- This article is about the band. For the aerial phenomenon, see Foo fighter.
Foo Fighters is a rock group formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995.[1] They are named after the World War II term "foo fighter", used to refer to mysterious aerial phenomena.[2]
Foo Fighters | |
|---|---|
| The Foo Fighters | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Members | Dave Grohl Taylor Hawkins Nate Mendel Chris Shiflett |
| Past members | Pat Smear William Goldsmith Franz Stahl |
| Website | Official Website |
Foo Fighters have earned a strong worldwide following, and have scored a number of hit songs, including "This Is a Call", "Everlong", "Learn to Fly", "All My Life", "Times Like These", "Best of You", and "DOA". On top of their five studio albums, they have also contributed to several movie soundtracks, including the song "The One" on the 2002 Orange County soundtrack.
History
Grohl spent four years as the drummer for Nirvana. Unbeknownst to most of Nirvana's fanbase, Grohl had gradually written a stockpile of songs that he had largely held back from the band for fear of ruining their chemistry. (Grohl has noted in several interviews that he was well aware of the infamous drummer joke: "Q: What did the drummer say just before he got fired? / A: 'Hey, guys, let's try one of my songs!'") Instead, Grohl occasionally booked studio time to record demos, and even issued a cassette of some of those songs called Pocketwatch under the pseudonym Late! in 1992.
Following Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, Grohl entered Robert Lang's Studio in Seattle, with friend/producer Barrett Jones. With the exception of a guitar part on "X-Static" by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl played every instrument and sang every vocal on the tracks.[1] Lured to Capitol Records by former Nirvana A&R (and then-Capitol president) Gary Gersh, Grohl had the demo recordings professionally mixed, with the results eventually becoming the Foo Fighters' self-titled debut album.
Grohl didn't want the Foo Fighters to be a one-man studio project, so he worked to form a band to support the album. Initially, former bandmate Krist Novoselic was a main candidate for the band, but both became concerned that it might portray Foo Fighters as a reincarnation of Nirvana. Having heard through the grapevine about the disbanding of Seattle-based emocore band Sunny Day Real Estate, Grohl drafted SDRE's bass player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Pat Smear, who was an "unofficial member" of Nirvana after the release of In Utero, was added as a second guitarist, completing the band. The Foo Fighters undertook their first major tour in the spring of 1995, opening for Mike Watt.
The band's first single "This Is a Call" was released in June of 1995,[1] and their eponymous debut album was released the next month. "I'll Stick Around" and "Big Me" were released as singles in the months that followed.
After touring through the spring of 1996, the now full band Foo Fighters entered a Seattle studio with producer Gil Norton to record the band's second album. Conflict erupted between Grohl and Goldsmith, however, resulting in Goldsmith's decision to leave the band.[1] The band regrouped in Los Angeles and almost completely re-recorded the album with Grohl on drums. The album, The Colour and the Shape, was released on May 20, 1997.
In need of a drummer, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring drummer Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered himself. Hawkins made his Foo debut in time for the album's release. In September of 1997, in front of a crowded street outside the MTV Video Music Awards, Pat Smear simultaneously announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. Prior to the recording of the band's third album There Is Nothing Left to Lose, Stahl departed the band, citing creative differences. The band auditioned a number of potential guitarists, eventually settling on Chris Shiflett, who previously performed with 22 Jacks and No Use for a Name. Shiflett initially joined the band as touring guitarist, but achieved full-time status prior to the recording of the group's fourth album.
Before the release of There Is Nothing Left to Lose, Capitol president Gary Gersh was forced out of the label. Given Grohl's history with Gersh, the Foo Fighters' contract had included a key main clause that allowed them to leave the label upon Gersh's departure. They subsequently left Capitol and signed to RCA. (Gersh eventually joined forces with former Nirvana manager John Silva to form GAS Entertainment, a company that manages the Foo Fighters and other artists such as Jimmy Eat World, Beck, and the Beastie Boys.)
