FOO FIGHTERS
Foo Fighters is an American rock band formed 由 singer/guitarist/drummer Dave Grohl in 1995.[1] Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his 前一个 band 涅槃乐队 in 1994. Prior to the release of Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums), and Pat Smear (guitar) to complete the group. Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's 秒 album The Colour and the Shape (1997), soon followed 由 Smear. They were replaced 由 Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl left prior to the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999).
Chris Shiflett joined as the band's 秒 guitarist after the completion of There is Nothing Left to Lose. The band released its fourth album One 由 One in 2002. The group followed that release with the two-disc In Your Honor (2005), which was 分裂, 拆分 between acoustic songs and harder-rocking material. Foo Fighters released its sixth album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace in 2007. Over the course of the band's career, three of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated for Grammys.
Dave Grohl joined the band 涅槃乐队 as the group's 鼓手 in 1990. In order to occupy himself during tours, he took a 吉他 with him and wrote songs. Grohl held back these songs from the band; he 说 in 1997, "I was in awe of frontman Kurt Cobain's songs. And intimidated. I thought it was best that I keep my songs to myself."[2] 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.[3]
Cobain was found dead in his Seattle 首页 on April 8, 1994, and 涅槃乐队 subsequently disbanded. Grohl received offers to work with various artists, and almost accepted a permanent position as the 鼓手 in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ultimately Grohl declined and instead entered Robert Lang Studios in October 1994 to record twelve of the forty songs he had written.[3] With the exception of a 吉他 part on "X-Static" 由 Greg Dulli of the 阿富汗 Whigs, Grohl played every instrument and sang every vocal on the tracks.[1] "I was supposed to just 加入 another band and be a 鼓手 the rest of my life," Grohl later said. "I thought that I would rather do what no-one expected me to do. I enjoy 写作 音乐 and I enjoy trying to sing, and there's nothing anyone can really do to discourage me." Grohl completed an album's worth of material in five days and handed out cassette copies of the sessions to his 老友记 for feedback.[3]
Nate Mendel.
Grohl hoped to keep his anonymity and release the recordings in a limited run under the 标题 "Foo Fighters", taken from the World War II term "foo fighter", used to refer to unidentified flying objects.[3] However, the demo tape circulated in the 音乐 industry, creating interest among record labels.[4] Grohl formed a band to support the album. Initially, Grohl talked to former 涅槃乐队 band mate Krist Novoselic about joining the group, but both decided against it. "For Krist and I, it would have felt really natural and really great", Grohl explained. "But for everyone else, it would have been weird, and it would have left me in a really bad position. Then I really would have been under the microscope."[5] Having heard about the disbanding of Seattle-based 情绪硬核 band Sunny 日 Real Estate, Grohl drafted the group's 低音 player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Grohl asked Pat Smear, who served touring guitarist for 涅槃乐队 after the release of its 1993 album In Utero, to 加入 as the group's 秒 guitarist.[6] Grohl ultimately licensed the album to Capitol Records, releasing it on his new record label, Roswell Records.[3]
The group played its debut 显示 at a 桶, 桶子 party in February 1995. Grohl refused to do interviews 或者 tour large venues to promote the album.[6] 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 1995,[1] and its debut album Foo Fighters was released the 下一个 month. "I'll Stick Around", "For All The Cows" and "Big Me" were released as subsequent singles. The band spent the following months on tour, including their first appearance at the 阅读 Festival in England in August.[6]
[edit] The Colour and the Shape (1996-1997)
Taylor Hawkins replaced original 鼓手 William Goldsmith in 1997
After touring through the spring of 1996, Foo Fighters entered a studio in Woodinville, Washington with producer Gil Norton to record its 秒 album. While Grohl once again wrote all the songs, the rest of the band collaborated on the arrangements. With the sessions nearly complete, Grohl took the rough mixes with him to Los Angeles, intending to finish up his vocal and 吉他 parts. While there, Grohl realized that he wasn't happy with how the mixes were turning out, and the band "basically re-recorded almost everything".[2] During the L.A. sessions, Grohl played drums on some of the songs. Goldsmith 说 Grohl did not tell him that he recorded new drum parts for the record and, feeling betrayed, left the band.[7]
In need of a replacement for Goldsmith, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring 鼓手 Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered his own services as drummer.[2] Hawkins made his debut with the group in time for the release of its 秒 album, The Colour and the Shape, in May 1997. The album spawned the singles "Monkey Wrench", "My Hero", and "Everlong".
