History.RHCP

THE STORY OF THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS WE’RE WITH YOU

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS GERAL

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group’s musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock. The band consists of founding members Anthony Kiedis (vocals) and Michael “Flea” Balzary (bass), alongside longtime drummer Chad Smith, The band has gone through several guitarists; their current guitarist is Josh Klinghoffer, who joined in late 2009.

The band’s original line-up featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons, albeit not playing on the debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Cliff Martinez was the drummer for the first two records, filling in for Irons, and guitarist Jack Sherman played on the first only. Slovak performed on two albums with the band, Freaky Styley and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan; he died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons’ departure. Former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro briefly replaced Irons before the band found a permanent replacement in Smith. Guitarist John Frusciante replaced Slovak. The line-up of Flea, Kiedis, Frusciante and Smith was the longest-lasting, and recorded the band’s fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth album, Mother’s Milk (1989), Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), Californication (1999), By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006).

Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the group’s first commercial success, has sold over 13 million copies. Frusciante grew uncomfortable with the success of the band and left abruptly in 1992, in the middle of the album tour. His use of heroin increased. After recruiting guitarist Arik Marshall to complete the tour, Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction for their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although commercially successful, the album failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, selling less than half as well as its predecessor. Navarro left the band shortly

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after the album’s release. Frusciante, fresh out of drug rehabilitation, rejoined the band in 1998 at Flea’s request. The reunited quartet returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which sold 15 million copies—the band’s most commercially successful album. That album was followed three years later by By the Way, which was also successful. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium, their first number one album in America. After a world tour, the group went on an extended hiatus. Frusciante announced he was amicably leaving the band to focus on his solo careerJosh Klinghoffer, who had worked both as a sideman for the band on their Stadium Arcadium tour and on Frusciante’s solo projects, joined as lead guitarist. The band released their tenth studio album, I’m with You, on August 29, 2011.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have won 7 Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 70 million albums worldwide, charting nine singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three in the Top 10), seven number one singles on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and they currently hold the record for most number one singles on the Alternative Songs chart at 13. The band will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2012.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Early history (1983–84) The Red Hot Chili Peppers was formed by rapper and singer Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea and drummer Jack Irons while they attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Originally under the moniker of Tony Flow & the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, their first performance was at the Rhythm Lounge to a crowd of approximately thirty people, opening for Gary and Neighbor’s Voices. They “wrote” for the occasion, which involved the band improvising music while Kiedis rapped a poem he had written called “Out in L.A.”. Since Slovak and Irons were already committed to another group, What Is This?, it was intended to be a one–time performance. However, the performance was so lively that the band was asked to return the following week. Due to this unexpected success, the band changed its name to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing several more shows at various LA clubs and musical venues. Six songs from these initial shows were on the band’s first demo tape.

Several months after their first performance, the band announced that they were the Red Hot Chili Peppers,

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and were noticed by EMI and signed with the record label. Two weeks earlier, What Is This? had also obtained a record deal but with MCA. Slovak and Irons still considered the Red Hot Chili Peppers as only a side project and so they quit to focus on What Is This?

Instead of dissolving the band, Kiedis and Flea recruited new members.[8] Cliff Martinez, a friend of Flea’s and from the punk band, The Weirdos, joined shortly thereafter. The band held auditions for a new guitarist which included Weirdos guitarist, Dix Denney but it was decided that Jack Sherman was the best fit.

Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill produced the first album. Gill, who “didn’t embrace [the band’s] musical aesthetic or ideology,” argued constantly with the band over the record’s sound.Kiedis recalled that “Andy’s thing was having a hit at all costs, but it was such a mistake to have an agenda.”[ Despite the misgivings of Kiedis and Flea, Gill pushed the band to play with a cleaner, crisper, more radio-friendly sound. Their eponymous debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers was released on August 10, 1984.

Though the album did not set sales records, airplay on college radio and MTV helped to build a fan base, and the album ultimately sold 300,000 copies. However, the band was disappointed in the record’s overall sound, feeling it was overly polished and as if it had “gone through a sterilizing Goody Two-shoes machine”. During the ensuing tour, continuing musical and lifestyle tension between Kiedis and Sherman complicated the transition between concert and daily band life.Sherman was fired soon after, with Slovak returning to the Chili Peppers after growing tired of What is This?.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Freaky Styley (1985–86) George Clinton produced the next album, Freaky Styley. Clinton combined various elements of punk and funk into the band’s repertoire, allowing their music to incorporate a variety of distinct styles. The band often indulged in heavy heroin use while recording the album, which influenced the lyrics and musical direction of the album.The band had a much better relationship with Clinton than with Gill, but Freaky Styley, released on August 16, 1985, also achieved little success, failing to make an impression on any chart.

