Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways

As fans, as lovers of music and as admirers of the creative process, we often want to be in the room when the artist laid it down on paper, canvas, film or tape. There’s a reason behind the scenes features exist. Whether we are attracted to these creative moments because we want to learn from them, live vicariously through them or are just the type to take things apart to see what makes them tick is irrelevant. But we have to be very careful what we ask for because sometimes, knowing doesn’t add anything to the final product. In some cases, it can possibly take away from it. Dave Grohl is letting us in to the creative process and inspiration behind Foo Fighters’ new album via his HBO series Sonic Highways. Is it revealing or is it too much

Categories such as punk, blues, rock n roll, and glam might be separate on the surface, but they will share a common thread if created within a specific geographic location. With this premise in mind, Foo Fighters will be traveling to 8 different cities, exploring the local music scene, past and present, write a song about it and record with a local artist.

First up is Chicago where we get interviews with Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Albini, Rick Nielsen and several others. We get a very brief history of Chicago blues, touching on Muddy Waters, mainly to get to Buddy Guy. During one bit, Buddy tells a story about not having a guitar until he was in his teens, but playing with rubber bands or a string with a button on it just so he could hear it. This idea is eventually tied to punk, a connection that was right on. The DIY spirit of both genres is clear and is reflected in the rawness of both. In a voice over, Grohl says something to the effect that hearing old blues records or old punk records, it’s hard to imagine either of these styles would have a commercial aspect to them at all. It’s like they were just recorded for the artist