Dave Grohl By Michell Gutierrez

1. Biography Composition Histories Listening Guides Dave GrohlBy Michell Gutierrez

2. Biography—Dave Grohl • Born on January 14th, 1969 • Grew up in Washington D.C. Photo from www.examiner.com

3. Early Bands • Grohl joined a punk band as a teenager • Auditioned for and was accepted as the drummer for Nirvana in the early 90’s Photo from www.gonzojamsblog.blogspot.com

4. Nirvana • First album Nevermind was an enormous success and lead to worldwide notoriety for the band • Kurt Cobain’s suicide ended Nirvanain 1994 Photo from www. my.opera.com

5. Foo Fighters • Grohl used songs he wrote during his time with Nirvana to get started • First self-titled album released in 1995 • Written and produced almost entirely by Dave Grohl himself • Touring began and Dave needed band mates Photo from www.foofighters.com

6. Foo Fighters continued • The Colour and the Shape released 1997 • There is Nothing Left to Loose released in 1999 • won the band their first Grammy in 2000 Photo from www.foofighters.com Photo from www.foofighters.com

7. Foo Fighters continued • One by One released in 2002 • In your Honor released in 2005 • Photo from www.foofighters.com

8. Foo Fighters continued • Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace released in 2007 • Wasting Light released in 2011 • Photo from www.foofighters.com • Photo from www.foofighters.com

9. Foo Fighters continued • In October 2012 the Foo Fighters announced they would be taking a break from the band—but they will be back!

10. Dave’s side projects • Probotmetal band • Toured with Queens of the Stone Age • Recorded drum tracks with Killing Joke, Toni Iommi, Nine Inch Nails, and Garbage

11. Dave’s drumming talent Tribute to Dave Grohl that I found on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLTuqWpaUBw&feature=related

12. Composition History and Listening Guides • All three of the songs that I chose to write about came from Wasting Light which was released in 2011. • The entire album was recorded in Dave’s garage rather than in a studio. Each song’s lyrics were thought of the week before the songs were recorded.

13. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Introduction 0:01 – 0:45 • opening guitar riffs start the song—there are two guitars one playing the rhythm in the other is starting to develop the melody. The song has a time signature of four and the rhythm starts with sixteenth notes. The melody is whole notes on one, two, three, half note, and whole on four. This riff is repeated four times and continues throughout the introduction

14. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Verses one, two, three, and four 0:45-1:28 • Verse One:new guitar riffs in major mode comprised of half notes played successively down the scale for each of four measures. Drums continue playing same beat. “Oh won’t you let me twist your faith, it’s getting kind of late and I don’t want to wait no more” verse last for 8 measures with a drum fill and a crash on the last note of the eighth measure. • Verse Two: “Oh may I have this dance of days, locked in your embrace, past your test of faith.” • Verse Three: “Another time, another place, another line upon you face, another in your wake.” • Verse Four: “Tell crooked stares and side way glances comes the king of second chances, now throw him in the flame”

15. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Chorus 1:28 – 2:16 • Chorus bridge:Drum fill of sixteenth notes moves into the bridge, guitars keep playing same melody. “Whatever keeps you warm at night, whatever keeps you warm inside” eight measures • Chorus line 1: “Your bridges are burning down; they’re all coming down, it’s all coming round.” • Chorus line 2: “Your burning them down, it’s all coming down, they’re all coming round, your bridges are burning down.” • two measures of guitar riffs from the introduction, sixteenth notes on one, two, and then moves to half notes for three and four.

16. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Verses five and six 2:16 – 2:38 • Verse five:“Oh let me put you in your place, I love it when you say, I am giving everything away” eight measures • Verse six: “Oh let me put you in your place, I love it when you say, I am giving everything away” eight measures

17. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Chorus repeats 2:38 – 3:18 • Bridge 3:18 – 3:42 • Bridge same guitar melodies but this time the drum starts playing half notes on the snare again “Gather in the ashes, everything blown away, gathering the ashes, scattered as they blow away eight measures which is repeated once.

18. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Chorus Repeats 3:42 – 4:06 • Chorus line 1: exactly the same as the first chorus, same musical melody playing on the guitars, drums keeping the same rhythm. “Your bridges are burning down; they’re all coming down, it’s all coming round.” Rest on the vocals for the last measure, eighth measure finished off with a drum fill of sixteenth note rolls on three and four. • Chorus line 2: “Your burning them down, it’s all coming round, they’re all coming down, your bridges are burning down.” Vocals for eight measures, followed by eight measures of rest for vocals and same musical melody and rhythm; the last two measures signal the move into the next part of the song with drum beat playing half note on snare.

19. Listening Guide Bridges Burning—Foo Fighters • Chorus Repeats 4:06 – 4:45 • Chorus line 1: Chorus line one is repeated again, except this time with backup vocals singing the Bridge on top of the chorus, this repeats for chorus line two as well. This layering of the bridge and chorus repeats one more time. • Ending: guitars riffs and drum beats from the intro are brought back in for two measures, followed by same guitars riffs and drum rolls for two more measures, finishing out the song.

