September 6, 2010
On Sept 25th in North Hollywood, CA there's going to be a very very special tribute to John Bonham, the greatest rock n roll drummer to ever live. This date, Sept. 25th will be the 30th anniversary of his death and therefore the end of his career and life in Led Zeppelin... His amazing unqiue style, feel on the drums, with the band, his brilliant parts and ideas have continued to remain popular to drummers, musicians and listeners of music along with the great body of work Led Zeppelin did..
Below is a list of drummers and the Led Zeppelin songs they'll be performing with the house band. I'm so honored to be able to be a part of this...
Steven Adler: (G'nR) All My Love
Vinnie Appice: (Black Sabbath/ DIO/ Heaven And Hell) Dazed and Confused
Kenny Aronoff: (uh, EVERYONE...:) Black Dog
Frankie Banali: (Quiet Riot) Whole Lotta Love
Jason Bonham: (Led Zep/Foreigner) Kashmir
Bobby Blotzer: (RATT) Trampled Underfoot
Fred Coury: (Cinderella) The Wanton Song
Jimmy D'Anda: (Bulletboys) The Crunge
James Kottak: (Scorpions/ Kingdome Come) Nobody's Fault But Mine
Abe Laboriel: (Paul McCartney, Sting) Heartbreaker
Khurt Maier: (Salty Dog) Since I've Been Loving You
Stephen Perkins: (Janes Addiction) The Rover
Chris Slade: (The Firm, AC/DC) The Ocean
Chad Smith: (Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot) Achilles Last Stand
Brian Tichy: (Whitesnake, Foreigner, Billy Idol, Ozzy) Immigrant Song
Joe Travers: (Zappa Plays Zappa, Duran Duran) The Song Remains The Same
Simon Wright: (AC/DC - DIO) Custard Pie
The house band will be:
Brent Woods: guitar (Vince Neil, studio wizard)
Tichy: support guitar
Michael Devin: bass (Lynch Mob, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jason's Zep band, and soon to be announced into a band named after a reptile that isn't black)
Stephen LeBlanc: keys (in Jason's Zep Band)
Keith St. John: vox (Montrose, Neal Schon, Led Zeplica)
Here are some press releases about the event.
http://www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2010/08/30/738047.aspx
http://www.moderndrummer.com/events_full/700001617/BONZO%20Tribute%20Show:%20The%20Groove%20Remains%20The%20Same
http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/37795-the-groove-remains-the-same/page__p__415354#entry415354
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=145246
http://www.respectance.com/bonzo/memorial/show/1fkrd70o54k8lx/
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/star-studded-tribute-show-for-bonham_1162684
http://www.drummerszone.com/news/newsItem.php?n01ID=8297&type=1
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/196522/Star-studded-tribute-show-for-Bonham
http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776280&page=8
http://acdczone.com/news/former-acdc-drummers-in-tribute-to-john-bonham
http://dcathome.com/dct/62/id/513607/mid/1800/register.aspx?ReturnURL=/detail.aspx?dct=62%26mid=1800%26id=513607
http://metalbuzz.net/main/
September 5, 2010
I toured with John Fogerty through Europe and Scandinavia during the month of July. We played in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and finally Finland where we took a private jet from Hamburg to Finland in order to get to the festival on time. The plane picked up our crew early in the morning, and then flew back to get us..
Then 5 days later we flew all the way to Tokyo Japan for one show.. : ) It was a huge week long festival called Fuji Rocks... It was on the hill of a ski resort.. Pretty crazy and a lot of fun..
July 4, 2010
Hi it’s me again,
Happy 4th of July... I'm in Sweden playing some shows with John Fogerty....John and the music of Creedence are huge up here... We played for 22,000 people in Stockholm July 2nd and last night we played for about 20,000 people in Borlange Sweden at the Peace and Love Festival..
After our show I went on the other big stage right next to ours and watched Jay-Z perform... very cool show he has and he is very cool with his audience...
Since my last blog in May I've been busy nonstop every day recording or perfoming live somewhere.
The craziest experience since my last blog was going to AFRICA for one show with John Fogerty.
