Kick It Like Bonham
Led Zeppelin - Good Times, Bad Times - Drum Cover w/ Music - Ludwig Maple Thermogloss
updated
I know I'm inviting all kinds of trollstice by acknowledging pride in these performances, but man - it's not often that I can accept a less than perfect performance on my part and still want to share it with whoever is interested; I've really dug working with these guys THAT MUCH!
If you're not familiar with Get The Led Out already, I highly recommend checking them out if they come to an area near you. They're all class gentlemen on-stage and off, and I'm grateful to their drummer, Adam Ferraioli, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime while he was healing up from a shoulder injury. I'm looking forward to posting more content with these guys, and in particular, our performance from Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado.
Best sub gig I've ever had!
Thanks to Holly Janine and RAZZERNAK for filming these performances!
I've joined back up with Jimmy Sakurai and The Led Zeppelin Revival. We set out to recreate a U.S. 1975 Led Zeppelin show, and with each 3+ hour set that we played, the fear that it all might grow a little long in the tooth gave way to a lot of fun and genuine joy. I'm proud of the energy we were able to maintain throughout the three nights! I especially want to throw a ton of respect towards Alexis Angel and Sean Mullaney, who both crossed the ravaging landscapes of Mordor and summitted Mount Doom to learn all of this very specific material. Passion lay as the foundation, and incredible technique, discipline and intelligence took you guys the rest of the way. This was the first time either of them had stepped into their respective roles, and listening to Alexis's ability to play off an ever changing beat (and tempos on my part) is second-to-none. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the very best bassist and pianists out there, and Alexis is basically Mozart on any instrument he touches. Sean owned the role of Percy more and more with each show. His vocal range, charisma, and Plantation banter were a blast to behold, and the guys ability to embody the persona felt genuine and transformative in a way that made the whole experience even more immersive. I am very lucky to know these guys and get to play music with them. Jimmy and I have a couple years of experience playing together, and it really was an absolute blast to build off of that relationship and push even farther into the madness. I look forward to gathering with this Feast of Friends from time-to-time to shout out to the world our love for Led Zeppelin.
I'm a sucker for the No Quarter jam of any era! This is from the first show we ever played together at The Space in Las Vegas. While I feel like we were significantly better by the end of the third show, it's still pretty neat to have a pro-shot video of this show. This is just a small sample of Alexis's ability on the keys and Jimmy's face-melting solos; I love playing off their crazy talent! Good, good times!
While my desire to stay at home while my kids are young has led me to cut playing live out of most of my year, I think it's our intention in the band to book a one month tour for 2023 where we can go coast-to-coast throughout the U.S. If you guys are interested in having us, please shoot me a comment and let me know what venue and city/state you want us to play, and we'll do our very best!
0:00 - Chorus before break
0:40 - Piano Solo
3:33 - Full Band Jam
4:14 - Guitar Solo Begins
10:25 - Return to last verse
Here, you have one of the most glorious drum performances ever laid down! You can hear the kick pattern variation, the ghost notes on the snare, and more than anything, the ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL ONSLOUGHT OF SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING DRUMS EVER!!!! I wept at how overwhelming an experience it was to listen to this performance turned up loud! I wish for you all the same...
There is SO much more to come...
Plus, I just discovered that if you download the app on your phone, you can adjust the tempo of the songs and still keep it in the same key. It's a great tool for learning songs and breaking down specific parts - it's amazing how much more accessible monstrous fills can be when you slow them down by 25% and can hear them relatively clearly.
Anyways, I'm posting the isolated drums of Good Times, Bad Times because it's at the point of sounding really close to studio quality in a lot of parts (versus Moises always being a little muddy and missing most of the cowbell in the past). What a freakin' masterpiece!
No paid promotion or anything here. I'm just really loving all the progress that development team is making and think they deserve all the support in the world!
