Tune In, Turn On
With Doug Deutsch
Two rock drummers with distinctly different sounds will bring their respective bands to Atlantic City this weekend and next.
Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, returns to Hard Rock Casino’s Soundwaves Theatre with his ‘Led Zeppelin Evening’ 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. After 14 years of performing Zeppelin classics, Bonham introduces a refreshed setlist, with deep cuts and re-imagined arrangements. Bonham has mixed up the setlist this year; songs that hadn’t been performed in more than a decade are now part of the younger Bonham’s set.
“It’s nice seeing the response when you decide to change things up,” Bonham said recently. “You can get comfortable doing what you’ve done for 14 years. Songs like ‘Dazed and Confused,’ which we hadn’t done in ages, are back. Last night we played and the song was 24 minutes long!”
Bonham last performed in Atlantic City in 2023, opening for Gov’t Mule as part of the former’s “Dark Side of the Mule” tour at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena. “We start in a completely different way now, which keeps us on our toes,” Bonham said. “Someone told me that our new opener was supposed to kick off Zeppelin’s 1980 tour, the one that never happened. It’s a cool nod to history.”
Just as Jason Bonham is carrying on the musical legacy of his father, John, Jason’s son, Jager Henry, is following in his dad’s footsteps, opening some shows for Bonham on this tour.
“His (Jager’s) new music is phenomenal. It’s aggressive, hard, but well done,” Bonham said. “He’s got this incredible stage presence — he’s 6-foot-4 and usually shirtless — so he grabs attention. I’ve told him, ‘One of these nights, they might not like you,’ but every time, he wins them over.”
Marky Ramone, one of the last surviving members of famed New York punk group the Ramones, has forged a nice career outside of performing as host of the “Marky Ramone’s Punk Rock Blitzkrieg” show on Sirius XM Radio. Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg visits the Tropicana Showroom Saturday, Dec. 14, performing a whopping 38-song set (those who remember the Ramones know their songs were usually three minutes or less). Longtime South Jersey music fans may recall the Ramones performing at the legendary nightclub Gables in Margate (now Tomatoes Restaurant) in 1982 (we were there!), as well as the long-gone-but-not-forgotten Wildwood club, The Playpen.
Marky replaced drummer Tommy Ramone in 1978; he also played in various groups, including influential NY rockers Richard Hell, and the Voidoids, Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys. While the Ramones never played in AC, Marky previously did – in 2006 in a band called Osaka Popstar, a “supergroup” of sorts featuring Dez Cadena (Black Flag), Jerry Only (Misfits), and Ivan Julian (Voidoids), at the now-closed House of Blues.
Bits ‘N’ Pieces: Dom Levy, bassist for popular South Jersey rock band Fat Mezz, releases his debut album “Lazy River” this coming February. “I’ve been working on “Lazy River” since 2022. I wanted to create music with no expectations, lots of creativity and room for improvisation,” says Levy, whose father, comedian “Reverend” Bob Levy, was once part of Howard Stern’s show. “I recorded (Lazy River) at The Audio Lab with Tony Mascara. The production in songs like “Thought of You Again” attempt to produce the Wall of Sound and layered instrumental textures of (Beach Boys) Brian Wilson.” Fat Mezz are currently in Memphis recording new material.
Doug is the owner/operator of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, which since 1995 has been servicing nationally touring acts, and working record release campaigns for clients. Doug also hàs experience writing for the one time shore-based weekly publication, Whoot! He also was a team member with Chip Braymes Advertising. Doug loves bicycling and aspires to bring the Blues to Atlantic City. He can be reached at ShoreLocalDoug@gmail.com and www.facebook.com/dougdeutschpublicity.
