A Sneak Peek...
And this time... on the debut album of the supergroup "Chickenfoot", which was released on June 5, 2009.
"Chickenfoot" is a supergroup that was formed in 2008 by vocalist Sammy Hagar (ex "Van Halen" and "Montrose"), bassist Michael Anthony (ex "Van Halen"), guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Chad Smith ("Red Hot Chili Peppers").
So where did it all start? Remember the song "Cabo Wabo" from the album "OU812" by "Van Halen"?
Sammy Hagar called his clun in Mexico "Cabo Wabo" and also the tequila line he produced. Sammy's friends would occasionally come to "Cabo Wabo" and jam with him in front of the crowd present at the bar. Both Michael Anthony and Chad Smith have often played with Sammy on stage at the club. It sounded so good that people started to ask Sammy when they are going to record an album and go on a tour. Sammy replied that if they are going to do it right, then they must get a cannon guitarist, so they must talk to Joe Satriani first, because for him he is the best guitarist in the world.
Now ask how Sammy knows that? Because Hagar, Anthony, and Striani had already collaborated together in 2002, under the name "Planet Us", which also included guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo, both from the band "Journey".
The four members' first appearance together on the same stage was in February 2008 at Sammy Hagar's performance in Las Vegas. They played three songs: "Rock and Roll" by "Led Zeppelin", "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Going Down" by "Traffic".
During breaks in Joe Satriani's tour schedule, the four friends gathered at Hagar's house to record a demo, but in the end, everything went so well that they recorded a full-length album in the studio.
All the songs on the album were written by Joe Satriani and Sammy Hagar, except for "Down the Drain" and "Future in the Past" which were written by all four members.
The band's name and logo are a result of a self-joke by the band members. It shows the footprint of a chicken that corresponds with the peace symbol. Bassist Michael Anthony claimed that the origin of the name came from the initial jam encounters between him, Hagar, and Smith. They thought of themselves as the three fingers of the chicken's leg. It was a joke, but as rumors spread about the emerging supergroup they were already using the name and logo.
The first single released from the album, was "Oh Yeah!". A sweeping hard rock song that Satriani and Sammy wrote while talking about the blues-rock artists they grew up on. They thought of combining the beloved styles of metal with the blues-rock they loved so much.
The rest of the tracks on the album do not go far from that. A combination of edgy hard rock with touches of blues, led by Joe Satriani's phenomenal guitar playing and Sammy Hagar's powerful voice. This is also one of the weak points of this album. Most of the songs are generic and sit on the same formula. The potential is huge but in most cases, something gets lost on the way.
The opening track "Avenida Revolucion" is a political song about the troubles on the Mexican/American border. Satriani wrote the music and recorded his guitar parts as a demo. he thought the rest of the band members would not like it. He came back from his tour and was surprised to find out that they've already recorded bass, drums, and vocals on his demo.
"Down the Drain" was written spontaneously in the studio. Satriani was to play a new song he wrote to the band. He was checking his guitar tuning and played a blues riff just to warm up. Chad started to play a beat on the riff and Sammy asked Joe "is that the new song?" and started to write the lyrics on the spot. They kept jamming and in the end asked producer Andy Johns Did you record that? The answer was "YES".
Although this supergroup went on a tour together, the tight schedule of each of the four members did not allow this band to last long. In October 2009, Chad Smith returned to the arms of the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" to begin work on their tenth studio album, which eventually caused "Chickenfoot" to take a short break.
The band returned to work on their second album in 2010, following the release of the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" "I'm With You" album. "Chickenfoot III" was eventually released in September 2011, but as early as June 2016 Chad Smith said he had doubts about the band's future due to the busy schedules of all members. But still, up to date, the band did not officially announce its breakup.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music