It doesn’t get much more modern day rock and roll than being the drummer of American tour de force Foo Fighters. Sunny-haired Taylor Hawkins has sat behind the kit, supporting everybody’s favourite frontman Dave Grohl, since 1997.
He’s branched out into his own side projects a few times since then, including Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders and his cover band, Chevy Metal. Now, the time has come again.
The latest experiment is an eclectic, ode-to-classic rock venture with bassist Willy Hodgden and guitarist Mick Murphy, with appearances by fellow Foo Fighters Pat Smear, Rami Jaffee and Grohl. They are The Birds of Satan.
Opening track ‘The Ballad of the Birds of Satan’ is a natural introduction to the group’s self-titled debut. A nine and a half-minute energetic anthem, it is Taylor’s preferred slice of the offering. While chatting with us from California, Taylor describes his passion for his album opener’s “sheer insanity”.
“The Ballad is the most fun one, it’s so crazy and there are so many parts to it. It’s the first song, it’s so long. I just love that one for its sheer insanity. I like that one – it’s just a crazy, schizophrenic song.”
The track is a precise microcosm of the entire disc. Its duration may be lengthy and its musical architecture complex, but the creative logic is pure and simple fun. Taylor evidently celebrates his time away from the confines and expectations of a global super-group, and uses his turn at the helm to explore every musical teenage influence he still holds dear.
You can probably directly trace the influence of every 1960s and 1970s classic rock luminary to each track. The Pink Floydian narrative light and shade of ‘Too Far Gone to See’ renders the song an appropriately-placed album conclusion. A lingering and resounding riff breakdown in the middle of the opening ballad could be pulled straight from a Black Sabbath B-side. Freddie Mercury’s creative influence is pronounced in ‘Pieces of the Puzzle’ and ‘Nothing At All’ in Taylor’s periodic, breathy shudders, and the Van Halen licks of ‘Wait Til Tomorrow’ are undeniable.
Listening to the record is like travelling back in time to witness Taylor’s musical formation in his teens and its many persuasions. But aside from the content, Taylor acknowledges the different set of dynamics that are required when he’s the “guy in charge” of making an album.
“Well…it was harder to make in the sense that there was more physical labour in making a record like this. I have to do everything, you know, write the lyrics, made sure it’s all working. In the Foo Fighters, I just show up and there’s one dude in charge. So Foos is much less work, in that sense.” He explains.
Aside from the novel arena where creative direction is solely Taylor’s, he also faces the potentially daunting task of literally moving into the spotlight and taking up residence as front man and vocalist. He seems aware but unperturbed by this move. He isn’t trying to be Grohl. He’s being Taylor. “I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do. So I don’t get intimidated by the vocals, I know my limits”.
Another listen through the seven-track release agrees this with Taylor’s concession when it comes to vocals, but the record does veer into over-ambitious terrain given its confines. With so much happening, the onedefinite consistency is disarray. But this is not necessarily a bad thing; the best classic rock is often not linear. If you enjoy any of the bands mentioned in this article, then The Birds Of Satan worth a spin.
The Birds Of Satan is out now via Shanabelle Records.
