Here is some surprising news for you all! Foo Fighters are to commemorate their 8th album and 20th anniversary with an HBO Documentary Series that shows them on an eight city “recording odyssey.”
Here are the facts straight from an HBO Press Release:
Foo Fighters (pictured) have confirmed that the making of their upcoming eighth album, due out this fall on Roswell/RCA, will be accompanied by an as yet untitled HBO series documenting the eight-city odyssey during which the record was created. In the series, directed by Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl, the band taps into the musical heritage and cultural fabric of eight cities – Chicago, Austin, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and New York – basing themselves at a legendary studio integral to the unique history and character of each location.
One song was recorded in each city, with every song featuring local legends sitting in, and every lyric was written in an unprecedented experimental style: Grohl held off on putting down words until the last day of each session in order to be inspired by the experiences, interviews and personalities that became part of the process. Says the president of HBO Programming Michael Lombardo,
“Dave’s heartfelt passion for this project is contagious, and his talent as a musician and filmmaker is undeniable. We are excited to go on this journey with him and Foo Fighters for this insider’s look at how regional music inspired them to create their own new music.”
Grohl’s 2013 feature film directorial debut, the universally acclaimed Grammy winning “Sound City,” was a celebration of the human element in the creation and recording of music. This new series is, in Grohl’s words, “a love letter to the history of American music.” Each episode delves into the singular regional identity of each city – showing how each region shaped these musicians in their formative years, and in turn what impact those people had on the cultural fabric of their hometowns – ultimately celebrating their common bond. Every artist who appears in the show, regardless of genre or locale, started as an average kid with universal dreams of making music and making it big.
Grohl’s interviews with these musicians are integral to the show and the creation of the album, as is his chemistry with band mates Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear. His unequaled passion for both the music he creates and the music that inspires its creation once again fuels the type of honest and trusting musician-to-musician exchange that made “Sound City” a critical and commercial smash, earning a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as it rocketed to #1 on the iTunes documentary chart.
Premiering on the eve of Foo Fighters’ 20th anniversary, the series aims to “give back” to the next generation of young musicians. As interviewee Buddy Guy puts it, “Everything comes from what’s come before.” The HBO series is directed by Dave Grohl for Roswell Films, a division of the Roswell Records label that releases Foo Fighters’ music, produced in conjunction with James A. Rota, John Ramsay and Therapy studios, and written by Mark Monroe and Dave Grohl.
Wrapping up with HBOWatch’s thoughts on the project we have to say this sounded like an odd venture, but then it started to make a bit of sense that HBO would pick up this piece. Here is why.
HBO drives certain themes at times. Right now it is pushing the Gay Rights agenda with LOOKING, the upcoming OPEN; HBO: Films THE NORMAL HEART; the PROP 8 documentary and the upcoming Larry Kramer documentary and will probably re-air ANGELS IN AMERICA on HBO Signature to boot. A theme down the line for them may just be the “American Music Experience” with the Mr. Scorsese series forthcoming with Bobby Cannavale. So this documentary series about music and its roots would fit right in with that project. The Grohl series starts this fall and leads into THE HISTORY OF MUSIC (working title) following in the Winter of 2015?
Another reason this show fits on the schedule is because HBO used to be big with concerts. (I won’t list them) but Lady Gaga was the last one. Instead we seem to have the documentary-style show. For example, instead of Springsteen’s HIGH HOPES doc they should have filmed an actual Boss Concert for HBO! The only concert per se, is the yearly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Concert. Well, with the Foo Fighters out and about hitting the studios, and the talent who knows what kind of deals could be made ensuring musical acts for HBO. It may be a stretch, but it could develop. I miss all the musical concerts on from the days of Classic HBO. Collaboration like this is a good way to strike up that kind of entertainment again.
HBOWatch is looking forward to Grohl and the Foo Fighters on HBO! Are you?
2 comments
As a HUGE Foo Fighters fan, this is going to be a treat!