The subsequent tour was also considered unproductive by the band.Despite the lack of success, the band was satisfied with Freaky Styley; Kiedis reflected that “it so surpassed anything we thought we could have done that we were thinking we were on the road to enormity.”

The band appeared in the 1986 movie Thrashin’ (directed by David Winters and starring Josh Brolin) playing the song “Blackeyed Blonde” from Freaky Styley.

During this time the band also appeared in the movie Tough Guys starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas performing the song “Set It Straight” at a Los Angeles nightclub. n the spring of 1986, the band decided to begin work on their upcoming album. EMI gave the band a budget of $5,000 to record a demo tape, and the band chose to work with producer Keith Levene, because he shared the band’s interest in drugs. Levene and Slovak decided to put aside $2,000 of the budget to spend on heroin and cocaine, which created tension between the band members. Martinez’ “heart was no longer in the band”, but he did not quit, so Kiedis and Flea fired him. After the firing of Martinez, original drummer Jack Irons rejoined the band to Kiedis, Flea, and Slovak’s great surprise, which marked the first time all four founding members were together since 1983. During the recording and subsequent tour of Freaky Styley, Kiedis and Slovak were dealing with debilitating heroin addictions. Due to his addiction, Kiedis “didn’t have the same drive or desire to come up with ideas or lyrics” and appeared at rehearsal “literally asleep”. He was briefly kicked out of the band after the tour, and given a month to rehabilitate.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Uplift Mofo Party Plan & Slovak’s death (1986–88)

The band won the LA Weekly “Band of the Year Award” which prompted Kiedis to get clean in order to continue making music.

He called his mother in Michigan for guidance, who sent him to drug rehabilitation. After Kiedis completed his stint in rehab, he felt a “whole new wave of enthusiasm” due to his sobriety and wrote the lyrics to “Fight Like a Brave” on the plane ride home. He rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record the group’s next album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan.

The Chili Peppers attempted to hire Rick Rubin to produce their third album, but he declined. The band eventually hired Michael Beinhorn, the band’s last choice. Kiedis sat down with producer Michael Beinhorn to discuss the recording of the album; Kiedis planned to record the album in ten days and write the songs during the recording sessions. Songs began to form quickly, and the album took shape, blending the same funk feel and rhythms as Freaky Styley, with a harder, more immediate approach to punk rock. The album was record-

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ed in the basement of the Capitol Records Building.The recording process for the album was difficult; Kiedis would frequently disappear to seek drugs. After fifty days of sobriety, Kiedis decided to take drugs again to celebrate his new music. His drug use “made a mess of the early recording process”, but the band still had an enjoyable time recording the album. The band was musically inspired by the return of their original drummer Jack Irons, who added “such an important and different element to our chemistry.”

Slovak helped Kiedis record his vocals on the album. In between takes, Slovak would run around the studio out of excitement and say “This is the most beautiful thing we’ve ever done.” On September 29, 1987, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan was released, becoming their first album to appear on any chart. Although it peaked at only No.148 on the Billboard Hot 200, this was a significant success compared to the first two.

During this period, however, Kiedis and Slovak had both developed serious drug addictions, often abandoning the band, each other, and their significant others for days on end. Slovak’s addiction led to his death on June 25, 1988, not long after the conclusion of the Uplift tour.

Kiedis fled the city and did not attend Slovak’s funeral, considering the situation to be surreal and dreamlike.Irons subsequently left the group, saying that he did not want to be part of a group where his friends were dying. Irons went on to become a member of Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam. Kiedis and Flea debated whether they should continue making music, but ultimately decided to move ahead, hoping to continue what Slovak “helped build”.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Mother’s Milk (1988–1990) After losing two of the original band members Flea and Kiedis started looking for musicians to fill those spots. They chose DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight, a friend of Clinton’s and former member of the funk band Parliament-Funkadelic, to replace Slovak on guitar; D. H. Peligro of the punk rock outfit Dead Kennedys replaced Irons. Band manager Lindy Goetz realized that McKnight and Peligro were not well suited for the Chili Peppers, and the two were fired within several months of joining.

