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How would you say your style changed in the context of the Meatbats?

"Well, there was a lot more room for me to stretch out, which was very rewarding to me as a drummer. I got my groove on, sure, but I tried not to overplay. I served the music."

The songs are very comical in nature - tracks like Pig Feet and Death March - but a few of them, tracks like Night Sweats, Into The Floyd and Lola, go into some dark places.

"That was the idea. We wanted it to be a party kind of record, but these guys are great lyrical players, full of melody, and songs just flow right out of them. I didn't see any reason not to include different things here and there on the record. We're not one-dimensional at all."

Are you guys going to be able to tour?

[laughs] "No! Not a 'tour' tour. We're going to be more like a wedding band and play on the weekends. Select gigs here and there, probably in November. We've got a few things lined up. I'd love to play a lot of shows with them, but there's just no way."

The 'Foot' Image: © Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle/Corbis

And what about Chickenfoot? After you do the Chili Peppers, are you going to do another record?

"Absolutely! We're having so much fun and it's gone so well - there's no reason not to continue with Chickenfoot. That's something I want to make very clear: Chickenfoot isn't a one-off thing for any of us. We're a band.

"I would imagine during my time with the Peppers that Joe will probably do another solo record, and maybe Sammy and Mike will do something on their own. But as soon as I'm done with the Chili Peppers, I'm diving right back into Chickenfoot. We're going to outdo this record, too. That's the plan and I'm sticking to it."

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Buy Red Hot Chili Peppers here: Amazon, HMV

Buy Chickenfoot here: Amazon, HMV

Pre-order Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats here: Amazon

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