Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl discussed his daughter Violet wanting to shave her head in a new Parade interview. He also said her music ‘blows people’s minds.’ He said it, not us!
“My daughter Violet is almost 11 years old, and she’s the rock and roller in the family. She’s got an incredible voice. She knows she’s good. And so, of course, I encourage her to follow that. She’s in a band now. We’ve performed together at school functions and she just blows people’s minds.
The other day, I was putting her to bed, and she says, “Dad, I think I want to shave my head.” And I said—really? I thought you were trying to grow your hair out. And she said, “All the other girls in my class have long hair, and I’m different from them. So I want to shave my head.” And I basically said—can I shave it for you? I said absolutely, because I can relate.”
He also discussed great advice his mother gave him.
“Once, were talking about her childhood growing up in rural Ohio. I asked her if she ever felt alienated or any sort of peer pressure. She said, “You know, I never compared myself to other people. I felt like myself, so I didn’t compare myself to others.”
And that, I swear, is something that I’ve tried to pass on to my children, as well. You have to feel strong as an individual and not spend your life comparing yourself to other people. And it makes perfect sense with my mother, because she doesn’t compare to other people. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”
King Ropes released their debut album Dirt last year, and the album was written and recorded in different cities in a creative process that brings back memories of Foo Fighters’ 2014 album Sonic Highways.
Frontman Dave Hollier traveled back and forth across the United States before landing him in his home state
of Montana. The album began in Hollier’s long-time home of Brooklyn, where he began cutting tracks with drummer Konrad Meissner (Katy Perry, Matt Nathanson). Hollier took the project with him during a brief stint in Los Angeles, where he continued recording with some West Coast based players, before eventually returning to Bozeman, Montana.
The recording process definitely gives the album a sense of diversity, with one of the album’s standout tracks being “Shovel and a Pickaxe,” which recently received a music video release. The gritty track’s music sounds reminiscent of Alice In Chains’ more southern leaning tracks like “Queen of the Rodeo” and “Heaven Beside You,” and also a bit like a modern take on Neil Young and Wilco with synthetizer elements that make the song sound incredibly fresh. The bass work is fantastic on the song, almost serving as a rhythm guitar like Robert DeLeo and Eric Avery’s bass lines do on Stone Temple Pilots and Jane’s Addiction’s best tracks.
Hollier’s vocals sound a bit like Black Francis’ more melodic work in the Pixies. Lyrically, the song has the feeling of trying to do outdoor work like digging to try to escape from mental anguish, but there really being no escape. There is also a story of a relationship that feels like it could end at anytime: ‘If you ask me to leave I might walk away with you.’
Alternative Nation strongly recommends that you check out “Shovel and a Pickaxe,” and listen to the entire Dirt album. You can also like King Ropes on Facebook.
