Doing chores around the house one late Saturday afternoon, some faint music started trickling through the windows. Not the usual choice of indie dance or house music my neighbor tends to blast at 4 in the morning, but guitars, drums and a powerful bass line-band practice somewhere? It's the first I've heard anyone play live in the neighborhood. Checking up on my Twitter feed, turns out just a couple blocks away on a rooftop by the beach, the long-awaited Red Hot Chili Peppers were jamming out.
It's been five years since their last album, two of which were a total break for the band. Our resident guru Dave DiMartino recently met up with Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to ask what was up with the long hiatus, new member Josh Klinghoffer--former member of L.A. bands The Bicycle Thief and Warpaint--and what the new album will bring.
Initially, viral video rapper Kreayshawn was approached by the band to direct the music video for their first single "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie." Her concept was a "geek girl" in the 90s underground who gets drugged at a club and the Peppers play secondary characters. But the video was scrapped--and no wonder. After so many years, I'm sure the band wanted to be front and center, thus opting for the spontaneous rooftop performance that pays tribute to the Beatles' iconic show on the roof of Apple Studios. The live video is also more fitting of their funky southern California sound, where effortless jamming enjoyment wins out over scripted scene study. And anyways, the Peppers actually remember--even helped define--the 90s, unlike their young former director.
Check out the Red Hot Chili Peppers' video for "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie." Their new album "I'm With You" dropped August 29.
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