Foo Fighters is an American rock band formed in 1995. Singer and guitarist 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 Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel as bassist, William Goldsmith as drummer, and Pat Smear as guitarist to complete the group. The band was small, young, and they first began with performances in Portland, Oregon before expanding. 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 prior to the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999).

Chris Shiflett joined as the band's second 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. 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.

History

Formation and debut album (1994–1995)

Dave Grohl joined the grunge group Nirvana as its drummer in 1990 after the break up of Grohl's previous band: Scream. In order to occupy himself during tours, he took a guitar with him and wrote songs. Grohl held back these songs from 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." 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.

Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 8, 1994, and Nirvana subsequently disbanded. Grohl received offers to work with various artists including the Melvins, to which Grohl accepted, however this never came to fruition. He also almost accepted a permanent position as the 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. 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.. "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 hoped to keep his anonymity and release the recordings in a limited run under the title "Foo Fighters", taken from the World War II term "foo fighter," used to refer to unidentified flying objects. However, the demo tape circulated in the music industry, creating interest among record labels. Grohl formed a band to support the album. Initially, Grohl 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.

The group played its debut show at a keg party in February 1995. Foo Fighters made their live debut on March 3, 1995 during a show at The Satyricon in Portland. They followed that up with a show at the Velvet Elvis in Seattle on 4 March (this one witnessed by a mere 150 people, although over 500 were left outside). The first show had been part of a benefit gig to aid the finances of the investigation into the rape and murder of ex-The Gits singer Mia Zapata. Grohl refused to do interviews or tour large venues to promote the album. 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, and its debut album Foo Fighters was released the next 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 Reading Festival in England in August.

The Colour and the Shape (1996–1997)

After touring through the spring of 1996, Foo Fighters entered a studio in Woodinville, Washington with producer Gil Norton to record its second 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 guitar 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". During the L.A. sessions, Grohl played drums on some of the songs. Goldsmith said Grohl did not tell him that he recorded new drum parts for the record and, feeling betrayed, left the band.

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. Hawkins made his debut with the group in time for the release of its second 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 MTV Video Music Awards, Smear simultaneously publicly announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. 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.

There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1998–2001)

In 1998, Foo Fighters traveled to Grohl's home state of Ohio 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.

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 guitar track to Foo Fighters' second cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission: Impossible II. When Queen 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 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 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 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 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. In Your Honor was released in June 2005. The album's singles included "Best of You", "DOA", "Resolve", "No Way Back", and "Miracle".

Between the months of September and October 2005, the band touring with Weezer on what was billed as the 'Foozer Tour' as the two bands co-headlined the tour. 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, Greatest Hits, and hiatus (since 2007)

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, 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 five Grammy Awards in 2008. The 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 September 17, 2008, Grohl announced on The Chris Moyles Show that the band would be taking a long break from music so that they could return with a new sense of purpose, and also informed fans not to expect any new music 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." On February 11, 2009, Hawkins denied the band was planning on taking a break of that duration. "We've gotten together and minced ideas already," he said. "Just basic ideas and we'll probably do that over the next year until we have a log of ideas. We'll take our time and let everybody else enjoy other things -- their families and stuff. I'd say maybe by summer we'll get in the studio and start getting serious about a record."

On July 4, 2009, at an exclusive concert, the band announced that a greatest hits compilation would be released on November 3, 2009, and they debuted a new song from the compilation, "Wheels", which premiered on radio on September 23, 2009. The album also includes a new track, "Word Forward", and an acoustic version of "Everlong". In support of this new release, the Foo Fighters played a live performance on Facebook and Livestream from their Studio 606 complex in Los Angeles on Friday 30 October 2009 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (10:00PM Eastern Time, 2:00AM on Saturday 31st, UTC/GMT. It was the first internet-only live concert including real-time interactivity with the fans on Facebook. Streamed live on Livestream, fans were able to ask questions directly and request songs using Facebook chat. It is currently the last performance of the band before their announced hiatus.

On November 3, 2009, the band released a compilation album, Greatest Hits, which features two new songs, "Word Forward" and the single "Wheels". However, on November 4th, 2009, Dave Grohl announced that the Greatest Hits record marks the end of a phase and the beginning of a real hiatus. "This greatest hits record, that's the end of something... It's time to move on into this next chapter or another phase. Maybe it will be different in whatever way. I don't know. It's nice to not know what's going to happen next. We're going over to do some shows in Europe, but, after that, it's like I don't even know when I'm going to see these guys. So it's kind of weird," he added.

