More dates have been added to Robert Plant’s current “Band of Joy” tour and will now be extended into the summer months. He will be playing at a number of North American venues and festivals.

Seven more performances have been added to the schedule. Among the new dates are April 15 in Live Oak, Fl.; June 12 at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee; and June 16 at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Plant is set to perform with his Band of Joy a five-piece group that consists of Patty Griffin, singer; Darrell Scott, instrumentalist; Byron House, bassist; Marco Giovino, drummer; and Buddy Miller, guitarist.

The musical group released “Band of Joy,” Plant’s 9th album, through Rounder Records in September, 2010. It garnered two Grammy nominations and started its run at number 5 on The Billboard list of top 200 albums. The two nominations were for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Americana Album.

Plant’s 2010 tour made its way through Ireland and England. Even though Plant has primarily been concentrating on his performances in promotion of “Band of Joy,” he has also been singing Led Zeppelin songs like “Rock and Roll,” “Houses of the Holy,” “Gallow’s Pole,” and “Misty Mountain Hop.”

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2011 lineup will be bringing together country, jazz, pop and international rock headliners, including Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Robert Plant, Bon Jovi, Arcade Fire, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Sonny Rollins. Scores of local acts from Louisiana and nearby will also be included as part of the impressive roster, as well as many Haitian performers.

Other artists scheduled to appear on the festival’s 12 stages this year over two weekends, April 29 – May 8, are Lauryn Hill, Tom Jones, Cyndi Lauper, the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Jimmy Buffett, Jamey Johnson and Louisiana blues, rock, zydeco, Cajun, folk and gospel musicians such as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty, and Galactic.

Due to the strong cultural and historical connection between Haiti and New Orleans, festival organizers have focused much of their attention on performers from the Caribbean nation, including Tabou Combo Wyclef Jean, Emeline Michele and Boukman Eksperyans. Information on tickets is posted at the Jazz & Heritage Festival website.

Former Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant talked to Rolling Stone’s Stephen Rodrick about his future music prospects and the possibility of another Led Zeppelin reunion.

It has been four years since the iconic rock band performed together, but Plant had mixed emotions about the event.  “It was an amazing evening…The preparations for it were fraught and intense, but the last rehearsal was really, really good, for all that it represented and all that we were trying to capture”, the singer shared.  However, he felt that his ship with the band has already sailed. “But I’ve gone so far somewhere else that I almost can’t relate to it…It’s a bit of a pain in the pisser to be honest. Who cares? I know people care, but think about it from my angle — soon, I’m going to need help crossing the street,” he adds.

While it looks like a Led Zeppelin reunion show has a bleak future for now, Plant is open to another collaboration project with Alison Krauss.  However, the perfectionist “Kashmir” singer was not satisfied with their last project “Raising Sand”, which dates back to 2007, despite the LP’s favorable performance in the charts.  “The sound wasn’t there,” he says, but mentions that he wishes to continue the partnership for “Alison is the best” and one of his “favorite people” to work with.

As for his least favorite people, he mentions his contemporaries or what he would call as “a bunch of jaded old farts” who would play nothing but covers of their own hits, to which he comments, “there’s nothing worse”.  Plant, despite his age, subscribes to the belief of constant change, doesn’t like dwelling in the past and is always thirsty for new stories to share and sing about.  “People who have written their story – they’ve gotten to the point where nothing moves…I don’t deal with anybody who deals in that”

The first U.S. concert for Robert Plant since “Band of Joy” was released will take place in Asheville NC on January 18 to kick off his run of 15 shows.

The band touring with Plant is the same group that played with him on his July North American outing before “Band of Joy” was released.  It’s also the same players appearing on his new album, including vocalist Patty Griffin, guitarist and vocalist Buddy Miller, bassist Byron House, multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott and the drummer Marco Giovino.  Opening the shows will be North Mississippi Allstars.

In October as well as the early part of November, Plant performed in Ireland and England.  Although Plants has been focused on “Band of Joy,” he also has been performing tunes of Led Zeppelin’s like “Houses of the Holy,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Rock and Roll” and “Gallow’s Pole.”

The National Public Radio show “World Cafe” will be featuring Robert Plant, the legend from Led Zeppelin, on October 22.

