"Red Hot Chili Peppers" Halftime Show at the Maryland vs Cal football game

Cal Bears Band performs the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" Halftime Show at the Maryland vs Cal football game on September 5, 2009.

VOTE for the Chili Peppers

The end of the decade is just weeks away, and in celebration BT Vision is giving you the chance to win 50 of the best albums from the past ten years from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse, Lady GaGa, Take That, The Killers and Coldplay, as selected by the Vision Music team. Plus, ten runners-up will receive a copy of Now 74, which is due for release on 23 November.

All you have to do is vote in our poll to select the best music video of the decade from the 50 listed here, and then complete your details.
The competition closes 31 October, so turn on and tune in to watch some of the most revered and visually stunning music videos of the past ten years in BT Vision’s Best Of The Decade special during November.

Click HERE to vote

Did the Red Hot Chili Peppers sell out?

Among the many terms that should be considered cliché and overused, “selling out” is a phrase that is often abused by vindictive and selfish music fans. Bands are frequently labeled “sell-outs,” because their original fan base felt they became too famous. More often than not, this tends to be an inaccurate accusation. Not every famous band betrayed their fans and their principles for fortune and fame.

One could debate whether or not being famous is a good thing, but I don’t believe that every band that achieves mainstream success can be considered a sell-out. Nevertheless, no matter the band, the CD, the situation, someone will inevitably criticize them and apply the dreaded sell-out label, especially if he or she is a die-hard fan. This is something I cannot understand.
Bands that play together for an extended period of time slowly form their style and undergo an organic transformation, in many cases eventually sounding completely different than their initial music. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are considered a staple rock band in today’s music industry and have come a long way to be considered such. They gained a very loyal fan base in the late 80s for their rap lyrics and psychedelic funk sound, culminating in their breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1991.

This album gave them some big hits, but the one everyone is most familiar with from this part of their career is “Under the Bridge.” The song was written as a personal poem about Anthony Kiedis’ drug use, and he didn’t intentionally write it for use as a song. Almost twenty years later, it is still considered one of their greatest songs. It also broke the mold for them. When they had their comeback in 1998, the softer side of the Chili Peppers allowed them greater mainstream success. You can bet the original fans gave them a hard time about it. However, so many other fans were able to appreciate their new music direction.

No one would ever make the mistake of calling a one-hit wonder a sellout. After all, a group defined by one big song and nothing more cannot be accused of changing its style to find success – success found them. How is this different from how other bands become famous? One day they get lucky and one of their songs becomes a hit, and that’s the start of the next phase in their career. The original fans may grow to dislike the very song everyone else likes, as they now have to share their secret discovery with everyone else. These fans get bitter, and as a result they start throwing that dreaded label around.

Courtesy of New University

Thom Yorke and Flea: Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles

The news that Thom Yorke had come to Los Angeles and formed a temporary supergroup with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers was surprise enough to most Radiohead fans. Most were intrigued, but for those concerned with rock credibility it was like hearing that the chaps from Peep Show were taking a break to write a show with Jim Davidson, or that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was collaborating with Bernard Matthews on a turkey burger.
Then, for those lucky enough to get hold of tickets for the suddenly announced shows (first a "rehearsal show" at the 600-capacity Echoplex nightclub, then two nights at the glorious 2,000-seater Orpheum Theatre) the even bigger surprise was in seeing what would happen when Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, was played in full by this new, nameless band, also featuring Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on keyboards, Joey Waronker on drums and Mauro Refosco on Brazilian percussion.

Harrowdown Hill, a gut-wrenching work that queries whether the death of Ministry of Defence weapons expert Dr David Kelly was really suicide, has been described by Yorke as "the angriest song I have ever written". So who knew that what it really needed was a funky Chili Peppers bassline wriggling through it? Yet somehow Flea managed to take this most haunting and most English of songs and make it his own. The Clock turned into something between trip-hop and dubstep, thanks to the pounding tribal beat of Refosco's berimbau, an Afro-Brazilian instrument used to keep time in capoeira slave dances.

Skip Divided saw Flea, a gifted trumpeter, parping into a melodica, and on some songs Godrich provided backing vocals. Yet the biggest surprise of all was seeing Flea and Yorke share the front of the stage to dance together – Yorke wiggling his hips while an electric shock appeared to run through his arms; Flea doing his unique loose-neck limbo, like a swan that has mistaken itself for a woodpecker.

