Chad Smith's unabashed hard rock style could have easily clashed with the funk-punk roots of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but instead he proved to be the catalyst that launched the band to international superstardom. His muscular, yet articulate drumming evokes a cross between P-Funk and Deep Purple and acts as the perfect anchor for the bestial rowdiness of his band mates.
Chad grew up in suburban Detroit, feeling like a square peg in a round hole. This unease led to misadventures in car theft, burglary, and even a stint in jail. Musically, he cut his teeth playing in countless Detroit clubs before moving to Los Angeles in 1988, during the Sunset Strip's heyday. He describes the immediate, explosive musical chemistry that has allowed the multi-decade success of the Chili Peppers. Chad also candidly discusses his evolution from living a “spiritually bankrupt” lifestyle to becoming a grounded, healthy family man.
189: Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Marianne Faithfull, Bat for Lashes, Cold Specks, etc.)
BNS: Rob Ellis on Addiction and Recovery
BNS: Steven Drozd Revisited
188: Brendan Buckley (Shakira, Volumen Cero, JJ Lin, Teagan and Sara, etc.)
187: Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, UK, Genesis, Bruford)
186: Rat Scabies (The Damned)
185: Fay Milton (Savages, 180dB)
184: Mick "Woody" Woodmansey (David Bowie, Art Garfunkel, U-Boat, Holy Holy)
BNS: Tessa Pollitt (The Slits)
183: Nate Wood (Kneebody, Four)
182: Ryan Pope (The Get Up Kids)
181: Alan Cage (Quicksand, Seaweed)
180: Adam Topol (Jack Johnson, Culver City Dub Collective, etc.)
179: Matt Helders (The Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop)
178: Geoff Mann and Marcos Garcia (Here Lies Man, Antibalas)
177: Lucky Lehrer (Circle Jerks)
176: Dean "Clean" Sabatino (The Dead Milkmen, I Think Like Midnight)
BNS: Dale Crover Returns!
175: Tony Hajjar (At The Drive-In, Sparta, Gone is Gone)
174: Kate Schellenbach (Luscious Jackson, Beastie Boys)
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