When Greg Blachman was in grade school, his classmates thought he was strange because one of his favorite bands wasn’t a popular, new act.
It was Led Zeppelin.
The music that he loved as a child is now part of his job. Blachman is the guitarist for Cincinnati’s Winds of Thor, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. The band is making its Sunset Series debut at 9 tonight on the Mitch McConnell Plaza on Veterans Boulevard.
“I’m the one who kind of put it together,” he said. “I got a little taste of playing in a Zeppelin tribute previously, when I was in college. I had a lot of fun with it. It was really successful.
“I kind of realized it was something I could take pretty far. ”
Winds of Thor has been together for about 21/2 years. They were named Best Tribute Band in the 2007 Best of Cincinnati awards, which are sponsored by CityBeat newspaper.
“The band has become a popular club draw, attracting a more diverse crowd than most rock cover bands, ”the newspaper’s Web site states.
Blachman said he put effort into finding the right mix of musicians for the band. Wind of Thor’s bassist, Jason Stegemoller, also plays keyboard. Vocalist Tony Makino plays harmonica, and drummer Phil Clements plays mandolin.
There is pressure when a tribute band plays the music of an iconic group such as Led Zeppelin, especially with the fans, Blachman said.
“If you’re a Led Zeppelin fan, you’re in it for the music, in it for the songs ... . To really pull that off correctly, you really have to know what you’re doing, ”he said. “You have to do your homework. ”
Winds of Thor often plays the “epic ”Led Zeppelin songs that they can play longer versions of and do improvisational jams with, Blachman said. They do songs such as “Dazed and Confused ”differently each time, he said.
He said he hopes Winds of Thor’s Owensboro performance can help change people’s perceptions of tribute bands.
“I guess just that people will see that we are doing the music of Led Zeppelin well and doing it justice, ”Blachman said. “Hopefully eliminate some of the skepticism people have about tribute bands and encourage them to give (tribute bands) a chance. ”
---- Beth Wilberding: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer 8/15/2008
Winds Of Thor A tribute to Led Zeppelin.
(EV) First off let’s introduce the band.
(Greg) We’re a four piece band just like Zeppelin was. Featuring Anthony Moser on lead vocals and harmonica, Phil Clements on drums and mandolin, Jason Stegemoller on bass guitar and keyboards, and myself (Greg Blachman) on lead guitar.
(EV) With original artists retiring and no longer touring tribute bands are gaining more popularity all the time, of all the great classic bands what did you find in Zeppelin that made you choose to tribute them?
(Greg) The music Led Zeppelin created is timeless. It appeals to all ages and demographics and will continue to do so for years to come. All of us admire Led Zeppelin for what they accomplished together as well as what each member contributed individually. It is both challenging and exciting to play these songs. No matter how many times we’ve played a song there are always things that we find here and there that we hadn’t noticed before. Then at practice one of us will say “Hey listen to this” Why haven’t we been playing it that way? These songs always keep us on our toes and keep things fresh and interesting.
(EV) Did the band members already play a lot of Zeppelin or did they learn just for the band?
(Greg) Phil and I knew a lot of Zeppelin tunes before we got together, so we had a pretty good basis to start from. Jason and Tony had to do more work to familiarize themselves with the material.
(EV) What songs are your favorites and what if any meaning do they have for you?
(Greg) I personally love playing the epic songs like Dazed and Confused, Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand, In My Time Of Dying, etc. We don’t get to play those as often because sometimes they don’t go over as well as some of the shorter tunes. Zeppelin was very experimental with many different tunings and musical genres. In order to capture the essence of Zeppelin I think it’s important to play the epic songs along with the more radio friendly ones.
(EV) Where have your best shows been?
(Greg) What makes a show great has very little to do with what city you’re in or what club you’re at. The best shows we’ve played have been the ones where the crowd is enthusiastic and involved. Ironically this has often been in some of the smallest and dirtiest clubs we play at.
(EV) What plans do you have for this summers shows?