20. Listening Guide These Days—Foo Fighters • Introduction 0:01 – 0:48 • song starts with acoustic guitar playing melody of half notes for two measures. The second measure is played an octave lower than the first measure. These two measures are repeated one time • Verses one and two 0:08-0:36 • Verse One: “one of these days, the ground, will drop, out from beneath your feet” for six measures, then two measures of rest for vocals as the melody continues on guitar. • Verse One: “one of these days, your heart will stop, and play its final beat”

21. Listening Guide These Days—Foo Fighters • Instrument Introduction 0:36 – 0:43 • Vocals rest for four measures. Drums join in and play one measure of the same beat with a roll down the tom on the last note, drums rest for one measure while guitar continues melody, drums join again and play one measure with a roll down the toms on the last note • Verses three and four 0:43 – 1:12 • Verse three: “one of these days the clock will stop, and time won’t mean a thing” • Verse four: “One of these days, their bombs, will drop, and silence everything”

22. Listening Guide These Days—Foo Fighters • Chorus 1:13 – 1:59 • Chorus line 1: drums rhythm remains the same, but guitar riff changes to an electric guitar, “But it’s alright, yeah it’s alright, said it’s alright” • Chorus line 2: all instruments rest for one measure while vocals continue with “Easy for you to say”, instruments join back in on second measure “your heart has never been broken, your part has never been stolen, not yet, not yet” • Chorus line 3:“One of these days, I bet your heart will be broken, I bet your part will be stolen, I’ll bet, I’ll bet, I’ll bet, one of these days, one of these days”

23. Listening Guide These Days—Foo Fighters • Verses five and six 2:00 – 2:28 • Verse 5: “one of these days you will forget to hope an learn to fear” • Verse 6: all instruments rest for one measure while vocals continue with “Easy for you to say”, instruments join back in on second measure “your heart has never been broken, your part has never been stolen, not yet, not yet” • Chorus repeats twice 2:28 – 3:44

24. Listening Guide These Days—Foo Fighters • Bridge 3:44 – 4:08 • measure starts out with acoustic guitar only playing the same melody from the introduction for two measures “one of these days, your heart will stop and play its final beat” • Chorus 4:08 – 4:50 • Chorusrepeats again with an extra measure of one of these days on the end, one more measure of instruments only and the song is ended with the crash.

25. Listening Guide Back and Forth—Foo Fighters • Introduction 0:01 – 0:04 • guitars open the song with sixteenth note triplets for two measures with snare and crash playing on the whole notes. • Verses one and two 0:04 – 0:30 • Verse 1: Guitar starts playing rhythm of sixteen notes for one measure while the drums are playing half notes in duple meter with the snare on two and four “once upon a time I was somebody else, in another lie I sold myself, way back then, back when I was new” vocals rest for two measures • Verse 1:“somewhere down the line is started to slip, years gone by, biting my lip, all the while, all this time I knew”

26. Listening Guide Back and Forth—Foo Fighters • Verses three and four 0:30 – 0:58 • Verse 3: “ now you are on your own, one for the pages, over the hill and through the ages, trust my head and burn like hell on you” • Verse 4: “out beneath the cracks, and coming in waves, rolling like an earthquake under the pavement, tell me now, tell me mister true”

27. Listening Guide Back and Forth—Foo Fighters • Chorus 0:58 – 1:32 • Chorus line 1: starts with Vocals “you got a lot of nerve” the last word is held out for four measures. The guitars move to playing half notes down the scale for two measures and the drummer is playing half notes now with crash on the whole notes, the vocals match this change in octave. • Chorus line 2: “Now show a little back bone why don’t you” Verse instrumentation starts again, “I’m looking for some back and forth with you, are you feeling the same as I do, tell me now”

28. Listening Guide Back and Forth—Foo Fighters • Verses five and six 1:32 – 1:58 • Verse 5: “holding my breath I waited and waited, how’d a simple life get so complicated, shoes to fill and secrets to spill down you” • Verse 6: deer in the headlights, spoke in the wheel, you want pretend, I want for real, I’m taking it back, all my IOU’s” • Chorus repeats 1:58 – 2:32

29. Listening Guide Back and Forth—Foo Fighters • Instrumental Bridge 2:32 – 3:00 • Vocals rest and guitar and drums play for sixteen measures with some accentuated guitar riff • Chorus repeats one last time 3:00 – 3:50

30. Bibliography Bibliography A&E Networks. "Bio.true story." 2012. Biography.com. Document. October 2012. <http://biography.com/people/dave-grohl-279081>. AMG. "Drummerworld.com." n.d. Biography. October 2012. Rothman, Lily. Entertainment.time. 02 October 2002. 2012. 6 October 2012.