What an insane trip.. It was 32 hours from my place in Los Angeles to my TENT (yes my tent) in Africa.... This was tent I lived in for 2 nights, 5 hours outside of Johhanesberg on a wildlife refuge...
We ( the band) got to sleep at 5:30 am after having some food and drink.. It wasn't easy to sleep after I was told that be careful in the morning and to look in your shoes for poisonous snakes, spiders and scorpions because they like warmth and your shoes or sneakers are warm to them.. NICE.... so I hung my sneakers on the inside beam of the roof of my tent.. It's fall there so at night it would get as cold as the low 40's and then in the day it was in the 70's.. I slept with a wool hat on and wore my clothes to stay warm.. Crazy.. : )
We had guides that made sure we didn't get eaten or bitten by anything... : ) wow...
Left to right
David Santos - bass in Fogerty band
James Intveld - guitar and vocals in Fogerty band
Guide
Me
Guide in front..
Besides this exciting and crazy Africa trip I've been in the studio recording for an iphone App called Mix Me In, and for a very successful Japanese artist called Myuiki, American Idol winner Lee Dewyze, Los Valentinos and Los Perfekt, both from Mexico. I also recorded some tracks for Kill The Alarm, and other sessions...
Here are a few other events to check out..
1) Video of a rehearsal I did last year for a 2009 tour in Japan with The Bombastic Meatbats. Rehearsal was in Los Angeles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFq12uoZnZQ&feature=related
2) Here is an interview I just did called
Kenny Aronoff on drumming with John Fogerty, John Mellencamp
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/kenny-aronoff-on-drumming-with-john-fogerty-john-mellencamp-257208
3) A short interview about the headphones I endorse, called Ultrasone:
http://blog.mixonline.com/briefingroom/2010/07/02/ultrasone-adds-drumming-legend-kenny-aronoff-to-family-of-artist-endorsers/
4) Drum solo from a drum clinic I did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4tflVEFH0&feature=related
5) I recorded drums for 5 intense video game songs for a collection of rock inspired national themes that were recorded exclusively for the Guitar Hero music library. Here's the press release that came out about the tracks:
http://www.steveouimette.com/guitar-hero-national-anthems
Here are few of them on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw0yxVUBqtQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EpgsyS3Ato
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeAJ-G0Cs1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64thStA3U6w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yMs9uRN_zM
That's all for now... : )
May 19, 2010
Wow.. the BMI Awards last night was amazing. The Fogerty band first performed with Orianthi..the guitarist that was going to tour with Michael Jackson on his tour.. she did "Run Through The Jungle". It was a bit faster than John's version but it rocked like a Van Halen song... it was cool. Then with Fogerty we played a medely of about 10 songs.. He had both his sons Tyler and Shane perform with us. John was awarded the BMI Icon lifetime achivement award. Del Bryant, the CEO of BMI, gave him a huge introduction and then they showed some amazing footage of John with Creedence and him as a solo artist. The show kicked ass.. and I had a blast..:)
May 14, 2010
I recently had a chance to talk to Pistol for his Rockinlifestyle.com website Check it out..
http://www.rockinlifestyle.com/kennyaronoff.cfm.
May 13, 2010
A quick update.. I've been recording in Los Angeles.. Avril Lavigne, Mix Me In iphone APP project (check it out on the itunes App Store), American Idol, a new band called Almost Honest, Myuiki, Ben Ashley, and working with producer Randy Jackson on a song for a movie. I've also been doing live shows with John Fogerty in Vegas, Florida, and Los Angeles. We're about to do the BMI Awards on May 18 in Los Angeles, and in June we'll be at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN, then a short European Tour in July.
Here are a few photos from some recent projects and events:
with Hal Blaine at Guitar Center in LA
at the MusiCares gala - January 29
recording in LA
April 3, 2010
I never seem to have any days off, but when I start to write a blog I’m thinking, "what have I been doing?".... my mind's blank... :) So I go to my calendar and look and realize, "oh yeah, I did all that"… :)
OK, let's start with February..