Pat Smear announced to the rest of the group that he wanted to leave the band to pursue other interests. Four months later in September 1997 at the 音乐电视 Video 音乐 Awards, Smear simultaneously publicly announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl.[8] Stahl toured with the band for the 下一个 few months, and appeared on two tracks that the band recorded for movie soundtracks, a re-recording of "Walking After You" for The X-Files and "A320" for Godzilla.
[edit] There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1998-2001)
In 1998, Foo Fighters traveled to Grohl's 首页 state of Virginia to write 音乐 for its third album. However, Grohl and Stahl were unable to co-operate as songwriters; Grohl told Kerrang! in 1999, "in those few weeks it just seemed like the three of us were moving in one direction and Franz wasn't". Grohl was distraught about the decision to 火, 消防 Stahl, as the two had been 老友记 since childhood.[9] The remaining trio of Grohl, Mendel, and Hawkins spent the 下一个 several months recording the band's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, in Grohl's Virginia 首页 studio. The album spawned several singles, including "Learn to Fly", the band's first single to reach the US Hot 100.
Before the release of the album, Capitol president Gary Gersh was forced out of the label. 给 Grohl's history with Gersh, Foo Fighters' contract had included a "key man clause" that allowed them to leave the label upon Gersh's departure. They subsequently left Capitol and signed to RCA, who later acquired the rights to the band's Capitol albums.[9]
Chris Shiflett joined Foo Fighters as a touring guitarist before becoming a full member
After recording was completed, the band auditioned a number of potential guitarists, and eventually settled on Chris Shiflett, who previously performed with No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Shiflett initially joined the band as touring guitarist, but achieved full-time status prior to the recording of the group's fourth album.
That same year, Foo Fighters established a relationship with rock band Queen, of whom the band (particularly Grohl and Hawkins) are fans. Guitarist Brian May added a 吉他 track to Foo Fighters' 秒 cover of 粉, 粉色 Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission: Impossible II. When 皇后乐队 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001, Grohl and Hawkins were invited to perform with the band on "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. In 2002, guitarist May contributed 吉他 work to "Tired of You" and an outtake called "Knucklehead". The bands have performed together on several occasions since, including VH1 Rock Honors and Foo Fighters' headlining 音乐会 in Hyde Park, as well as the band's 音乐会 at the O2 arena in 伦敦 in November 2007
[edit] One 由 One (2001-2004)
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 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 由 the sessions, decided to reconvene Foo Fighters to rework a few songs on their album. Instead, they re-recorded nearly all of the album (save "Tired of You") in a ten-day stretch at Grohl's studio in Virginia. The final album was released in October of 2002 under the 标题 One 由 One. Singles from the album included "All My Life", " Times Like These", "Low", and "Have It All". The band later expressed displeasure with the album.[10] Grohl told Rolling Stone in 2005, "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it."[11]
For most of its history, the band chose to stay away from the political realm. However, in 2004 prior to donating 3 million dollars to the new Pittsburgh Penguins arena, 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.
[edit] In Your Honor and acoustic tour (2005-2006)
Foo Fighters performing an acoustic show
Having spent a 年 and a half touring behind One 由 One, Grohl did not want to rush into recording another Foo Fighters record. Initially Grohl intended to write acoustic material 由 himself, but eventually the project involved the entire band.[12] To record its fifth album, the band shifted to Los Angeles and built a recording studio, dubbed Studio 606 West. Grohl insisted that the album be divided into two discs–one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks.[10] In Your Honor was released in June 2005. The album's singles included "Best of You", "DOA", "Resolve", "No Way Back", and "Miracle".
On June 17, 2006, Foo Fighters performed their largest non-festival headlining 音乐会 to 日期 at London's Hyde Park. The band was supported 由 Juliette and the Licks, 天使 & Airwaves, Queens of the Stone Age, and Motörhead. Motörhead's Lemmy joined the band on stage to sing "Shake Your Blood" from Dave Grohl's Probot album. Also, as a surprise performance, Brian May and Roger Taylor of 皇后乐队 jammed with Foo Fighters, playing part of "We Will Rock You" as a lead into "Tie Your Mother Down".
In further support of In Your Honor, the band decided to organize a short acoustic tour for the summer of 2006. The tour included former member Pat Smear, who rejoined the band as an extra guitarist, Petra Haden on violin and backup vocals, Drew Hester on percussion, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers on keyboards/piano. While much of the setlist focused on In Your Honor's acoustic half, the band also used the opportunity to play lesser-known songs such as "Ain't It The Life", "Floaty", and "See You". The band also performed "Marigold", a Pocketwatch-era song that was best-known as a 涅槃乐队 B-side.
In November 2006, the band released their first ever live CD, Skin and Bones, featuring fifteen performances captured over a three-night stand in Los Angeles. An accompanying DVD was released, and featured tracks not available on the CD.
[edit] Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, hiatus and 7th Studio Album (2007-present)
For the follow-up to In Your Honor, the band decided to call in The Colour and the Shape producer Gil Norton. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released in September 2007. The album's first single, "The Pretender", was issued to radio in early August. The 秒 single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released in December 2007, supported 由 a 音乐 video directed 由 longtime collaborator Jesse Peretz (formerly of the Lemonheads)
In mid-to-late 2007 "The Pretender" topped the Modern Rock chart for a record 18 weeks, it also gave the band their third consecutive 年 at the 最佳, 返回页首 (a record), and made them the only artist besides Red Hot Chili Peppers to have 4 consecutive albums have songs reach the 最佳, 返回页首 (RHCPs have 5). When "Long Road to Ruin" reached the 最佳, 返回页首 it gave them their fourth consecutive 年 to have a song reach the 最佳, 返回页首 (breaking their own record). When the fourth single, "Let It Die", reached the 最佳, 返回页首 20 it gave them 3 songs in the 最佳, 返回页首 20, one of only four artists to do this. "Let It Die" is also the album's third Number One hit on the chart.
Not long after completing the recording sessions for the album, the band participated in Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in London, England, performing the penultimate set of the night. Later that summer, the band headlined V Festival 2007, including a surprise acoustic set on the Channel 4 stage under the name 606. In October 2007, Foo Fighters started their world tour in support for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. The band performed shows throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada and Asia, including headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore on August 9. The band finished its world tour in September 2008 at the Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park in Canada.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was nominated for 5 Grammys in 2008. The Foo Fighters went 首页 with Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance (for "The Pretender"). The album was also nominated for Album of the Year, while "The Pretender" was also nominated for Record of the 年 and Best Rock Song.
On 17 September 2008 Dave Grohl announced on The Chris Moyles 显示 that the band would be taking a long break from 音乐 so that they could return with a new sense of purpose, and also informed 粉丝 not to expect any new 音乐 for a while. "We've never really taken a long break, I think it's time," Grohl commented. "After doing Wembley, we shouldn't come back there for 10 years because we've played to everybody. We're over in the UK every year, every summer, so I think it's time to take a break and come back over when people really miss us."[13]
However, on February 12th of 2009 Hawkins denied the band was planning on taking a break of that duration, suggesting that the band is presently brainstorming ideas for new songs, and intend to return to the studio in summer of 2009 to record their 下一个 album.[14]
[edit] Musical style
When Grohl first started the band, its 音乐 was often compared to that of his 前一个 group, Nirvana. Grohl acknowledged that 涅槃乐队 singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain was a major influence on his songwriting. Grohl said, "Through Kurt, I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of 音乐 that's stripped down." Foo Fighters also utilize the Pixies' technique of shifting between quiet verses and loud chorus, which Grohl 说 was influenced 由 the members of 涅槃乐队 "liking the Knack, 湾 City Rollers, Beatles, and ABBA as much as we liked Flipper and Black Flag, I suppose".[2] 写作 and recording songs for the first Foo Fighters album 由 himself, Grohl wrote the 吉他 riffs to be as rhythmic as possible. He approached the 吉他 similar to how he approached playing a drumkit, assigning different drum parts to different strings on the instrument. This allowed him to piece together songs easily; he said, "I could hear the song in my head before it was finished."[3] Once Grohl assembled a full band, his bandmates assisted in song arrangements.[2]
The members of Foo Fighters meld melodic elements with harder sounds. Grohl noted in 1997, "We all 爱情 music, whether it's the Beatles 或者 皇后乐队 或者 punk rock. I think the lure of punk rock was the energy and immediacy; the need to thrash stuff around. But at the same time, we're all suckers for a beautiful melody, 你 know? So it is just natural."[2]
[edit] Campaigning and activism
In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive & Well, an organization that denies the link between HIV and AIDS, 问题 the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease.[15] Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything 你 Thought 你 Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written 由 Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy.[15]
In January 2000, the band played a benefit 音乐会 for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize.[15] The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film 由 Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which 问题 whether HIV is the cause of AIDS.[16] The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's 建议 ran contrary to established medical wisdom about HIV and AIDS.[15][16] In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding 更多 benefits for the organization.[15] No further benefits have taken place, however the organization is still featured on the Foo Fighters' 列表 of supported causes.[17] Maggiore herself died at the age of 52 in 2008, under a doctor's care for pneumonia,[18] three years after her three-year old daughter died of pneumonia as a complication of untreated AIDS
Foo Fighters is an American rock band formed 由 singer/guitarist/drummer Dave Grohl in 1995.[1] Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his 前一个 band 涅槃乐队 in 1994. Prior to the release of Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums), and Pat Smear (guitar) to complete the group. Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's 秒 album The Colour and the Shape (1997), soon followed 由 Smear. They were replaced 由 Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl left prior to the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999).
Chris Shiflett joined as the band's 秒 guitarist after the completion of There is Nothing Left to Lose. The band released its fourth album One 由 One in 2002. The group followed that release with the two-disc In Your Honor (2005), which was 分裂, 拆分 between acoustic songs and harder-rocking material. Foo Fighters released its sixth album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace in 2007. Over the course of the band's career, three of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated for Grammys.
Dave Grohl joined the band 涅槃乐队 as the group's 鼓手 in 1990. In order to occupy himself during tours, he took a 吉他 with him and wrote songs. Grohl held back these songs from the band; he 说 in 1997, "I was in awe of frontman Kurt Cobain's songs. And intimidated. I thought it was best that I keep my songs to myself."[2] 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.[3]
Cobain was found dead in his Seattle 首页 on April 8, 1994, and 涅槃乐队 subsequently disbanded. Grohl received offers to work with various artists, and almost accepted a permanent position as the 鼓手 in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ultimately Grohl declined and instead entered Robert Lang Studios in October 1994 to record twelve of the forty songs he had written.[3] With the exception of a 吉他 part on "X-Static" 由 Greg Dulli of the 阿富汗 Whigs, Grohl played every instrument and sang every vocal on the tracks.[1] "I was supposed to just 加入 another band and be a 鼓手 the rest of my life," Grohl later said. "I thought that I would rather do what no-one expected me to do. I enjoy 写作 音乐 and I enjoy trying to sing, and there's nothing anyone can really do to discourage me." Grohl completed an album's worth of material in five days and handed out cassette copies of the sessions to his 老友记 for feedback.[3]
Nate Mendel.
Grohl hoped to keep his anonymity and release the recordings in a limited run under the 标题 "Foo Fighters", taken from the World War II term "foo fighter", used to refer to unidentified flying objects.[3] However, the demo tape circulated in the 音乐 industry, creating interest among record labels.[4] Grohl formed a band to support the album. Initially, Grohl talked to former 涅槃乐队 band mate Krist Novoselic about joining the group, but both decided against it. "For Krist and I, it would have felt really natural and really great", Grohl explained. "But for everyone else, it would have been weird, and it would have left me in a really bad position. Then I really would have been under the microscope."[5] Having heard about the disbanding of Seattle-based 情绪硬核 band Sunny 日 Real Estate, Grohl drafted the group's 低音 player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Grohl asked Pat Smear, who served touring guitarist for 涅槃乐队 after the release of its 1993 album In Utero, to 加入 as the group's 秒 guitarist.[6] Grohl ultimately licensed the album to Capitol Records, releasing it on his new record label, Roswell Records.[3]
The group played its debut 显示 at a 桶, 桶子 party in February 1995. Grohl refused to do interviews 或者 tour large venues to promote the album.[6] 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 1995,[1] and its debut album Foo Fighters was released the 下一个 month. "I'll Stick Around", "For All The Cows" and "Big Me" were released as subsequent singles. The band spent the following months on tour, including their first appearance at the 阅读 Festival in England in August.[6]
[edit] The Colour and the Shape (1996-1997)
Taylor Hawkins replaced original 鼓手 William Goldsmith in 1997
After touring through the spring of 1996, Foo Fighters entered a studio in Woodinville, Washington with producer Gil Norton to record its 秒 album. While Grohl once again wrote all the songs, the rest of the band collaborated on the arrangements. With the sessions nearly complete, Grohl took the rough mixes with him to Los Angeles, intending to finish up his vocal and 吉他 parts. While there, Grohl realized that he wasn't happy with how the mixes were turning out, and the band "basically re-recorded almost everything".[2] During the L.A. sessions, Grohl played drums on some of the songs. Goldsmith 说 Grohl did not tell him that he recorded new drum parts for the record and, feeling betrayed, left the band.[7]
In need of a replacement for Goldsmith, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring 鼓手 Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered his own services as drummer.[2] Hawkins made his debut with the group in time for the release of its 秒 album, The Colour and the Shape, in May 1997. The album spawned the singles "Monkey Wrench", "My Hero", and "Everlong".
Pat Smear announced to the rest of the group that he wanted to leave the band to pursue other interests. Four months later in September 1997 at the 音乐电视 Video 音乐 Awards, Smear simultaneously publicly announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl.[8] Stahl toured with the band for the 下一个 few months, and appeared on two tracks that the band recorded for movie soundtracks, a re-recording of "Walking After You" for The X-Files and "A320" for Godzilla.
[edit] There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1998-2001)
In 1998, Foo Fighters traveled to Grohl's 首页 state of Virginia to write 音乐 for its third album. However, Grohl and Stahl were unable to co-operate as songwriters; Grohl told Kerrang! in 1999, "in those few weeks it just seemed like the three of us were moving in one direction and Franz wasn't". Grohl was distraught about the decision to 火, 消防 Stahl, as the two had been 老友记 since childhood.[9] The remaining trio of Grohl, Mendel, and Hawkins spent the 下一个 several months recording the band's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, in Grohl's Virginia 首页 studio. The album spawned several singles, including "Learn to Fly", the band's first single to reach the US Hot 100.
Before the release of the album, Capitol president Gary Gersh was forced out of the label. 给 Grohl's history with Gersh, Foo Fighters' contract had included a "key man clause" that allowed them to leave the label upon Gersh's departure. They subsequently left Capitol and signed to RCA, who later acquired the rights to the band's Capitol albums.[9]
Chris Shiflett joined Foo Fighters as a touring guitarist before becoming a full member
After recording was completed, the band auditioned a number of potential guitarists, and eventually settled on Chris Shiflett, who previously performed with No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Shiflett initially joined the band as touring guitarist, but achieved full-time status prior to the recording of the group's fourth album.
