased to be in business with director Davis Guggenheim and producer Thomas Tull, who’se obsession with the subject has brought so much to the high quality of the film.

There is no news as of a European release date as yet

MICHAEL LEE DIES AT 39
Tight But Loose is very sad to hear of the death of former Page and Plant drummer Michael Lee .
Michael was found dead at his home on Monday 24th November. A cause of death has not been established, he had just turned 39.

Michael Lee was born on 19th November 1969 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, moving to Darlington a year later. Leaving school at 16 Michael worked in a music store selling piano’s but soon became more interested in drums. With money from his first job Michael brought an old Premier kit and joined his first band playing "cover versions" in working men's clubs around Darlington and Teesside.
At 17 Michael joined his first serious rock band called Holosade. The band were signed to York-based independent rock label PowerStation run by Kevin Nixon. The band’s debut album sold quite well, but unable to find proper management, Michael left and at 18, sold his drum kit to buy a ticket to Los Angeles. He spent some time at the LA Musicians institute in Hollywood and then played in a rock band in San Francisco for a short while before returning to London in August 1988. On his return he auditioned for Little Angels and got the job after just one song. In 1991 he left Little Angels and joined The Cult and then in 1993 he joined Robert Plant, firstly contributing drums on Memory Song (Hello Hello) and Network News and then as part of the touring band for the Fate Of Nations tour. And when Robert linked up with Jimmy Page for the Unledded project Michael was drafted in. Michael stayed with the Page and Plant line-up throughout the 1995-96 tour and then was part of the Walking Into Clarksdale project and again toured with the group in 1998 until Page and Plant disbanded. Michael work with Jimmy Page on the global Net-Aid event as well as touring with Echo And The Bunnymen. He then joined the reformed Thin Lizzy and toured extensively. In 2006 he recorded with Jeff Martin on the CD “Exile and The Kingdom”. In the last couple of years Michael has been unable to tour due to an "unspecified illness".

Few who saw Michael Lee on either of the Page and Plant tours will ever forget his smiling face or the power that he generated on numbers like The Wanton Song, Four Sticks or Kashmir. He will be sadly missed.
(Gary Foy)

See Dave Lewis diary for further comment.

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BIRMINGHAM MAIL REPORTS ON PLANT GUEST APPEARANCE "THEY WON’T BE CALLING IT LED ZEPPELIN"
The November 21 edition of the Birmingham Evening Mail reported on a guest appearance by Robert as follows:

Robert Plant tries to avoid questions about his role in the proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour - but Hancock managed to steer him in that direction at Bilston's Robin 2 club.

Robert made a surprise on-stage appearance to mark singer Ricky Cool's 30 years in music and confirmed to Hancock he would not be joining Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham on the road. He said it was partly because he'd be busy working on the follow-up to his award winning Raising Sand LP.
"In January, I'm starting to record a new album with Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett," he revealed, before adding "but I understand that everyone's got to eat," implying that the Plant-less Led Zep has his blessing.

But before he joined the Big Town Playboys on stage for a couple of bluesy numbers, he imparted one piece of significant information: "They won't be calling it Led Zeppelin!"