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Russ Broussard thought he'd fully digested Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album as an aspiring 14-year-old drummer, playing along to an 8-track tape via headphones.
But he recently acquired a fresh appreciation for Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Broussard and his wife, singer Susan Cowsill, have lived with Zeppelin's 1971 opus for the past two weeks, preparing for Saturday's installment of their popular monthly "Covered in Vinyl" series, in which they recreate a classic album in its entirety at Carrollton Station.
"John Bonham was doing some stuff that my 14-year-old ears couldn't distinguish," Broussard said this week. "As you get better (as a musician), there's more to hear."
Cowsill and Broussard launched the "Covered in Vinyl" series in June 2005 at the suggestion of a former manager, who thought the gimmick might draw new fans unfamiliar with Cowsill's work. Since the dissolution of the Continental Drifters, their fondly remembered roots rock ensemble, they've collaborated on their own band built around Cowsill's bewitching voice and songs, showcased on her 2004 solo album "Just Believe It."
"It was a way to get more people to hear our original music," Cowsill said. "A lot of people didn't know who I was but were big Joni Mitchell or Cat Stevens fans."
They open the show with original music, followed by the featured album and then more original songs. "Most of the time, most of the people stay," Cowsill said. "So it's a way of packing the house and having a captive audience to share your music with."
Featured albums are recreated as faithfully as possible. Cowsill and Broussard research lyrics and chords online, draw up charts, and soak up the CD in the car stereo. A six-hour rehearsal and full run-through follow.
"I like to really learn it, then let it go," Broussard said. "Sometimes it takes on a life of its own, other times it's pretty accurate to the recording.
"The whole point is to pick out good albums that are fun to learn and play as they are. Otherwise, they're not that good if, right from the start, you want to do your own thing with it."
Their self-imposed "Covered in Vinyl" eligibility requirements are simple: The given album must have originally been released on vinyl and must represent some sort of breakthrough for the artist.
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