"This music was all about making a dance record, in my head, so if you want to sit there like it's a cinema that's fine," announced Yorke, "but if you want to get up ..." And with that, an audience that included Hollywood actors Tobey Maguire, Anne Hathaway and Woody Harrelson leapt to their feet.

Later, Yorke was left alone to play three new songs at the piano: Lotus Flower, Open the Floodgates, and Super Collider, the latter involving piano chords that looped from major to minor with an unadulterated sweetness rarely associated with Radiohead. Then the band returned for an encore of Paperbag Writer (dedicated to Colin Greenwood, the only Radiohead member in the audience), Judge, Jury & Executioner, The Hollow Earth, and Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses.
Lily Allen, recently annoyed by Radiohead's support for guerrilla music industry schemes, may be even more annoyed now. Not only did this show require a marketing budget of zero but rehearsal time was only three weeks, according to Yorke, "so I'd like to thank these guys for working their tits off".

The biggest cheer of the night came during Atoms for Peace. "No more talk about the old days," he sang, "it's time for something great."

Courtesy of The Guardian

Radiohead's Thom Yorke debuts new band in LA featuring Flea

Radiohead's Thom Yorke debuted new material with an all-star backing band at an intimate venue in Los Angeles tonight (October 2).

The frontman rolled out several tunes with the new band, which featured Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, REM collaborator Joey Waronker, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco, and producer Nigel Godrich. Tickets for the last-minute "secret" gig at the Echoplex were at a premium, selling out in a matter of minutes and reportedly being scalped online for as much as $3,000.

Yorke was in incredibly high spirits, dancing, smiling and even joking with the audience, which included Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, actresses Rosanna Arquette and Ellen Page, famed producer Rick Rubin, and members of Neon Neon and Cold War Kids. "Welcome to the 'rehearsal,'" he said, miming quotes in the air with his hands.

He kicked things off with the title track from his 2006 solo album 'The Eraser' before seguing into 'Analyse' and running through the tracklist of his debut full-length. The band kept the pace, adding layers to the material and breathing new life into it.

Flea, who began the evening playing nonchalantly off to the side of the stage, gradually moved toward centre stage, sharing the spotlight with Yorke while jamming on his bass guitar. At one point in the evening, a member of the audience shouted, "Play some Skynyrd!" Yorke responded by flashing both middle fingers, saying, "You think I should be playing Stone Temple Pilots too?"

After a rousing 50-minute set, the band left the stage. Yorke returned for what began as a solo encore, performing the piano-based ballad 'Open The Floodgates' as well as 'Lotus Flower' all on his own. The din of the crowd could be heard above the quiet tunes, which prompted Yorke to say, "If you want to have a chat, go fuck off outside, all right?" The crowd cheered and then quieted down.

After struggling through the opening notes of a couple of tracks (the only evidence that this was, in fact, a rehearsal) Yorke invited the rest of the band back on stage to debut several new tunes that showcased almost tribal rhythms augmented by synthesizers and his distinctive falsetto.

"This one is brand, brand, brand, brand new," Yorke said of several of the tracks, which were received positively by the audience. The band ended the night with an explosive version of 'Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses'.

Thom Yorke played:

'The Eraser'
'Analyse'
'The Clock'
'Black Swan'
'Skip Divided'
'Atoms For Peace'
'And It Rained All Night'
'Harrowdown Hill'
'Cymbal Rush'
'Open The Floodgates'
'Lotus Flower'
'Skirting On The Surface'
'Judge, Jury, Executioner'
'Paperbag Writer'
'The Hollow Earth'
'Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses'

Yorke and his new band are set to perform two more shows in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre on October 4 and 5.

Courtesy of NME

"The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a band of middle aged Los Angeles Lakers fans"

Not my words, the words of Uncyclopedia (Joke version of Wikipedia)

Click HERE to see the full page on the Chili Peppers

NME Give the Flea and Thom Yorke collaboration the "WTF?" treatment

Last time music bloggers got excited about a Thom Yorke "collaboration", supposedly a video incorporating Banksy's urban art, it turned out to be a pointless and annoying hoax, perpetrated by the self-promoting clown who "directed" the video.

