No matter how you slice it, the Foo Fighters have earned their reputations as the nicest guys in rock n roll. Currently on tour in the US, but heading to Australia later this year, I caught up with them in both Columbus and my hometown of Pittsburgh PA. They threw down a 2 hour and 40 minute set of the loudest, proudest rock from the past 15 years. In a word…EPIC!
Lead singer (as if I have to introduce him), Dave Grohl told me that its like hosting a cocktail party every day at your office. Everyone is there to party and its his job to show them a good time. I can only imagine it being exhausting, but that’s why I’m an Editor, and he’s a Rock Star.
British post-punkers Arctic Monkeys managed to play a partial set to a drenched yet committed crowd after the first of two huge storms shut down outside stages on Day 3 of Lollapalooza 2011. The band delivered their catchy hits including, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,” and other recognizable tunes from their first two explosive albums in an energetic yet hurried set.
Later, Foo Fighters performed a torrential two-hour finale of old and new songs on another main stage in the rain – sounding and looking stellar as always (even drenched). Lead singer/guitarist, Dave Grohl, yet again steers the Foo Fighters into becoming the most seminal American rock band of this musical era with hit after hit song and consistently brilliant headlining live performances like this one. Hence, it was fitting Foo Fighters should close this historical 20th year of Lollapalooza. As they say, it will go down in history.
Foo Fighters: Back And Forth is released on DVD this week. If you’re a fan of music and a good story, then seeing Foo Fighters: Back And Forth is essential viewing. ChinaShopMag got to hang out with the film’s director James Moll on the Universal Lot where his office is tucked behind the legendary Phantom of The Opera soundstage (oh it’s legendary alright! And possibly haunted). Hearing him speak about the art of film, it’s clear that James Moll loves his job! Which is handy when you make movies for a living.
When he first started working on the lot, he told me he’d take his lunch up to the Psycho house on the hill and eat it sitting on the porch, watching the tourists roll by on the Studio Tram. It’s a lovely view from up there he tells me. Today on our impromptu walking tour of the Universal Studios lot, Moll is posing for photos in front of the CSI set on stage 24. A Tram rolls by, and they start snapping fervently perhaps mistaking the director for a star of the crime scene show. Moll is working on his EGOT, so far nailing a few Emmys and an Oscar. The former for Best Documentary Feature for The Last Days in 1999. EGOT stands for Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony. Tracy Jordan has one on 30 Rock. If James Moll keeps it up, he’ll have his EGOT soon enough.
What? Tell me you don’t think of Christmas every time you say their name? In the past year, Sleigh Bells has taken on the music industry and found themselves winning in a big, not Charlie Sheen, way. The duo, Derek Miller on guitar and synths and Alexis Krauss with her rap-esque vocals, brought about a revolution in sound. Just when you thought there was nothing new under the sun, they blast into your ear hole and rearrange your heart beat to better suit their needs.
A few weeks back I was chatting with legendary God Like Genius (thanks for that NME) Dave Grohl, and he said he only just discovered Sleigh Bells and was loving them. Mighty high praise indeed for a band on, literally, Mom+Pop Records.
Tomorrow they will be in Indio at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. I suggest you slide into your hipster jeans and wiggle your way out there to see em. And if you didn’t plan accordingly for the journey to the desert then catch them on tour here:
People can’t seem to stop talking about the Foo Fighters right now. Having been around for over 15 years, they still remain as relevant as ever. On Tuesday night at the closing of the SXSW Film Festival and Interactive activities in Austin the band premiered their latest endeavor, a documentary film called Foo Fighters Back and Forth.
After hearing about this project for the past 6 months I had some expectations. I knew the band was recording in Dave Grohl’s garage in his home on tape, with legendary producer Butch Vig at the helm. I knew that cameras where there for something like 3 months capturing the process. I also knew that they shot at least 5 hours of footage at the bands secret show at the Roxy Theatre last month. So my anticipation was that this film would focus on the latest and greatest antics and the making of a fresh but yet nostalgic process of writing a record.
Sometimes I absolutely love Los Angeles. Where else can you catch a band as big as the Foo Fighters playing a legendary theater such as the Roxy on a Monday night? Lately if you are in the “know” and following the Foo tweets you can find yourself at one of their secret shows. Let me put this into some kind of perspective for you kids out there who maybe don’t get how big this is (that’s right my nephews…I’m glaring at you).
Poor Dave Grohl. Traumatized by events that happened at a Scissor Sisters show, he’s suing the band, their management, the venue, and Ticket Master for the sum of $75 Million dollars. Well, I’ll let him tell you. Dave, we’re behind you all the way buddy. No one should have to re-live such an event! You deserve every dime!
As a drummer, it’s generally accepted that Dave Grohl’s one of the best and hardest-hitting of the past 20 years, and has arguably been the best part of every band he’s been in. Yeah, even that one. And with Friday night’s Coachella performance, Them Crooked Vultures were no exception. They just kind of destroyed the place. It’s probably because I’m slowly getting deaf ears in addition to the senility, lack of sense of direction and genuine aggravation the ghosts of concert past have bestowed upon me. But apart from MGMT, I can’t think of another band whose massive fanbase made it impossible for even pro photographers to get close. I’ve been to concerts where dull roars were the norm, but the fans of TCV are fanatical and feverish, a mob of white noise roar that had my ears ringing all night.
Them Crooked Vultures, new rock super group featuring Dave Grohl (Foo fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zepplin) have been scientifically scooping out bite size morsels of content for consumption. It seems like everyday there is a facebook post with some kind of clue about something; a teaser video on youtube, some photos of posters in Amsterdam, a map of the world. Its all a big game to these guys while we are waiting, waiting, waiting to hear the music.
However, not to rub your noses in it, but I was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to see them live in Chicago at Metro during Lollapalooza. It was wall to wall humans, forget personal space…you were making friends with your neighbors fast. I was fortunate enough to be up in the balcony area at the rail. Every time the people on the floor let out a scream it was like a blast of hot breathe that came up like out of a furnace and kissed you on the mouth. Pleasant!
But the music was rockin’. You know that when you get 3 seasoned professionals in a band of this caliber they are bound to know what the eff they are doing. My only complaint is I really want to live with the songs, dissect the lyrics, dive into the melodies. One listen doesn’t leave the same impression on you as repeated, please god turn that song off, listening does. And I can wear a song out like no other, ask my tortured husband.
So listen up “vultures”…kick us something we can sink our teeth into. Stop being such a chic-tease!