Host David Dye and “World Cafe” is heard on more than 200 nationwide stations.

Robert Plant and Band of Joy’s new album “Band of Joy” during the first week of its release sold 49,000 US copies and debuted in the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart.  Band of Joy is a new version of Plant’s group prior to Led Zeppelin which featured the deceased John Bonham as well.

It is the first release by Plant since 2007 when he recorded “Raising Sand” with Alison Krauss.  The bluegrass album won six Grammy awards.  A wide array of musicians contributed to the new album.  They will also be touring with Plant.

Earlier this summer the album was previewed by Plant at a New York low key gig.  The 12 tracks include covers of “Harm’s Swift Way,” a rare track from Townes Van Zandt, along with two songs from Low, an indie band, “Monkey” and “Silver Rider” which are both off the 2005 album of the band’s called “The Great Destroyer.”

Band of Joy’s new lineup includes vocalist Patty Griffin, Darrell Scott on vocals and multiple instruments, Byron House on vocals and bass, Marco Giovino on vocals, percussion and drums, and Buddy Miller, the co-producer, on vocals and guitar.

Recently Robert Plant while promoting “Band of Joy,” his new album, suggested he might want to have a reunion with Led Zeppelin.  In a recent interview Plant said, we are thinking about probably talking.

Plant discussed the positive vibes he felt while revisiting Led Zeppelin’s songs during their reunion show in 2007 in London.  He says he still has the urge for playing the songs in concert.  Plant said, I think everyone feels the same way.  It’s not a talking point even.  How many times have they asked Stephen Stills whether he would like to return to Buffalo Springfield.  Neil Young and him maybe got out before  it could give them the same type of effect.  I still have the twinkle in me.

John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Jason, son of John Bonham, almost went on tour without Plant.  However the group couldn’t reach a decision regarding the project’s direction.  Jones left and went to play with Josh Homme and Dave Grohl in the band Them Crooked Vultures.  Bonham said, it got about as close as one can possibly get.  We put in a year of putting things together and writing.  It was great working with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page.  It was a lot of fun.

With the release of his latest studio effort “Band of Joy” on September 13, Robert Plant will be crossing the Atlantic to perform in the UK just a couple of weeks after the album hits the shelves.

For the UK album tour in the fall, Plant will be bringing with him his entire crew of music geniuses from the US who helped form and shape the “Band of Joy” release – famous Nashville music genius and guitar hero Buddy Miller, singer Patty Griffin, Byron House, Darrell Scott, and Marco Giovino.  Plant and his crew will be performing in three English venues (London HMV Forum – September 2; Birmingham Symphony Hall – October 27; Manchester Palace Theatre – October 31) with a sole gig in Wales at Cardiff St. David’s Hall on October 26.  Tickets for all UK shows will be available three days from now, on Friday at July 9.

The former Led Zeppelin front man recorded “Band of Joy” as a follow-up to his 2007 Grammy-winning collaboration set with Alison Kraus.  The upcoming album’s title is borrowed from Plant’s previous band of the same name before joining Led Zeppelin.

He recently sampled all twelve tracks from the new album in an intimate session in New York where the new set featured few surprise covers from indie band Low – “Silver Rider” and “Monkey”, and another revival from Townes Van Zandt, “Harm’s Swift Way”, while the rest are all original material of which Plant was quoted in saying, “It’s been a blast working on these new songs … and I’m enjoying such creativity and vitality. It’s been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove”.

Fans of the rock icon in the US can also catch him in Memphis, TN when his US tour kicks off on July 13, which will then cap off with a show in the tropical south in Miami, FL on July 31.

Led Zeppelin’s legendary front man Robert Plant is back with an up and coming album which seems to be monumental for him, as it is the first time for the English music icon to work with American musicians and singers and come up with an album that can be described as Americanized or simply Americana.

Although it won’t be the first time for Plant to work with an American recording artist as he has worked with Alison Krauss in 2007 for “Raising Sand”, everyone knows that Krauss’ bluegrass roots makes her music sound more British than American, so in essence, this will truly be the first time for Plant to produce an album that is a mixture of Nashville country meets garage rock but with a crisp, harmonious voice whistling through every cut, and for good measure, a couple of covers.