Kiedis and Flea found a replacement for McKnight in guitarist John Frusciante. Flea had originally directed Frusciante to audition for the band Thelonious Monster. An avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, Frusciante was, according to Flea, “a really talented and knowledgeable musician. He [Frusciante] knows all the shit I don’t know. I basically know nothing about music theory and he’s studied it to death, inside and out. He’s a very disciplined musician—all he cares about are his guitar and his cigarettes.” Flea and Kiedis had jammed with Frusciante twice before hiring McKnight and Peligro. It was only after McKnight and Peligro were fired that the bassist and vocalist invited Frusciante to the Chili Peppers. He accepted instantly, but Frusciante was not familiar with the funk genre. Although they now had a new guitarist, the Chili Peppers remained without a drummer and were forced to hold open auditions. The last to audition, Chad Smith, was a six-foot three-inch tall drummer who, according to Flea, “lit a fire under our asses”. Smith was a hard-hitting musician the Chili Peppers believed they would create a strong relationship with. Kiedis later said the audition with Smith “left the band in a state of frenzied laughter that we couldn’t shake out of for a half an hour”.

Unlike the stop-start sessions for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, where Kiedis would frequently disappear to seek drugs, pre-production for Mother’s Milk went smoothly. The band recorded basic tracks during March and

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early April 1989 at Hully Gully studios in Silver Lake; songs like “Knock Me Down” were formed from jam sessions without any input from returning producer Michael Beinhorn. Although there had been stress and conflict during the recording of other Chili Peppers albums, the Mother’s Milk sessions were especially uncomfortable due to Beinhorn’s incessant desire to create a hit. Frusciante and Kiedis were frustrated with the producer’s attitude. In April 1989, the Chili Peppers embarked on a short tour to familiarize Smith and Frusciante with how the band managed live performances.

Released on August 16, 1989, Mother’s Milk peaked at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The record failed to chart in the United Kingdom and Europe, but climbed to number 33 in Australia. “Knock Me Down” reached number six on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks whereas “Higher Ground”

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY

Return of Frusciante, Californication (1998–2001) In the years following his departure from the band, it became public that John Frusciante had developed a heroin addiction, which left him in poverty and near death. He was talked into admitting himself to Las Encinas Drug Rehabilitation Center in January 1998.

He concluded the process in February of that year and began renting a small apartment in Silver Lake.

He acquired many injuries/problems in the years of his addiction, some requiring surgery, including permanent scarring on his arms, a restructured nose, and new teeth to prevent fatal infection.

After Navarro’s departure in early 1998, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were on the verge of breaking up. Flea told Kiedis, “the only way I could imagine carrying on [with the Red Hot Chili Peppers] is if we got John back in the band.”[62] With Frusciante free of his addictions and ailments, Kiedis and Flea thought it was an appropriate time to invite him back. In April 1998, when Flea visited him at his home and asked him to rejoin the band, Frusciante began sobbing and said “nothing would make me happier in the world.” Within the week and, for the first time in six years, the reunited foursome jump-started the newly reunited Red Hot Chili Peppers. Anthony Kiedis said of the situation:

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“For me, that was the defining moment of what would become the next six years of our lives together. That was when I knew that this was the real deal, that the magic was about to happen again. Suddenly we could all hear, we could all listen, and instead of being caught up in our finite little balls of bullshit, we could all become players in that great universal orchestra again.”

Despite the band’s elation, Frusciante was both mentally and physically torn.

Frusciante had not played with the band since his departure. He had lost his guitars in a house fire from which he barely escaped, he experienced a difficult time resuming his prior life. He had retained his talent, however, and new songs began to roll out. Frusciante’s return restored a key component of the Chili Peppers’ sound, as well as a healthy morale. He brought with him his deep devotion to music, which had an impact on the band’s recording style during the album. Frusciante has frequently stated that his work on Californication was his favorite. On June 8, 1999, after more than a year of production and meticulous practice, Californication was released as the band’s seventh studio album. The album ultimately sold over 15 million copies and became the band’s most successful recording to date.[67] Californication contained fewer rap-driven songs than its predecessors, instead integrating textured, consistent, and melodic guitar riffs, vocals and bass-lines. Californication produced three more num-

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY ber one modern rock hits: “Scar Tissue”, “Otherside” and “Californication”. “Scar Tissue” won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. It was performed at the ceremony and included a brief jam with rapper Snoop Dogg. Other singles included “Around the World”, “Road Trippin’”, and “Parallel Universe”, which broke the Top 40 modern rock charts without a separate release as a single.

Californication gained positive critical acceptance in contrast to its less popular predecessor, One Hot Minute, and was a greater success worldwide. While many critics credited the success of the album to Frusciante’s return, they also noted that Kiedis’ vocals had also greatly improved.