The band have been entered for the MOJO awards show where they will be performing 'Long Road to Ruin' and 'Learn to Fly' bidding to become February 2010 champions.

Musical style

When Grohl first started the band, its music was often compared to that of his previous group, Nirvana. Grohl acknowledged that Nirvana 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 music that's stripped down." Foo Fighters also utilize the Pixies' technique of shifting between quiet verses and loud chorus, which Grohl said was influenced by the members of Nirvana "liking the Knack, Bay City Rollers, Beatles, and ABBA as much as we liked Flipper and Black Flag, I suppose". Writing and recording songs for the first Foo Fighters album by himself, Grohl wrote the guitar riffs to be as rhythmic as possible. He approached the guitar 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." Once Grohl assembled a full band, his bandmates assisted in song arrangements.

The members of Foo Fighters meld melodic elements with harder sounds. Grohl noted in 1997, "We all love music, whether it's the Beatles or Queen or 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, you know? So it is just natural." Grohl said in 2005, "I love being in a rock band, but I don't know if I necessarily wanna be in an alternative rock band from the 1990s for the rest of my life. It might be nice to broaden our range, open up the dynamic, so we can go out and just make music". Grohl noted that the band's acoustic tour was such an attempt to broaden the group's sound.

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.

In January 2000, the band played a benefit concert for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize. The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film by Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which questions whether HIV is the cause of AIDS. The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's advice ran contrary to established medical wisdom about HIV and AIDS. In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding more benefits for the organization. No further benefits have taken place, and is no longer listed as one of the supported causes on their website.

Band members

Current members

• Dave Grohl – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (since 1995)
• Nate Mendel – bass guitar (since 1995)
• Taylor Hawkins – drums, backing vocals (since 1997)
• Chris Shiflett – lead guitar, backing vocals (since 1999)

with:

• Pat Smear - fulltime rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1995–1997), touring 3rd guitar (since 2006)

Former members

• William Goldsmith - drums, percussion (1995–1997)
• Franz Stahl - rhythm 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)
• Greatest Hits (2009)

Awards

Foo Fighters first received a Grammy Award for their music video for "Learn to Fly" in 2000 and have won six in total.

See also

• List of alternative rock artists

References

1. di Perna, Alan. "Absolutely Foobulous!". Guitar World. August 1997.
2. Bryant, Tom. "Alien Parking". Kerrang! Legends: Foo Fighters. 2007.
3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved on April 28, 2006.
4. Strauss, Neil. " The Pop Life". The New York Times. March 5, 1995. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
5. Mundy, Chris. " Invasion of Foo Fighters". Rolling Stone. October 5, 1995. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
6. Bryant, Tom. "Breakout". Kerrang! Legends: Foo Fighters. 2007.
7. Roberts, Michael. " Bring Back That Sunny Day". Miami New Times. December 3, 1998. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.
8. Johnson, Lisa. "Classic interview: October 1997". Kerrang! Legends: Foo Fighters. 2007.
9. Beebee, Steve. "Burn Away". Kerrang! Legends: Foo Fighters. 2007.
10. Greenwald, Andy. "The Chosen Foo". Spin. August 2005.
11. Scaggs, Austin. " Foos Reclaim Their Honor". Rolling Stone. April 29, 2005. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
12. Greenblatt, Leah. " No 'Foo'ls". Entertainment Weekly. June 17, 2005. Retrieved on May 26, 2008.
13. Foo Fighters debut new song 'Wheels' for Barack Obama - video
14. FMQB.com
15. Foo Fighters Greatest Hits sparks live Facebook gig
16. http://newteevee.com/2009/11/02/foo-fighters-draw-440000-live-streams-to-web-only-show/
17. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10387818-26.html
18. Foo Fighters Draw 440,000 Live Streams to Web-Only Show
19. Chick, Steve. "Foo Fighters: 'Touring the UK? It Feels Great Every Time!'". Kerrang. December 2005.
20. Talvi, Silja J. A. " Foo Fighters, HIV Deniers". Mother Jones. February 25, 2000. Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
21. Tara C. Smith and Steven P. Novella (2007). " HIV Denial in the Internet Era", PLoS Med 4(8): e256. Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
22. Foofighters.com

External links

• Foo Fighters' official web site