"Yo, who brought the Led out?" That was the question I asked at this year's outdoor Arthur Festival in Los Angeles. I wasn't in view of the stage, but the sound I heard blasting my back was unmistakably Zeppelin (or at the very least, Sabbath). Perhaps this was the surprise guest mentioned on all the flyers? I ran to the stage with illogical anticipation. The band on stage was, of course, not Zeppelin (and the "surprise" guest turned out to be Devendra Banhart).

The band blasting was, in fact, Australia's Wolfmother. Ok, so they aren't Led Zeppelin, but boy does this trio sure rock like them. Wolfmother's sound is classic rock through and through. It's not even like their sound borrows elements of classic rock. They take 100%. This is nothing but 1969 for these guys. They dress the part, have plenty of guitar solos, and they even rock extended keyboard jams. And I'll be damned if singer Andrew Stockdale doesn't sound exactly like a cross between Robert Plant and Ozzy. I mean, exactly. You can debate the merits of sounding so much like someone else, but if you're going to copy a band, it might as well be Zeppelin. Right?

Wolfmother play Empty Bottle, Thursday, February 16th.