21st Century

Band: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Album: Stadium Arcadium
Genre: Rock

This band has been running through my thoughts for the past few months, more so than I'd like to admit. I feel like this is a good time to start talking about them because, well, they're starting up a North American tour! The Red Hot Chili Peppers are coming back and I don't think I've ever been more excited for a tour. Although with school and all, who knows if I'll get the opportunity to see them. Being from New York, I've wanted nothing more than to see the Chili Peppers play in MSG, but I guess I'll just have to wait for the next time around.

Image from Rolling Stone

Anyway, this band is one of my favorite bands of all time. The members all work perfectly together to give the best performances to their audiences and albums to their listeners. Anthony Kiedis, the charismatic frontman, never fails to create a thrilling atmosphere that is sure to capture anybody's attention. From his young days of having long hair to now, he still manages to bring an energy to a concert like no other frontman. And, although he is no longer young and is now in his 50s, he still takes his shirt off on stage without a care.

Another man in the band who still takes his shirt off as if he was twenty again is Michael Balzary, or more lovingly known by the band and fans as Flea. He was lovingly given the nickname Flea because he is constantly jumping from place to place. The name stuck since he could never keep still on the stage; he still jumps around on stage even at fifty-three years old!

Image from all-flea

As the bassist, Flea works closely with the phenomenal drummer Chad Smith. Although he hadn't been there since the band started, he had been a strong addition to the band since the late 80s. His ability to create beats and keep the rhythm of the band is something that's kept the Chili Peppers an incredible band for years. The guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer, is the most recent addition to the band. His talents shine on their most recent album The Getaway. The band allows him to show off his talents more than in the first album he recorded on with them in 2011.

Stadium Arcadium was created in 2006 and is the longest runtime for any Chili Peppers album - over two hours. From the ever popular singles on the album - "Dani California", "Hump de Bump", and "Snow (Hey Oh)" - to the one's that are less known - "She's Only 18", "Strip My Mind", and "Make You Feel Better" - there is something for everyone to love. I definitely recommend this album to anybody who would want to get into the Red Hot Chili Peppers since it has twenty-eight songs with so much variety.

Image from anthonykiedisblog

My personal favorite song off of the album is "Slow Cheetah". This song really shows off Kiedis's talents as a vocalist; rather than something extremely upbeat his voice is calmer. The beat of the song is extremely relaxing and takes me away from a stressful situation. I listen to it often just to calm down and remind myself that stressing over the small things shouldn't matter.

Close seconds to "Slow Cheetah" are "She's Only 18" and "21st Century". "She's Only 18" is a very rock heavy song, the guitaring in it is enough to turn heads! The beat combined with Kiedis's words of getting with a girl that is far too young for his age curates a song that is unbeatable. "21st Century" is also a cheerful song that speaks to the fact that, in the modern age, society is falling apart.

Now you know a little more about one of my favorites! Have you ever listened to the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Let me know in the comments what you think about them!