This time we're presumably dealing with the real thing, since it was announced via Radiohead's Dead Air Space blog, but it's still scarcely easier to believe: Thom Yorke has started a new band with Red Hot Chili Peppers bass-thwacker Flea. It's possibly the least likely hook-up since Snoop Dogg recorded a track with Buzz Aldrin.

Is it really a good idea? It seems so incongruous. I've seen Radiohead live more times than any other band, and perhaps my memory fails me, but I'm fairly sure that at no point has any member of the band taken their top off and gurned like an over-eager yoga instructor.

The new super-group - also featuring long-time radiohead producer Nigel Godrich - are set to play solo Thom Yorke tracks at two LA shows. Can we expect to hear a new version of 'Harrowdown Hill', punctuated by an extended slap-bass breakdown? It's too horrible to contemplate.

And since when has Yorke been a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan? Does he relax of an evening by firing up iTunes and spazzing out to 'Sex Rap'? Does he air-bass to 'Freaky Styley'? It would seem unlikely.

Courtesy of NME Blog

Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers join forces

Thom Yorke has assembled a new band featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and producer Nigel Godrich.

The un-named group, which also features musicians Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco, have announced two live gigs in at LA's Orpheum Theatre on 4th and 5th of October.

They'll play songs from Yorke's 2006 solo album The Eraser and "new songs".

Writing on his blog the Radiohead singer said: "We don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!"

No further dates have been confirmed.

Radiohead last appeared live headlining this year's Reading and Leeds festivals in August.

Courtesy of BBC News

Warner Music and YouTube End Feud

Warner Music pulled all of its music from the video-sharing site in December after the two companies failed to reach a new licensing deal.

The move resulted in thousand of music videos being removed, user generated content using Warner Music falling silent and artists had their videos blocked from their own websites if they embedded clips through YouTube.

Music videos from artists including Madonna, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kid Rock were among those affected.

The dispute arose after Warner Music demanded a higher fee each time its content was viewed, which YouTube maintained was uneconomical.

YouTube has been embroiled in a series of disagreements with music rights holders, including the UK's PRS for Music, which collects royalties for songwriters and composers for music played in Britain.

The two parties reached a three-year agreement earlier this month, which involved the payment of a one-off lump sum.

For fans of Warner artists, things are looking up. The label is reportedly in talks with Vevo, a joint venture between YouTube, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, which is expected to launch this year.

Courtesy of Revolution Magazine

Red Hot Chili Peppers nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Red Hot Chili Peppers, LL Cool J and Kiss are among the first-time nominees aiming for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, according to a dozen-long list of finalists released by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Going up against returning candidates like The Stooges and ABBA, five of the 12 nominees will be chosen for induction in January once the 500 music industry voters have made their choices.

"It's a real honour to be nominated in our first year of eligibility," said Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith to Billboard.com. "Obviously the Hall Of Fame has excellent musical taste," he added.

An announcement of the inductees is due in January, while the 25th Annual Induction Ceremony will take place on March 15 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. While the inductees are being decided, the Hall Of Fame is also preparing for its 25th anniversary concerts on October 29 and 30 at New York's Madison Square Garden with performances by U2, Metallica, Stevie Wonder and Simon & Garfunkel already among those confirmed.

A nine-DVD boxset titled 'Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Live' and a book, 'The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: The First 25 Years', are also due for release to coincide with the celebrations.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

ABBA

The Chantels

Jimmy Cliff

Genesis

The Hollies

Kiss

LL Cool J

Darlene Love

Laura Nyro

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Stooges

Donna Summer

Artists are eligible for induction 25 years after their first single or album release.

Courtesy of NME

Flea to appear on Early 2010 release 'Slash and Friends'

Slash has revealed that he recorded a track with Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan last night (September 22).

The former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver guitarist revealed the news on his Twitter.com/slashHudson account. Writing on the page, he said that Grohl plays drums on the track, while McKagan plays bass.

"Great jamming w/Duff & Grohl tonight, the track is a killer instrumental, very heavy," he Tweeted.

Slash's solo album – called 'Slash & Friends' – is reportedly due for release in early 2010. The album is confirmed to feature a number of guest musicians, including Iggy Pop, Nick Oliveri, Ronnie Wood, Flea, Jason Bonham, Fergie and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine.

