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| Chickenfoot to 'Rock the Rapids' in Fifth Third Ballpark Concert Brand new hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot, a collaborative effort among four of rock music's greatest musicians, will play a concert at Fifth Third Ballpark on August 13, marking the highest-profile concert the Whitecaps' home stadium has hosted to date. The show, promoted by Blue Cap Promotions, is presented by SKYY Vodka and Cabo Wabo Tequila and is also sponsored by Miller Lite and Best Buy, whose Redline indie record label released Chickenfoot's debut album earlier this month. Chickenfoot is comprised of lead singer Sammy Hagar, the "Red Rocker" formerly of Van Halen; guitar god Joe Satriani; powerhouse drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and bassist Michael Anthony, also a former Van Halen member. USA TODAY's review of the band states, "The band cooks up a hard-rock stew that blends pieces of each member's storied career (Hagar's howls, Anthony's harmonies, Smith's funk and Satriani's barnstorming) with chunks of late-'60s mainstays." Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani became a household name with his 1987 album "Surfing with the Aliens, " a multiplatinum guitar instrumental album. He has become one of the world's most influential guitarists, with 23 albums in his discography and millions of records sold worldwide. The instrumentalist's dream has always been to be part of a large vocal-oriented rock band, and in Chickenfoot, he has finally realized his dream. Sammy Hagar, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee for his tenure as lead singer of Van Halen, made his professional debut as the singer for the much-revered group Montrose during the early 70's. He replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen in 1985 and carried the Van Halen brand to new heights, together scoring a string of No. 1 albums and selling tens of millions of albums. Hagar wasn't looking to form a new group in his post-Van Halen career. "I really wasn't looking to have a real band, but when I got involved with these guys, only a fool would say, 'No, I'm not going to do this.' The minute we started jamming it was obvious, like, 'This is something that needs to be heard.'" As a founding member (and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) of Van Halen, bassist Michael Anthony laid the bedrock for which guitar genius Eddie Van Halen could fly. More than that, he provided a signature style of background vocal that became an intrinsic part of that band. His background vocals also come alive, along with his bass grooves, in Chickenfoot. Drummer Chad Smith, the youngest of the Chickenfoot artists at 47 years old, is a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have, since Smith joined the group in the late 80's, become a worldwide force. Considered a funk/alternative drummer with the Peppers, Smith rocks hard with Chickenfoot. Chickenfoot's self-titled debut album was released on June 5, skyrocketing to number 4 on the Billboard Album charts and number 1 on the Billboard Indie Chart in its first week. Opening for Chickenfoot is 22-year-old British blues guitarist/singer/ songwriter Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, whose solo debut album 'Coming Up For Air' was produced by Peter Frampton and recently reached number 4 on the Billboard Blues chart. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |