Red Hot Chili Pepper and Chickenfoot drummer Chad Smith somehow seems to find time to dedicate to this nifty little jazz-fusion/funk/hard rock ensemble he likes to call Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats, which also features Jeff Kollman (guitar), Ed Roth (keys), and Kevin Chown (bass). The band has a couple of studio albums to their credit, and this latest release Live Meat and Potatoes is a live CD recorded at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles, California. Judging by the wild sounds contained here, I'm really surprised that you don't hear more people talking about this group. If you are into some of Jeff Beck's instrumental fusion work from the '70s, chances are you'll find lots to love about this band.
Of course, Kollman's stellar guitar work is featured front and center throughout most of these songs. If you are familiar with his work with Cosmosquad, you already know what a talented player he is. Not only can the guy shred, but he also can lay down some tasty melodic lines as well, and you can hear both sides of him on the rockin' "Mountain of Meat" and on the grooving wah-wah inflected funk rock of "The Gunboat Is On!". Through it all Smith's nimble, groove laden drum work provides the foundation alongside Chown's muscular bass, and Roth's majestic keys provide plenty of color as well as second soloist to Kollman.
Other highlights here include the haunting "Nightsweats" (which could have been a leftover from Beck's Blow By Blow album), the super funky "Pigsfeet" and "Need Strange" (both have that Wired feel), the metallic "Breadballs", their funky take on Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick", and the lengthy jazz piece "Into the Floyd", which features some gorgeous piano from Roth and Kollman's tender guitar lines.
Superb fusion from start to finish, Live Meat and Potatoes shows a band that can deliver melodic, funky instrumental rock with just enough jazz fusion and hard rock elements to make for an exciting ride. And, you gotta love the cover art, which is a play on the classic KISS album cover for Love Gun.
Track Listing
Disc 1
1. Opps!I Spilled My Beer 6:31
2. Passing The Ace 6:37
3. Mountain Of Meat 5:12
4. The Gunboat Is On! 4:31
5. Nightsweats 8:01
6. Topps Off 9:24
7. Pigsfeet 8:11
8. Need Strange 7:30
Disc 2:
1. Deathmatch 6:21
2. Battle For Ventura Blvd. 6:44
3. Moby Dick 3:13
4. Shilo's Forbidden City Blues 6:06
5. Breadballs 9:07
6. Lobster Legs 5:23
7. Into The Floyd 14:10
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