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Several sources including San Francisco local radio station KFOG have reported that former Zeppelin members and Jason Bonham have been rehearsing with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler for a world tour. As speculation has grown about a replacement for Robert Plant, Plant himself has shown limited interest in touring with his former bandmates and offspring of longtime friend John Bonham. Plant has been working and touring with Allison Krauss as of late. While the Plant/Krauss collaboration on Raising Sand is an interesting contribution and worth a listen, many fans will scratch their heads over Plant’s decision not to participate in a Zeppelin tour.

My initial feelings on a replacement singer have been, “please God, no!” However, following this morning’s rumor mill, I’d be happy to hear such news. Having seen what Queen has recently done with Paul Rodgers on vocals, I feel good about Tyler doing the honors for Zeppelin. Obviously it will have a slightly different vibe, but Page, Jones and young Bonham couldn’t pick a better big name to fill Plant’s shoes. My guess is that Plant won’t be terribly happy over the decision to tour without him, but the show must go on, as the saying goes.

~r

At a recent rehearsal with new Redwood band members, I played one of my favorite fills-for-laughs, the intro to Phil Collins‘ In the Air Tonight. The following day, I received in my inbox a fantastic video advert from Cadbury Chocolate’s 2007 brand revival campaign. It’s a must watch for almost anyone, especially if you’re familiar with this Phil Collins classic.

We recently posted news on Phil, which didn’t gain much traffic (sorry Phil), but I’m hoping this will finally draw attention to his musical genius. OK, that could be considered a stretch by many, but few will argue that this video ad is genius. Produced by Glass and a Half Full Productions, the ad’s Gorilla costume was superbly created by Stan Winston Studios. Possibly the best moment of the ad is the sound of the Gorilla’s breathe heard moments before he rips into the Collins anthem. As a viral marketing success, the ad was created to help uplift Cadbury’s public image in the wake of a 2007 product recall.

There have been a couple of variations and hack knock-offs of the video ad, but this one is hands down the best. How I managed to go all this time without seeing it, is beyond me.

~r

Much has been said about Ringo Starr’s recent announcement that he’s no longer signing autographs. He’s apparently got too much on his plate. Many of our readers know I’m a fan of Ringo’s work, so it will come as no surprise that I forgive him for his curt statements, which were prefaced with his usual “Peace and Love, Peace and Love.” Since the announcement, the former Beatle has come out and apologized for his “gruff demeanor,” according to Telegraph.co.uk.

I can’t begin to imagine life as a former Beatle, but we can consider ourselves blessed that he’s still around to do things like the All-Starr Tour. In brighter news, Ringo recently launched a photo contest for any fan that caught images of the All-Starr band. The winner will have their photo featured on Ringostarr.com, and will receive an autographed Ringo Starr Drumhead. So he hasn’t completely stopped signing stuff.

Wishing peace and love to Ringo,
~r

And the drummer is… As best I can tell, the man on drums for the new Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul is Chris Sharrock. No, wait! It’s Zak Starkey.

Thanks to one of our readers, I’ve been corrected. The winner was Zak Starkey. Today, information is flowing on the new album and I’ve been able to confirm from multiple sources, including digital spy that Zak is the man on the kit for Dig Out Your Soul. Though I’m a bit embarrassed at my initial claim that Chris Sharrock played on the record, I’m not surprised to learn that it’s Zak, given the specific work done on ‘The Shock of Lightning.’ Perhaps our reader said it best in claiming that Starkey is “the greatest drummer Oasis has had or ever will have.”

According to our reader sources, the British born Sharrock, formerly of The La’s and Robbie Williams, has replaced Zak Starkey in support of the current Oasis tour. Starkey replaced Alan White, who replaced Tony McCarroll. Obviously the the brothers Gallagher have decided that a permanent drummer is not their thing. Noel and Liam Gallagher, the only original members of Oasis, continue to make headlines as feuding siblings. This may continue, as Chris Sharrock comes from Liam’s nemesis, Robbie Williams. Really? His nemesis? That’s what sources call him anyway. I’m not sure what that drama is all about, but it probably means we’ll hear about another drummer joining the band once the current leg of their tour concludes.

All that silliness aside, Starkey (not Sharrock) does a commendable job on an album that sounds great from start to finish. The band apparently shares writing contributions, and Noel and Liam share lead vocal spots throughout. The album’s engineer achieved a number of great sounds that compliment Starkey’s (not Sharrock’s) drum tracks, as heard on the standout tracks ‘Ain’t Got Nothin’ and ‘The Shock of Lightning.’

I suppose that despite my initial misinformation, I can still confess that I’ll miss knowing that Zak’s working with the band. He did, after all, bring the Gallagher brothers closer to their primary influence The Beatles. That said, I’m sure that Sharrock will do a bang up job (pun intentionally inserted) on the band’s triumphant return to the road. Best of luck Chris!

~r