Gus: Its been over a year since we talked and the Chickenfoot project was in its early stages. With a CD done and a mini tour under your belt, how do you feel now that the band has finally come to fruition?
Gus: The new CD debuted at number 4 on the Billboard charts. Your reaction?
photo credit: Leann Mueller
Gus: Well, I think the true fans really kind of know what the deal is and its unfortunate how circumstances happen but you have a great project right now.
Gus: Its a great show and looking forward to you guys coming around later this summer.
We want to thank Jessica Erskine of Rogers and Cowan for all of her hard work in being able to fit Michael in to talk to us before he took off to Europe. For more information on Chickenfoot and tour dates, you can go to: www.chickenfoot.us.
Serving as one of the most exciting things to hit the music scene in 2009 is the emergence of Chickenfoot. This band is shaping up to be one of the major acts, not only of 2009, but of the new millennium. It was a tremendous opportunity to be able to chat with Michael Anthony, once again, to get the current update on this newly formed foursome. All the feed was unleashed to us here at Backstageaxxess.com; from why the band decided to keep the name, Chickenfoot, to what their future plans entail. We also had to get a comment from him as to why his former band member keeps talking about him to the press. Lets get the insiders scoop, straight from the coop
Gus: Its been over a year since we talked and the Chickenfoot project was in its early stages. With a CD done and a mini tour under your belt, how do you feel now that the band has finally come to fruition?
Michael: Its great! The more we obviously play together, the more comfortable everything gets. We did this 9 show promo-type of pre-tour thing. The set is starting out where we play the whole CD and a couple of little gems for encores. The set started out about an hour and 15 but when we were done with the ninth show we stretched it out to almost 2 hours. Everything kind of takes on its own life when we become more familiar and more comfortable. Sammys raps get a little longer but we kind of hold it back there. Its great and we are having a great time with this.
Gus: I was lucky to see your show in Toronto during the promotional run. I must admit this was the first time in a long time that I saw band members of your stature genuinely and truly appreciate each other. How can you explain the unique camaraderie?
Michael: I think because this whole thing kind of grew out of a friendship. Sammy, Chad and I have been jamming for a number of years down in Cabo, San Lucas at Sammys club. So we knew each other from there. I have known Joe for a long time. Sammy and I had a group we tried to put together called Planet Us with Neal Schon from Journey. Joe was going to be part of that and yet he jammed with us and was in the band for about 45 minutes and that was about it because the Van Halen reunion came up back then. It all grew out of a friendship. Its not like a pre-fab so called supergroup where you pull this guy from this band or that band or whatever. I think thats what makes it really unique. Plus we (all four) have jammed together and the chemistry has been magic such that we couldnt just let this thing go and had to see where it was going to take us.
Gus: How was it writing with Joe who has been pretty much a soloist his entire career?
Michael: I think for Joe he was more excited about it. I know hed been wanting to do a band with a singer for years. I think he was in Deep Purple for a little bit or whatever but youre playing other peoples music. Doing this, I think it allowed Joe to think a little differently not coming up with the melodies like he does when he is a solo artist. The way that he wrote really allowed Sammy to come up with interesting melody lines as a singer. Even more so, like Van Halen, where Eddie writes, its almost every song is an instrumental. You can pull the vocals out of any of those Van Halen songs and kind of holds up on their own. Sammy I think would sing a lot of times in the hole and things like that. Here he can stretch out and do his musical type of thing.
Gus: The new CD debuted at number 4 on the Billboard charts. Your reaction?
Michael: (laughs) Its great! It wasnt until we were mixing this thing that I could sit back and listen to the music and the guitars and until everything was finished. I was thinking to myself, that this is a damn good album! (Gus laughs) I think its great that the fans and everybody likes it. I cant wait to bring it out there on a bigger scale and tour and have everyone check it out. Thats why live we are doing all Chickenfoot stuff. We are not doing any Van Halen, Joe stuff, or Chili Pepper stuff because we want the fans and everyone to see that this is a band, Chickenfoot. Maybe somewhere down the line or the next album we will throw 1 or 2 songs in from the older stuff.
Gus: So youre saying then this project will have legs and you will be taking this to another level or is it go as it comes?
Michael: Well, its go as it comes. Obviously, the Chili Peppers will be calling Chad back sometime in the fall to do some writing and recording for their new thing. We fully intend on keeping this thing going. Its not just a one album one tour type of thing. Were having so much fun and having a great time doing it that we will wait for Chad. Things will continue on and things will be written and then we will all get together again. We will continue with the Chickenfoot.
Gus: So after the dates here in the US and in Canada in the fall, the band will then be on hold until Chad comes back?
Michael: If Chad doesnt need to be gone from this at that point then we will probably book some more shows. We would like to go out and play this thing as much as we can. Maybe when hes recording we can grab him away. If he has a break from the Chili Peppers we will go like Hey Chad lets play some gigs! We will probably wait for Chad and everybody to be ready before we go in and start writing for the next thing. Until then, Im sure we will try to sneak some shows in here and there.
Gus: Last year when we talked, the name Chickenfoot was a code name for the band and it was supposed to be changed. The name is definitely different and starting to catch on but why did the band decide to keep the name?
