Musician “Kinks” Heiss found inspiration to start his Led Zeppelin tribute band, Tall Cool One, after being constantly mistaken for rock legend Robert Plant.
“People would stop me on the street thinking I was Robert Plant,” Heiss said.
Ten years ago, Heiss decided to embrace the resemblance, launching a Robert Plant/Zeppelin tribute band that faithfully recreates their iconic sound and electric style.
Already active in a band at the time, shifting focus to Zeppelin came naturally.
“I was in a trio,” Heiss said. “I’m actually a drummer, so bass, drums and guitar. So I said to the band, let’s bring in another drummer for our last set, and we’ll do some Zeppelin. And that drummer is with me to this day, ten years later, and that’s kind of how I evolved into doing my Led Zeppelin/ Robert Plant tribute band.”
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The band regularly electrifies audiences across the Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Milan areas, often playing at Zal Gaz Grotto and LIVE Happy Hour events.
“We’re going to be headlining the Novi BBQ Fest at the end of the month,” Heiss said. “We’re picking up some other festival-type gigs and waiting for some to come through. We’re going to be playing outside at the Dexter American Legion this summer.”
Their biggest stage moment so far? Performing for thousands at Detroit’s NFL Draft Concert!
“I lucked out…It (the NFL Draft Concert) was only less than an hour set, so we just picked our best material,” Heiss said. “And they’re really nice there too. They have roadies and sound men and all that stuff. So we were rock stars for about an hour.”
Heiss credited his agent with landing the high-profile NFL Draft gig.
Fans can’t get enough of their performances, especially when they play Zeppelin’s legendary “Stairway to Heaven.”
“Well, occasionally I get standing ovations when I do ‘Stairway to Heaven,'” Heiss said. “So that could be the public favorite. Really, you can’t do a show without doing it, although it is an eight-minute song. So we have a shorter version, like for the NFL Draft. I don’t think we did it there because we don’t want to lose eight minutes for one song. And we had people dance. And a lot of people think they can’t dance to Zeppelin, but we get dancers. And another thing I found out kind of accidentally is that everybody loves Led Zeppelin.”
Heiss is always diving deeper into Zeppelin’s world, including watching the new Led Zeppelin rock documentary.
“So yeah, I did quite a bit of research, and then I did more research on his solo material,” Heiss said. “Because that doesn’t get the airplay or the notoriety. And so I sat and picked out all the cooler stuff that I thought would go over well. And the name ‘Tall Cool One’ is actually the name of a Robert Plant solo song.”
Coincidentally, an old girlfriend even used to call him “Tall Cool One” years ago — a nickname that would eventually become the band’s namesake.
Kinks and Tall Cool One are now booking new performances and are available for private events, ready to bring the spirit of Led Zeppelin to every stage they rock.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
