Chickenfoot is an American hard rock
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
formed in 2008. The group consists of vocalist
Sammy Hagar
Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...
(ex-
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
and -
Montrose), bassist
Michael Anthony (also ex-Van Halen), guitarist
Joe Satriani
Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...
, and drummer
Chad Smith
Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...
(
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
). Due to Smith's consistent recording and touring commitments with the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer.
Early life
Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ene ...
joined the group in 2011 as a touring replacement drummer. While the band has not formally announced a breakup, in June 2016 Smith said that he had doubts about its survival due to their busy schedules.
The group has released two studio albums, one live album, and one box set.
Bassist Michael Anthony asserts that the name originated from initial jam sessions between Hagar, Smith, and himself: "there are three talons on a chicken's foot and there are three of us."
Anthony later stated: "it was just supposed to be a bullshit name that we'd used for a while, and then
hen
Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman.
Hen or Hens may also refer to:
Places Norway
*Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...
the rumors spread about the band, everybody used that name so we thought, 'fuck it, let's call it Chickenfoot'—it all comes down to the music anyway."
[Classic Rock » Blog Archive » Exclusive Chickenfoot Interview!](_blank)
. Classicrockmagazine.com (March 5, 2009). Retrieved on 2011-05-04. Chickenfoot's second studio album, ''
Chickenfoot III
''Chickenfoot III'' is the second studio album by American hard rock band Chickenfoot, released on September 27, 2011. Despite the title, it is not actually the band's third album; other rumored titles that were mentioned include ''Chickenfoot ...
'', was released on September 27, 2011.
History
''Chickenfoot'' (2008–2009)
According to vocalist Sammy Hagar: "Chickenfoot started off with me, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith jamming at my club, Cabo Wabo, in Mexico. Then people started asking us when we were going to tour, make a record, etc. So I said if we're going to do this properly then we're going to have to get a guitarist, so let's talk to
Joe Satriani
Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...
. As far as I'm concerned he's the best guitarist in the world."
Hagar, Anthony and Satriani had previously collaborated in 2002 under the name
Planet Us
Planet Us (pronounced ''Planet-uss'') was a short-lived supergroup that formed in 2002 with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums. The band later recruited a fifth member—famed ...
. The band also appeared in an episode of ''
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also known by various alternative titles), sometimes abbreviated as ''ATHF'' or ''Aqua Teen'', is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late ni ...
''.
The band's first performance together was in February 2008 at a Hagar concert in The Pearl Concert Theatre @ The Palms Casino Resort in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. The show included a three song set which included
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's "
Rock and Roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
",
Traffic
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...
's "
Dear Mr. Fantasy
"Dear Mr. Fantasy" is a rock song by Traffic from their 1967 album, ''Mr. Fantasy''. Jim Capaldi contributed the lyrics, while Steve Winwood and Chris Wood composed the music.
In a song review for AllMusic, Lindsay Planer commented:
Dave ...
" and "Going Down", a song often performed by Hagar and Anthony in their other band,
Los Tres Gusanos.
During breaks in Satriani's touring schedule, the four-piece gathered in Hagar's home to record demos, and ultimately recorded a full-length album at
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of Lucasfilm. Founded in 1975, the company's main facilities are located at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, ...
. The band's eponymous debut album, ''
Chickenfoot'', was released on June 4, 2009. On its release date, Chickenfoot performed the single "Oh Yeah!" on ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late Ni ...
''. Chickenfoot subsequently began touring in Europe and America.
In October 2009, Smith reconvened with the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
to begin work on their tenth studio album, ultimately causing Chickenfoot to enter a temporary hiatus. Despite this, the band still appeared on television once more to perform "Sexy Little Thing" and "Oh Yeah" on the November 6, 2009 broadcast of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' (taped November 5).
''Chickenfoot III'' (2010–2012)
On May 6, 2010, Chad Smith confirmed that Chickenfoot would be recording their second album in late 2010 after he completes the recording of the next
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
album. Around the same time, Satriani confirmed that a number of songs had been written, including one called "Come Closer", which began simply as a piano and vocal number.
