Recorded live in Los Angeles, and incorporating an expanded ensemble, including violin, keyboard and percussion, 'Skin And Bones' is far more than simply a stripped-down collection of Foo Fighters hits. Each song has been carefully rearranged for the new instruments, which results in classic tracks such as 'Next Year' and 'Everlong' being given a new lease of life. Whilst Grohl and co are well known for their stadium-filling rock shows, this new format shows that Foo Fighters can be every bit as entertaining when unplugged in a more intimate setting.

Nov 2006

Foo Fighters release 'Skin And Bones', a live document of the band's first ever tour with its expanded eight-piece lineup culled from three sold out performances at Los Angeles' Pantages Theater. 'Skin And Bones' features the Foo Fighters core of Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, and Chris Shiflett augmented by guest players Petra Haden (violin), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), Drew Hester (percussion) and former Foo Fighter Pat Smear (guitar) playing unique interpretations of favourites from the band's entire catalogue.

• Alternative Press (p.139) - "The sound quality is top notch and includes the appropriate audience reactions to create a great concert atmosphere."
  Kerrang (Magazine) (p.56) - "[V]iolins, harmonicas and percussion twinkle in and out, adding depth, changing perspectives."

Foo Fighters: Chris Shiflett, Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins.
Additional personnel: Pat Smear, Petra Haden, Rami Jaffee, Drew Hester, Danny Clinch.
Recording information: Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California (2006); Studio 606, Northridge, Cailfornia.
Recorded during Foo Fighters' 2006 acoustic tour, SKIN AND BONES finds the perennially popular alternative-rock band drawing from its decade-plus history, even going so far as to include a spare rendition of "Marigold," a tune by frontman Dave Grohl that was originally issued as a Nirvana B-side. Augmenting the group's usual guitars/bass/drums line-up are pianist/organist Rami Jaffee (the Wallflowers), violinist Petra Haden, and additional percussionist Drew Hester, who add subtle flourishes to the stripped-down renditions of revered FF tunes such as the emotive "My Hero." While this concert release (also available on DVD) inevitably showcases the more sensitive side of the typically revved-up ensemble, it also reinforces Grohl's status as one of the most sincere and committed rock performers of his generation, as best revealed on the Foos' raw, intense take on "Best of You." Though SKIN AND BONES is a must-have disc for fans, its unplugged setting makes the album inviting to newcomers not as partial to Foo Fighters' rocking sound.

Unbeknownst to most Nirvana fans, drummer David Grohl was also a singer/guitarist/songwriter who wrote numerous songs on his own during his tenure with the band. After Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, Grohl decided to head out on his own and formed the Foo Fighters; he recruited sometime Nirvana consort Pat Smear (ex- of the Germs) and swiped the rhythm section from early-emo gods Sunny Day Real Estate and assumed frontman duties. The delightfully silly debut single "This is a Call" was a good indication of where the band's intentions lay as the Foos reflected Grohl's former band's melodic-punk-pop, but with a somewhat lighter attitude, a sound they would ride to over a decade of pop superstardom.