Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995. The group is named after the World War II term “foo fighter”, used to refer to mysterious aerial phenomena.

The Foo Fighters began as a solo project taken up by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. On the debut album, Foo Fighters, released in 1995, Grohl plays all the instruments. (save for one guitar part recorded by Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) on X-Static) However, Grohl subsequently formed a band to play live shows and support the album.

At that time, the band consisted of Groh... (+) expand

Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed by musician Dave Grohl in 1995. The group is named after the World War II term “foo fighter”, used to refer to mysterious aerial phenomena.

The Foo Fighters began as a solo project taken up by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. On the debut album, Foo Fighters, released in 1995, Grohl plays all the instruments. (save for one guitar part recorded by Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) on X-Static) However, Grohl subsequently formed a band to play live shows and support the album.

At that time, the band consisted of Grohl (vocals, guitar, occasional drums), Nate Mendel formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate (bass), Pat Smear (guitar) and William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate (drums). However, after a dispute with Goldsmith during the recording of the next album The Colour and the Shape, Grohl fired the drummer in the middle of the recording process and recorded the rest of the percussion himself.

Soon afterwards, current drummer and backing vocalist Taylor Hawkins joined. Smear announced his resignation from the band in 1997, introducing Franz Stahl as his replacement. But Stahl would only last until 1999, at which point he was replaced by final current member, Chris Shiflett. (former guitarist for the punk band No Use for a Name and current guitarist for punk rock cover version band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Jackson United) Initially as a touring guitarist, but later as a full time band member.


Grohl took time out to play drums on Vitriol I.D.’s opus ‘Fascinate By Hate’ as well as a rough version of ‘When The Atom Splits’


The Foo Fighters played their biggest show to date headlining London’s Hyde Park on the 17th June 2006 (since been eclipsed by an 86000 capacity gig at Wembley Stadium in London on 6th June 2008).

After the Hyde Park gig in London, they embarked on their first ever acoustic only tour in June 2006. They toured playing songs from the second (acoustic) disc of their double album In Your Honor.

Foo Fighters’ latest album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace”, was released on September 25, 2007. The Pretender is the first single off of this album.

Released singles as of August 2006:

From Foo Fighters
This Is a Call *(including a glow in the dark 12” vinyl edition)
I’ll Stick Around
Big Me *(including a white vinyl 7” edition)
For All the Cows

From The Color And The Shape
Monkey Wrench
Everlong
My Hero
Walking After You

From There Is Nothing Left to Lose
Learn to Fly
Breakout
Generator
Next Year

From One by One
All My Life
Times Like These
Low
Walking a Line

From In Your Honor
Best of You
DOA
Resolve
No Way Back

From Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
The Pretender
Long Road to Ruin

Soundtracks
The One (Orange County OST)

They recently released the live album and 2nd live DVD ‘Skin and Bones’, which was recorded on their acoustic tour at Pantages Theater, Hollywood, CA in August 2006.

And, in what some would call a historic concert event, the Foo’s opened for the recently reunited original line-up of The Police in Los Angeles at the open air classic Dodger Stadium on June 23rd 2007.

Additional information
Chris Shiflett is a guitarist in Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and former guitarist for No Use for a Name. In 2006, drummer Taylor Hawkins released an album named Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders with his own band Coattail Riders, formed in 2005. The album’s original release date was 4th April 2006. Dave Grohl has also played drums for his own metal side-project Probot, along with bands Nine Inch Nails, Tony Iommi, Garbage, Tenacious D and Queens of the Stone Age. (-) collapse