Greetings friends!
Over the moons and years we have received requests from friends and fans to post pictures and tell of stories that they have heard of, relating to Fathom over the years. We will post rare and special photos and memories from Fathom years past here. Come with us and enter the Fathom Archives...
The shows and weekend with Jason Bonham & Healing Sixes:
This picture above is Jason sitting on my front porch the morning after playing in Port Jefferson with H6's & Fathom. I specifically remember taking this picture as Jason was telling me a story about his late father John Bonham. I remember looking out across the field beyond the house listening Jason's heartfelt words about his Dad. It was kind of surreal in the sense that I knew how much Led Zeppelin's music had an effect on me and my song writing, and here by happy chance or some strange destiny I was listening to a Bonham family story that I had never heard or read about in any rock and roll article or rumour. There was no sense of sensational idol worship, or rock and roll royalty in the words that I heard that day, only love for a father, musical mentor and legendary bard.
It all started with a radio commercial I had heard while driving somewhere on Long Island a few years back. Healing Sixes, a rock band featuring Jason Bonham was announced to be appearing at a local joint in Suffolk County. I wont name the place as it is now another establishment. Well, I thought to myself, "Wow, Jason Bonham, thats a rare occurance, lets go see that!"
So after several phone calls, I found only one friend who would go out with me on a Sunday night to see an unknown rock band with a well known drummer. Much to the demise of our rock and roll expectations the place was totally empty! Maybe 15 people in the whole place for the show. Healing Sixes played a phenominal set of top notch original music. I still listen to that first CD to this day. Its called Enormosound, and I highly recommend buying it
here if you dont have it already! In fact we stay in touch with H6's to this day and hope to play some future shows with those guys - a true rock band with ENORMOUS talent! Their new stuff is on myspace
here.
So after the show we walked up to the stage and began talkin to the guys. Totally down to earth and we got to meet Jason Bonham. Felt like a legendary night. They played in NYC at BBKINGS next and we went into the big city and talked again after the show deciding to maybe set up a few shows on their next run out our way. When the time came we played two shows with Healing Sixes on Long Island, and they were nights to remember. There are several stories wrapped up in that weekend that we may have to tell some day.
This pic above features our former guitarist in the middle, who now plays bass for Ritchie Blackmore, and myself with a very dazed and confused look I might add. That picture was taken before the show in the Hamptons. H6's also played a long Zep set which got the crowd into a total frenzy! If only we had recorded it that night! They played their original and Zep stuff with true passion!
So after H6's, Fathom got up to play out the night. Due to minimal time between bands, there was a time issue with drum set breakdown, and Jason Bonham volunteered to let our drummer Gary play the entire Fathom set on his personal set. We wound up playing 3.5 hours into the wee morning to a fanatic crowd! We cant thank Jason enough for letting us borrow his booming drum set and sound that night. We even played a Celtified version of "Battle of Evermore" and "Thank You"! It is a fond memory to say the least.
Well, there you go, a special story from the Fathom Archive. More to come...
-John