In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive and Well, an organization that disputed the established medical belief of a link between AIDS and HIV. The organization also questioned the validity of HIV tests and the safety of HIV and AIDS medications. Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive and Well through a book written by its founder. Mendel passed around the book to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy. In January of 2000, the band played a benefit concert for the organization, and passed out literature to the audience. The band's support alarmed many in the medical community, who noted that the organization's beliefs ran contrary to most medical studies on HIV and AIDS, and questioned the responsibility of a musical group pushing unproven and possibly life-threatening beliefs on its fans.[3] Initially, Mendel spoke of holding more benefits. However, in ensuing years, the band significantly reduced its public support of the organization. Today, their support consists mainly of a link on their official website.
One notable moment in the band's history came in February of 2000, when American late-night talk show host David Letterman invited the Foo Fighters to perform on his first show after undergoing heart bypass surgery. Letterman introduced them by proclaiming, "My favorite band, playing my favorite song," leading into a performance of "Everlong".
In 2000, the Foo Fighters established a relationship with rock band Queen. Early that year, guitarist Brian May added a guitar track to the Foo Fighters' second cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission Impossible 2. When Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2001, Grohl and Hawkins were invited to perform with the band on "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for the late Freddie Mercury. In 2002, guitarist Brian May contributed guitar work to "Tired of You" and an outtake called "Knucklehead". The bands have performed together on several occasions since, including VH-1 Rock Honors and the Foo Fighters' headlining concert in Hyde Park.
Near the end of 2001, the band reconvened to record their fourth album. After spending four months in a Los Angeles studio completing the album, Grohl spent some time helping the Queens of the Stone Age complete their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. Once the Queens of the Stone Age album was finished, Grohl, inspired by the sessions, decided to reconvene the Foo Fighters to rework a few songs on their album. Instead, they completely re-recorded the album in a ten-day stretch at Grohl's studio in Virginia. The final album was released in October of 2002 under the title One by One. (Hawkins jokingly refers to the first version of the album as the "Million Dollar Demos".)
For most of its history, the Foo Fighters chose to stay away from the political realm. However, in 2004, upon learning that George W. Bush's presidential campaign was using "Times Like These" at rallies, Grohl decided to lend his public support to John Kerry's campaign. Grohl attended several Kerry rallies and occasionally performed solo acoustic sets. The entire band eventually joined Grohl for a performance in Arizona coinciding with one of the presidential debates. Grohl later cited his experiences with the Kerry campaign as inspiration for the title of their next album.
The band's most recent album was a double LP, In Your Honor, released on June 14, 2005. To record the album, the band shifted to Los Angeles and built a recording studio, dubbed Studio 606. Grohl said that the two-disc release – one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks – was a perfect memorial for band's 10th anniversary. Grohl hinted about the release in an interview with NME magazine: "It's really amazing. The good thing about doing it is that you split it up so that there's no middle ground. So the rock stuff is the most rocking stuff we've ever worked on, ever."
One highlight on the acoustic part of the set is a song called "Friend of a Friend", which has a surprisingly long history. Grohl wrote the song in 1990, basing it on his initial impressions of Cobain and Novoselic after joining Nirvana. He recorded the song in 1990, and included it on an informal collection of songs (called Pocketwatch) released on cassette in 1992 under the pseudonym "Late!". The version on In Your Honor is very similar to the original recording (albeit more polished), with Grohl simply accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar.
During promotion of In Your Honor, Grohl had the chance to feed his fascination with UFOs when the Foo Fighters performed a show in a hangar at the Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell International Air Center is the site of the former Roswell Army Air Field, where the fragments of the supposed alien crash landing in 1947 were stored. (Grohl named his label Roswell Records for the incident.) Grohl commented after the show that he wished he had had a chance to examine what was being stored inside the hangar.
In further support of In Your Honor, the band decided to organize a short acoustic tour for the summer of 2006. The tour includes former guitarist Pat Smear, who rejoins the band as an extra guitarist, Petra Haden on violin, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers on keyboards/piano. Much of the setlist focuses on In Your Honor's acoustic CD.