“Band of Joy”, before it became the title of Plant’s new studio release is the name of the band he was a part of back in the late ‘60s in Birmingham, England.  They played mostly blues with Plant eventually being coined as “The wild man of the blues from the Black Country”.  Today, “Band of Joy” will be the collective term for twelve songs that Plant has carefully worked on with renowned country music producer Buddy Miller, bassist Byron House, multi-instrumental expert Darell Scott, drummer Marco Giovino and singer Patty Griffin who laid out her calm and soulful voice into each cut adding a layer of emotion and vulnerability to every track, which was exactly what Plant was aiming for.

Last night at Back Room, one of New York’s small-venue live band joints, Plant sampled his upcoming CD to a crowd of about 200 to 300 while telling stories from the time before Led Zeppelin till how the new album came along.  Some stories were difficult to relate to and even Plant admitted it by saying, “That’s not quite as relevant now as back then — and penicillin is easily available now”, referring to stories about classic groupies like the Plaster Casters and the Butter Queen.

“Band of Joy” had a god balance of power, grunge and a subtle sense of harmony and soul through Patty Griffin’s vocals.  Compared to Plant’s 2007 release which won him and Krauss a Grammy, the cuts in “Joy” have more fire in it like one of the original tracks “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down”, although it wasn’t as grungy as what we remember of Plant and Led Zeppelin’s music to be.  Plant was also successful in taking a rock-blazing spin out of Townes Van Zandt’s “Harm’s Swift Way”.

One of Plant’s more insightful remarks during last night’s listening session was about finding a rare musical chemistry between fellow musicians, especially those that you’ll be collaborating with for the first time: “I just know that the first four hours when you meet musicians are the most crucial in your life with those guys. You know then whether there’s something really magical there or if you’re just churning it out. I don’t like to go anywhere near that latter condition.”

Sound advice from a musical legend, either you guys have the chemistry or none at all, and you have about four hours to find that out.

“Band of Joy” will hit stores on September 14.  Robert Plant will go on tour this month to promote the album’s forthcoming release as he is scheduled to perform in 12 cities down south.

U2 is canceling their summer concert as well as noted Glastonbury slot due to Bono having spinal surgery.

The buzz around the UK is that Led Zeppelin, the reclusive band, may be stepping in to fill the slot. In 2007 the band reunited across the pond.

There were rumors after that reunion that they would be embarking on a tour. However after Robert Plant made the decision to tour with Alison Krauss and win Grammys, that idea fizzled.

Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin guitarist, in response to the possibility of reuniting a second time, said to the Sun that he refused ruling anything out.

Robert Plant, band frontman, is the key. Several times he has played at Glastonbury and loves it there. He has had talks with festival officials about performing there again this year.

Plant said, they have a place there for me, but I don’t know who I will be there with. It would really be amazing if that happens.

While rehearsing for U2′s 360 World Tour, Bono injured himself. His legs are partially paralyzed currently.

Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is poised to make a big splash in the summer tour pond pond when he heads out in July to preview material from his forthcoming album. He will be joined by Band of Joy during his 12-city trek which opens in Memphis, Tennessee on July 13 and runs through July 31 wrapping up in Miami, Florida. Dates for the coming Robert Plant tour are outlined below.

The assembled Band of Joy is comprised of Patty Griffin (vocal), Darrell Scott, Byron House (bass), Marco Giovino (drums) and Buddy Miller (guitar). The forthcoming album by Robert Plant remains untitled and without a firm release date, but it is said to follow in the same vein as recent efforts. Plant recently stated, “It’s been a blast working on these new songs … and I’m enjoying such creativity and vitality,” Plant said in a statement. “It’s been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove.”

Robert Plant was last in the limelight when he roped five Grammys for his collaborative effort with Alison Krauss “Raising Sand.” Among the haul was an award for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the track “Please Read the Letter.”

2010 Robert Plant Concert Tour
July 2010
13 – Memphis, TN – The Orpheum Theater
15 – Little Rock, AR – Robinson Center Music Hall
16 – Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
18 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Casino Amphitheater
20 – Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theater
21 – Tucson, AZ – Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater
23 – Dallas, TX – Meyerson Symphony Hall
24 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
26 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
28 – Mobile, AL – The Saenger Theatre
30 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
31 – Miami, FL – Bayfront Park Amphitheater