Taylor Hawkins

‘Honor’ Shows Foo Fighters at Their Finest

2006-06-02T15:27:00-05:00

The Foo Fighters‘ career has been, as even its members concede, an unlikely one. Starting out with a handful of self-recorded demos never meant for release, former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl has grown the group into one of rock’s most energizing and accessible acts, scoring Best Rock Album Grammys for two consecutive releases (1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose and 2002’s One By One) and selling out concerts around the world.
To celebrate its 10 th year of existence—and to thank its numerous fans—Grohl hit upon the plan to make its fifth album, In Your Honor (RCA), a double disc. And if that wasn’t enough, he decided the album would be evenly split between one hard rocking set and one acoustic, more introspective one.
“By splitting the difference,” he explains, “you eliminate the middle ground. We can make the acoustic record far more delicate and beautiful and atmospheric than anything we’ve ever done, and we can make the rock record far more brutal and aggressive and powerful than anything from our past. I’ve always sort of believed we were capable of doing both—just not as well as this has turned out.”
Indeed, In Your Honor has received critical hosannas across the board, with comparisons to Led Zeppelin’s double album Physical Graffiti making practically de rigueur appearances in reviews. Ranging from the intensely personal single “Best of You” and the throbbing title track, to quieter numbers like “Still” and “Friend of a Friend”—the latter apparently a tribute to the late Kurt Cobain—the release comes off as two very distinct records, albeit of one dedicated mind.
“Everyone in the band has so much to offer,” Grohl says of fellow Foos Nate Mendel (bass), Taylor Hawkins (drums) and Chris Shiflett (guitar). “But we’d sort of remained in this one ‘thing’ for so long that I felt it was time to break out, to branch out, that maybe we should make the acoustic record. But then this band just has to make some rock music so I thought, ‘Okay, why don’t we do this? Why don’t we make a double album?’”
Throw in an impressive range of guest stars—from Norah Jones on “Virginia Moon” and Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme on “Razor” to Zep’s own John Paul Jones on “Miracle” and “Another Round,” and you have a work that’s musically beefy yet also just fun to listen to, as is the case with the best of the Foos.
“In 20 years, when some kid asks his dad, ‘You ever hear of Foo Fighters? Which record should I get?’ they should say In Your Honor,” Grohl affirms. “I want people to say, ‘Wow, that’s the album they’ll be remembered for’.”

Foo Fighters Keep It Fresh

2003-01-14T17:00:00-05:00

"This album is different than anything we've ever done, but it still has our fingerprints all over it," Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl says of One by One, his band's fourth album. "As much of a departure as it may be, there is still a common thread, which is our sense of melody, our sense of arrangement, the way we approach playing our instruments."

Indeed, One by One -- the band's first release since 1999 -- finds the former Nirvana drummer and his combo opening up some stimulating new sonic territory while refining the vibrant balance of melodic craft and tightly coiled aggression that drove their prior efforts, Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape and There Is Nothing Left to Lose. New tunes like "All My Life," "Times Like These," "Come Back," "Have It All" and "Disenchanted Melody" balance surging metallic hooks, while the tender ballad "Tired of You" finds Grohl wearing his heart squarely on his sleeve (with some help from Queen guitarist Brian May).

Grohl is particularly proud of One by One's personally charged lyrics, viewing the album as a song cycle focusing on the ambiguities and gray areas of romance, tracing "the difficult beginnings of falling in love, and then the relief of feeling comfortable in love. I'm a sappy . . . romantic."

One by One features the current Foo Fighters lineup of main songwriter Grohl on guitar and vocals, guitarist Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins, which Hawkins refers to as "the final lineup, the one that lasts until the band breaks up."

Hawkins suffered a near-fatal drug overdose while on tour in England in August 2001. According to Grohl, that experience initially made him consider breaking up the band. Instead, the quartet began recording One by One, but Grohl put the sessions on hold to take an extended working vacation as touring drummer with stoner-rock heroes Queens of the Stone Age (he also plays on that band's current album, Songs for the Deaf). Grohl returned from his moonlighting with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for his own group. After scrapping the tracks that the band had already cut, the reenergized Foo Fighters recorded One by One in the space of two weeks.

"I think we're always challenging ourselves, whether we're going in a pop direction or a complicated prog-rock direction," says Grohl, who's also been putting together an all-star death-metal side project called Probot. "That's what makes being in a band interesting and fun: keeping it a challenge and keeping it fresh, doing something different than what you've done before."

Foo Fighters Hijinks & High Intensity Rock

2000-06-30T18:00:00-05:00

Bittersweet and hopeful, the title of Foo Fighters' latest album could be perceived as a reference to the band's origins. There Is Nothing Left to Lose certainly sounds like a statement of resignation following the death of Nirvana singer/songwriter Kurt Cobain. Foo Fighters was founded when Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl embarked on a solo career after Cobain's demise. Having since proved his skills as a bandleader and singer/songwriter himself, Grohl has transcended his grungy past while preserving his historic place in rock history.

Since rising from Nirvana's ashes in 1995, Foo Fighters have released three platinum-certified albums, including their self-titled debut and their 1997 sophomore effort, The Colour and the Shape. The band has been hailed for its hell-raising performances and off-stage hijinks. Indeed, the group's videos successfully replicate the madcap mischief of The Beatles' Hard Day's Night.

In recent months, Foo Fighters have made uproarious appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Daily Show and MTV's Total Request Live. The band's video, "Big Me," was a hilarious send-up of the Mentos mints commercials, while their "Learn to Fly" clip featured the group portraying passengers on a surreal plane ride - including Grohl as a blushing bobbysoxer.

All this zaniness has not gone unnoticed. Talk show host David Letterman personally requested that Foo Fighters perform upon his much-publicized return from heart surgery. The Red Hot Chili Peppers - no comic slouches themselves - picked Foo Fighters to open their Summer 2000 tour.

But while Grohl and his comrades rarely pass up an opportunity to clown around, the quartet performs with dead-serious rock intensity. Foo Fighters consists of some of the most revered young musicians in modern rock, including former Alanis Morissette drummer Taylor Hawkins. Bassist Nate Mendel was plucked from the celebrated art-rock band Sunny Day Real Estate. Guitarist Chris Shiflet completes the line-up. Under Grohl's leadership, Foo Fighters has morphed into a pop-rock band reminiscent of Cheap Trick and the Cars.

Foo Fighters became a reality after Grohl's self-produced demo tape resulted in a recording deal. Featuring tracks composed and performed almost entirely by Grohl, those original tapes were remixed and released as the Foo Fighters' first album. The disc's platinum success necessitated the formation of a real band.

Compared to their modestly-recorded debut, Foo Fighters' sophomore album, The Colour and the Shape, was a sonic gargantuan that yielded the hits "Monkey Wrench," "My Hero" and "Everlong." With the addition of Taylor and Shiflet and several platinum recordings to their credit, Foo Fighters might consider naming their next album There Is Nothing Left to Prove.