Q&A John Bonham Tribute: The Groove Remains The Same, September 25, 2010

It’s not difficult getting rock drummers to talk about John Bonham. Just try to stop them. In anticipation of the Bonzo tribute: The Groove Remains The Same commemorating the 30th anniversary of his death, we collected some thoughts from drummers either participating or invited to participate.

Some chose to simply express a few feelings, and some responded (loosely) to the two questions we posed:

1. Of the many inspiring possibilities, which Zep song did you choose to play? What about Bonham’s playing on that particular song especially inspires you?

2. Simple. Or not. What does John Bonham mean to you?

Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart):
1. I did a video of the day I met Bonzo when Zep opened up for Vanilla Fudge. I did a couple of grooves from my house with Brian filming it …It was cool. I used my DDRUM ES kit 28″ bd…it had the bonze vibe. Simply put Bonzo was the”BEST”.

2. John most of all to me was a friend …he was always a great drummer but was also a good friend…he was and is missed dearly…we had great drumming times together on the road through the years!!

Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar, John Fogerty, Session-Ace):
1. That’s a good question because it was very difficult for me to choose one song to play from the huge list of amazing songs. Each Zeppelin song is unique and special to me for many, many reasons. There are only a handful of bands or artists that have such a volume of material like this, and I don’t know any other band in the world that has such a diverse body of amazing drum parts for many reasons. Amazing. I didn’t pick a favorite song because they are all favorites to me. I just picked one that I thought would help honor John Bonham for this special event.

2. He is the greatest rock n roll drummer to ever live and is still alive bigger than ever because his creation with Led Zeppelin is that special. In the drum world John Bonham created his own planet in the universe, and as a group Led Zeppelin did the same…that simple. They stepped out and created their own world that we get to enjoy today.

James Kottak (Scorpions):
1. I don’t want to disclose which song that I chose to play for the Bonham tribute, but I will say it has a deep emotional connection to my past present, and future. The album Presence is in my top 5 albums of all time! I want to thank John Bonham and Brian Tichy for the opportunity to perform!

2. Without John Bonham there is no James Kottak. Don Brewer kicked my ass, but John Bonham made me who I am!

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold):
This event sounds like a total blast and a long-overdue tribute to a drummer that was such a huge hero of mine and to so many other drummers. I would do anything to be there to play, to watch, to pay tribute…but unfortunately I will unable to attend as I will be playing with Avenged Sevenfold in Seattle that night. Best of luck to all my fellow drummers, have a blast and LONG LIVE THE KING: BONZO!!!

Eric Singer (KISS):
WOW! What to say? It is so awesome for all these great drummers come together to honor our drumming hero John Bonham! He is always referred to for anything and everything Drums. Sound, feel, groove, vibe, parts, beats etc. He wrote the bible on hard rock drumming! I am sorry to miss out on this great evening as I will be playing right down the road with KISS at the Epicenter Festival in Fontana, CA. I’m sending you all a “Whole Lotta Love”

Ray Luzier (KoRn):
I’m on tour in Europe right now, I really wish I could be there to celebrate the greatness of Bonzo with all my bros. He stills amazes and inspires me…every time I hear a Zep tune on the radio or pop in Physical Graffiti, I’m blown away on how it makes me feel and how timeless his drumming is. It cracks me up how every engineer out there still tries to get that “Bonham” drum sound in the studio and on people’s records. Hope everyone has a freagin’ blast, hit ’em HARD!!!

John Tempesta (The Cult):
I’m so bummed that I can’t be a part of this Incredible tribute to Bonzo that Brian Tichy put togteher. I will be out on the road with The Cult at that time. I’m sure it’s going to big a huge success! I will definitely be there in spirit! Bonzo was such a huge influence on me. He had it all…the groove, the sound, the look…Everything. He was the Best!!! May he always be remembered…R.I.P. John Henry Bonham.

Charlie Benante (Anthrax):
I want to play the CRUNGE, but I can’t…I’ll be on tour for this Amazing event. Bonham was and still is My Favorite Drummer, the Foot, the Feel, the Power, the Sound, The Legend. God Bless John Bonham. Has anyone seen the Bridge?

Jason Sutter (Chris Cornell, Foreigner):
John Bonham wrote the book on rock n roll drumming. Period. And we all recite chapters out of that book daily. If he could collect all those royalties owed to him for that I’m sure they would far out-number Led Zeppelin’s!

We invite you to share your thoughts of John Bonham here.

Ticket info for the September 25th Bonzo Tribute here.