Foxboro Hot Tubs
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| Foxboro Hot Tubs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco Bay Area/Oakland, California, United States |
| Genre(s) | Garage rock |
| Years active | 2007–Present |
| Label(s) | Jingle Town Records |
| Associated acts | Green Day The Network |
| Website | www.foxborohottubs.com |
| Members | |
| Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool Jason White Jason Freese Kevin Preston |
|
The Foxboro Hot Tubs is an American garage rock band. The group made its first appearance on the music scene in December 2007, debuting three songs on their website, http://www.foxborohottubs.com. Soon after, the Foxboro Hot Tubs were discovered and subsequently made headlines, being heralded as the next secret side project of Green Day, [1] which was later confirmed by the band themselves. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Formation
The band consists of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool, Jason White, Jason Freese and Kevin Preston. While the band's history is, as yet, unknown, they are comprised of the members of Green Day [3], who are performing "garage" music under a nom de plume. Fans of Foxboro Hot Tubs have noted, on the band's MySpace site, many musical similarities between the band and Green Day. Among the common traits listed are Billie Joe Armstrong's "unmistakable" vocals and guitar playing, and a rhythm section which recalls the sound of Green Day's own Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.[4]
On December 8, 2007, Foxboro Hot Tubs' site released the band's debut EP, Stop Drop and Roll!!!, in streaming and downloadable mp3 formats, free of charge to the listener. Five days later, on December 13, the mp3s were taken off the site, which then displayed just a clock. The mp3s were reinstated on December 16, but were again removed and replaced with the clock; later the website was changed to simply redirect to the band's MySpace.
Soon after, the song "Mother Mary" became a hit on alternative rock radio, hitting #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The name "Foxboro Hot Tubs" was explained in an email that was sent to MTV News: "The Foxboro Hot Tubs were a place we used to sneak booze and chicks into late at night. But most of the time it was just 'dude soup'."
[edit] Stop Drop and Roll!!!
Stop Drop and Roll!!! is the first record from the band. The first six tracks of the album were made freely available on foxborohottubs.com, beginning on December 8, 2007. They have since been removed and replaced with a web site advertising the album. On May 20, 2008, Stop Drop and Roll was released on CD and vinyl.
Musically, the songs exhibit influences as diverse as The Stooges, Iggy Pop, The Kinks, The Smiths, The Hi-Fives, and Tommy James and the Shondells. Some have compared the band's sound to more modern acts, such as The Strokes, The Hives, Arctic Monkeys, Wir sind Helden and The Fratellis - all of whom share common influences with Foxboro Hot Tubs. Initial reports described the record as having a "'60s style" sound.[5].
One thing about the album which is markedly different from most acknowledged Green Day releases is its use of samples. On the initial release of the first six songs, audio clips from various classic films are inserted at the beginning of each track. For example, "Stop Drop and Roll" and "She's a Saint Not a Celebrity" are preceded by samples from the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, while "Ruby Room" contains a clip from the 1970 cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Green Day had not made use of samples since Kerplunk! in 1992 until the release of an American Idiot outtake, "Favorite Son" which appeared on the 2004 compilation album Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2.
Some of the album's lyrics seem to be reminiscent of the lyrics from Green Day's 2004 album American Idiot, most noticeably the use of religious imagery such as a character named "Mother Mary", closely following the naming conventions of American Idiot characters "St. Jimmy" and "Jesus of Suburbia". There is also mention of being crucified in the song "She's a Saint Not a Celebrity" (a title itself reminiscent of the American Idiot track "She's a Rebel", which included the lyrics "She's a rebel / She's a saint"). Additionally a common phrase from American Idiot (appearing repeatedly in both "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming") is "I don't care", with this phrase also being repeated in the Foxboro Hot Tubs song "Mother Mary". The use of the name "Jingle Town" is also a similarity; in American Idiot, "Jingle Town" is the name of the fictional suburban town in which Jesus of Suburbia lives, while the Foxboro Hot Tubs claims to be signed by the record label "Jingle Town Records".[6]
On March 25, 2008 six more song titles were revealed and one new song "The Pedestrian" appeared on the band's myspace. The band's site now confirms that "The Pedestrian" will be the album's next single. While a video for "The Pedestrian" was shot in Toronto, Canada on April 15th and directed by Graydon Sheppard, the band since confirmed that it was only a treatment for a video, and was not final or official. The video was put up temporarily on Sheppard's own site as well as YouTube, but was removed shortly after. [7][1]
The album was released as an MP3 download on April 7, 2008 and the physical CD was released on May 20.
Another song called "Broadway" was temporarily put up on the band's MySpace page and has replaced the track "Highway 1" on the album's A-side.
[edit] Tour
All of dates for The Foxboro Hot Tubs' first tour have officially been announced:
- May 15, Oakland, CA - The Stork Club
- May 16, Crockett, CA - Toot's Tavern
- May 19, Little Rock, AR - Juanita's Cantina
- May 20, New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's
- May 21, Dallas, TX - The Loft
- May 22, Austin, TX - Emo's
- May 25, Phoenix, AZ - The Brick House
- May 26, Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
- May 27, Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
- May 28, Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar
Tickets for these shows were not available until the day of the show at the venue box office ONLY. Tickets were $20 cash. There was a two ticket maximum per person.
[edit] Line-up
- Billie Joe Armstrong - vocals
- Mike Dirnt - Bass guitar
- Tré Cool - drums
- Jason White - lead guitar
- Jason Freese - keyboards
- Kevin Preston - rhythm guitar
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Stop Drop and Roll!!! (2008) #21 US; #37 UK
[edit] Singles
- "Mother Mary"
- "The Pedestrian"
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Mainstream Rock | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Mother Mary" | - | #16 | - | #137 | Stop Drop and Roll!!! |
| 2008 | "The Pedestrian" | - | - | - | - | Stop Drop and Roll!!! |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Green Day side project releases new single NME - April 1, 2008
- ^ Green Day Authority, a dedicated fan site.
- ^ New Green Day music?. Kerrang! magazine. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
- ^ Foxboro Hot Tubs' MySpace. Myspace. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Green Day members form Foxboro Hot Tubs. Punknews.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ jingletownrecords - retrieved - April 01 2008
- ^ foxborohottubsdownload The Pedestrian download retrieved April 01, 2008
[edit] External links
- Foxboro Hot Tubs official site
- Foxboro Hot Tubs at MySpace
