Interview: Chad Smith

Drummer Chad Smith joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the band’s fourth album Mother’s Milk, released in 1989, and has with them ever since. You can also hear him on albums like Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication, and hit songs including “Give It Away”, “Under the Bridge”, “Scar Tissue”, “Otherside”, “Dani California”, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”, and much, much more. He also drums for the supergroup Chickenfoot, and recently showed his humorous side with a drum off on the Tonight Show against lookalike Will Ferrell.

He’s also the drummer for Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, for which he is joined by keyboardist Ed Roth, guitarist Jeff Kollman, and bassist Kevin Chown to give a funky brew with a jazz fusion edge. This interview was for a preview article for the Bombastic Meatbats concert on 4/15/16 at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara. It was done by email, with answers received on 4/11/16.