Black Country Communion were voted the Planet Rock Band Of The Year last week stealing the title away from regular winners Iron Maiden, who were second followed by Muse and Slash. Planet Rock commented   “The first rule of supergroups is that they must be a crushing disappointment. Black Country Communion obviously didn’t get the memo and despite playing just two unbelievable concerts this year they have beaten several very big bands to win this category by some margin. An excellent album, several musicians at the top of their game, …

Jimmy Page is 67 today.
In a career that has spanned six decades, he has written the rule book on the art of rock guitar. From monolithic riffing to blistering solos. From acoustic beauty to vast instrumental guitar orchestration. Eastern tunings, Blues, 50s rock’n’roll psychedelic and full on riffs – his catalogue mirrors all those styles and much more.
He remains the true lord of the strings.  We think it won’t be too long before he is out there proving that fact once again.
Here’s a round up of clips that vividly illustrate …

John Paul Jones was 65 on Monday January 3rd. His involvement in the forthcoming Anna Nicole opera is further testament to his unquenching thirst for musical invention. Here’s a round up of some inspired moments from a career that continues to suprise, innovate and delight.
Happy (slightly belated)birthday John from us to you…..
Diamanda Galás – Do You Take This Man (1994)

John Paul Jones – The Smile Of Your Shadow

Going To California

Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”

Them Crooked Vultures – 02 Dead End Friends (pro-shot, Reading 2009)

And finally JPJ with …

After all the Christmas and new year festivities, it’s been good to catch up on everything in the past couple of days and get some focus on a new year.
We duly saw the new year in at our local The White Horse. The rock band on offer was proficient enough but their set list hardly pampered to a new year’s eve crowd. The Door’s LA Woman is a fine album track but not one for dancing consumption after a round of Auld Lang Syne. No matter – we got through …

The new issue of the Tight But Loose magazine is out now – here’s some initial reaction from satisfied readers:
Absolutely knocked out by the new TBL – superb issue! Keep up the brilliant work’’ Colin Sheil – UK
‘’Just got the latest edition of TBL, fantastic read once again’’ Andrew Pittam – UK
’’Just a quick email to say well done on another fantastic magazine. I’ve only dipped into it so far but what I’ve read up to now has been nothing short of superb’’ Tom Cory – UK
’’I just wanted to email …

Black Country Communion – Shepherd’s Bush Empire London  -December 30th 2010
Set List: 
Black Country
One Last Soul
Beggarman
Revolution In Me
Down Again
Too Late For The Sun
Song of Yesterday
The Ballad of John Henry
Great Divide
Medusa
No Quarter
Sista Jane
Drum solo >
Black Country (Reprise)
Burn (Encore)
Black Country Communion gave a first class  lesson in the art classic rock at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire last night.
From the moment Genn Hughes chugging bass line kick started the incessant riff of Black Country, through to a triumphant rework of  Deep Purple’s Burn, the band held the audience in the palm of their hand.
The …

DL outside the TBL distribution  centre. If only! I packed them all in our kitchen!
Old Bing has been singing about dreaming of a white Christmas for all those years, finally we got one. I cannot remember snow being all around us on a Christmas Day and Boxing Day for many a long year. When the good lady and I went for a Boxing Day walk it was quite amazing to be wading through the snow eying up the many houses around our way that were lit with Christmas lights.
After seeing …

Mr D.Lewis: Author, publisher,TBL editor and occasional Father Christmas…
‘Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!’’ as Dean and Frank both sang way back when, and well it did – and it isn’t going away too quickly. The old white stuff has hung around all week and consequently made the distribution of the new TBL magazine somewhat problematic. A fair few have gone out now with more to follow in the next few days. The postal delivery times are well erratic at the moment and here we had no …

Aside from battling the adverse weather conditions, the last two weeks have been taken up with completing and signing off the new issue of the TBL magazine. Once again designer Mick Lowe has done a great job in bringing the text alive. We spent many an hour correcting and adjusting the content and then it all went to the printers. Big thanks to Roger at Parrot Print and my good friend Dec Hickey for his input and text checking.
With the weather playing havoc, the first finished copies have been delivered …

Robert Plant and The Band Of Joy have added two extra dates to their forthcoming North American tour and have also announced their first festival date in the US for 2011. The additional dates  are for New York’s Beacon Theatre on January 30th and a second show at the Sony Centre in Toronto on Janaury 23rd.
The festival date is at the 38th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, held in Telluride, Colorado over the weekend of June 16th– 19th. Tickets are now on sale. More summer dates are expected.
The full January/February US …