Foo Fighters

Name	Foo Fighters
Landscape	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
Years active	1994–present
Label	RCA, Capitol
Associated acts	Nirvana, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft, Them Crooked Vultures, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, The Jealous Sound
Url
Current members	Dave GrohlChris ShiflettNate MendelTaylor HawkinsPat Smear
Past members	William GoldsmithFranz Stahl

The Foo Fighters are an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1994. Drummer Dave Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his previous band, Nirvana, in 1994. Prior to the release of the band's debut album Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted two members from the former band Sunny Day Real Estate, Nate Mendel as bassist and William Goldsmith as drummer, as well as fellow Nirvana bandmate Pat Smear as guitarist to complete the group. The band was small and young, and began with performances in Portland, Oregon, before gaining popularity. Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's second album, The Colour and the Shape (1997), and Smear's departure followed soon afterward. They were replaced by Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl left before the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999).

Chris Shiflett joined as the band's third guitarist after the completion of There Is Nothing Left to Lose. The band released its fourth album, One by One, in 2002. The group followed that release with the two-disc In Your Honor (2005), which was split between acoustic songs and harder-rocking material. Foo Fighters released its sixth album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, in 2007. In 2010, it was confirmed that Smear had officially rejoined the band.

Over the course of the band's existence, three of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated for Grammys.

History

Formation and debut album (1994–1995)

Dave Grohl joined the grunge group Nirvana as its drummer. During tours, he took a guitar with him and wrote songs. Grohl held back these songs from the rest of the band; he said 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." 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.

Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 8, 1994, and Nirvana subsequently disbanded. Grohl received offers to work with various artists; he almost accepted a permanent position as drummer 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. "I was supposed to just join another band and be a drummer the rest of my life," Grohl later said. "I thought that I would rather do what no one expected me to do. I enjoy writing music 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 friends for feedback. Grohl formed a band to support the album. Initially, he talked to former Nirvana 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." Having heard about the disbanding of Seattle-based rock band Sunny Day Real Estate, Grohl drafted the group's bass player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Grohl asked Pat Smear, who served as a touring guitarist for Nirvana after the release of its 1993 album, In Utero, to join as the group's second guitarist. Grohl ultimately licensed the album to Capitol Records, releasing it on his new record label, Roswell Records.

In need of a replacement for Goldsmith, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring drummer Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered his own services as drummer. Stahl toured with the band for the next 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. A B-side of the album, "Dear Lover", appeared in the horror film Scream 2.

There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1998–2001)

In 1998, Foo Fighters traveled to Grohl's home state of Virginia to write music 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 fire Stahl, as the two had been friends since childhood. The remaining trio of Grohl, Mendel, and Hawkins spent the next several months recording the band's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, in Grohl's Virginia home 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. Given 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. and Hawkins) are fans. In March of that year, Grohl and Hawkins inducted the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and joined them on stage for a rendition of the Queen 1976 classic "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. . Guitarist Brian May added a guitar track to Foo Fighters' second cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie . In 2002, guitarist May contributed guitar 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 concert in Hyde Park, as well as the band's concert at the O2 arena in London in November 2007.

One by One (2001–2004)

Near the end of 2001, the band reconvened to record its 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 by 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 original version of One by One has never been heard in its entirety, except for snippets which leaked before the album's premiere, and a few more snippets leaked by a fan on the band's website in 2007. The original album sessions have been become known as the "Million Dollar Demos", and are highly sought after by Foo Fighters fans.

The final album was released in October 2002 under the title One by 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. 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."

For most of its history, the band 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.

