Having been a fan of Zebra for as long as I have been, I couldn’t resist the chance to enjoy their sound when they came to NYC’s own B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. The club was jam packed because tonight the band was also doing a special Led Zeppelin set. If you want to read more about it or see some photos, just scroll past the logo.
Artist: Zebra Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Race Odyssey Date: 02/15/2008 Label: Independant
In my opinion nothing proves the staying power of a Rock & Roll band more than a sold out show on a Friday night at one of the hottest venues in New York City. Such would be the case when the one and only Zebra returned to the Big Apple for another appearance. We caught them back in June of 2007 at this very same spot and I am happy to report that it was also a sold out affair. It’s been about twenty five years since Zebra released their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records and many of those who caught on to what the band was all about in the beginning have remained loyal fans throughout the years. Back in the day, the band was transplanted Louisiana natives who set up shop on Long Island at the suggestion of Pepe Marchello from the Good Rats and as a result became one of the area’s most cherished attractions. The Island residents welcomed this band and essentially made them their own with little hesitation and the move found the band performing to packed houses in the biggest rock clubs that the time had available. To many music fans those were the days and they are fond memories in today’s time. Tonight’s show would be to my knowledge the bands second appearance at the venerated B.B. King Clues Club and with their Long Island network of followers in attendance would sell out well in advance and leave hundreds of disappointed fans unable to come in for the show. That was a shame because tonight would not be only the wonderful Zebra set of originals, but also a completely loaded set of Led Zeppelin material that harkened back to the time when the group played mostly covers. Zebra is one of the few acts that could and did do Led Zeppelin material justice as a cover band and every so often they would pull out a classic Zep number during their regular set. As you can imagine, finding the night set to present a complete set of such material made this all the more reason for snaring a ticket early. Here is some of how the night went down. Continue reading Zebra @ B.B. King Blues Club (2/15/2008)→
Artist: Zebra Title: “The DVD” Label: Independent Release/Music Video Distributors Release Date: 3/18/2008 Genre: Hard Rock Rating: 4/5
In 1975 Randy Jackson, Felix Hanemann and Guy Gelso formed Zebra and together the band would break house attendance records in their hometown of New Orleans. They were a Hard Rock band that came into popularity because of their excellent renditions of Rush, and most specifically Led Zeppelin tunes. They also blended in some of their original material to their nightly set and these songs were incredibly powerful and proved that they were not just some run of the mill band. After being convinced about it by Peppy Marchello (from The Good Rats), the band would relocate to Long Island, NY and become kings of the growing Rock club scene out there. It was a scene that found bands such as Twisted Sister also on the same path to success. This move found Zebra becoming immediate favorites of the club crowds on the island and it was as if the band had begun in this area as opposed to New Orleans. A record deal was soon secured on Atlantic Records where the band would release three studio albums and a live recording – the rest of course is Zebra history. Continue reading “The DVD” by Zebra→
Zebra would be appearing at New York’s legendary venue for what I believed to be their first time in the place. I’ve enjoyed their music for decades and wanted to make sure that we brought the news about the gig to the readers. To read and see more about this show, just scroll past the logo below.
Artist: Zebra Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: J-Rad Date: 6/28/2007 Label: Mayhem Records
While they might have begun their career in New Orleans, LA – Zebra became an official New York band as far as Long Island was concerned when they relocated there so many years ago. At the time they were primarily an original band that also played some killer Led Zeppelin tunes and it was before they had secured their record deal. In those early days, the Long Island music scene was a hotbed of activity and had launched bands like the Good Rats and most notably Twisted Sister. There are others that are too numerous to name but it makes for some great investigation and needless to say Zebra was quickly one of the favorites out of all the Long Island scene groups. Blockbuster performances in sold out rooms and an ever expanding fan base led to the bands signing to Atlantic Records and their self-titled debut was a terrific display of Hard Rock with a slightly Progressive edge. The bands Zep influences were very apparent around the album and as a touring entity they continually played to packed houses. Music fans could do no wrong with Zebra. After thirty plus years of performing the band has never compromised their sound or lost touch with their diehard group of fans. When you see a Zebra show, everyone around you is a fan who knows their stories and career and every single note of their music. Tonight, the venerated B.B. King Blues Club would host the band for an evening of music and it would be my first time seeing the band in this venue, and also the first time I had been to one of their gigs in far too long. The last time I caught them would be at the now closed Downtown in Farmingdale, NY. Continue reading Zebra @ B.B. King Blues Club (6/28/2007)→
Artist: Various Artists Title: “Subdivisions: A Tribute To Rush” Label: Magna Carta Records Release Date: 3/15/2005 Genre: Progressive Rock Rating: 4/5
Magna Carta Records follows up their Rush tribute “Working Man” with “Subdivisions” and while there is nothing quite like the original, this album continues to showcase the other side of some Progressive and Rock greats it makes for a nice companion to the first release. The original “Working Man” found Mike Portnoy on most of the drumming, and he is clearly a monster talent capable of all things Peart; his adventures in Dream Theater have allowed him to take drumming to the next level. “Subdivisions” however lets all the drumming be handled by Steve Vai and Annihilator skin basher Mike Mangini. Mike is a killer player who does the album justice. Vinny Moore and Stu Hamm handle the rhythm guitars and bass on the whole recording as well and that makes the key focus be on the vocal talent this time around. Sebastian Bach is once again present on the album and he does a great considering his level of expertise. As a result “Tom Sawyer” and “Lakeside Park” have a new heaviness to them. Yet despite Bach’s presence I was more interested this time around in the contributions of the other singers and I feel many listeners could enjoy this as well. Joining the talented folks who put this together is Randy Jackson (Zebra), Kip Winger (Winger) and Jani Lane (Warrant). Continue reading “Subdivisions: A Tribute To Rush” by Various Artists→
Artist: Zebra Title: “IV” Label: Mayhem Records Release Date: 6/28/2003 Genre: Hard Rock Rating: 8/10
The Zebra CD “IV” was a long time in the making and the last time they recorded new music together was about 10 years ago. I was happy to see this released because I had been a long time supporter of the music and years ago this was one of my favorite area bands. With Zebra originally being from not so far Long Island the band used to play L’Amour all the time when it was the place to be. The group was originally a Led Zeppelin focused band until they got signed and released their self-titled album on Atlantic Records. The debut is something worth finding if you have some retailers that cater to more than just the Pop trappings of the day. The new CD is the bands fourth and it is a continuation from where they left off with several standout tracks such as “Arabian Nights” which has a very Zeppelin feel and that sort of groove that they were most known for. The three-member group of Randy Jackson (guitar/vocals), Felix Hanneman (bass/keyboards) and Guy Gelso (drums) are some of the most talented individuals around and this is proved to this day by the dedicated fans that still support them. Anyone who has seen or heard Randy Jackson especially will be amazed at how his voice as only gotten better over the years and not suffered a note as some other bands have. Other tracks that have a large impact on the release are “Angels Calling”, “Who Am I” and “So I Dance” each a solid song musically and lyrically. This was always a good band and it is a shame that they never established a larger amount of support beyond the cult status. Looking back, at least these supporters are the true fans and in the end that is all that counts. Continue reading “IV” by Zebra→
