MusicRadar

Chad Smith gives us the scoop on new Chickenfoot and Chili Peppers albums (© JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/epa/Corbis)

View in gallery

Seated in his cozy backstage area, Chad Smith yanks off his shoes and socks and spreads his feet out on a coffee table. "Look at this," he says, wiggling pinkish-tinged toes. "I've got some sort of rash or something. I don't know if it's a drummer's thing, athlete's foot or what it could be. Between my feet, bashing up my hands last night and this bruise I've got on my knee, I don't know if I'll be able to play tonight."

He chuckles, putting his socks and shoes back on. The Chickenfoot drummer, who also spends part of his time pounding the skins for a little-known band called the Red Hot Chili Peppers, can already hear the roar of the crowd below. "You know, they seem like good people," he says. "What the hell, I think I'll play!"

We're in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where Chad the rest of Chickenfoot - guitarist Joe Satriani, singer Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony - are set to rock out for a big webcast bash to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Cabo Wabo Cantina, Hagar's mega-successful nightspot. The band has already pulled off two spectacular "rehearsal shows," their first gigs since last December. "Tonight will be the ultimate," says Smith, "if I can just stop injuring myself."

Smith admits that doing double duty in two bands - triple duty in three, if you count his instrumental side project The Bombastic Meatbats - sometimes gives him the feeling that he's experiencing a multiple personality disorder, but he says the camaraderie in Chickenfoot is a godsend.

"I guess you could say we come running back to this band to get away from a lot of the other noise in our lives," he says. "Don't get me wrong, our day jobs are cool - well, those of us that have them; nobody knows what Mike does during his off-hours." He laughs and continues: "But there's something about being in the Foot that feels so right. We let off a lot of steam in this band, and we're thankful for that outlet."

Just then, a stagehand pops his head in and tells Smith, "20 minutes." With that, the drummer leaps up and starts to shake out his body. "I gotta loosen up, get in my zone," he says. "The Chickenfoot zone - that's a scary place for most people."

On that note, MusicRadar decided it was a good time to ask Smith about the next Chickenfoot album, as well the status of the Chili Peppers.

You just might qualify for being the hardest working man in show business at the moment, Chad. How do you keep your various musical duties straight?

"You're assuming I do, which is mighty nice of you, Joe. [laughs] No, it's fine, actually. What I do is no different from what a lot of musicians do, session players and what not, and especially drummers. You play music with these guys one day, you play with these other guys on another day…It's all good. So far, the Foot has worked."

Earlier, Joe Satriani was telling me about how he'd like to see the next Chickenfoot album differ from the first one. What are your thoughts?

"Well, what did Joe say?"

That's not fair! You tell me your thoughts, man.

Around the web: