SHOW 002
AIR DATE: FEBRUARY 13, 2021
Set 1
This show starts off with a look at a couple of different drummers. The first track, “Bad Man’s Song,” is from the 1989 Tears for Fears album The Seeds of Love. That track features the session drummer Manu Katché. In fact, the drum tracks were so important, the band spent fifteen days in the studio editing the drums alone.
Katché’s drum style has been sought after by many, including Peter Gabriel for his album So. The hit song “Sledgehammer” never gets old, and features Katché on drums. His drumming is also featured on the single “Red Rain” but in addition to Katché, Gabriel enlisted Stewart Copeland of The Police to play hi-hats on the track. Copeland, known by all drummers for his distinct hi-hat playing style, is also known for his high energy and blend of punk, reggae, and rock drumming styles.
In a lecture I attended back in the early 2000’s at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Copeland spoke of his time recording and how tracks had to be recorded over and over because of his constant rushing of the tempo. He also shared a story of recording the mega hit “Roxanne” where Sting came into the studio as the band began the track, tripped over a wire, and caught himself on the nearby piano. If you listen closely to the intro in “Roxanne,” you’ll hear an off-key piano hit, followed by laughter. They kept it in the final mix.
The drumming in “Roxanne” has some heavy punk influences, but also has some simple and effective salsa-esque tom-tom work. This track reminds me of the drumming on “Generator” by Foo Fighters where Taylor Hawkins takes his Copeland influences and puts them on full display.
Taylor Hawkins, prior to joining Foo Fighters, was the touring drummer for the world tour of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill album. On the song “You Oughta Know” from that album, Morissette is joined by Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on bass, Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction) on guitar, Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) on organ, and the song and album were produced by Glen Ballard.
Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters has an endless list of side projects. Back in 2009, he had a collaboration with Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).
Set 2
Flea, mentioned above, is a very popular sit-in musician. he appears on many albums across a wide range of genres. Omitted due to time on the show, the supergroup Atoms For Peace features Flea along side Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Nigel Godrich (Radiohead), and session drummer Joey Waronker. The track “Stuck Together Pieces” features some great bass by Flea.
One of my favorite Red Hot Chili Pepper songs, “Scar Tissue",” features beautiful slide guitar work by John Frusciante.
Set 3
Founding guitarist of the Chili Peppers, Frusciante appears on a lot of great albums, as well. Here, he plays the first two blistering guitar solos on “L’Via "L’Viaquez” by The Mars Volta. These solos are followed by a thunderous drum solo by Jon Theodore.
Theodore, a founding member of The Mars Volta, has since left the band and is now the drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. The first QOTSA album to feature Theordore is the 2017 album Villians.
Before QOTSA, Josh Homme was a member of the stoner rock band Kyuss, where he played guitar until 1995. While with QOTSA, Homme also started the band Eagles of Death Metal where he plays drums alongside lead man Jesse Hughes.
On “Burn The Witch,” QOTSA are joined by Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) on lead guitar and backing vocals.
Set 4
Before ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons was in the band The Moving Sidewalks out of Austin, TX. Their biggest hit was a psychedelic rock song called “99th Floor” – a wink to fellow Austin psych-rockers The 13th Floor Elevators.
After The 13th Floor Elevators, member Roky Erickson went off on his own, and redefined the Austin psych-rock genre. “Don’t Slander Me” is a high energy track off his 1986 album of the same name.
Founding members of the Austin Psych Fest, The Black Angels, had a few appearances at the festival with The 13th Floor Elevators and Erickson. Their 2006 debut album Passover is one of my favorites in the genre. The Black Angels get their name from “The Black Angel’s Death Song” by The Velvet Underground. Off of The Velvet Underground and Nico, the song “I’ll Be Your Mirror” was a song written by Lou Reed to Nico.
Coming full circle, Lou Reed was a good friend of Akron native Joseph Arthur. Early in his career, Arthur got his demo in the hands of Peter Gabriel’s team, and Gabriel flew him to New York City to play an audition show at The Fez in NoHo. In attendance at that show? Lou Reed. Arthur was signed to Gabriel’s real World label months later. After Reed’s passing in 2013, Arthur put out a moving tribute to his friend simply called Lou.
But to end out the week, one of Arthur’s songs speaks volumes in today’s political climate. It’s important to remember that we are all on this trip together, and in order to survive, we must “travel as equals, or not at all.”