By Damian Fanelli
Zepparella rocked the third annual Malibu Guitar Festival this past weekend—and they had a little help from Steve Vai.
Vai joined the popular all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band for several classic Led Zep tunes, including “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and “Whole Lotta Love,” both of which you can check out below.
“It’s going to be a little different from a normal Zepparella show,” Zepparella guitarist Gretchen Menn told GuitarWorld.com last week. “Once in a while, we’ll have someone sit in with us for songs like ‘When the Levee Breaks’ and ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.’ This show will be different because we’re going to be playing with a bunch of different people.
“Initially, we thought we were going to be the house band and play other people’s stuff. But Steve Vai said, ‘Let’s play some Zeppelin!’ Can he be any more awesome? [futureusgallerylaughs]. I’m trying not to be completely freaked out about it. Steve’s a guitar god, and it’s an incredible honor. When you’re 15, it’s something you never dream of. It all comes from a positive space.”
For the rest of that interview, head here. To get Vai’s thoughts on the Malibu Guitar Festival, which also featured performances by Tommy Emmanuel, the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, Robby Krieger of the Doors, John Hiatt and more, step right this way.
Besides Gretchen Menn, Zepparella features Noelle Doughty (vocals), Angeline Saris (bass) and Clementine (drums). Here’s what it sounds like when they team up with Vai (video courtesy of Andy Alt):