This is the tail end of a live version of Kashmir we recently played in Lake Arrowhead, CA. I had been on that stage a month prior, filling in with my friends in Strange Days (A Tribute To The Doors) while Dave, their amazing full-time John Densmore, was nursing a broken wrist. I had played in Strange Days from 2013 - 2016, and formed lasting relationships with all the guys in the band. I loved the experience of getting to play The Doors music with them again; In my opinion, there's nobody better at that music. In the month between that experience and here, Robert Carsten, the guitar player in Strange Days, passed away from complications with Covid. It's still a punch to the gut to think that salty ol' bastard isn't around anymore, and it was especially difficult getting back on the stage where I shared one of my best, but ultimately one of my last, interactions with him.
This performance was captured by "Kenny Go-Go," who does a fantastic job capturing the frenetic energy we're usually trying to conjure. This performance had a little extra "oomph" to it in honor of Robert.
Recorded February 2020.
Bill Worrell - Dobro / Jayme Lewis - Bass (Not featured in this mix) / Derek Smith - Drums
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ramble On" off of Led Zeppelin II - Another brilliant demonstration of dynamics, groove, and catchy accessibility that permeated Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin melt a lot of faces and blow a lot of minds with this song.
John Bonham's approach to this song was unique in playing some sort of percussive element throughout the verses instead of opting for a more traditional beat. It's a relatively easy song to learn note for note, especially given that the isolated drums of Bonham's actual performance are available (here: youtu.be/Pza9MSBOx88). Still, it instills a great sense of timing, dynamics, groove, enough technique to give a beginner - intermediate drummer a bit of a coordination challenge (because of the ghost notes / texture), and a song every drummer should have in their arsenal because it's a fan favorite to hear at any show.
Also, since I screwed up on the camera above the kit - I'm using my stick bag to get the percussive element. I thought it was a pretty close approximation. I really don't know what Bonham used in the studio - most likely a practice pad. Whatever it was, it had to be set up pretty close to the snare and ride cymbal, as he went directly back into playing it without dropping a beat from the choruses and bridge back into the versus. That's as much as I'll speculate here...
John Bonham's approach to this song was unique in playing some sort of percussive element throughout the verses instead of opting for a more traditional beat. It's a relatively easy song to learn note for note, especially given that the isolated drums of Bonham's actual performance are available (here: youtu.be/Pza9MSBOx88). Still, it instills a great sense of timing, dynamics, groove, enough technique to give a beginner - intermediate drummer a bit of a coordination challenge (because of the ghost notes / texture), and a song every drummer should have in their arsenal because it's a fan favorite to hear at any show.
Here is the original Danmarks Radio performance: youtu.be/k-WSbMW7BPc?t=206
Some poor saps might argue that the visual element of seeing Bonzo perform these fills is what makes them seem cool, but after countless years of downloading and listening to bootlegs ala Presence's fantastic site (RIP Jason Peterson - the contributions you made to the world of Zeppelin will resonate until the sun swallows the Earth), the musical quality and ingenuity of these fills definitely stand on their own. To some degree, it ruined a lot of performances of Dazed and Confused for me, because I would listen in hopes of hearing even one of these fills thrown into the performance. Alas, the brilliance of Bonzo was in not having to repeat himself; his fearlessness, creativity, and respect for the instrument and the music that he was playing would almost always lead to something new and exciting.
I apologize for any harsh cuts in this video. I ended up babbling for over an hour when I filmed this, and in the effort to chop it down to some manageable length, I had to make some concessions in the quality of the cuts. Still, I hope it serves it's purpose and helps fill in any gaps or answers any questions you may have about his amazing performance!
If you like this video and want to support me on Patreon, please visit: patreon.com/kickitlikebonham
As it pertains to "No Quarter," I think the jam on this song rivals anything thing else Led Zeppelin has garnered accolade for. I've always been particularly fond of the 1977 versions, and specifically, the few times JPJ busted out The No.2 March from The Nutcracker. As a result, I try and fuse every element I possibly can from the studio version, the 1973 versions, a little 1975, a lot of 1977, and other bits from '79 and '80. A little bit of me slips in there, as well, which is maybe why I enjoy it so much. I absolutely love getting to jam, and there is so much to dig into with the way Anthony plays this song that I don't ever want it to stop. It's the same reason I love playing "In My Time Of Dying." When you get to the jam, you can just absolutely let loose with reckless abandon. It's not true or specific to any one era of Zeppelin, but this is one instance where I don't care. I absolutely love jamming on this song!
