Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, the disc is the band’s first studio album in five years and marks the debut of new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who joined in the fall of 2009 following the departure of John Frusciante.
After Frusciante quit, singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea "had this intuitive feeling," the singer tells Rolling Stone. "We're not really done. We wanted to maintain the Red Hot Chili Peppers if we could do it in a way that upheld historically what we had accomplished. There were some interesting conversations…about do we try to find someone we don't know, or maybe there is somebody right in our own backyard who is the perfect solution."
Klinghoffer, 31, was a veteran sideman who had recorded and toured with Beck, PJ Harvey and Tricky, among many others. He was also a friend of Frusciante's, working on several of that guitarist's solo records, and had performed with the Chili Peppers on their last world tour, playing extra guitar and keyboards.
"I felt like I had the experience," Klinghoffer says in his first-ever press interview, sitting next to Kiedis on a couch in the singer's Malibu home. "There was no real adjustment. This is playing music with people I admire and who have been friends for years."
"Josh has not lacked the necessary assertions," Kiedis notes. "His voice is as dominant as any other voice on the record." That is literally true: in addition to playing guitar, Klinghoffer contributed keyboards and backing vocals...he also co-wrote the music with Kiedis, Flea and drummer Chad Smith.
Check out the full Rolling Stone article here.
The Peppers have just released the first single from the record: “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” is available now.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie (2011)
