Chad Smith

people say chad smith is overrated. well i disagree. he may not be the most technical drummer but he holds a solid beat and keeps RCHP together. sometimes people have to think outside of the box. you see, there are many drummers who have technical ability far beyond chads, but he as sold millions of albums with rhcp and has been going now for years. sometimes its just about the music. you dont need to be a really technical drummer to write a good beat/song. As a drummer on his own and playing wih red hot chilli peppers, we see a different side. Hes renowned and respected for the awesome contribution he makes in the music of red hot chili peppers, not for his ability. i cud go on about this all day but you get the picture. I personally like his style as sometimes its better to have a solid beat carrying a song rather than masses of rolls etc.
 
Spence said:
Stone Cold Bush and Subway to Venus are awesome tunes. Lots more funky grooves on Mother's Milk.
mothers milk is their best album in my oinion....my band plays both stone cold bush and subway to venus...also suck my kiss...and all these songs are just so much fun to play!!if anyone wants to learn a cool,funky,groovey song it should be stone cold bush...!haha!

Spence said:
Chad's still the funk, but he is being restrained by the poorer songs.
the whole band has changed with the times...you cant hold it against them...but yeah i much prefer their old funky stuff...i know flea an chad are still as funky as ever....!
 
Smoky_McPot said:
So...now that Stadium Arcadium is out.... What is everyone's opinion of it?

Personally I loved it from 1st listen. I'm a big chilis fan - my whole band loves em. They write kick arse songs, and some of my favourite to play. I was dissapointed by By The Way but Stadium Arcadium has a much better feel to it. Yeah they are bringin some funk back, but thier soft stuff i reckon has much more feeling than By The Way.....Anyway I'm really liken it atm. Everyone else?

I completley agree, I like "By The Way" but it definetley was lacking something. This album is almost like a tribute to everything they have recorded. The funky songs are awesome and the mellow songs are beautiful and the rocks song, well they just rock! I think it's a great album.
 
Saw the chili's last night, put ona great show as per usual! Chads kit was glowing, it was awesome. They played a few new tracks, but not too many. I was really impressedm they played Blood Sugar Sex Magik & Me and my Friends. Was great fun.
 
I so wanted to write something in this thread, but after spending bloody ages reading all 5 pages that you have all written about him, I just can't find anything new or interesting to add, I thought I was going to open this up and find everybody sticking thier heads up thier arses and slagging the man off, but I guess he's just that likeable that even the people who don't rate him as a drummer really can't find anything terrible to say about him, and that has got to be one of the greatest achievements, especially in a place like this.

I would be exstaticly happy to have pockets half as deep as Chads, and half the skill he has, and half the love he has, I have never seen anybody have anywhere near as much fun behind a kit as this man, and after all that's what making music is all about
 
TopCat said:
Saw the chili's last night, put ona great show as per usual! Chads kit was glowing, it was awesome. They played a few new tracks, but not too many. I was really impressedm they played Blood Sugar Sex Magik & Me and my Friends. Was great fun.

Haha, I know the persons brother who created those lights. I talked to him, and he said he's a really down to earth guy, and totally different then you'd expect him to be. Chad invited him to spend a weekend with him, since the guy invented them.
 
this thread is getting longer and longer and I couldn't stop myself from adding my comment .....

RHCP is one of the tightest act out there in commercial pop/funk/punk scene. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Arcadium look how much money they are minting) They are successful from the last 13 years. Had Chad been not the most innovative dude around for this kind of music bordering on punk and art, then RHCP and their producers and music label has enough muscle (read money) power to get even Dave Weckl to back up Flea and Anthony.

I haven't heard Chad speaking in private conversations, but i once on TV heard an informal interview with Flea about his musical opinions and influences. Now this bassist is not the half mad crazy a*** rebel like he portrays as an RHCP member onstage .... I saw this guy to be very down to earth, has been influenced by very deep musicians, and knows his stuff more than the brand image marketing guys with Sony or BMG would like the kids there to know. ..... Chad must have sufficiently impressed Flea to be with him for so many years .... and we are talking about professionals here, not the amateur band on the block who finds difficult to get musicians.
 