On September 3, 2010, Chickenfoot announced that they were preparing to record their second album. On January 21, 2011, Michael Anthony confirmed that the band would enter the studio on January 29, 2011, along with Chad Smith, who recorded the drums for the album. On March 11, 2011, Hagar confirmed that the band had been recording with
Mike Fraser, a Canadian producer, engineer, and mixer. He also confirmed that they had 12 songs, and the official title for the new album is ''Chickenfoot III'' (three). Hagar said "It's the working title, but I guarantee it'll stick." ''Chickenfoot III'' was announced to be released in fall 2011 with the album cover being in 3-D. Hagar also stated the band were planning to do a third, fourth, and greatest hits albums sometime in the future.
On July 6, 2011, it was announced that the band signed a new distribution deal with
eOne Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...
in North America. On July 8, 2011, the band posted a teaser of one of their new songs online with this message: "Attention Foot Soldiers... Get Your Boots On".
Chad Smith did not take part in the promotion or touring of ''Chickenfoot III'' due to his prior commitments to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose album ''
I'm with You'' was released on August 30, 2011, and the album's
subsequent tour. Satriani later stated that
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer.
Early life
Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ene ...
would likely take over the drumming duties from Smith for the tour promoting the second album, and this was confirmed on August 27.
On September 27, for the release of ''III'', the band played a live concert via webcast from TRI Studios in California. A fan Q&A followed the performance. They also played a show at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico on October 9, 2011. The 2012 "Different Devil" summer US tour started on May 4 in South Lake Tahoe, and included at least 20 dates. It was announced on August 28, 2012, that since Chickenfoot's former record label went out of business, and the debut album couldn't be found anywhere, they are re-releasing the debut album with eOne music with bonus live tracks "Lighten Up", "Big Foot", "Last Temptation", and "Something Going Wrong", recorded during the Different Devil tour of Spring 2012. On November 30, 2012, Chickenfoot's first live album ''
LV'' was released as part of the limited edition box set ''I+III+LV'' paired with
their first and
second album in their ''Limited Edition'' releases. On December 7, 2012, ''LV'' saw a release on its own.
Hiatus and other projects (2013–2015)
In a ''Rolling Stone'' interview released in October 2014, Hagar stated that although he had enjoyed working with the group, disappointing album sales probably precluded a third Chickenfoot studio album. Satriani also has made similar comments about album sales being a factor that has prevented them from continuing quickly.
In September 2015, Joe Satriani confirmed that the band were working on a new song with possibly more to come: "I think all my complaining and foot stomping really had an effect, because it was really bothering me and I still, philosophically, just felt like there was a really big disconnect there between me and some of the other members of Chickenfoot". He went on to add "and I can happily tell you now that there is a track that is circulating through the band". There was no time line given for the release of the new music, but according to Satriani "there's hope".
Reunion and possible third album (2016–present)
The band briefly reunited for two shows on May 7 and 8, 2016 at Harrah's Showroom at South Lake Tahoe. During the show, the band debuted a song titled "Divine Termination".
Chad Smith discussed the future of Chickenfoot in a June 2016 interview with ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''. He was asked if Chickenfoot was ever going to tour again, to which he replied "We just played a few weeks ago up in Tahoe, but everyone has different things going on. Sam
agar
Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...
has his own thing with Mike
nthonyand Joe
atrianiis on his own tour. We really enjoy playing together, but with my schedule I don't see us playing too much. I would love to make some new music with those guys, but we'd have to be in the same room at the same time. I just don't know. It's up in the air. I love playing with those guys, though. It's a real treat."
Hagar shared his plans for the band in November 2017, during an appearance on the "Trunk Nation" show on
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...
channel Volume: "Joe and I have been talking, when he finishes his
olotour next June, if he has enough time and if Chad's available, about doing another Chickenfoot record. And if they can't do it, if we can't all get together, then I'm gonna do a
Circle
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...
record. It's gonna be one or the other. Those are my two favorite bands in the world. And I would like to do a Circle record."
Band members
*
Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals (2008–2012, 2016)
*
Sammy Hagar
Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2008–2012, 2016)
*
Joe Satriani
Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...
– lead guitar, keyboards, piano (2008–2012, 2016)
*
Chad Smith
Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...
– drums, percussion (2008–2012, 2016)
Touring members
*
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer.
Early life
Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ene ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (2011–2012)
Discography
Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
Box sets
Singles
Music videos
Video
References
External links
*
Joe Satriani Universe - Chickenfoot history, albums and lyrics
{{Authority control
American hard rock musical groups
Musical groups established in 2008
Musical quartets
Rock music supergroups
MNRK Music Group artists
2008 establishments in Mexico
Love Da Records artists