WITH COHEED, FOO FIGHTERS HAWKINS RIPS OFF RUSH?

Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the Foo Fighters, talks about playing drums on Coheed and Cambria’s latest album and trying to rip off Neil Peart of Rush

Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the Foo Fighters and one of the most respected drummers in rock today, performs on Coheed and Cambria’s latest album ‘No World for Tomorrow.’ The album, which is Coheed and Cambria’s 4th studio album, features Hawkins on drums instead of current touring drummer Chris Pennie, who is formally of Dillinger Escape Plan. Supposedly, Pennie wasn’t allowed to perform on Coheed and Cambria’s ‘No World for Tomorrow’ due to a contract dispute with his former label. Taylor, who rose onto the music scene drumming for Alanis Morissette, has been a seminal part of the Foo Fighters, with Dave Grohl since the bands inception and they have also recently been nominated for 5 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy for Best Album at the 50th Anniversary Grammy Awards.

We caught up with Hawkins to get his thoughts on performing on Coheed and Cambria’s latest album and with Claudio Sanchez’s vocals sounding eerily similar to Geddy Lee of Rush, Hawkins felt he had to try and rip off a few Neil Peart drum licks as well.

“It was a blast because Nick Raskulinecz, one of my best friends produced it. So we just had a great time trying to rip off Rush drum licks.”

Coheed and Cambria will be performing at a few Holiday one off radio shows before beginning a brief tour of Europe for January of 2008. After returning from Europe, Coheed and Cambria will next be supporting Linkin Park on all dates of their upcoming national tour. The tour goes from February 12th in Omaha, Nebraska and extends until March 10th in Sacramento, California and will be hitting 19 cities, including Madison Square Garden in New York and Staples Center in Los Angeles. The dates come on the heels of Coheed’s successful sold-out 25-date national headlining tour that wrapped at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom on November 29, 2007. Taylor Hawkins and The Foo Fighters will start their 2008 Tour in support for ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace’ on Jan 16th in Sunrise, Florida and they have dates booked in The U.S., Canada and Australia through May of 2008