I'm not sure why I didn't feel compelled to mention this earlier, but JPJ will be on the radio program Rockline tonight. Check your local listings for times, I guess.

I haven't been updating news all that often, but I have been updating the Gigography Page as I get in info about setlists and the shows. If you don't want to know the setlists, don't look there. I'll never give away the info here!

Last night, sort of off-topic, I saw a Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes show. I had a blast and it was a fun show. Their bassist was really good! :-)

Oh yeah! The long-awaited U.S. tour is starting tonight! Buckle up, JPJ is doing 15 shows in about 3 weeks. The shows are, by all reports from the 4 warm-up gigs, dazzling and powerful and quite fun. I don't think many of the shows are sold-out either, so get your tickets now! JPJ was as big a part of Led Zeppelin as Page and Plant, and seeing him perform live should be as high a priority as when you rushed to get Page/Plant tickets.

OK, a setlist of last night's show in Belfast was posted by Jeff to the Led Zep mailing list, FBO. I put it on the Gigography Page and has some nice surprises. There are some unknown tunes -- if anyone knows what they are, let me know! Apparently, JPJ has been playing bass (obviously), he straps on the mandola for "The Smile of Your Shadow", and even plays piano. That's all I know so far...

I've been trying to dig up setlist for this weekend's shows, but haven't been too successful. Tight But Loose did have word on which Zep song he played, but they're holding out on more info! Boo! Anyway, if you want to know which song it is, check out my Gigography Page and scroll on down to the Oct. 2 date.

Well, the tour starts this weekend! JPJ will be doing 4 shows in 4 nights starting Saturday. If anyone wants to send in a review, or at least a setlist, that would be great! Email me at shankar00@yahoo.com Or check here, and I'll try to get setlists and stuff posted as soon as I can, along with reviews or whatnot. I'll probably just put the setlist on the Gigography Page, so if you don't want to know, you don't have to look! :-)

And apparently I have 2 readers, or only 2 who bothered to vote on my question about which Zep songs JPJ should play on tour. Everyone sent me 3 "ZOOMA" songs (which I didn't ask for because JPJ is going to play ALL OF IT), and 3 non-"ZOOMA" songs. Here's the Zep song results, but there were no duplicate choices. In no order:

1. "Crackback"
2."Skotoseme"
3."For Your Life"
4. "Black Mountain Side"
5. "The Rover"
6. "Tea For One"

I really like the idea for "For Your Life". That would be cool. From what I've read, my all-too-educated guess is that we may actually get to hear "No Quarter". I don't think JPJ would be above another subtle jab at Page and Plant. I've also been thinking we may get something along the lines of "Black Dog" or "Celebration Day". I seriously doubt we'll get anything like "Carouselambra", though something from "IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR" would be nice. JPJ is also contemplating tossing in something from "SCREAM FOR HELP" -- my guess is "Chilli Sauce" (a heavy lap steel song) or one of the instrumentals ("Spaghetti Junction" or "Crackback").

I asked Discipline Global Mobile if they could get a few copies of the Japanese version for the few Americans who would want the extra song "Fanfare for the Millenium", but they just pointed me to their Japanese distributor.

All indications for the tour are that there will be one or two instrumental versions of Zep songs thrown in. Do I actually have any readers? Email me at shankar00@yahoo.com and place your votes on

a) Top 3 non-"ZOOMA" songs you hope JPJ plays.
b) Top 3 non-"ZOOMA" song you think he will play.

Be serious though -- obviously he's probably not going to play "Stairway To Heaven", even if everyone thinks he should. That's what part b) is for. :-) I'll be taking votes only until around Oct. 2, when JPJ has his first show. I think I'll just do this via email because I don't feel like finding or programming a poll. :-)

Also does the front page take too long to load? If so, let me know. I'll move some of the pictures and stuff. It is sort of ugly, so maybe I should anyway.

I've added a few new articles and reviews to the Articles and Reviews section. Funny how that happens. I've got a few more to add that are quite long so I keep putting them off. Ignore my claim that Terl Bryant is the tour drummer, because I've read that it is either to be determined, Bryant, or Geoff Dugmore. (shrug) It will only be a three-man power trio though. The venues from the tour have been changing not unfrequently, but I think what I have on the front page is up-to-date completely.

