How have the shows been going so far?
Scared shitless, but they went good in my humblest thought. We got through them. I've got a stellar group of musicians I'm playing with. If anybody f--ked up, it was me. They're small crowds, because first of all, the album's not even out yet. Second, it's a new little thing.
Is your band name [the Coattail Riders] a tongue-in-cheek anticipation of what people might say about someone launching a solo career?
Yeah, I think so. You got it. The whole idea behind this is to have fun. Obviously I'm in, I think, a really great band, the Foo Fighters. I'm blessed to be able to play Dave's songs and do all the great stuff that we get to do. I want it to be lighthearted, I don't want people to think I'm trying to—I don't really care, but I'm not trying to launch this whole big, giant other career. I just need something else to do. The fact that I'm doing interviews for this, and it's getting played on some radio stations and we sold like 20 T-shirts already—that's like success to me. There was like 175 people at the club last night. That's f--king success. Even though I'm sure a lot of people are there because I'm in the Foo Fighters, it's still success to me.
You interviewed Phil Collins [for British drum magazine Rhythm]. Are you a fan?
I'm a huge fan of his drumming. I really am a huge fan of his drumming. I mean, I don't like "Sussudio" or that kind of crap. That's just not really my bag. Not that I don't think he's a talented songwriter, as well, but first and foremost I'm a huge fan of his drumming.
COMING TO TOWN |
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Afrirampo
Kore Ga Mayaku Da (4 stars)
"Afrirampo" translates to "naked rock," and a few listens to the primal, Japanese guitar-and-drums girl duo should strip away your musical conceptions. Oni and Pikacyu blend Boredoms and Sonic Youth experimentation, alien melodies and a garage aesthetic to produce a deliriously manic ride.
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The Hellacopters
Rock & Roll is Dead (2.5 stars)
The gold standard in Swedish rock before the emergence of the Hives, Sahara Hotnights and others, the Hellacopters cling to their tried-and-true blues-rock/proto-punk/power-pop formula on this paradoxically titled 2005 release.
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Beautiful Creatures
Deuce (2.5 stars)
On their second album, this LA band of hair-metal refugees thicken the distortion and turn up the volume, embracing a few too many nu-metal and neo-grunge tropes in the process. While their debut was gleefully anachronistic, now they just sound like every other hard-rock band jockeying for radio airtime.