Jason Bonham

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Friday, October 2, 2009

John Paul Jones to sit in with Sara Watkins in afternoon set at Austin City Limits

Over a three-day stint in Austin, Texas, John Paul Jones is playing the Austin City Limits festival and the TV show of the same name as well as a great local venue for live music, all with Them Crooked Vultures, plus making a special guest appearance at the festival sitting in with Sara Watkins.

Watkins, who first became known as the sultry female vocalist and multi-instrumentalist in Nickel Creek, became solo star earlier this year with a debut album produced by Jones. They first played together on the road in 2004 as members of Mutual Admiration Society. Watkins now spends many of her days on the road, splitting her gigs between solo events and gigs with her latest group project, the Works Progress Administration.

Update: Footage from her performance with Jones added

During her solo set at 1 p.m. today, Jones will join her onstage again, just as he last did joining her on the set of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" in April. Around that time, Jones was hinting of a new project of his, something secretive that eventually became revealed to be Them Crooked Vultures.

On Wednesday night, a small crowd entered an Austin TV studio to witness Them Crooked Vultures' first performance in America since its debut show in August. Amid the studio audience, champion cyclist Lance Armstrong snapped cell phone pictures despite a prohibition on cameras inside. The next day, Armstrong wrote on Twitter, "Them Crooked Vultures put the hurt on me last night. Ouch.." The episode of "Austin City Limits" is to air on PBS early in the new year.

Them Crooked Vultures played at Stubb's BBQ last night and is scheduled to play an hour-long set beginning at 7:30 tonight.

About the author

Steve "The Lemon" Sauer is a writer and musician based in Boca Raton, Fla., who has dedicated a portion of his life researching the history of rock group Led Zeppelin and monitoring the ongoing careers of the band's surviving members. Although he was barely a year old when Led Zeppelin broke up and it took him until his teen years to appreciate the music, it didn't take long to make up for it.

Steve is currently a contributing writer and consultant for Get the Led Out, a weekly syndicated radio program hosted by Carol Miller and syndicated in 100 U.S. markets including New York and Los Angeles. He also provides content for a Web site associated with the radio show, www.LedZepOnline.com.

In 2007, Steve launched Lemon Squeezings: Led Zeppelin News to cover the lead-up to the band's reunion concert at the end of that year. Since then, he has closely examined every rumor of a followup tour since then, often dispelling or clarifying misinformation perpetrated by the mainstream media. Using his journalistic training, Steve has also uncovered some facts and accounts previously unreported elsewhere.

At age 18, he began publishing On This Day In Led Zeppelin History, a daily newsletter detailing the interactions of members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, and their manager, Peter Grant. The newsletter is located at www.OnThisDayInLedZeppelinHistory.com.

He enjoys uncovering stories and has employed various methods to communicate those stories to Led Zeppelin's vast fan base, utilizing terrestrial radio and the many facets of the Internet: from Usenet newsgroups to plain e-mail and now Facebook and Twitter. Steve also connects with live audiences when performing as a backup vocalist and keyboard player with various bands, including past onstage appearances with three cover or tribute acts performing the music of Led Zeppelin.

Do you have a news tip to share with Steve? Do you have something you would like him to write about? Would you like to book him for a speaking engagement? He can be contacted by e-mail at Steve at LedZeppelinNews.com.

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