Dave Grohl delivered the keynote speech at the SXSW in Austin on Thursday.
The head Foo Fighter traced through his personal and professional history and the musical connection throughout, starting with a 1975 K-Tel compilation album that featured the Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein.”
“It was a riff; I gave it all up for a riff," said Grohl. "Interestingly enough, though, that song is completely instrumental; there’s no vocal. It’s drums, guitars, keyboards, percussion – each getting a solo in the song. No vocals. But what I heard in all of those solos were voices – the voices of each musician: their personalities, their technique, their feel – the sound of people playing music with other people. It made me want to play music with other people, too.”
Grohl shared stories about hooking up with Nirvana, being chased by record companies in a bidding war to sign them; “accidentally” rebuilding his career with a homemade demo tape of songs that would become the first Foo Fighters album.
Dave’s mantra throughout the storytelling was “the musician comes first.”
Following his speech, Grohl and his Sound City Players were set to play a show at the legendary Stubb’s Thursday night.
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