Michael: Every single name we tried to come up withand you Google it and there is like a zillion bands that have that name. It was so hard. You can Google Chickenfoot and nobody had that (we both laugh.) It kind of grew on us. This one gentleman, Todd Gallapo, who worked with us on the album design came up with the logo how it is and then it all started to make sense. The logo looks like a Chickenfoot. Then we found out by Bryan Adams (who we did some photo sessions with) that when Richard Nixon was President that was the sign of the chicken from the draft dodgers. Did you know that?
Gus: I did not know that.
Michael: You know the peace symbol and if you were a draft dodger. Not that we knew any of that when we had the name. It was four guys saying lets call it Chickenfoot. It is very identifiable and when you say Chickenfoot youre not going to think about anything else besides this band believe me.
Gus: For people who purchase the CD, it is packaged with heat sensitive material. Who came up with such an inventive marketing ploy?
Michael: That was our man Todd Gallapo again, just experimenting with some stuff. This process has been around but hasnt been used in this way at all. Im just mad it wasnt back in the day when you were really pressing vinyl. We are doing a limited run on vinyl on this. To see this thing in the full double album type deal with this heat sensitive cover is great! He basically researched this process and came to us and said Hey we have a great idea! We thought it was great.
Gus: What song best exemplifies the band live?
Michael: I would have to say Avenida Revolution. Its the first song on the CD and its the first song in our set right now. I think the intensity of the whole song says, This is Chickenfoot. We are on fire!
Gus: Explain what Avenida Revolution is to the fans.
Michael: When Sammy got the idea for that, its actually a street down in Mexico where the illegals try to cross the street. When you go down this street you will see signs and the sign will be a mother holding a baby and two small kids behind her. So its like watch out there are people crossing. Sammy just got this vision of this plight of these illegals trying to cross over into the US.
Gus: Another song Soap on a Rope, what was the idea behind that tune?
Michael: (laughs) You will have to talk to Sammy about a lot of the lyrical meaning behind some of the stuff. That song is just a fun and funky tune we came up with. Sammy just hears this stuff and almost immediately comes up with an idea for every one of these songs.
Gus: Well, it wouldnt be an interview with you without mentioning your hot sauce. Hows the product doing?
Michael: (laughs) Its actually doing great Gus. I dont do it to the extent like Sammy does with his Tequila, as its more of a hobby. We have a lot of restaurants using it now and we have a lot of retailers. Its just something fun to do. We are working on a new Asian dipping sauce. For me its just fun. Its great to have people enjoy the hot sauce and its doing very well.
Gus: In the news lately, your ex-band mate all of a sudden has decided to bring up why you left Van Halen. You have any comment on this?
Michael: The funny thing about it is I kind of made a statement in response to that statement over Rolling Stone. He wasnt even asked a question that had anything to do with his answer. He was asked if he heard the band. He responded by saying I dont really listen to new music that much. By the way, Michael Anthony left the band with Sammy Hagar. Its kind of like, whats he trying to prove? Its time to get on with your life and he keeps rehashing this stuff. I wasnt going to respond at all but I just wanted to respond to the fans because I never left the band. I was forced into making a decision when Van Halen was doing nothing. Whether I wanted to continue doing nothing or go out and play some shows with Sammy. Which, I felt that I was waving the flag saying, Look Van Halen is not dead, we are still here! Obviously he did not see it that way. I never left the band.
photo credit: Leann Mueller
Gus: Well, I think the true fans really kind of know what the deal is and its unfortunate how circumstances happen but you have a great project right now.
Michael: Thanks a lot! We are having a great time doing this and its not ego or money driven. Thats why we played these first 9 shows in clubs so we could really take it to the fans. We are going to Europe this week and we will be back in August and we will be playing theaters. A little bit bigger places but we are not going to jump straight to the arenas. We can obviously say lets do this and demand all of this money but we want to do it the right way.
Gus: Again, I have to say I was thoroughly impressed by the show I saw in Toronto on the promotional run. It was a great free flowing experience for everyone who was in attendance. Can you tell the fans what they will expect at a Chickenfoot show?
Michael: First off the can expect us to play the whole album. Cause we are doing that. Its high energy. I think people are really going to be surprised to see Joe and Chad playing within the contents of this band. A lot of the Van Halen fans who grew up with us dont necessarily listen to Chili Peppers music. This guy Chad can play drums. Hes a Detroit guy and a rocker at heart. I almost have to wear safety goggles. Joe and Sammy do the right thing by wearing sunglasses because there are wood splinters flying all over the place when that guy plays. With Joe its the same thing. Within the context of this band, you can tell his style but the sounds that he is getting and the sounds he got on the CD its not a one sound kind of deal. You say (about Joe) theres that guitar player who stretches it out and has a different kind of sound. Joe and Chad, they are our secret weapon. I think people are really going to be impressed and amazed seeing these guys play. My jaw is hitting the floor every time playing with these guys.
Gus: Its a great show and looking forward to you guys coming around later this summer.
Michael: Were going to be out there playing this thing as long as we can. Of course Chad might be called back to the Chili Peppers in the fall or at some point here to do some preliminary work on their next album. We are not finished. This is not a one time, one album, one tour type of deal. We will try to squeeze in shows where we can. When Chad is free again we will reconvene and start working on another album.
Gus: Thanks and see you on tour.
Michael: Thanks Gus!
We want to thank Jessica Erskine of Rogers and Cowan for all of her hard work in being able to fit Michael in to talk to us before he took off to Europe. For more information on Chickenfoot and tour dates, you can go to: www.chickenfoot.us.