That same year, Foo Fighters established a relationship with rock band Queen, of whom the band (particularly Grohl and Hawkins) are fans. Guitarist Brian May added a 吉他 track to Foo Fighters' 秒 cover of 粉, 粉色 Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission: Impossible II. When 皇后乐队 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001, Grohl and Hawkins were invited to perform with the band on "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. In 2002, guitarist May contributed 吉他 work to "Tired of You" and an outtake called "Knucklehead". The bands have performed together on several occasions since, including VH1 Rock Honors and Foo Fighters' headlining 音乐会 in Hyde Park, as well as the band's 音乐会 at the O2 arena in 伦敦 in November 2007
[edit] One 由 One (2001-2004)
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 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 由 the sessions, decided to reconvene Foo Fighters to rework a few songs on their album. Instead, they re-recorded nearly all of the album (save "Tired of You") in a ten-day stretch at Grohl's studio in Virginia. The final album was released in October of 2002 under the 标题 One 由 One. Singles from the album included "All My Life", " Times Like These", "Low", and "Have It All". The band later expressed displeasure with the album.[10] Grohl told Rolling Stone in 2005, "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it."[11]
For most of its history, the band chose to stay away from the political realm. However, in 2004 prior to donating 3 million dollars to the new Pittsburgh Penguins arena, 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.
[edit] In Your Honor and acoustic tour (2005-2006)
Foo Fighters performing an acoustic show
Having spent a 年 and a half touring behind One 由 One, Grohl did not want to rush into recording another Foo Fighters record. Initially Grohl intended to write acoustic material 由 himself, but eventually the project involved the entire band.[12] To record its fifth album, the band shifted to Los Angeles and built a recording studio, dubbed Studio 606 West. Grohl insisted that the album be divided into two discs–one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks.[10] In Your Honor was released in June 2005. The album's singles included "Best of You", "DOA", "Resolve", "No Way Back", and "Miracle".
On June 17, 2006, Foo Fighters performed their largest non-festival headlining 音乐会 to 日期 at London's Hyde Park. The band was supported 由 Juliette and the Licks, 天使 & Airwaves, Queens of the Stone Age, and Motörhead. Motörhead's Lemmy joined the band on stage to sing "Shake Your Blood" from Dave Grohl's Probot album. Also, as a surprise performance, Brian May and Roger Taylor of 皇后乐队 jammed with Foo Fighters, playing part of "We Will Rock You" as a lead into "Tie Your Mother Down".
In further support of In Your Honor, the band decided to organize a short acoustic tour for the summer of 2006. The tour included former member Pat Smear, who rejoined the band as an extra guitarist, Petra Haden on violin and backup vocals, Drew Hester on percussion, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers on keyboards/piano. While much of the setlist focused on In Your Honor's acoustic half, the band also used the opportunity to play lesser-known songs such as "Ain't It The Life", "Floaty", and "See You". The band also performed "Marigold", a Pocketwatch-era song that was best-known as a 涅槃乐队 B-side.
In November 2006, the band released their first ever live CD, Skin and Bones, featuring fifteen performances captured over a three-night stand in Los Angeles. An accompanying DVD was released, and featured tracks not available on the CD.
