“They’ve got two singers. One sings after the reggae style, and the other guy thinks he’s Elvis. So when they do things like Black Dog, they kinda, hey hey mama say the way you move, gonna make you sweat gonna make you groove. Then it goes into reggae. It’s fantastic”! – Robert Plant –

Besides this inarguable endorsement, Dread Zeppelin garnered high accolades from the British and American music press upon their debut and has continue to entertain and amuse audiences for over twenty years. They sound like the Hammer of the Gods, but act so cool that even our tone-deaf friends like them. Oh yeah – Led Zeppelin inna reggae style sung by an Elvis impersonator. You gotta order the extra-large portion!

Dread Zeppelin members:
Tortelvis
Charlie Haj
Butt-Boy
Fred Flintstoned
Spice

It is a well known fact that Elvis Presley’s birthday falls on January 8th. Well, eight years to the day after their first gig on January 8th 1989, (or 1956 if you believe lead vocalist Tortelvis), a replica Ford Pinto, containing 5 reggae musicians, smokes its way onto another stage. This time it’s the The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California, one thousand and ninety nine performances later. “It’s a hot time in Orange County” Tort exclaims just before Charlie Haj, the man who hands him his water and towels on stage, gives him his final stage instructions. “Tortelvis, dispite your age of 35, your obviously in poor health and way over weight. I know you’ve come to accept your appearance and so have your fans. So please, watch your step on the way to the stage”. And with that, the group that plays “Led Zeppelin music inna reggae style with an Elvis impersonator, is at it again! Since that day in 1989, Dread Zeppelin have released 12 cds, produced several videos (one in which Butt-head still says “whoa, that’s cool” and Beavis just agrees ), starred in a motion picture, and have toured in over thirty countries including Japan, Brazil, Australia and all of Europe. Their tight and sometimes shredfestual brand of reggae music combined with a stage show that re-defines the word, have prompted even Robert Plant himself to speak out in support of Dread Zeppelin’s version of “Your Time Is Gonna Come” over his own Led Zeppelin version! As you know, Dread Zeppelin is fronted by lead singer TORTELVIS, described as a cross between Vegas era Elvis, Dracula, and Liberace! Tortelvis is always accompanied by his faithful manservant, CHARLIE HAJ. Charlie quietly wipes the brow of the “Pompadoured Butterball” and keeps him in fresh towels. Lead guitarist BUTT-BOY is a tall scary man with an obvious secret agenda. Bassist FRED ZEPPELIN, a geeky reggaemon and a darn good player, along with drummer SPICE, are often mistaken for killer reggae rhythm section, Sly and Robbie.

Since the release in 1990 of their debut cd “Un-Led-Ed” for IRS Records, Dread Zeppelin have continued to play to diehard fans and confused faces in crowds around the world for almost 20 years. While the make-up of the band has gone through a few member changes, the main forces of the band have remained to reveal new and old sounds, and look for a new generation of Led Zeppelin fans and anti-Led Zeppelin fans. Dread may always be considered to most, purely a novelty act. However, some may argue that unlike a number of those acts, the bands longevity is due to their ability to actually play. On their latest release, Bar Coda “, they managed to step back in time with their camp approach they are known for. Tortelvis, has made a career of imitating the vocal style and mannerisms of the late Elvis Presley. However, “the times they are a kinda changin.” While Tortelvis still carries some of the Elvis inflections into his own style, the music seems to be more timeless when not reverting to the use of fat, food or drug references, although their use of weaving many songs and riffs together make for laughs of their own.

Wild Jesus and The Devil’s Lettuce Family Party Band is a community of musicians with the uncanny ability to surprise you every time they take the stage. As one might expect from such a strangely named group, Wild Jesus’ sound ranges from noir waltzes all the way to effects laden, impressionistic, psychedelic grooves.

The west coast of Wisconsin is not typically thought of as a hotbed of alternative reggae music. However, TUGG, hailing from La Crosse, WI has done an amazing job channeling tropical grooves and breezy melodies and has quickly become a top draw in the Midwest and beyond. Coming from a state known more for the Green Bay Packers, cold weather, and cheese, they boast an impressive resume of rubbing shoulders with reggae heavyweights. From shows with Barrington Levy and Slightly Stoopid to recording tracks with the likes of Pato Banton, Josh Heinrichs, and Outlaw Nation, TUGG continues to prove why they are a fast rising star in the alternative reggae scene. All of the bands last 3 albums have debuted in the Top 50 of the iTunes Reggae Chart. Their most recent album, Home Brew EP went to #2 and spent 3 weeks in the Hot 100 iTunes Reggae Album Chart. Last Spring TUGG was asked by The Dirty Heads (EMG) to provide support for a string of shows in the Midwest on their first ever headlining tour, which included a sold out show at the House of Blues-Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day. It is often said that to achieve greatness you must first surround yourself with greatness. If that is any indication about TUGG than their future is looking good. In the last few years alone they have been fortunate enough to share the stage with: Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, Cage the Elephant, SOJA, Barrington Levy, Pepper, The Aggrolites, Tribal Seeds, Ballyhoo!, Iration, The Movement, Mad Professor, Karl Denson, Rusted Root, Pato Banton, The Ziggens, Josh Heinrichs, New Politics, Pacific Dub, Tech Nine and many more.