One new tour date has been announced (Oct. 31, Anaheim, CA... I'll be there!). Another date has been changed - Oct. 21 is no longer scheduled in Michigan, but instead is in Minneapolis, MN.

I got my "ZOOMA" cd in the mail yesterday. Today comes news that the Japanese version has an extra track called "Fanfare for the Millenium". Argh! JPJ will be touring with Nick Beggs (a bassist/guitarist) and Terl Bryant (drummer from Bauhaus). Stay tuned here for more on that. He also claims that he will do some Zep songs, if he can come up with some instrumental arrangements.

JPJ was also on that "Big Breakfast" TV show again this morning... in a taped comedy game show sketch! Also JPJ will have an official website at www.johnpauljones.com. It's says to check back in the future for a better site. This is not the same as www.john-paul-jones.com. I've added more reviews and articles and stuff to the articles page, by the way.

No news to add.

Except that "Zooma" is out today. If you haven't ordered it from DGM yet, why not?

There's a short positive review of the album in Rolling Stone, which I'll add to the articles section sometime soon. Tickets for the tour continue to go on sale. Jimmy Page will be playing New York a day or two before JPJ does. Let the rumours fly! This morning, JPJ was on the British TV show "Big Breakfast". He was interviewed and he jammed on "Rock and Roll" with some guitarist who won a Led Zeppelin trivia contest.

Not too much new to report recently. The tour dates haven't changed since the addition of Japan and Ireland. Personally, I'm still waiting for the Oct. 30th show to be announced. JPJ was on the radio in Germany DJing a two-hour show... he played some Diamanda Galas, some Zep, some jazz, some Hendrix. If anyone has a tape of this...

There's been some small JPJ tour date changes - some of the T.B.A. dates have been announced. Also there's some new European dates and 4 shows in Japan. Also the Las Vegas location has changed, and some of the US dates moved. 3 shows are on sale though (L.A., New York, and New Haven). Remember ordering "Zooma" begins on Sept. 1! I've got some more press/articles to put in the article section, but I'm busy and I'm trying to find a new job. Anyone want to pay me for doing this?

I bought my tickets for the Los Angeles show at the Greek Theatre, Oct. 29th. As far as I know right now, this is the only show where the tickets are available. I also plan on going to the Oct. 30th show (T.B.A.) and the Nov. 1 one in Las Vegas. There's a couple of new articles in the articles section also.

JPJ was on a radio interview last week. (I edited this from Tight But Loose.) John Paul Jones gave an interview on KSHE-95 in St. Louis, Missouri, a classic and modern rock station. Some highlights of what he said:

JPJ chose "Zooma" as the title as he said it sounded uplifting and energetic, as if something was really happening with the music. There might be more US dates possibly in January. He will have someone along to cover the Chapman stick parts on the record (the Stick is a headless, bodyless instrument that combines both bass and guitar strings on the same neck), but that he had not decided on a drummer for the touring group yet. He reaffirmed that the most memorable Zep gig he can remember was the Boston Tea Party show where they played their 45 min. set twice and "anything else anyone knew more than 4 bars to." When asked about his favorite Zep songs, he mentioned that he was very fond of "Kashmir" and "When the Levee Breaks" and also said that his two favorite Zep albums were 4 and Physical, corresponding to his two favorite tracks. When asked about the whole P/P fiasco, he did not come across as bitter as he has in previous interviews and pretty much placed the blame on Plant. He attributed his lack of involvement in the project to Robert's desire to avoid "reuniting" the band and he seemed to respect Plant's desire to avoid the obvious suggestions that would come about if he had been included. JPJ did mention that he has quite a bit of contact with Jimmy and Robert and sees them regularly in meetings to discuss Zep business. "There is still a lot of business regarding the band. I see them quite often to discuss matters concerning Led Zeppelin. We still have to discuss new record releases and other projects and we are all very professional."

New record releases?!

Well, I was on vacation for the last 6 days and all sorts of cool JPJ stuff happened! Figures. Anyway, lots of good news to announce. First, the US tour dates!
12 Oct Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
13 Oct TBA
15 Oct Paradise, Boston, MA
16 Oct Irving Plaza, New York, NY
17 Oct TBA
19 Oct The Odeon, Cleveland, OH
20 Oct Park West, Chicago, IL
21 Oct Royal Oak Music Theater, Royal Oak
23 Oct Ogden Theater, Englewood, CO
25 Oct Moore Theater, Seattle, WA
26 Oct Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR
28 Oct The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
29 Oct House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
30 Oct TBA
1 Nov House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV

No word on when they go on sale, but when I learn, I'll announce it here.

