Interview with Get The Led Out: A Zeppelin tribute band on a mission

There are many tribute bands located across the United States and beyond, but not every one has the feel of the original monsters of rock. It is hard to recreate the magic which occurred decades ago, but some groups are trying really hard to do their best impressions. One of those groups is Get The Led Out.

Get The Led Out is a nationally-touring tribute band that focuses more on the earlier tunes than the most recent; however, the band will occasionally whip out a track from the later years. The members include: Paul Sinclair (lead vocals, harmonica), Paul Hammond (electric/acoustic guitars, mandolin, Theremin), Jimmy Marchiano (electric/acoustic guitars, vocals), Paul Piccari (bass guitar, vocals), Andrew Lipke (keyboards, guitar, vocals, percussion) and Adam Ferraioli (drums, percussion).

The band tours the United States and has played in large venues like The House of Blues in Boston and The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, among many others.

I recently got a hold of the band’s lead singer, Paul Sinclair, to find out more about the group and how it is different from every other Led Zeppelin tribute band.

How and when did the group begin?

My guitarist Paul Hammond and I have been performing in and around the Philadelphia area in our original band "Sinclair" for many years. Our music is often described as a combination of 70s Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. As a singer, my two biggest influences are Steven Tyler and Robert Plant. So if I'm known for anything it would be my passion and dedication to this style of singing.

In the fall of 2003, I was contacted by bassist Paul Piccari who along with another guitarist was putting together a Zeppelin show that he wanted to take to theaters, festivals and other national venues. He had heard of me and proceeded to track me down. Like most Led Zeppelin tribute shows out there, they wanted to do a version of the movie “The Song Remains the Same.” Playing the extended live versions and impersonating the members.

I was never really interested in doing a "cover" project and certainly not an impersonator show. I also had no interest in performing the live versions of Led Zeppelin's songs. The album versions are what hooked me with Zep. Needless to say, we didn't get off to a great start, but in time it would become a dream project!

Long story short, I brought Paul Hammond into the band. We then went through some line-up changes and eventually found all the right musicians for the project. Everyone agreed that we take the "studio version" approach, and NOT go the "impersonator route". We signed a management /booking agreement with Frank Kielb of FKE Entertainment, then later SRO Artists Inc. - both of which helped us take our Get The Led Out project to the national level. The rest is history!

Have the members all stayed together since the group started?

As I mentioned, some members in an early incarnation of the band had a different vision for GTLO and moved on. Since that point it's been all the same members.

Why did the band focus on the music of Led Zeppelin?

This wasn't a case of a bunch of musicians getting together and saying "hmm … what band should we pay tribute to?" We all came together as a result of our love and passion for this music. I can't even imagine doing this kind of project if I didn't have such a strong attachment to the material. Led Zeppelin has been the soundtrack to my life!

How hard was it to learn their songs?

It's a never ending mission! It's one thing to learn a chord progression, a melody, or a song structure. With Zeppelin there is so much more to conquer in order to really bring these songs to life. Jimmy Page is a real genius who saw the power in capturing that "special take" even if it had technical flaws. So much of their music is improvisation. There are many moments where it feels like a runway train just barely clinging to the tracks. So trying to recreate the songs with all the dynamics, nuance and "flaws" is very challenging. But it's a labor of love!

How often does the group tour, and is the reception from fans positive?

With this type of act it's sort of a non-stop tour, in that we don't consciously set aside much more that a few weeks a year for vacations. The response has been overwhelming! I never would have thought that people would react the way they do to guys performing cover material. But then again, it IS Led Zeppelin. What is also amazing is the range in age of the fans. Led Zeppelin I came out in 1969 so you would expect to see somewhat of an older crowd. But it's literally 8 - 80. We do meet and greets following every show, and I find myself meeting so many young kids who know more about Zeppelin than the parents or grandparents who brought them! It's very inspiring.

What makes your Led Zeppelin tribute band better than all the rest?

Going onstage as ourselves, putting on a big rock concert performing the studio versions of the Zep catalog has turned out to be what separates us from the other Led Zeppelin shows and I attribute a lot of our success to this. To me it seems so obvious. The main reason for Led Zeppelin's mythic status has to do with the fan's undying love of the albums. I can tell you without question, that the reason I love to sing these songs is because of those melodies that are emblazoned in my brain from hearing them for so many years. Why anyone would want to perform them any other way is beyond me … but hey, that's what makes the world go 'round!