Courtesy of NME

WXRX Interview Jake Brown re Rick Rubin

Listen to the interview here:

http://www.myspace.com/rickrubininthestudiobook

Rick Rubin: In the Studio (book)

There is no greater enigma than Rick Rubin working in record production today. As mysterious personally as the Buddhist religion he practices, Rubin has made one thing crystal clear: the records he produces are sonically and stylistically beyond reproach. MTV has called Rubin “the most important producer of the last 20 years,” while Rolling Stone ventured even further, deeming Rubin the most successful “of any genre.”

Without a niche, Rubin has taken greater risks than any producer in the record industry over the past quarter century. Pushing his artists into new territory has garnered Rubin seven Grammys, including Producer of the Year in 2007, and made him the most in-demand record producer working today. Now for the first time, Rick Rubin: In the Studio offers the behind-the-scenes stories of how Rubin created hit albums with such diverse legends as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Run DMC, Johnny Cash, the Beastie Boys, Audioslave, Tom Petty, Metallica, Danzig, Slayer, LL Cool J, The Cult, Weezer, the Dixie Chicks, Linkin Park, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, Jay Z, Neil Diamond, Sheryl Crow, and Slipknot.

This book chronicles his meteoric rise, from his early days as DJ Double R in the early ’80s, founding and running Def Jam Records alongside Russell Simmons from an NYU dorm room, discovering and producing the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, to his transition in the early ’90s into a successful independent record executive, signing and producing the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash, to his role as the most influential producer of all time (currently as the co-head of Columbia Records), and his continued successes with rock/metal supergroups Audioslave, Linkin Park, and Metallica.

This in-depth look at the life and times of Rick Rubin — in the studio and beyond — is a must-have for any music fan.

Anthony Kiedis in "I Pledge!" Video for Barack Obama

This is a video featuring celebs promoting pledging a change. Anthony appears at 1:20, 1:35 and 3:17.

Enjoy!

The Youngest and Cutest Chili Peppers fan singing By The Way (video)

Beat those mid-week blues with this nice little video.

NEW John Frusciante Interview

People are going to ask again. You have not publicly spoken about The Red Hot Chili Peppers future in music. The other guys in the band have. Are you still with the band?

I don’t address rumors. Music is priority. The rest is nice but I don’t go out of my way to address rumors. Rumors are boring. I have not quit my band.

But you do agree the press can help make or break a band, right?

(laughs) Yes. Music will always stand alone. Music will always have an underground scene. Yes. Press plays an important role for the cross over. You and I disagree sometimes. You know I won’t ever want to do music to commericalize it. I know some of your clients are doing music to make money. It doesn’t mean they are not talented, it just means their hearts are not in the right place. I make money too but it was not the reason I got into music. Music is my first love.

Speaking of music, what are you listening to?

The last three songs I played are Sweet Sunlight by Ten Feet. They are out of Hawaii. Um, Renan Luce’s La Lettre. I know that is one we both like. Oh, and Trouble is a Friend by Lenka. Really like that song. I like the remix version.

Anything you are looking forward to?

The new season of It is always sunny in Philadelphia. I will say your book too. It is shameless and you can be mad. I just know it is a goal of yours so more than the story I think it is important to get it out there.

Any plans to play with Camp Freddy? Dave Navarro said you are the best guitar, are something to the effect.

I won’t say no.

Strangest thing about your fame?

People assume when I am done with a show with my band I want to talk about gear. I do want to talk about it. It is a passion. Just sometimes the spirits feel otherwise and I have to go and write or spend time with my friends.

Want to address to recent cancellation with Bangface?

Not really.

Any advise to offer for other musicians?

Um, really to play around with effects and try not to loose sight of their writing. Your heart and the universe has a way of making things evolve. Greed is a terrible character trait. Do things out of purity for the love of it.

Courtesy of The Horse Chronicles

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge is 25th Greatest Song Ever according to XFM

XFM recently listed their top 100 songs of all time. 'Under The Bridge' was the only Red Hot Chili Peppers' song to chart, appearing at number 25.

'Chase and Status' play 'Red Hot Chili Peppers' at Reading Festival DJ Set

Large crowds gathered for Chase and Status’ DJ set in the Dance Arena. Amongst the drum and bass, the duo slipped Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Give It Away’ into the set and the popular ‘Jungle Is Massive’ by General Levy. The excitement levels were elevated as teenagers scaled the rafters throughout the set with massive cheers granted for those who made it to the top.

Breaking The Girl cover

This is a cover version of Breaking The Girl by Anna Nalick. It could be old, but it's new to me :)

A Literary Analysis of Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics

In the last 30 years, few authors or musicians have been as prolific and intellectually groundbreaking as Anthony Kiedis of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here, I provide some explanations of some of his more groundbreaking themes, statements, and imagery.

“Lunatics on pogo sticks,Another southern fried fiend on a crucifix.”

Here Anthony Kiedis has taken a simple item from the annals of American kitsch and bridged the 2,000 year gap back to the cross. Mr. Kiedis is not simply saying all who enjoy leisure activities are perceived as crazy in this day and age; he is pointing to the despair that finds you in your later years, especially in the south where many are left with nothing but an age-old recipe for fried food.

“Blood sugar sucker fishIn my dishHow many pieces do you wish?”

Once again, his culinary imagery is top notch. Clearly, the sugary fish represents government’s attempts to coerce the American population into keeping their money on American soil. How many pieces? As many as possible, the government answers.

“J. Butterfly is in the treetopBirds that blow the meaning into bebop.”

Ah, a quick divergence into the work of Albert Camus–birds (the Questions man asks) blowing meaning into life seems almost straight out of The Myth of Sisyphus.

“Can I get a little bit of that done did do? You are on the road.”

Indeed, what can an individual do that has not already been done? As Thoreau said in Walden, no news or accomplishments are actually new. We can only take solace, as Mr. Kiedis does, in the journey that lies ahead of us. We are ALL on that road.

“Hey O, Woah.”

What would the alphabet be without that beloved fourth vowel? Fascinating and yet staggeringly impossible to comprehend.

“Writing about the world of the wild coyote, Good man Truman Capote.”

I simply adore that Anthony Kiedis felt he would be remiss if he did not mention one of the greatest nature writers of all time.

“To finger paint is not a sin, I stick my middle finger in.”

YOU HAD ME AT THE SANCTITY OF FINGER PAINTING.

Courtesy of RVA News

Red Hot Chili Peppers Feel “Major Enthusiasm” Heading Into Studio

While the Red Hot Chili Peppers slumbered, the band’s members have been keeping busy these last couple of years, what with drummer Chad Smith joining all-star group Chickenfoot, frontman Anthony Kiedis developing a series for HBO and bassist Flea enrolling at USC to study music theory. But things are about to change in Pepperland. Smith recently told Billboard the band would reconvene in the studio this fall, and Keidis and Flea confirm to Rolling Stone they are indeed ready to rock again.

“We’ve decided to write some songs,” Kiedis told us at a benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, the Los Angeles school Flea founded. “We imposed a two-year hiatus, which we felt we needed, then we went back to the roundtable and the decision was, ‘Let’s do this.’ “

There’s no timetable yet on a new album, their first since 2006’s double-platinum Stadium Arcadium, but Flea, for one, is anxious to get going. “After being kind of burnt at the end of our last tour, I feel major enthusiasm and vigor,” he said. “Not like a restlessness, but a really healthy excitement. I’m just into it and ready to go forward.” Offers Kiedis: “The seeds are being planted.”

Smith told Billboard that he and his bandmates “haven’t talked about” a potential producer, but joked that Rick Rubin, the guiding force behind the Chili’s last five albums, “always ends up being the guy.” Sure enough, Rubin made his presence known as a benefactor of the Conservatory and a guest at the August 15th fundraiser by wearing his trademark white T-shirt and jeans to the formal affair.

Chad Smith on Chili Peppers future

You just joked about it, but the question is, how can you divide your time between three different bands?

"Luckily, everybody is very cool about my situation. The Chickenfoot guys, who I love dearly, they've been great about the fact that, come October, I'm going to be doing the Chili Peppers again. They could have acted not so cool about it, but they knew going into this that I was still part of the Chilis."

Is October when you originally saw going back to the Chili Peppers?