In July 1999, as part of the band’s two-year long international world tour in support of their new album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played at Woodstock 1999, which became infamous for the violence it resulted in. Some 10 minutes before the show, they were asked by Jimi Hendrix’s stepsister to play a cover of her brother’s songs. After some hesitation, the band decided to play his classic “Fire”, which they had covered on Mother’s Milk. Coincidentally, about two thirds of the way into the band’s set, the closing set of the three day concert, a small fire escalated into full-fledged vandalism and resulted in the intervention of riot control squads. The disruption escalated into violence when nearby property including ATMs and several semi-tractor trailers were looted and destroyed.Kiedis felt that “It was clear that this situation had nothing to do with Woodstock anymore. It wasn’t symbolic of peace and love, but of greed and cashing in... We woke up to papers and radio stations vilifying us for playing ‘Fire’.” In September 2000, the Peppers were nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, which they again lost; however they managed to win two awards for their Californication video and they performed the song as well. The Peppers were also honored with the MTV Video Vanguard Award which is given to musicians who have had a profound effect on MTV culture. In 2001, the Chili Peppers released their first concert DVD, Off the Map. The DVD was directed by longtime friend Dick Rude, who had also produced the music video for “Catholic School Girls Rule” and would later produce the video for “Universally Speaking”. The footage was taken from two different concerts, but was amalgamated with transition and indistinguishable song.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY By the Way (2001–04) The writing and formation of the band’s next album, By the Way began immediately following the culmination of Californication’s world tour, in the Spring of 2001.

As with Californication, much of the creation took place in the band members’ homes, and other locations of practice, such as a recording studio stage. Kiedis recalled of the situation: “We started finding some magic and some music and some riffs and some rhythms and some jams and some grooves, and we added to it and subtracted from it and pushed it around and put melodies to it.” Frusciante and Kiedis would collaborate for days straight, discussing and sharing guitar progressions and lyrics. For Kiedis, “writing By the Way...was a whole different experience from Californication. John was back to himself and brimming with confidence.”

Prior to recording By the Way, the Chili Peppers decided that they would again have Rick Rubin produce the album.Rubin had, in the past, granted the Chili Peppers creative freedom on their recording material; this was something they thought essential for the album to be unique, and could only occur with his return. The recording process was tough for Flea who felt like an outsider in the band and that his role was being diminished due to a musical power struggle with Frusciante. Flea wanted to create more funk-inspired songs, while Frusciante felt that the band had overused their funk side and wanted to create slower, more melodic songs. Flea considered quitting the band after the album, but the two eventually worked out with their problems.

By The Way was released on July 9, 2002 and produced five hit singles; “By the Way”, “The Zephyr Song”, “Can’t Stop”, “Dosed”, and “Universally Speaking”. The album was their most subdued album to date, focusing primarily on melodic ballads as opposed to their classic rap-driven funk. Frusciante also concentrated on a more layered texture on many of the songs, often adding keyboard parts that featured low in the mix, and also writing string arrangements for songs such as “Midnight” and “Minor Thing”. The album was followed by an

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eighteen month-long world tour.[84] The European leg of the By the Way tour produced the band’s second full-length concert DVD, Live at Slane Castle, recorded at Slane Castle in Ireland on August 23, 2003. The band released their first full-length live album, Live in Hyde Park; recorded during their performances in Hyde Park, London. More than 258,000 fans paid over $17,100,000 for tickets over three nights, a 2004 record; the event ranked No.1 on Billboard’s Top Concert Boxscores of 2004.

The

Chili Peppers released two new songs, “Fortune Faded” and “Save the Population” for their Greatest Hits album released in November 2003.According to Rolling Stone, the band recorded fifteen songs during the sessions that yielded “Fortune Faded” and “Save the Population”, although it remains unclear what the other thirteen songs were (two may have been “Rolling Sly Stone” and “Leverage of Space”, songs premiered during the European leg of their By the Way tour). Frusciante mentioned in an interview with the BBC in 2004 that not all of the songs were completed or had vocals.

In a September 2011 interview, Chad discussed the recording sessions for the band’s 2003 Greatest Hits album saying they wrote and recorded sixteen songs during those sessions and after a brief tour he had hoped they would release a full album of those songs. John however was against this idea because his musical influences and styles had evolved and wanted to do something new. Chad said there is an entire album out there that people are never going to hear.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Stadium Arcadium (2005–07) In 2006 the band released the Grammy Award– winning Stadium Arcadium produced by Rick Rubin. Although 38 songs were created with the intention of being released as three separate albums spaced six months apart, the band instead chose to release a 28-track double album, and released nine of the ten as B–sides. It was their first album to debut at No.1 on the US charts, where it stayed for two weeks, and debuted at number one in the UK and 25 other countries. Stadium Arcadium was named the year’s best-selling album, moving over seven million units and recorded the highest weekly sales of along the year.