In the time we have off, I've enjoyed finding clips that people have uploaded from this particular show. This footage is taken from our friend and video-guru, Scott Wardlow, as well as Carlos Salazar with angle two. Topping it off is our very own Swan Montgomery doing a live feed while the rest of us are jamming. It was a fun project to fuse these three angles together to see what it looked like from around the venue. This ended up being one of our last performances before the pandemic shuttered live events. Secretly, I'm loving the time at home with my wife and kids, but it's nice to stay up a little later than I should and revisit stuff like this! :)
Also, my original goal was to post this video of alternate footage of John Bonham playing Moby Dick (from TSRTS), but it was immediately blocked by YouTube. You can find it here: vimeo.com/394329232
If you like this video and want to support me on Patreon, please visit: patreon.com/kickitlikebonham
----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE DRUM FILL TO END ALL DRUM FILLS!!! In my opinion, this is one of the most simple, powerful, and musical fills you can throw into nearly any song. Naturally, it's something that John Bonham made his own and utilized to great effect. DISCLAIMER: Just like John Bonham, just because you CAN throw this into nearly any song, does not mean you SHOULD throw it into nearly every song. I didn't preface this in front of the camera, but it's really easy to overdue this fill if you are composing a drum part because it is so cool and easy to implement. Be like Bonham: use discretion.
With that said, if you're not familiar with this fill, let's dive in. If you are familiar with this fill, maybe there's a way you can supplement it to make it even cooler!
Here are some examples:
Early version of this fill from Heartbreaker (Royal Albert Hall - 1970). If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to :36.
Great example of Bonham employing doubles on the kick for this fill from Heartbreaker (How The West Was Won): youtu.be/vUp1WX5oFIQ?t=416 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 6:56)
Example of this technique used in a 6/8 rhythm (I Can't Quit You Baby): youtu.be/nsmY0tFJEIE?t=285 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 4:45)
Another example in 6/8 with the BBC Sessions version of Since I've Been Loving You: youtu.be/MSeviGS1vM4?t=108 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 1:48)
Example of this technique used in early Moby Dick: youtu.be/r9-42mu1D9Y?t=248 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 4:08)
Great visual example of right hand doubles from 25 May, 1975 Rock And Roll Drum Solo: youtu.be/qORqEm5XahY?t=317 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 5:16)
Great visual example of the right hand doubles from 25 May, 1975 Moby Dick: youtu.be/vlaCo92Emjg?t=544 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 9:04)
Example of the fill using the right hand doubles in Hots On For Nowhere: youtu.be/DMjFsdLgI2A?t=242 (If the timestamped link doesn't work, go to 4:02)
You can find an early sample of him playing it in this version of Moby Dick from the 7th of March, 1970 (youtu.be/aTJWLJolhqc?t=4095).
The part itself seems to be loosely influenced by Joe Morello. While the sticking is different, you can hear a similar pattern here: youtu.be/7Kx1GVYPOos?t=245. You can also see where Bonham was inspired to play with his hands earlier in Joe Morello's solo.
If you're feeling disheartened trying to play this part, here is a great example of Bonham not quite making it through it as effortlessly as he usually does: youtu.be/a9j3AynF5CI?t=6057
Here is video of this section from the 24th of May, 1975: youtu.be/LjiwMnzNwBo?t=847
And here is video of the same section, performed with much more vigor, the following night on the 25th of May, 1975: youtu.be/vlaCo92Emjg?t=507
Here is this section from How The West Was Won: youtu.be/eoYXa7BIie4?t=402
And lastly, outside of seeing an actual Led Zeppelin concert in person or acquiring a bootleg, I believe this was the first time you would have heard this section performed during Moby Dick - The Original Soundtrack (not movie) Version of The Song Remains The Same: youtu.be/Q__4pIwo1CA?t=274
If you are looking for more John Bonham and drum-related content, you can find more on my Facebook and Instagram pages. Just search, "Kick It Like Bonham."