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I'm currently listening to Blood Sugar Sex Magik a lot lately. I really enjoy Chad's playing on this album. It's alot of fun to jam along with.

I have to check out some of RHCP's newer stuff, and Chad's DVD sometime.
 
I think Chad Smith is great drummer. Lots of cool grooves and no real weaknesses. He doesn't shine like some drummers, but he's got style. I love his groove in Aeroplane. Lots of nice feathered snares, sounds real smooth.
 
Now this bassist is not the half mad crazy a*** rebel like he portrays as an RHCP member onstage .... I saw this guy to be very down to earth said:
i dont know about the crazy i have read scar tissue by anthony kiedis and anthony is crazy and the reason (he claims) him and flea got along so well was because he was up for all this crazy stuff too. He is still a down to earth guy and jazz played a big influence on him - he used to play the trumpet and learnt bass from Hillel (RHCP's first guitarist)

ANYWAY enough fo a history lesson

like everyone has said he is a great drummer with great energy and fits the chili peppers perfectly. BSSM has to be one of their best albums in my opinion - not a huge fan of their new stuff but i think the bass and drum combo flea and chad have is what sparks up alot of their new poppy songs
 
MrCrazy said:
After Modern Drummer 05 I thought he was way over-rated. I mean everything he does isn't that impressive.
I think Chad's performance at the 2005 MD Fest was one of the best ones there. The grove was strong, his solo had a very important point to it as well. On of the best bits of advice was given by Chad Smith at the fest. You can get behind a set and have all sorts of cool chops but the GROOVE will get you the gig. His display of Time was awesome, so you might want to rethink your comments....you could learn a lot from that performance.....I did!
 
Mapex589 said:
I think Chad's performance at the 2005 MD Fest was one of the best ones there. The grove was strong, his solo had a very important point to it as well. On of the best bits of advice was given by Chad Smith at the fest. You can get behind a set and have all sorts of cool chops but the GROOVE will get you the gig. His display of Time was awesome, so you might want to rethink your comments....you could learn a lot from that performance.....I did!

I couldn't agree more. His performance showed class and deep, deep pocket and groove. There was also some complexity - with bass drum ghost notes - to go along with the power and impeccable timing. The truth is that if more young drummers aspired to actually be able to do this type of thing well, there would be a lot more competition for work! It is this kind of skill (not the blazing fast blast beats) that leads to employment.

Chad's a great drummer and if you donlt think so now, you will when you get a little older and wiser!

Paul
 
I have his DVD 'Red Hot Rhythms' and he makes the point that what's important to him is to play for the song. He said when he was starting out he used to throw in all sorts of fancy fills because he could play them, but that didnt mean they were right for the song. Flea also adds in the DVD that 'God help you if you're in a band and your drummer cannot sit back, slow it down and just lay down the groove.' Very valuable lesson there...
 
it's hard to argue with chad smith's success w/ the chili's, but he's like a rock drummer trying to play funk. i don't think he's a "true" funk drummer like garibaldi or steve ferrone (check out "texas flyer" on freddie king's burglar album) or dennis chambers... now THAT'S funk...it would be interesting to hear garibaldi with the chili's...
 
NUTHA JASON said:
that's a bit harsh. he's not trying to play funk. he is playing funk...just not of the variety you mention. chad, if not invented, certainly popularised hard funk. he doesn't win every other reader's poll for nothing.

j
Thanks for saying it Nutha. I couldn't find the words. I totally agree with you!!
 
chad is basically a all round good drummer and his lack of technicality is made up the all the rythm and groove he contributes to RHCP, and as being a funky pop rock sorta band his drummin is perfect!!
OCTO
 
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