The record’s first single, “Dani California”, was the band’s fastestselling single, debuting on top of the Modern Rock chart in the U.S., peaking at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching No.2 in the UK. “Tell Me Baby”, released next, also topped the charts in 2006. “Snow ((Hey Oh))” was released in late 2006, breaking multiple records by 2007. The song became their eleventh number one single, giv-

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ing the band a cumulative total of 81 weeks at number one. It was also the first time three consecutive singles by the band made it to number one. “Desecration Smile” was released internationally in February 2007 and reached number 27 on the UK charts. “Hump de Bump” was planned to be the next single for the US, Canada, and Australia only, but due to positive feedback from the music video, it was released as a worldwide single in May 2007.[citation needed. The band began another world tour in support of Stadium Arcadium in 2006, beginning with promotional concerts in Europe and culminating in a two-month long European tour from late May to mid-July. During this tour Frusciante’s friend and frequent musical collaborator Josh Klinghoffer was essentially a fifth band member: he contributed guitar parts, back up vocals, and keyboards. Klinghoffer’s presence allowed the live performances of songs to sound more like the recorded versions in which Frusciante laid down multiple tracks himself. The group toured North America from early August to early November, returning to Europe later in November for a second leg that ran until mid–December. The Chili Peppers began 2007 with a second North American leg, this time including Mexico, from mid–January to mid–March. This was followed by April shows in various cities in Australia and New Zealand and concerts in Japan in early June. The Peppers concluded their tour with a third European leg from late June to late August. They appeared at the Live Earth concert at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007. The band appeared at several festivals, including Denmarks Roskilde festival, Ireland’s Oxegen in July 2006, Lollapalooza in August 2006 in Grant Park, Chicago, a subsequent set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California in late April 2007 and in August 2007 they appeared as one of three headliners at the Reading and Leeds festivals along with Razorlight and Smashing Pumpkins.In February 2007, Stadium Arcadium won 5 Grammys: Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song (“Dani California”), Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (“Dani California”), Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Producer.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY Hiatus and Frusciante’s second departure (2008) Following the last leg of the Stadium Arcadium tour, the band members took an extended break. Kiedis attributed this to the band being worn out from their years of nonstop work since Californication. Kiedis explained that he was preoccupied with taking care of his new son and possibly creating a short television series called Spider and Son which was set to recap his autobiography.

Flea began taking music theory classes at the University of Southern California.

Flea also revealed plans to release a mainly instrumental solo record that was being recorded in his home; guest musicians include Patti Smith and a choir from the Silverlake Conservatory. Frusciante continued his solo career and released his solo album, The Empyrean. Chad Smith worked with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony in the supergroup Chickenfoot, as well as on his solo project, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats. The band planned to remain on hiatus for “a minimum of one year.” The band’s only recording during this time was in 2008 with George Clinton on his latest album George Clinton

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and His Gangsters of Love. Accompanied by Kim Manning, the band recorded a new version of Shirley and Lee’s classic “Let the Good Times Roll”. In May 2009, Kiedis, Flea, and Smith performed under the name ‘The Insects’ along with Ron Wood, Josh Klinghoffer and Ivan Neville at the fifth annual MusiCares event honoring Kiedis. He was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund and for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction and recovery process. In September 2009, the band became first-time nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, but did not end up making the final cut for the class of 2010.

In October 2009, the band ended their hiatus and, without Frusciante, entered the studio to begin writing for their tenth album. They were joined in the studio by Josh Klinghoffer, who to the public was still the band’s backup touring guitarist, although months later it was confirmed that he was already an official member and Frusciante’s replacement at that time. In December 2009, Frusciante revealed that he had left the Red Hot Chili Peppers before the start of the year. Frusciante explained on his MySpace page that there was no drama or anger about him leaving the band this time and that the other members were very supportive and understanding. Frusciante said he felt his musical interests had led him in a different direction and that he needed to fully focus his efforts on his solo career.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY I’m with You and Hall Of Fame (2010–present) The band, with Josh Klinghoffer on guitar, made their live comeback on January 29, 2010, paying tribute to Neil Young with a cover of “A Man Needs a Maid” at MusiCares. On February 8, 2010, Klinghoffer was officially confirmed by Chad Smith as Frusciante’s full-time replacement. In September 2010, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced that their music would not be featured on the popular television show Glee with Kiedis stating that it did not make sense for music near and dear to their hearts to appear on shows like Glee and American Idol and that it seemed emotionally displaced. The Chili Peppers are one of many rock bands who have declined an offer to have their music featured on Glee.

Kiedis, Flea, and Klinghoffer, along with former members John Frusciante and Jack Irons, appear in the 2011 documentary Bob and the Monster, which details the life and career of musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest. Klinghoffer composed the music for the film. The band would spend most of 2010 writing for their tenth album, a process Kiedis said took almost a full year so they could get the right songs. To celebrate Record Store Day, on April 16, 2011, a limited edition of only 6,500 copies red colored vinyl 7” was released featuring the Chili Peppers cover of the Ramones song “Havana Affair” on one side of the record and the original version by the Ramones on the other side.

On June 17, 2011, the Chili Peppers announced their first tour in 4 years. Beginning with a few warm-up dates in Asia in August, the I’m with You tour was officially kicked off in Bogota, Colombia on September 11 and will continue through 2013, with more dates to be announced soon. On July 27, 2011, the band played their first show since August 2007 and first official show with Josh.

The performance was a secret invitation only show with family, friends and music critics in attendance. The band ended July 2011 with two more secret invitation only shows on July 29 and July 31. All three were held in California. On July 30, 2011, the band took to a building rooftop on the boardwalk at Venice Beach to film video footage for “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”. In between filming, the band played various parts of their own songs and covers for the many fans who were crowded on the streets below.

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The album’s first single, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” was scheduled for radio release on July 18, 2011; however, due to an Internet leak on July 15, 2011, the label decided to release the single to radio that same day and the high quality stream through KROQ. The label still went ahead with the July 18 date as the official date for the single to be made available through digital download, the band’s website, Facebook and YouTube. The band’s label confirmed that rapper Kreayshawn would be directing the video for “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”. On August 10, 2011, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” became the band’s 12th number one single on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The band already held the record for most number one singles at eleven. On August 17, 2011, the music video for “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” was released. MTV will air the video at 7:53pm in the

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United States with a special live Q&A with the band on their website following the video. The band opted not to go with the video they shot with Kreayshawn and instead released the second version they shot in late July 2011 with director, Marc Klasfeld.

A global listening party was held on their website on August 22, 2011 where the I’m with You album was streamed for free. On August 19, 2011, Flea announced on his Twitter page that the U.S. release date for I’m with You will be moved up a day to August 29, 2011. The band’s website later confirmed this with no reason given for the date change. On August 30, 2011, which was the U.S. release date for I’m with You, Fuse TV gave 24 hour coverage to the Red Hot Chili Peppers which included an interview segment titled “Red Hot Chili Peppers: On The Record with Fuse” and concluded with “Fuse Presents: Red Hot Chili Peppers Live from the Roxy” featuring a taped performance of their August 22, 2011 show at the Roxy Theatre.The band appeared on movie screens throughout the world on August 30, 2011 live via-satellite from Cologne, Germany performing the entire new album in sequence minus “Even You Brutus” along with “Give It Away” and “Me and My Friends”. On September 11, 2011 after a few warm up dates, the band officially kicked off their I’m With You tour.

The tour is maybe expected to last into 2013.

On September 17, 2011, during a interview with Anthony and Chad, BBC Radio 2 host, Justin Lee Collins mentioned that Monarchy of Roses will be the second single from I’m with You. The single was released October 7, 2011 while the music video was released November 14, 2011.

On September 19, 2011, the band was nominated for two MTV Europe Music Awards awards for Best Rock Band and Best Live Artist. The awards were held on November 6, 2011 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On September 27, 2011 the band was named as a finalist for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is the second year the band has been eligible but failed to make the final cut as of yet. The five inductees will be announced in November or December 2011.On October 14, 2011 FX announced that they have picked up the rights

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY from HBO to produce a television series based on the Anthony Kiedis biography, Scar Tissue. Entourage producers, Marc Abrams and Mike Benson will produce the series and Kiedis will also co produce along with Jason Weinberg.

On October 21, 2011 the band was nominated for Best Group at the 2012 People’s Choice Awards. Fans can vote for who they want to win in all categories at the award show’s website. The top five voted for will make the final cut.On November 15, 2011 it was announced that the Chili Peppers along with other big name artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Lady GaGa were in talks to perform in Israel in 2012. Due to security fears and terrorist attacks, many big name artists have avoided performing in Israel. The Chili Peppers are in talks to play a show in Tel Aviv in July 2012. This would mark the band’s first performance ever in Israel.

In 2001 the band was scheduled to play a festival in Tel Aviv with over 20,000 tickets being sold however due to the U.S. State Department issuing travel advisories which stemmed from a suicide bombing at a Israeli discothèque

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the band decided to cancel their performance and promoters were forced to cancel the festival as well. President Bill Clinton personally called Kiedis to assure him that the band would be safe and asked him to set an example for U.S. bands and not cancel their performance due to the terrorist attack.