The future of the band seems unpredictable. While doing press for In Your Honor, Grohl has been quoted as saying that he'd like to go out on a high, and that In Your Honor might be that high. However, he's also said that he could see the Foo Fighters go on for years. Other ideas thrown out during recent press have included a possible box set including b-sides and covers recorded over the years, as well as RCA/BMG's desire to release a Greatest Hits album covering the band's career.
Trivia
- In 2006, the band appeared in two episodes of NBC's long-running political drama The West Wing in support of a fictional Democratic Presidential nominee.
Band members
- Dave Grohl — vocals, guitar
- Taylor Hawkins — drums, percussion, vocals (1997–present)
- Nate Mendel — bass guitar
- Chris Shiflett — guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)
Former members
- William Goldsmith — drums, percussion (1995–1997)
- Pat Smear — guitar (1995–1997)
- Franz Stahl — guitar (1997–1999)
Discography
Albums
-
Foo Fighters (1995) #23 U.S., #3 U.K. Capitol Records Platinum -
The Colour and the Shape (1997) #10 U.S., #3 U.K. Capitol Records Platinum -
There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) #10 U.S., #10 U.K. RCA Records Platinum -
One by One (2002) #3 U.S., #1 U.K. RCA Records Platinum -
In Your Honor (2005) #2 U.S., #2 U.K. RCA Records Platinum
EPs
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Main- stream Rock | UK singles | |||
| 1995 | "This Is a Call" | - | 2 | 6 | 5 | Foo Fighters |
| 1996 | "I'll Stick Around" | - | 8 | 12 | 18 | Foo Fighters |
| "For All the Cows" | - | - | - | 28 | Foo Fighters | |
| "Big Me" | - | 3 | 18 | 19 | Foo Fighters | |
| 1997 | "Monkey Wrench" | - | 9 | 9 | 12 | The Colour and the Shape |
| 1998 | "Everlong" | - | 3 | 4 | 18 | The Colour and the Shape |
| "My Hero" | - | 6 | 8 | 21 | The Colour and the Shape | |
| "Walking After You" | - | 12 | - | 20 | X Files soundtrack | |
| "Baker Street" | - | 34 | - | - | "My Hero" [single] | |
| 1999 | "Learn to Fly" | 13 | 1 | 2 | 21 | There Is Nothing Left to Lose |
| 2000 | "Breakout" | - | 8 | 11 | 29 | There Is Nothing Left to Lose |
| "Stacked Actors" | - | 25 | 9 | - | There Is Nothing Left to Lose | |
| "Generator" | - | - | - | - | There Is Nothing Left to Lose | |
| "Next Year" | - | 17 | - | 42 | There Is Nothing Left to Lose | |
| 2002 | "The One" | - | 14 | 20 | - | Orange County soundtrack |
| "All My Life" | 43 | 1 | 3 | 5 | One by One | |
| 2003 | "Times Like These" | 65 | 5 | 5 | 12 | One by One |
| "Low" | - | 15 | 23 | 21 | One by One | |
| "Have It All" | - | - | - | 37 | One by One | |
| 2004 | "Darling Nikki" | - | 15 | - | - | "Have It All" [single] |
| 2005 | "Best of You" | 18 | 1 | 1 | 4 | In Your Honor |
| 2006 | "DOA" | 68 | 1 | 5 | 25 | In Your Honor |
| "Resolve" | - | - | - | 32 | In Your Honor | |
| "No Way Back" | - | 2 | 6 | 64 | In Your Honor | |
| "Miracle" Template:Fn | - | - | - | - | In Your Honor | |
See: Billboard.com's artist chart history
Template:Fnb Currently being released to US radio as the next single.
Music samples
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Notes
- ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2005). "Biography" AllMusicGuide.com (accessed April 28, 2006)
- ^ MusicBrainz contributors (2005). "Foo Fighters" MusicBrainz.com (accessed April 28, 2006)
- ^ Talvi, Silja J. A. "Foo Fighters, HIV Deniers". Mother Jones. February 25, 2000.
External links
Official Sites
Fansites
- FooArchive.com: Extensive collection of band interviews 1995-present
- sweetparamania.com Dave Grohl fansite, with an extensive photo gallery
- FooFans.com: Downloads (audio/video), lyrics, more