In Your Honor, Foozer Tour, and acoustic tour (2005–2006)

Having spent a year and a half touring behind One By One, Grohl did not want to rush into recording another Foo Fighters record. Initially Grohl intended to write acoustic material by himself, but eventually the project involved the entire band. 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. On June 17, 2006, Foo Fighters performed their largest non-festival headlining concert to date at London's Hyde Park. The band was supported by Juliette and the Licks, Angels & 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 Queen 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 Nirvana 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.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and Greatest Hits (2007–2009)

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 on September 25, 2007. The album's first single, "The Pretender", was issued to radio in early August. In mid-to-late 2007 "The Pretender" topped Billboard's Modern Rock chart for a record 18 weeks; it also gave the band their third consecutive year at the top (a record). The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released in December 2007, supported by a music video directed by longtime collaborator Jesse Peretz (formerly of the Lemonheads).

In October 2007, Foo Fighters started their world tour in support of Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. The band performed shows throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, including headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore on August 9. At the European Mtv Music Awards in 2007 Pat Smear confirmed his return to the band. 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 five Grammy Awards in 2008. Foo Fighters went home 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 Year and Best Rock Song.

On November 3, 2009, the band released a compilation album, Greatest Hits, which features two new songs, "Word Forward" and the single "Wheels".

Next album (2010–present)

The band began recording their seventh studio album on August 16, 2010 according to a post by Dave Grohl on the band's twitter account. They have been teasing their fans by posting photo updates of their album's progress on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Butch Vig is producing the album, after having produced the two new tracks from the band's compilation album. The album was recorded on analog tape, rather than digitally. The album is expected to arrive in late spring/early summer 2011.

Video and photos on the Foo Fighters Twitter page show that Pat has rejoined the band as a full member, playing on all tracks on the new album. This was confirmed on the band's website on November 19, 2010.

According to Grohl, it will be the heaviest Foo Fighters album yet. According to Billboard, the band has also recruited Grohl's former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic to play accordion and bass on a track titled "I Should Have Known". A video release is due highlighting the album's studio sessions and making. The band are also due to play a two gigs at the 65,000 capacity Milton Keynes National Bowl in the United Kingdom on July 2 and 3 2011, as well as the Isle of Wight festival as headliners on Saturday June 12, 2011. They have also been confirmed to headline the summer music festivals at T in the Park in Scotland and Oxegen in Ireland in 2011.

In December 2010, Foo Fighters played a secret show in Los Angeles, marking their first live performance since the end of their hiatus. As an encore, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear, and Dave Grohl performed together for the first time since their days in Nirvana. They performed the song "Marigold" (a Nirvana b-side written solely by Grohl), with Novoselic on bass and Grohl and Smear on guitar. Dave Grohl reportedly drummed for a portion of the song as well.

Recording for the album was completed on January 3, 2011. The group made the announcement via a twitter post that read "Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially done".

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, questions the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease. Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written by Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy. The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's advice ran contrary to scientific knowledge about HIV and AIDS.

Band members

Dave Grohl – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1995–present)

Nate Mendel – bass guitar (1995–present)

Pat Smear – lead guitar, backing vocals (1995–1997, 2006–2007 (touring only), 2010–present)

Taylor Hawkins – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1997–present)

Chris Shiflett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)

;Former members

William Goldsmith – drums, percussion (1995–1997)

Franz Stahl – guitar, backing vocals (1997–1999)

Discography

Foo Fighters (1995)

The Colour and the Shape (1997)

There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)

One by One (2002)

In Your Honor (2005)

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

Awards

Pitchfork Media described Grohl and the band as "his generation's answer to Tom Petty — a consistent hit machine pumping out working-class rock."

Foo Fighters first received a Grammy Award for their music video for "Learn to Fly" in 2000 and have won six in total. These include 3 for Best Rock Album for There Is Nothing Left To Lose, One By One, and Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace; and 2 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the songs "All My Life", and "The Pretender".

See also

List of alternative rock artists

References

External links

Foo Fighters' official web site

Category:Musical groups established in 1995 Category:1995 establishments in the United States Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:2010s music groups Category:AIDS denialism Category:American alternative rock groups Category:American hard rock musical groups Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kerrang! Awards winners Category:American post-grunge musical groups Category:Nirvana (band) Category:Musical groups from Seattle, Washington Category:RCA Records artists