The band announced on November 21, 2011 that they would start releasing professionally recorded live downloads of full concerts from their I’m with You tour. The shows will be available in FLAC for $9.95 and ALAC for $12.95. Various selections from the band’s archive will be added at a later date.On November 23, 2011, Rolling Stone magazine’s revised list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” was released with former guitarist, John Frusciante ranked #72.

Frusciante was ranked #18 on the same list back in 2003.

On November 29, 2011, I’m with You was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. The awards show will be held on February 12, 2012.

On December 2, 2011, “Look Around” was confirmed by Chad to be as the third single and the single and video are expected for release in early 2012.

On December 5, 2011, Flea posted to

HISTORY

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HISTORY his Twitter page that the video was complete and was one of the funnest video shoots ever.

On December 7, 2011, The Red Hot Chili Peppers were announced as part of the Class of 2012 inductees to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame along with Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys, The Small Faces/The Faces, Donovan and Laura Nyro.

[125] The awards ceremony will be held April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio and will be open to the public. HBO will air the event in May 2012. In a interview that same day with Rolling Stone magazine, Kiedis said when he informed his father they were induced he cried. Kieids said he didn’t get emotional however the most emotional part for him was thinking of Hillel Slovak saying it’s Slovak’s induction that he’s the most excited about.

Kiedis was asked if John Frusciante would attend the induction ceremony and said he didn’t know and assumed he wouldn’t attend. He said he hasn’t talked to Frusciante in a while so he doesn’t know his feelings about the induction however he’s more than welcome to attend and will be embraced if he does.

Kiedis said he assumes both Cliff Martinez and Jack Irons will attend. Flea commented on the band’s induction by saying it was emotional. He said it has always been easy for him to pooh-pooh these awards shows but after inducting Metallica a couple of years ago he found it to be a really beautiful thing to see as all these people being inducted. “It made me love it. I love halls of fame anyway — the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Baseball Hall of Fame” Flea said.

He said it made him feel very reflective of his career to the point where he gets choked up and being inducted with the Beastie Boys and Guns N’ Roses was really cool. Flea said back in the early days when he was a little kid along with Hillel and Jack Irons they would rehearse in his bedroom and a kid who lived a block away would always sneak over into his backyard to listen. That kid ended up becoming Slash, guitarist for Guns N’ Roses. Chad Smith posted on his Twitter page “Those crazy bastards at the hall of fame are putting us in this year?!! Howabout them apples! Seriously..I’m very humbled and grateful.

Wow.” Former Peppers guitarist, Dave Navarro posted on his Twitter page his congratulations on the band being inducted.[129]No word on if Navarro will attend the ceremony or which former members will be inducted.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Musical Style Techniques The Peppers’ musical style is a mix of funk, alternative rock, hard rock and punk rock. The band’s influences include Defunkt, Parliament-Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Gang of Four, Bob Marley, Sly and the Family Stone, Ohio Players, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Black Flag, Ornette Coleman, Led Zeppelin, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Fishbone, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holliday, Santana, Elvis Costello, The Stooges, The Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Devo, and Miles Davis.

Even bands of their own generation were a big inspiration and influence, like Radiohead, Nirvana, Jane’s Ad-

diction, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and Sublime. Flea toured with Thom Yorke, the frontman of Radiohead, in their band called Atoms for Peace.

Kiedis provided multiple vocal styles.

His primary approach up to Blood Sugar Sex Magik was spoken verse and “rapping”. Complemented with traditional vocals, he helped the band maintain a consistent style.

Nevertheless, as the group matured, starting with Californication the group reduced the number of rapped verses. By the Way contained only two rap-driven-verse/melodic chorus form. Kiedis’ more recent style was developed through ongoing coaching.

Hillel Slovak’s style was strongly based on blues and funk. Slovak was primarily influenced by hard rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix, KISS and Led Zeppelin. His playing method was highly based on improvisation, a style commonly used in funk music.

He also was noted for his aggressive playing style; he would often play with such force that his fingers would “come apart.” Kiedis observed

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that his playing evolved during his time away from the group in What Is This?, with Slovak adopting a more fluid style featuring “sultry” elements as opposed to his original hard rock techniques. On The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Slovak experimented with genres outside of traditional funk music including reggae and speed metal.

His guitar riffs would often serve as the basis of the group’s songs, with the other members writing their parts to complement his guitar work.

His melodic riff featured in the song “Behind the Sun” inspired the group to create “pretty” songs with an emphasis on melody. Kiedis describes the song as “pure Hillel inspiration”.