(Greg) We’re going to maintain a rigorous tour schedule around the Midwest. We’re playing a mix of festivals, bars, concert halls, and private parties. A little bit of everything.
(EV) What response have you had from your eastside exposure and shows so far?
(Greg) Our Eastside shows have gone quite well. The crowds have been very enthusiastic and responsive. We’re seeing a lot of familiar faces in the audience which is a great sign.
(EV) How good of a job do you think EV is doing covering the local music scene and what would you like to see from us in the future?
(Greg) EV is very involved with the bands and clubs, which is a very good thing. I think that EV genuinely cares about the entertainment scene and does a great job keeping up to date on things. I personally would like to work with Eastside Vibe in order to promote other quality tribute and classic rock style bands in Cincinnati. There are many of great bands out there that need proper promotion.
(EV) Thanks Greg! Hopefully now all the Led Zeppelin fans out there will get to the show the next time they see a Winds Of Thor show date in the EV bar guide or website!
In fact there is an upcoming show at Anderson Bar & Grill Friday June 13th. If you love Zeppelin, classic rock or even just damn good live music then you’ll need to be there to see the band up close and personal.
Greg I say “go with your gut, play your favorite classic epics. Rip into it with all you got and come what may” That’s the way Zeppelin did it and look what it got them. For more info visit eastsidevibe.com or windsofthor.net
----Eastside Vibe Magazine June 2008
Like many in the audience, I had no earthly idea what to expect out of four local guys selling themselves as (of all things!) THE LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE. Filling the role, even remotely, of a Page/Plant/Bohnam/Jones would not be an easy task for the most seasoned pros...much less a local band--almost all of whom appear to be young kids in their twenties and, as such, were not even around, as I was, when the real Led Zeppelin came out and was discovered by the public. Stepping out on The Madison stage, and announcing a night of nothing but Led Zeppelin, the kids delivered the goods. Most notable in the performance was guitarist, Greg Blachman, playing guitar with a horse hair bow (as the real Page does) and drummer, Phil Clements, stepping out from behind the kit to actually play a credible mandolin on some of the more mellow Zeppelin material. Meanwhile, bassist Jason Stegemoller, left the bass behind (during the “Kashmir” portion of the show) to play a keyboard that was tuned exactly to the Zeppelin-esque tones the band was emulating. It was at this point in the performance, thanks to the expert house mix by The Madison’s sound engineer, that one could barely ascertain the difference of between the tribute and the real thing. Relatively new to the band, at less than a year, was singer, Tony Makino who, while maintaining his own personal identity and not attempting to be an “Elvis Impersonator” type clone, was about as close for comfort as any young musician could hope to be in attempting to fill the shoes of one of the greatest of rock’s vocal legends. At five bucks a pop (in advance) and only seven (at the door) this show was a bargain!
It was hard to conduct an extremely intense and deep interview with this band, only because, just seconds before, they had stepped off stage, from the two song encore, and the noisy auditorium had not yet settled down. The group was not even out of the backstage area yet and the house music was starting to play on The Madison’s massive sound system. An interruption from one of The Madison’s bartenders, informing the band that a customer had just sent three beers and a shot of Jagermeister, to the stage for them, also broke the concentration a wee bit. But...we trecked onward! What follows here is a brief, but accurate, interview with a local Cincinnati band that seemed to pleasantly surprise everyone that night--including me!
----Rick Flynn 1/24/08 (All photos and exclusive text © 2008)
----Taken from Madison Theater Fansite
"Best Tribute Band: Winds of Thor, a tribute to Led Zeppelin. Remember The Back Doors, a Doors tribute band that frequently played Cincinnati and sported the motto, ”You’ll believe Jim is him&rdquo&? Well, local Led Zep enthusiasts Winds of Thor are kind of like that — “You’ll believe Page is on stage” — but it’s all about musical recreations, not costumes and haircuts. The band has become a popular club draw, attracting a more diverse crowd than most Rock cover bands. "
----- Taken from Best of Cincinnati