[edit] Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, hiatus and 7th Studio Album (2007-present)
For the follow-up to In Your Honor, the band decided to call in The Colour and the Shape producer Gil Norton. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released in September 2007. The album's first single, "The Pretender", was issued to radio in early August. The 秒 single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released in December 2007, supported 由 a 音乐 video directed 由 longtime collaborator Jesse Peretz (formerly of the Lemonheads)
In mid-to-late 2007 "The Pretender" topped the Modern Rock chart for a record 18 weeks, it also gave the band their third consecutive 年 at the 最佳, 返回页首 (a record), and made them the only artist besides Red Hot Chili Peppers to have 4 consecutive albums have songs reach the 最佳, 返回页首 (RHCPs have 5). When "Long Road to Ruin" reached the 最佳, 返回页首 it gave them their fourth consecutive 年 to have a song reach the 最佳, 返回页首 (breaking their own record). When the fourth single, "Let It Die", reached the 最佳, 返回页首 20 it gave them 3 songs in the 最佳, 返回页首 20, one of only four artists to do this. "Let It Die" is also the album's third Number One hit on the chart.
Not long after completing the recording sessions for the album, the band participated in Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in London, England, performing the penultimate set of the night. Later that summer, the band headlined V Festival 2007, including a surprise acoustic set on the Channel 4 stage under the name 606. In October 2007, Foo Fighters started their world tour in support for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. The band performed shows throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada and Asia, including headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore on August 9. The band finished its world tour in September 2008 at the Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park in Canada.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was nominated for 5 Grammys in 2008. The Foo Fighters went 首页 with Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance (for "The Pretender"). The album was also nominated for Album of the Year, while "The Pretender" was also nominated for Record of the 年 and Best Rock Song.
On 17 September 2008 Dave Grohl announced on The Chris Moyles 显示 that the band would be taking a long break from 音乐 so that they could return with a new sense of purpose, and also informed 粉丝 not to expect any new 音乐 for a while. "We've never really taken a long break, I think it's time," Grohl commented. "After doing Wembley, we shouldn't come back there for 10 years because we've played to everybody. We're over in the UK every year, every summer, so I think it's time to take a break and come back over when people really miss us."[13]
However, on February 12th of 2009 Hawkins denied the band was planning on taking a break of that duration, suggesting that the band is presently brainstorming ideas for new songs, and intend to return to the studio in summer of 2009 to record their 下一个 album.[14]
[edit] Musical style
When Grohl first started the band, its 音乐 was often compared to that of his 前一个 group, Nirvana. Grohl acknowledged that 涅槃乐队 singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain was a major influence on his songwriting. Grohl said, "Through Kurt, I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of 音乐 that's stripped down." Foo Fighters also utilize the Pixies' technique of shifting between quiet verses and loud chorus, which Grohl 说 was influenced 由 the members of 涅槃乐队 "liking the Knack, 湾 City Rollers, Beatles, and ABBA as much as we liked Flipper and Black Flag, I suppose".[2] 写作 and recording songs for the first Foo Fighters album 由 himself, Grohl wrote the 吉他 riffs to be as rhythmic as possible. He approached the 吉他 similar to how he approached playing a drumkit, assigning different drum parts to different strings on the instrument. This allowed him to piece together songs easily; he said, "I could hear the song in my head before it was finished."[3] Once Grohl assembled a full band, his bandmates assisted in song arrangements.[2]
The members of Foo Fighters meld melodic elements with harder sounds. Grohl noted in 1997, "We all 爱情 music, whether it's the Beatles 或者 皇后乐队 或者 punk rock. I think the lure of punk rock was the energy and immediacy; the need to thrash stuff around. But at the same time, we're all suckers for a beautiful melody, 你 know? So it is just natural."[2]
[edit] Campaigning and activism
In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive & Well, an organization that denies the link between HIV and AIDS, 问题 the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease.[15] Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything 你 Thought 你 Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written 由 Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy.[15]
In January 2000, the band played a benefit 音乐会 for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize.[15] The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film 由 Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which 问题 whether HIV is the cause of AIDS.[16] The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's 建议 ran contrary to established medical wisdom about HIV and AIDS.[15][16] In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding 更多 benefits for the organization.[15] No further benefits have taken place, however the organization is still featured on the Foo Fighters' 列表 of supported causes.[17] Maggiore herself died at the age of 52 in 2008, under a doctor's care for pneumonia,[18] three years after her three-year old daughter died of pneumonia as a complication of untreated AIDS