If you like this video and want to support me on Patreon, please visit: patreon.com/kickitlikebonham
New old-stock.
This is part of the larger Ludwig Bonham Vistalite video that will be coming soon. This kit was generously lent to me by Mark Romans (of Jeff Ocheltree's Trust Your Ears-fame) and will be used to demonstrate some of the structural and tonal differences between vistalite kits produced in the 1970's versus the reissue/modern vistalite kits that Ludwig is producing.
The complete video will be over an hour long and detail the differences between old and new vistalite shells/hardware, modifications you can make to your vistalite to make it similar to Bonham's, tuning your vistalites to sound like Bonham's from either 1973 or 1975, and extensive demos on a modern vistalite, a vintage vistalite (basically, this video), and another vintage vistalite in smaller (14x22, 13x9, 16x16, 16x18) sizes.
I'm working on completing the video every chance I get. For those of you who have been waiting for, literally, years - I'm both sorry, and really wanting to make sure the completed video holds water for the test of time. That's been my challenge in balancing family life with three jobs and trying to make time for personal projects. I'm working on making 2019 as prolific as possible in regards to all things 'Kick It Like Bonham,' so please stay tuned and I'll do my best to make it worth the wait!
If you like this video and want to support me on Patreon, please visit: patreon.com/kickitlikebonham
New Old Stock recorded in 2014
I'm continuing to remix and re-upload these tracks as it seems it's easier to get the original tracks included without the video being blocked.
There are some distinct differences between the studio version and the way Bonham ended up playing it live (as was usually the case). Mainly, during the breakdown, he doesn't accent on the snare the way he did when playing it live, and instead skipped that to accent the beat with his kick.
Here's an attempt to pay homage to the greatest member to ever go underappreciated in Led Zeppelin. I'll state upfront that I whole-heartedly believe this is John Paul Jones actual track from the song (Updated: I was totally wrong! This is why I play drums and only dabble with other instruments. I was totally wrong and duped by that isolated track. I didn't take enough time to actually listen through the whole instrumental and just focus on the bass...my ear is always drawn back towards the drums. Upon clarification by LedZepFilm, I listened more closely and acknowledge that it definitely isn't JPJ's original bass track. Silly me...) While the bass part is pretty buried with vocals and guitar overdubs in the final mix, you can hear the instrumental version here:
youtu.be/OilJUWXDJyQ
I figured it would be fun to throw stuff like this up here while I'm in the process of recording new videos for the channel, especially if you've never noticed how funky JPJ's bass track is - classic Jonesy!
If you like this video and want to support me on Patreon, please visit: patreon.com/kickitlikebonham
New Old Stock circa 2014
New Old Stock recorded circa 2014
New Old Stock originally recorded back in 2014. While I go through and see what I can revive from the land of the blocked, it's been fun to experiment with the new Eddie Kramer Waves plug-ins and see how they sound with old sessions. Until I can revisit this song in the near future, here is the updated version of an old performance...
Great Bonham groove with those amazing rolling triplet fills! This is one of the first tracks I listened to that blew my mind when it came to Bonham's drumming. So simple, but so creative and perfectly executed.
Drums are a Ludwig Natural Maple Thermogloss (Modeled after Bonham's kit from 69/70):
14x26 Kick
12x14 Rack Tom
16x16 Floor Tom
16x18 Floor Tom
6.5x14 Ludwig Supraphonic (1973)
Cymbals are:
Paiste 24" Giant Beat Ride (Reissue)
Paiste 16" 2002 Medium
Paiste 18" 2002 Medium
Paiste 15" 404 Hi-Hats
Hardware:
2 x Early 70's Ludwig Atlas Straight Cymbal Stands
Ludwig L-Arm Cymbal Mount
2 x Ludwig Late 60's/Early 70's Atlas Snare Stand
Ludwig Speed King (60's WFL Model)
More new old stock to see what doesn't get blocked...
I'm going to keep trying to get all the old videos that have been blocked in the past back onto the channel. Fingers crossed...
Update: It was immediately blocked, but I decided to dispute under fair use law, so we'll see how that goes...