Here's the track order for "Zooma".

1. "Zooma"
2. "Grind"
3. "The Smile of Your Shadow"
4. "Goose"
5. "Bass'n'Drums"
6. "B. Fingers"
7. "Snake Eyes"
8. "Nosumi Blues"
9. "Tidal"

Remember, you will be able to order the album via mail order starting Sept. 1 from DGM's website! It will be delivered Sept. 13.

MORE TOUR DATES! All in Europe though.

November 7 - Incognito, Munich
November 8 - Batschkapp, Frankfurt
November 9 - Prime Club, Cologne
November 11 - Konzertfabrik 7, Pratteln
November 13 - Alcatraz, Milan
November 15 - Botanique, Brussels
November 16 - La Batacaln, Paris

There you go! Combined with the UK dates, I would think that is all for Europe for now (until his 2000 world tour). Next up will be the North American dates, which will be in October.

Also if I have any Dutch readers (or any at all!), tickets go on sale for the Crossing Border Festival (Oct. 8, Hague, Holland) - Sat Aug. 1 at 10 o'clock. Keep an eye out on the Crossing Border Festival in the future, and go check out Tight But Loose right now for more information.

CONFIRMED TOUR DATES! JPJ will be grooving and swinging through the UK in November. 4 dates have been confirmed:

November 18 - The Garage, Glasgow
November 19 - Wulfre, Wolverhampton
November 20 - Debating Hall, Manchester
November 22 - Shepherds Bush Empire, London

More to come obviously. Hopefully this means the US dates will be finalized and announced soon. Stay tuned here!

More song titles from "Zooma" have been released, via good ol' Dave Linwood of Tight But Loose. They are "Goose", "Grind", "Bass'n'Drums", "Nosumi Blues", and "Tidal". Combined with the four on the promo, that should be the whole album.

Discipline Global Mobile will be taking pre-release orders for "Zooma" on September 1st. Also they will be adding two 1 minute excerpts from "Zooma" to their website, as soon as they can.

TOUR NEWS!
Also I have word that John Paul Jones will begin touring on October 7th at the Crossing Border Festival in Holland! Yeah! Too bad I'm nowhere near Holland. After that, JPJ will be playing a short US tour in October, and another short European tour in November. A more extensive world tour will occur in 2000. Life is good!

A groovy new promo CD from "Zooma" has been released. You can read about it at Tight But Loose. (Get there via Buckeye's site). I'm not cool enough to have one yet, but the tracks are "Zooma", "Snake Eyes", "B. Fingers", "The Smile of my Shadow". I don't know how to get one either, especially here in the US. There is one on Ebay, but the last I checked, the price is 62 dollars! Man, do I want one. :( Also, I know this site is really ugly right now, but I hope to find time to seriously update it soon!

Some more information about "Zooma" collected from www.led-zeppelin.com. The album will have 9 tracks and JPJ plays the following instruments - 4-string bass, 10-string bass, 12-string bass (what happened to your 8-string, JPJ?), bass lap steel (cool!), kyma, mandola, organ, guitars, and orchestral-arranging. I also think it's a safe assumption that he is producing it himself.

It has been announced that JPJ's second solo album will be called "Zooma" and it will be released on Sept. 13, 1999. It will be on the Discipline Global Mobile label, which is run by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. Check out their press release here. I copied it from DGM's website, www.discipline.co.uk.

A month or two ago, JPJ and Jimmy Page showed up to receive a new special Platinum award certifying sales of ten million (10,000,000) for Led Zeppelin. I wasn't able to update the news quicker, but it happened, and here's a photo of the old partners. They must have the same tailor.

Happy Birthday, John Paul Jones!

JPJ is currently in the studio finishing up his solo album. Look for it to be released in spring or summer of 1999. It was recorded in London, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. Other musicians on the album are rumored to be King Crimson's Trey Gunn, drummer Denny Fongheiser (who toured with JPJ on "The Sporting Life" tour), and the Butthole Surfers' guitarist Paul Leary. There will be a supporting tour. Stay tuned.