All former members of Led Zeppelin gearing up for new projects

This is a big time for news featuring Led Zeppelin members. Let's get right to it.

John Paul Jones and the other members of Them Crooked Vultures start their tour of Australia and New Zealand next week. The first show is on Tuesday, Jan. 19. In the meantime, the band today offered in their e-mail newsletter an exclusive promo code for a 10% discount on new merchandise purchased through their online store. Between now and Jan. 18, just enter DOLESSGETMORE at the time of checkout to save on a new line of products including the iVulture iPhone case. Just in case you needed a reminder of what a Them Crooked Vultures show is like, you can watch their entire performance filmed in a TV studio in Paris last month. Don't forget, too, they're planning on getting a second album ready soon.

Jimmy Page was in Beijing today to announce his support of the upcoming Show of Peace concert. Reports from the press conference have so far been unclear as to whether Page actually said he would be performing at the April 17 show or merely supporting the event's mission. LedZeppelinNews.com is definitely seeking clarification on this point because, for instance, Page did not play guitar when he held a fundraiser in Brazil two months ago. However, he has been stating repeatedly in interviews that he intends to be seen in 2010 and presenting new music he's recorded. Maybe that means he has some great new pop songs he'll be performing with Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas onstage in Beijing.

Jason Bonham has confirmed reports that he has been involved in a supergroup recording with producer Kevin Shirley. Bonham tells Spinner that the group is called Black Country and consists of guitarist Joe Bonamassa, along with singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, formerly of both Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. A separate report says the group also includes Derek Sherinian, who has played keyboards for Dream Theater, among other acts. Bonham tells Spinner:

"I just literally went into the studio last week for two days with one person I'd done an album with before, very quickly [Joe Bonamassa]. And then the other was a friend of my father's I got to meet later on [Glenn Hughes]. ... And we're working on a new project with a working title of Black Country. ... We just went in with Kevin Shirley and played riffs and just jammed for two days. And that's really exciting."

That leaves Robert Plant, who hasn't said publicly what his plans are for 2010 -- other than worrying about incontinence, of course. However, two of Plant's gigs last October were with Buddy Miller, who performs tonight at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville along with Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell. For now, the three amigos are playing one show only, but plans may change as the trio is said to be "fresh from a collaborative recording session" and performing songs from their upcoming album to be released later this year. Miller has also been booked for the Old Settler's Music Festival in Austin, Texas, on April 17; currently, there is no word on his lineup at that appearance.