I've been seeing more videos pop up with Zeppelin songs in them lately, so I'm retrying some of the stuff that's been blocked for a while...
Because it has taken me so long to get the final video together, I've decided to release another little (30 min) snippet of the final video. YouTuber Ethan Anthony was the catalyst for getting this up, thanks to his patiently supportive comment ("GIVE US THE TUNE BOT SETTINGS YOU MONSTER"). It was the loving push I needed to deprive myself of sleep once more to get the godforsaken video finished before the end of the year.
This is a rough draft, warts and all, and expediently put together for Ethan Anthony and a gig he has on 25 November 2018. And to everyone else who has waited patiently - Thank you, and I'm sorry!
It's getting there! The editing process has been laborious. I'm pretty sure I'll end up editing this section down for the final video, so I'm throwing up everything here as another preview for what's coming...
Regardless, I don't know if all this will really end up in the final product, but as a late addition to the video, I wanted to demonstrate what the higher tuning sounds like on a smaller (Super Classic - 14x22 / 9x13 / 16x16 and the additional 16x18) setup. The kick and the rack tom are from the 70's, and it's cool to see the gold satin inlays on the bass drum hoops, just as Bonham had his.
In my opinion, this higher style of tuning does work well for a kit like this, especially depending on the style of music OR if you're playing in a venue where you aren't mic'ed and you want your drums to cut across the rest of the instrumentation. I threw a little section after the main part demonstrating a little funk stuff that I like messing around with to show a little more diverse a range of application for this style of tuning.
Oh! And the ride cymbal is a vintage 20" Paiste 602 and the kick mic is a Shure 545. The RE20 I use has the problem where the capsule rattles/buzzes when you use it as a kick mic (if you haven't noticed already). It vwas driving me nuts on this kick (because of the increase in low end) so I switched it out.
2. Heartbreaker
3. Black Dog
4. Over The Hills And Far Away
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Since I've Been Loving You
7. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
8. When The Levee Breaks
After a month of non-stop travel from Russia to Toronto and back to California, this is from our last show at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills before we have a week off and a much needed break. They aren't the sharpest performances on our part, but I like the angle the camera was setup, and so in a narcissistic haze (and the desire to be uploading more content) I'm throwing this up. Unfortunately, the battery died pretty early into the show. Hopefully, it can be of some benefit to a few people out there.
I'm sure what would be much more beneficial is to finish the Vistalite tuning video that so many of you have waited patiently for. I don't have to do any traveling outside of local shows for the remainder of the month. It's my top priority now to finish off the 2% that remains before that's complete. It' coming oh-so-soon, followed by a bunch of drum covers and tutorials from the garage!
It will include:
- Tuning the Vistalites in the style of John Bonham
- A comparison of the old vistalites to the reissue kit.
- How to mod the reissue to be more like Bonham's kit.
- Tunebot and Drum Dial settings
- What this style of tuning sounds like on a smaller kit (als a vistalite)
- Little idiosyncrasies of Bonham's kit (like how they painted the three circles decal with the drum head upside down).
- And some more that I can't remember off the top of my head...
See you guys in a week or so!
There's more of the show, but the sound quality isn't great, and I didn't have record mode on the right setting. I believe there's a way to make the frame a little more of a box, and you can see all the way down to your feet. I'll try again for a full band show here sooner than later...
The video will contain the following sections:
*Demonstrations of the kit and their sound
*Tuning
*Drum Dial and Tunebot settings
*Mic Setup
*Compare and Contrast of old and new
*Modifications that can be made
*Fun facts about Bonham's Vistalite Kit
Thanks for being so patient you guys! The video should be available in late November/early December 2017!
We didn't have time restrictions this night, and so it was fun to let loose and really jam out on this one. We had played the previous two nights in Tokyo, recreating the MSG 1973 shows as accurately as possible. We were performing the same show this night as well, and even through a little fatigue from the 3+ hour shows that had preceded, it was fun to just go for it and see where things fell.