Slovak also used a talk box on songs

such as “Green Heaven” and “Funky Crime”, in which he would sing into a tube while playing to create psychedelic effects. Frusciante’s musical style has evolved over the course of his career. His guitar playing employs melody and emotion rather than virtuosity. Although virtuoso influences can be heard throughout his career, he has said that he often minimizes this. Frusciante brought a more melodic and textured sound to albums such as By the Way, Californication and Stadium Arcadium. This contrasts with his previous abrasive approach in Mother’s Milk, as well as his dry, funky and more docile arrangements on Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

On Californication and By the Way, Frusciante derived the technique of creating tonal texture through chord patterns from post-punk guitarist Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column, and bands such as Fugazi and The Cure. He originally intended By the Way to be made up of “these punky, rough songs”, drawing inspiration from early punk artists such as The Germs and The Damned. However, this was discouraged by producer Rick Rubin, and he instead built upon Californication’s melodically-

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driven style. During the recording of Stadium Arcadium, he moved away from his New Wave influences and concentrated on emulating flashier guitar players such as Hendrix and Van Halen.

Navarro brought an entirely different sound to the band during his tenure, with his style based on heavy metal, progressive rock and psychedelia. Flea’s electric bass style is an amalgamation of funk, psychedelic, punk, and hard rock. The groove-heavy, low-tuned melodies, played through either finger–picking, or slapping, contributed to their signature style. While Flea’s slap bass style was prominent in earlier albums, albums after Blood Sugar Sex Magik have more melodic and funk–driven bass lines. He has also used double stops on some newer songs. Flea’s bass playing has changed considerably throughout the years. When he joined Fear his technique centered largely around traditional punk rock bass lines, however he was to change this style when the Red Hot Chili Peppers formed. He began to incorporate a “slap” bass style that drew influence largely from Bootsy Collins.Blood

Sugar Sex Magik saw a notable shift in style as it featured none of his signature technique but rather styles that focused more on traditional and melodic roots. His intellectual beliefs on how to play the instrument were also altered: “I was trying to play simply on Blood Sugar Sex Magik because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, ‘I’ve really got to chill out and play half as many notes’. When you play less, it’s more exciting—there’s more room for everything. If I do play something busy, it stands out, instead of the bass being a constant onslaught of notes. Space is good.”

Smith blends rock with funk. He mixes funk, rock, metal and jazz to his beats. Influences include Buddy Rich to John Bonham. He brought a different sound to Mother’s Milk, playing tight and fast. In Blood Sugar Sex Magik, he displays greater power.

He is recognized for his ghost notes, his beats and his fast right foot. MusicRadar put him in sixth place on their list of the “50 Greatest Drummers Of All Time”, behind Mike Portnoy, Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Rich and their number one choice, Bonham.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Musical Style Lyrics and songwriting Through the years, Kiedis’ lyrics covered a variety of topics, which shifted as time progressed. Early in the group’s career, Kiedis wrote mostly comical songs filled with sexual innuendos as well as songs inspired by friendship and the band members’ personal experiences. However, after the death of his close friend and band mate Hillel Slovak, Kiedis’ lyrics became much more introspective and personal, as exemplified by the song “Knock Me Down” which was dedicated to Slovak. He began to write about anguish, and the self mutilating thoughts he would experience as a result of his heroin and cocaine addiction.

During the recording of the album One Hot Minute, Kiedis once again struggled with his addictions, which contributed to his melancholy and sometimes cryptic lyrics. After witnessing Frusciante’s recovery from his heroin addiction, Kiedis wrote many songs inspired by rebirth and the meaning of life on Californication. He was also intrigued by the life lessons that the band had learned, including Kiedis’ experience with meeting a young mother at the YMCA, who was attempting to battle her alcohol addiction while living with her infant daughter. On By the Way, Kiedis was lyrically influenced by love, his girlfriend, and the emotions expressed when one fell in love. Drugs also played an integral part in Kiedis’ writings, as he had only been sober since December 2000. Tracks like “This Is the Place” and “Don’t Forget Me” expressed his intense dislike for narcotics and the harmful physical and emotional effects they caused him. Stadium Arcadium continued the themes of love and romance; Kiedis stated that “love and women, pregnancies and marriages, relationship struggles – those are real and profound influences on this record. And it’s great, because it wasn’t just me writing about the fact that I’m in love. It was everybody in the band. We were brimming with energy based on falling in love.”

Themes within his repertoire include love and friendship, teenage angst, goodtime aggression, various sexual topics and the link between sex and music, political and social commentary (Native American issues in particular), romance, loneliness, globalization and the cons of fame and Hollywood, poverty, drugs, alcohol, dealing with death, and California.

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