"Hard to say. We initially decided on a year's break, then that turned out to be two years. It could've been longer. It's been a very fruitful time for us: I did Chickenfoot and the Meatbats, Flea went back to school, Anthony's been doing a TV project.

"It's was important to be people again. We've traveled, had babies, hung out with our families - lived our lives, you know? So now we're very fired up to give the Chili Peppers our all."

Do you have any demos written?

"There's ideas floating around. One of them dates back to 1999, I think. Flea, Anthony and I did jam recently. That felt good. But as far as demos go, we'll just start writing in October."

What about John Frusciante? He's the one guy who's always been in question. In fact, earlier this year he told me that there were "no plans" to do anything with the Chili Peppers.

"I know he said that. Like all of us, he was coming out of a real Chili Peppers pressure-cooker. I'll be honest: I haven't seen John, but Flea had a sit-down with him recently, and from what I understand it was very positive. I have every reason to believe that, come October, we'll all four be making music again as the Chili Peppers. John's a very important component of the band. I love the guy. He's an incredible musician."

Courtesy of Music Radar

Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer reveals solo album details

Chad Smith has revealed details of his forthcoming solo album.The album is titled 'Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats: Meet The Meatbats' and is due out in the US on September 15.

The drummer, who is also a member of Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani, wrote and recorded the solo effort at his Malibu pool house. The album contains 10 instrumental tracks including 'Battle For Ventura Blvd', 'Night Sweats' and 'Need Strange'.Smith said that his music is inspired by several British rock bands from previous generations.

"My influences, through my brother, were so many of the groups that came out of England in the late '60s and early '70s," he said in a statement. "Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Ginger Baker from Cream, Deep Purple with Ian Paice…those groups were the ones that I really loved."

Courtesy of NME

More high profile news outlets announce possible return of Red Hot Chili Peppers

News is spreading fast that the Chili Peppers are to return to rehearsing and writing in October this year.

If this goes as planned it will result in their 10th studio album.

This has been reported by The Celebrity Cafe, Chart Attack, Music Radar, Radio 1 and most recently by the NME.

All these news stories basically say the same thing, but if they're all saying it there must be some truth in it.

Chili Peppers return October 2009???

With another Chickenfoot tour and the first release of his instrumental side band Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats looming, the drummer has October circled on his calendar for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' return to active duty.

"That's the plan," Smith tells Billboard.com, noting that what was announced as a one-year break turned into two for the quartet after touring to support 2005's "Stadium Arcadium." "Everybody was like, 'Y'know, I really like having this time off, not being a Chili Pepper and doing other things...It'll be two years in September, so now we're ready. You can't force people to play when they don't want to play or aren't ready to play or whatever -- not in our band, anyway.

"Smith expects bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante may come in with some musical ideas, but the group will mostly likely "do a lot of improvising and jamming and songs will come out of that, too. That's what we usually do. I don't know why it would be different.

"No prospective release date has even been considered yet, and Smith says he and his bandmates also "haven't talked about" who will produce, though he acknowledges with a laugh that Rick Rubin, who's produced the group's last five studio efforts, "always ends up being the guy...But we haven't discussed it.

"The looming Chili Peppers sessions do make Smith "the bad guy" in Chickenfoot, but the other members of the all-star group have assured him they'll continue to work according to his schedule. The quartet, which begins its next tour Aug. 2 in Halifax, has also filmed shows in San Francisco and at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Aug. 30 show in Atlanta and at least one more will be documented for a possible DVD release.

Meanwhile, Smith is excited about introducing the world to the Meatbats, a group that formed a few years back as an outgrowth of Smith, guitarist Jeff Kolman and keyboardist Ed Roth's work with Glenn Hughes. They first performed live in 2007 and have continued to work together intermittently.

"It's all very loose," Smith says. "It's instrumental music -- power, funk, rock music. It's a niche. We're not going for the Mariah Carey crowd or anything. It's just really fun and they're great guys and we just have fun hanging out and playing.

"In addition to debut album, which comes out Sept. 15, the Meatbats have already recorded a second set of songs that Smith predicts will be out in early 2010, along with a live album at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles. "We have three albums in the can and none of them are out yet," Smith says with a laugh. "But we won't wait very long. It's not like we're putting out singles and we have to have some kind of strategy. This is stuff we can put out whenever it feels right."