I have all the footage shot for the tuning video! Now I just need to edit it all together. As a teaser, here is a clip of what the kit sounds like. This will be included in the video, along with other samples. Happy New Year everyone!
Filmed with a GoPro Hero 4.
Rock and Roll
Since I've Been Loving You (BBC 71)
Stairway Guitar Solo
Kashmir
Whole Lotta Love
I was intending on just putting up "I Can't Quit You Baby," because I was really proud of that performance, but ultimately decided to include a little something of everything (warts and all - like my flat vocals on the chorus of "Your Time Is Gonna Come"...eeesh), just to show our attempts to recreate all these different eras of Zeppelin's career. We're maybe a little more on the loose side of 'tight but loose,' but it's a lot of fun going for more of the thrashy raw side of early Zeppelin. We were panning on playing for about two hours, with much of this show being professionally shot for part of a new promo video, and ended up playing for over two-and-a-half hours.
I Can't Quit You Baby (Royal Albert Hall)
Thank You (BBC Sessions)
Lemon Song (Filmore West)
Dazed And Confused (BBC Sessions 1971)
Stairway To Heaven (BBC Sessions 1971)
How Many More Times (Royal Albert Hall / Montreux 1970)
We're Gonna Grove (Royal Albert Hall)
Your Time Is Gonna Come
Immigrant Song (BBC Sessions)
Heartbreaker (BBC Sessions)
Bring It On Home (HTWWW)
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You (1969)
Out On The Tiles (Blueberry Hill)
Whole Lotta Love (BBC Sessions 1971)
Communication Breakdown (Blueberry Hill - w/ Good Times, Bad Times / For What Its Worth)
Rock And Roll
Version with music: vimeo.com/kickitlikebonham/alsdrums
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: Achilles Last Stand
Album: Presence (1976)
--------------------------------------------
Hopefully, the version with music will be coming soon. It's being blocked at the moment...
This one is a beast! In listening pretty closely to this song, especially with the new re-mastered albums being released, I don't believe this song is quite as busy on the kick drum as many people believe. That's not to say there's not still a whole lot going on, but you can hear that he mixes the bass drum pattern up quite a bit throughout the song. The bass guitar is certainly more prominent in the mix though, and so it's easy to confuse what JPJ is (awesomely) playing (even despite the mistake he makes during the last bolero part), with what Bonham is doing on the kick drum.
Ludwig 2006 Stainless Steel John Bonham Re-Issue Kit:
14x26 Kick Drum
12x15 Rack Tom
16x16 Floor Tom
16x18 Floor Tom
6.5x14 1976 Supraphonic Snare (w/ Gretsch 42 Strand Snare Wire - Thanks Rich!)
-------------------------
24" Paiste Giant Beat Ride
18" Paiste 2002 Medium Crash
20" Paiste 2002 Medium Crash
15" 1977 Paiste 2002 Sound-Edge Hi-Hats
-------------------------
Vic Firth 5B American Classic Sticks (Wood Tip)
And a big thanks to the person who filmed the show and was kind enough to give us a DVD copy of the performance. You did a fantastic job!
I have no doubt this video will polarize plenty of people. Bonham had such a great bag of tricks to choose from at this point, and my goal is to be able to draw from each era of his playing to put together the best aka most entertaining drum solo I can. Right now, there are way too many repeated ideas, shoddy execution on some of his better parts, and overall, just not enough variety to warrant all the playing I did this night.
Still, I'm proud enough in some sense to share this as the real jumping off point for this drum solo. I was terrified that I had to play 25 minutes. Come to find out, they actually only expected me to play about 10 minutes. As a result, for this being the fourth time playing this in front of a crowd (and the first time going past 10 minutes), I figure there's nowhere to go but up from here...
A huge thanks goes to Dick from Let's Zeppelin Kobe for providing the drum kit and everything I used that night. Everything was amazing! A huge thanks to everyone who helped the band that night. They were a dream to work with.
A huge thanks to Kunihito Miyamori from Mr. Henry (A Tribute To Led Zeppelin) for providing all the drum equipment. It was an honor to play this kit for the night. Same goes for all the amazing crew throughout our time in Japan.