Besides going to the Super Bowl and performing with a super band made up John Mellencamp, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Alto Reed (Bob Seger), Mike Wanchic (John Mellencamp), Steve Stills and me… I‘ve been doing sessions in Los Angeles (David Kim, Lee Seung Hwan, many Mix Me In Iphone app sessions, Walter Trout, Jimmy Barnes, Sean McCarthy, Ben Ash, a Major League Baseball project, American Idol, Betty Moon, Chase, Alicia, and one session in Calgary, Canada with the Jo Hikk Band). And I love playing at the Baked Potato with the Bombastic Meatbats. I play there once a month. It’s a real cool place to play because it's intimate.. the audience and the band are all together. I have a drum clinic coming up at Resurrection Drums on April 21st in Hollywood, Florida and then 3 John Fogerty shows in Florida (April 22, 23 and 24) then right back to LA and start doing more sessions for Mix Me In (Iphone app). On April 11th I'll sign autographs at the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood for a special event they’re having there. I’ll sign from 1-2 PM.
Philip Sayce, an amazing guitar player and singer/songwriter who I played with on Melissa Etheridge tours and made a few records with, just came out with a new CD called Innerevolution.. I was told it was just released in Europe today... I played on 2 songs from a session we did a few years ago... Gimme Some More and Tennessee Girl.
It will keep on going and going and going.. Lots of projects already being booked for the rest of the year, both in the studio and live stuff...
Here are a few photos from some recent sessions..
At the Walter Trout recording session. L-R: Doug (engineer), John Cleary (keyboards), Hutch Hutchinson (bass), Walter Trout, John Porter (producer), me
At the Walter Trout session - House of Blues Studio, Encino, CA
At a recording session in Los Angeles
February 18, 2010
I just did a new Ustream broadcast live from East West Studios in LA. Go to http://www.ustream.tv/discovery/live/all?q=karonoff
January 31, 2010
I finished a killer Jimmy Barnes record at Conway Studios in Los Angeles last Monday, January 25... then did another session the next day. From the 27th to the 29th I rehearsed and then performed at the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, where Neil Young was honored.. I was in the house band that played with John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Stills, Jackson Browne, Elton John, Leon Russell, T Bone Burnett, Crosby Stills & Nash, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, Lady Antebellum, Ben Harper, Josh Groban and others, all performing Neil Young songs. The MusiCares tribute is held every year during Grammy Week, and the night included a reception and silent auction, followed by a dinner, award presentation and the tribute concert. Proceeds from the event provide support for MusiCares, which focuses on musicians in times of financial, medical and personal need. Jack Black was the host for the evening..
Yesterday I performed at a charity event for a school, with Chris Shiflett, guitarist with the Foo Fighters, Greg Suran with Goo Goo's, Jewel, Kristopher Pooley, keyboardist with Gwen Stefani and Morrissey, and Paul Bushnell, a session bass player, songwriter and producer.
I just came from an amazing Grammy after party at the W Hotel...
Slash and me..
January 16, 2010
Happy New year everyone... 2010 is going to kick ass.. I've already been doing recording sessions and performed with The Bombastic Meatbats at the Baked Potato in Studio City, and here at the NAMM Show in Anaheim on Thursday.
Yesterday (Friday) I signed autographs at these booths at NAMM:
12PM Sticks n' Skins
1 PM Remo
2 PM NAMM Idea Center - Mark Schulman and I talked about our first time experiences at a music store as kids and how that great experience affected out lives forever.
2:30 PM Zildjian
4 PM Gator Cases
Today I visited these booths..
11 AM Tama
12 PM Gator Cases
1 PM Shure
2 PM Vic Firth
3:30 - 4:30 PM Zoom
Some photos from the Zoom autograph signing today:
L-R: Joe Satriani (Chickenfoot), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Allison Robertson (The Donnas), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot), me, Mark Menghi and Peter Erskine.
L-R: Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Allison Robertson (The Donnas), and me.
with Joe Satriani
Next week I start a Jimmy Barnes record for 8 days and then on January 29 I'll do a MusicCares live performance honoring Neil Young.. It's a charity event that takes place every year around Grammy time. I'll be playing with a rhythm section that performs with John Mellencamp, James Taylor, and Sheryl Crow to name a few...
More to come soon...
